new-york-mets – Threeunassisted

Heavy Questions for the New York Mets

It only seems like the sky is falling for the New York Mets. They have been stuck in a rut for over a week, having lost eight of their last nine contests. I still believe this team is playoff bound and this is one of those stretches that even the best teams go through during the course of a long season. However, there are still some things that are developing that can derail the club as they seek to return to the World Series for the first time since 2015. After last season’s run to the National League Championship Series, just making the playoffs isn’t good enough. So what are some things that are a bit concerning to me? Here are some questions I have regarding the current state of the Mets.

Sean Manaea needs to resemble 2024 when he comes back. Credit: Sports Illustrated

Has the pitching lab hit a snafu?

Much of the rotation acquisitions the Mets have made over the last two offseasons were met with skepticism. The performances of Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, along with improvements of Tylor Megill and David Peterson in 2024 showed that David Stearns, Carlos Mendoza and Jeremey Hefner knew their talent and played to their strengths. 2025 started off the same. Griffin Canning and Clay Holmes exceeded expectations through the first eight weeks of the season. Their starts as of late are concerning. Canning is close reverting back to seasons past and it’s hard to tell if Holmes can last the entire season in the rotation. Kodai Sanga is hurt again. Manea is on his way back as is Frankie Montas. The rotation to me is officially a worry.

What’s up with Francisco Alvarez?

Alvarez’s injury last April coincided with the Mets slide and his activation was in line with the team’s turnaround in June. He missed the first month of this season and has struggled since coming off the injured list. He has struck out 38 times in just 138 plate appearances with only three home runs. Defensively, he still throws out would be base stealers but other aspects, such as framing and blocking pitches, have regressed. Part of the issue stems from the fact that Luis Torrens did a tremendous job while Alvarez was out. Without regular playing time, Alvarez has had issues getting on track. This resulted in him getting sent to Triple A Syracuse on Sunday. I feel like since Torrens has been so good, the Mets will be OK at catcher, just like the Yankees in 2022 when Jose Trevino got an opportunity and ran with it. Alvarez is still only 24 and not far removed from being the organization’s #1 prospect. It’s still early to say he will not work out long term. Moderate worry on this situation.

How much trust do you have in the bullpen?

To be fair, 75% of baseball fans are skeptical of their team’s bullpen. When it comes to the Mets, I feel like the only guy to trust is Edwin Diaz, despite the overall numbers. Huascar Brazobán was the most reliable reliever after Diaz early on but he has struggled in his last ten appearances. The loss of A.J. Minter for the season was a crushing blow. Perhaps the long term role for Jose Butto is that of a setup guy as opposed to a long man. Last year, Stearns filled out the bullpen as the year went on with Brazoban, Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek. That strategy paid off with an NLCS appearance. Perhaps with Brazoban and Butto, more internal options exist and lessens the need for a big trade. I would still like to see a setup weapon such as Jake Bird. Bullpens are always a worry, but on this year’s Mets, the rotation worries me more.

Third Base is a Full House for the New York Mets

The New York Mets’ third base position reminds me of the famous line in Forrest Gump: “Life is like a bunch of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get”. Coming into this season, it looked like Mark Vientos was the answer at the hot corner, with him coming off a 32 home run season. However, Vientos was not looking like the 2024 breakout star and appeared more like……well, a guy that was lost at the plate. At the beginning of June, a hamstring injury forced him to the injured list. Eventually, Brett Baty got some reps at third and after starting slowly, he turned into thumbs up Baty before reverting back to thumbs down Baty. Ronny Mauricio was called and has found most of his Major League time being spent at third. Even Luisangel Acuna has seen action there as a defensive replacement.

It would be nice for Mark Vientos to reclaim the third base job. Credit: Sports Illustrated

Third base is like the village bicycle. Everyone gets a turn.

Vientos is about to begin a rehab assignment and could conceivably rejoin the Mets this weekend. He should be the frontrunner to reclaim the position as he is the one with the best, albeit brief track record of performing at the Major League level. None of the other three players have grabbed a hold of the spot the way Vientos did in 2024. Now does this mean he gets to remain the starter should his on base percentage hover below .300? I would say no considering Baty, Acuna and Muricio are all well thought of in the organization. What the chaos at the corner should do is bring out the best in each player. After all, the other guys that don’t step up at third do have second base to fall back on. Those who lose out on both second and third slide into a utility role or all the way down to Syracuse. In Vientos’s case, he doesn’t have that luxury. It’s either third base or thrown into another crowded space at designated hitter. Talk about a good problem to have. The team has one of the best records in baseball and their biggest worry is to find enough playing time for their youngsters.

The Mets have arguably entered their toughest stretch of the season. They have lost four consecutive games for the first time in 2025 and travel to Philadelphia after finishing up in Atlanta. Now would be the perfect time for someone, anyone to grab a hold of third base for the remainder of the season.

Yankees, Mets and Phillies: Problems Abound?

The Major League Baseball season is seven months of ups and downs. It is important to not get too high or too low, particularly during April. It goes double for a team with high expectations. The first five game losing streak doesn’t necessarily mean a complete re-evaluation. Conversely, winning eight out of ten from April 15 through April 27 doesn’t translate into a parade. I have three fans in the house that I have to periodically remind that we have more than 75% of the season left to play. The New York Yankees, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies have already dealt with some adversity and should still be playoff bound. However, that doesn’t mean that there are situations that bear watching.

Devin Williams will hopefully regain the closer’s role. Credit: NY Post

New York Yankees: It is a month into the season and Devin Williams has already lost his closer’s role. On Friday night, chants of “We Want Weaver” resonated throughout Yankee Stadium as his latest poor outing concluded. Call it an adjustment period, call it a lack of confidence right now. Williams is too talented to go an entire season like this. I don’t think this is going to be a situation where the home run he gave up to Pete Alonso in last year’s playoffs starts the decline of his career. However, if the Yankees are to repeat as American League champions, Williams will need to fix his confidence, his mechanics and whatever else ails him. If not, those chants Friday will be mild compared to what will come later.

New York Mets: Out of the three teams, the Mets seem to have the least amount of worry. Despite a brutal loss on Sunday, they still own the league’s best record. It feels like they need bullpen help after coughing up a six run lead on the day A.J. Minter went on the Injured List. That is merely a coincidence. Until Juan Soto starts hitting more consistently, I feel as though the offense will still go on these wild swings of ten runs in one game and then ten over the next four contests. That seems like a contradiction considering the Mets’ record, however it is something that has happened in the early going.

Philadelphia Phillies: It seems like the Phillies have been searching for a guy to lock down the ninth inning for years. They signed a previous All Star closer, Jordan Romano but so far, the early results have been discouraging. The defection of Jeff Hoffman to the Toronto Blue Jays has made a shaky part of the team even more suspect. Outside of Jose Alvarado, is there anyone to trust to keep a one run lead? Also, Alec Bohm‘s second half slide from 2024 has carried over to this season. He hasn’t homered in 107 at bats and his OPS is .532. Perhaps all of the trade talk surrounding him in the offseason has affected his on field play.

New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies: One Girl’s Pain

On Monday evening, we made the trip to Citi Field to watch the New York Mets take on the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the four of us (Ryan went back to Siena earlier in the day), one of Caitlyn’s friends and a couple whose son is friends with Matthew. Beatrice and I remained neutral while everyone else (minus Caitlyn) was a Mets’ fan. If you know the result of the game, then you know that one of us went home not happy. In fact, after today’s game, it became clear that Caitlyn was almost ready to throw the towel in on the Phillies’ season.

Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto ready for action. Credit: Matthew Lynch

This was the third time we have seen Aaron Nola pitch in person. And for the third time, Philadelphia came out on the short end of the score. We had good seats, section 329 row 16. In came in handy when on this chilly night, we managed to avoid the brief drizzle that fell during the course of the contest. When Francisco Lindor led off the first inning with a home run and Jesse Winker led off the second inning with a home run, Caitlyn knew it was not a good omen. It didn’t help her cause watching Tylor Megill whiff ten Phillies’ batters, either. For Matthew and the rest of the Met fans, it was sheer delight when Lindor cranked a three run homer in the seventh inning to give the home team what seemed to be an insurmountable 5-0. It was around this time that Caitlyn reminded me emphatically that the Phillies needed bullpen help and that I would tell her they would be fine. Their second highest bullpen ERA that flashed across the TV screens above us made me a liar. She did have some joy in the ninth inning when Bryson Stott smacked a three run home run of his own to cut the lead to 5-4. Unfortunately for Caitlyn, Bryce Harper struck out to end the game, leading to yet another disappointing stadium outcome for her.

This is why I love my kids and marvel at how wonderful they are. There was no trash talking between Matthew and Caitlyn. Matthew was surely thrilled his Mets were victorious but was happy for Caitlyn that she got to see a big Phillies’ rally. As for Caitlyn, the rest of this series went as poorly you can get. Cristopher Sanchez left Tuesday’s start early with forearm trouble. Wednesday’s game was an extra inning loss, even after Philadelphia took the lead in the tenth inning. The series sweep left the team with a record of 13-12 and a certain young lady in my house ready to challenge them all to a fight.

Help Me Out, Mark Vientos

I have started my fantasy baseball season 2-0. The record is extremely fortunate as my team has not really performed up to expectations as of yet. Kyle Tucker has been wonderful and I have enjoyed Jackson Chourio on my team for the second straight year. I could have done a better job drafting pitching though it was hard to envision Justin Steele being done for the year less than a month into the season. To win a championship, you can’t have a huge drop-off in production on a player you drafted to start for you.

Mark Vientos needs to find his way back to my starting lineup. Credit: Newsday

I need Mark Vientos to revert to his 2024 form.

Vientos was a black hole for me during the first two weeks of our season. He had seven measly hits in 63 plate appearances during that span, resulting in a batting average whose equivalent weight wouldn’t allow you to donate blood. I put him on the bench to start this third game, fearing another lost week. The depth of my team is allowing me to post one of the higher scores of the week so far. However, I know that I am going to need Vientos to rediscover his stroke in order to be a playoff contender. Maybe it is just good managing on my part that my score is so good without my best pitcher in Steele and the benching of an important player in Vientos.

New York Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza took a page from my book and benched Vientos on Wednesday. The 25-year old third baseman responded by hitting his first home run of the year Thursday night. As the weather warms up, I hope Mark Veintos gets hot. Perhaps it is my benching that will propel him to another excellent campaign in 2025.

Three Teams, One Family: How Do We Watch the Games?

One of the more challenging aspects of having three different favorite teams under one roof is deciding which game to watch. We do enjoy watching baseball together as a family, making it difficult to keep one station on for more than an inning. One would think that with me being the Dad and Ryan being the oldest child we should give the lion’s share of the viewing to the Yankees. However, with me seeing lots of Yankee victories over the years, I’d rather choose the happiness of my kids over my own interests.

Pete Alonso and the Mets are no always the game of choice. Credit: New York Post

So how do divide the television viewing up equally?

First off, I have been a little lax ordering MLB Extra Innings. That means Caitlyn does not get to watch her team as much as the boys get to watch theirs. Whenever the opportunity arises to catch a Phillies game on TV, we watch them over the Yankees and Mets. Perhaps this is the year we go back to Extra Innings and Caitlyn can get a chance to see her team a little bit more. MLB At Bat is always live in our house. Therefore, when we get a notice of a big inning, the child whose team is not the game of choice, goes to one of the other two TV’s to watch. I will sometimes stroll back and forth between the two rooms to see what unfolds. I do have the Optimum app so if we want to remain in one room, we put the other game on the app. Sometimes, we may decide that the more completive game is the one we view. Whenever there is a blowout, both on the winning and losing side, we shut that game off and go to the better one. Needless to say, there is a lot of channel surfing going on for at least six months.

We will not get to the point where more than another television finds its way into the living room. The setup we have now works just fine. No matter whose team is on, we will all root for them except when they play one another. Even when there is a Mets-Phillies game or Yankees-Mets contest, we are all respectful to one another….most of the time.

First Series Recap: A Mixed Bag

The Major League Baseball season just started. Yet, much like returning to school after Summer vacation, it doesn’t take long to feel as though baseball never left. If you scour over the landscape this weekend, teams of most fans feel as though the 2024 season is still continuing. The Dodgers are winning, the Pirates can’t get out of their own way and the Guardians continue to prosper despite offseason maneuverings. For those of us who are Yankees, Mets and Phillies fans, the same highs and lows that have been a part of this household for years were on full display over these past four days.

Bryson Stott and the Phillies had a good start to the season. Credit: Fox 29 Philadelphia

New York Mets

One can say that last season’s NLCS appearance should absolve the Mets from early criticism. However Matthew and I seem to have the same conversation every year. They pitch really well but they can’t hit when it matters, and sometimes like Saturday night, not at all. It won’t be an 0-6 start but suddenly the Mets are about to run into a hot team in the Miami Marlins. There is no panic in the house right now although Beatrice seems to think that Juan Soto should get a hit every time he comes to the plate based on what he is being paid. Matthew is more reserved but is still frustrated about scoring six runs in three games. He didn’t even bother watching the ninth inning of the series finale.

New York Yankees

Ryan doesn’t have Gleyber Torres to kick around anymore but five errors in one game? That is about the only negative to the hot start by the reigning, defending American League champions. After demolishing Brewers’ pitching with 15 home runs, the Yanks’ choice of bats is catching some attention. The pitching wasn’t the best but it didn’t have to be. Ryan and I are both confident that it will come around once the weather starts getting better. The two of us believe that the offense will continue to crank out a bucket full of runs even without Giancarlo Stanton. When Ryan returns home in less than three weeks, anything less than a first place standing will be a major disappointment.

Philadelphia Phillies

“We should have swept them”. That was Caitlyn’s remark after the Phils dropped the series finale 5-1 to the Washington Nationals. Still, she’s happy they won two of their first three games on the road. It’s always a roller coaster of emotions watching games with her. One minute she is proud of them, the next minute, well they stink. On balance, this is a much better start than the last two seasons when they were swept in Texas in 2023 and dropped two out of three to the Braves to begin 2024. Much less angst to begin this year and I even detected a smile or two.

New York Mets on Apple TV: Killing Our Friday Night

Ryan came home for a quick weekend visit this weekend. In fact, he is laying on the couch as I write this. When we found out he would be coming home for his cousin’s Confirmation on Saturday, we knew it was on the second day of the baseball season. Perfect timing. Upon looking at the schedule, we saw the Yankees and Phillies would be off so the Mets would have our undivided attention, playing in Houston at 8:10 PM. However, there was just one small problem with this perfect scenario.

No Mark Vientos and the Mets for us on Friday night. Credit: Forbes

The Mets and Astros are playing on Apple TV.

We don’t have Apple TV.

Look, I know this is now the fourth season of games streaming exclusively on Apple TV. The complaints about games being blacked out in local markets are long gone by now. That doesn’t mean we still can’t be annoyed by this ridiculous setup. The NFL Thursday night package on Amazon allows the local TV markets to view their contests. The Jets and Giants are one of the major networks on Thursday nights when they play. Actually, the NFL is the one league in which consumers would buy a streaming service just so they could favorite team play. The other sports, including baseball don’t have that luxury, a result of having so many games. The only reason I can come up with as to why we don’t receive our local teams on Apple TV nights is that Apple pays MLB more not to broadcast in local markets. Brilliant strategy for alienating your fans.

The next time you hear an MLB official say how important the fans are, refer to this post. If MLB was really looking out for fans, this Apple deal would never have gone through as presently constructed. Baseball needs more fans; this is not how you gain them. Take less money, give us the Apple games in our markets and don’t ruin a Lynch Friday night again.

Each Team’s Step Up Player

Today is one of the those days where I have decided to turn control over to the three Lynch kids. I have each of them to identify the player from their team who is about to take a big leap forward or play a bigger role. When I first posed the question, I am not quite sure if they understood what I was looking for. Caitlyn said Aaron Nola was her guy and then I had to remind her that he was an established Major Leaguer coming off a solid season. After clarifying my request, their minds went to work. What follows is the finished product in their own words (with a little commentary from me).

Perhaps Brett Baty can stick around for all of 2025. Credit: New York Post

New York Mets: Brett Baty

After a great start to 2024, Baty was sent down to Triple A at the end of May. With Mark Vientos firmly entrenched at third base, Baty seemed to a be man without a position. Matthew’s reasoning for Baty to play a big role for the Mets in 2025 is based on his Spring Training numbers. He has three home runs and ten extra base hits in 18 games. Jeff McNeil‘s injury has opened the door to a roster spot where he is getting a long look at second base. Perhaps the role as a swing infielder in the Jose Iglesias mold is where Baty will help the Mets the most in 2025.

Philadelphia Phillies: Orion Kerkering

The 23 year old right hander became an important piece of the Phillies’ bullpen during their 2023 playoff run. Kerkering had a tremendous first full season in 2024 with a 2.32 ERA in 63 games. He will be asked to expand his role this season with All Star Jeff Hoffman now in Toronto. Hopefully, Kerkering can channel the advice from his former teammate which you can read about here. Not only is Hoffman gone but Matt Strahm may not open the season in Philadelphia as he is dealing with a shoulder impingement. Even more pressure is on him because if he fails, Caitlyn will be requesting to meet him in the parking lot.

New York Yankees: Anthony Volpe

The Yanks’ shortstop had an uneven second campaign as his homer output was sliced nearly in half but he raised his batting average 34 points. Volpe’s grand slam in the World Series has fans hopeful that his bat can be much more viable in his third season. His club will need him to improve the anemic less than .300 on base percentage dramatically with the loss of Juan Soto and the potential long term unavailability of Giancarlo Stanton. His defense regressed in 2024 but Ryan looks forward to a Gold Glove caliber season in 2025. If New York wants to win back-to-back pennants, Volpe will have to become a next level player.

MLB Offseason: Yankees Play Landlord, Phillies Speculation, Mets Injury News

The Major League Baseball season ended two weeks ago and though it seems Spring Training is years away, in reality, we are under 100 days. By far, the biggest storyline of the offseason is where is Juan Soto going to sign? Given that Scott Boras is his agent and that he will have a handful of big money suitors, I don’t expect his decision until after New Year’s. The business of baseball over these next three months is more than just Juan Soto. There are still awards to hand out, players to be wined and dined and of course, the Winter Meetings in December. Our three teams have been in the news for one reason or another so far. All three have big expectations for the 2025 season. Now is the start of it.

Steinbrenner Field, home of the Rays in 2025. Photo from NBC News

Yankees Hosting a Rival

When Hurricane Milton rolled through southwest Florida in October, one of the casualties was Tropicana Field, home of the Rays. Extensive damage was done to the roof of the Trop, casting doubts on where the Rays would play in 2025. It was revealed that Steinbrenner Field, Spring Training home of the Yankees and the home of their Single A team would be Tampa’s domain for the season. With a capacity of 11,026, Steinbrenner Field is a more viable alternative to the other ballparks in the area. In exchange for their “generosity”, the Yanks will receive $15 million, helping them pay for about 38% of Aaron Judge‘s salary for 2025.

Interesting Phillies’ Rumor

Rumors are everywhere at this time of year. One that caught my eye, and when Caitlyn learned of it was “devastated”, is Alec Bohm being traded, as reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. In corresponding speculation, Buster Olney of ESPN stated that the Phillies could a be place for Alex Bregman to land. This potential swap of third basemen is curious. Signing Bregman for a position that is not really a need adds another large salary to an already high Phillies payroll. Bohm has another two years of club control and is coming off his first All-Star selection. However, his steep drop in the second half and playoff disaster is giving management pause in making him the long term answer at the hot corner.

Met Injury News

The offseason got off to a painful start for Mets’ outfielder Tyrone Taylor. At the end of October, he underwent an umbilical hernia repair as well as right elbow surgery. Although this sounds troubling, Taylor is expected to start Spring Training on time. With Harrison Bader a free agent, Taylor is currently the only center fielder on the roster. He received a lot of playing time during New York’s playoff run, seeing action in every game and contributing a home run. Ideally, his role would be that of fourth outfielder, getting around 350 at bats between all three spots.