Mets

[Amazin69]

Ah, and now there's a John Franco Tunnel 2 Towers ad. Very nice: Staten Island John talks about watching the attacks and calling his wife from Pittsburgh to find out what's happening.

But yeah, it looks like Frank Siller (T2T founder; his baby brother Stephen was a fireman who perished after rushing to the WTC, hence the name) has decided that the Polar Bear will hibernate elsewhere, and The Big Wind* will be at 1B next season.

*-punning on the meaning of Vientos's surname, and invoking the image of a Big Wind filling the team's sails…

…while also allowing you to mock Mark for his swings and misses, not to mention the opportunity for fart jokes. Don't say I never did anything for you!

[Westheim]

I don't think new spokespeople for charity ads mean *that* much. I doubt those ads were produced yesterday or something like that.

Please don't give me depression.

Beyond what Mets-eliminated-by-Fudgers depression I already have.

[Amazin69]

Pete's ads are still running! Wheeee!

[Amazin69]

Last night, I stumbled on a replay of "The Michael Kay Show" and aside from a certain amount of schadenfreude watching Kay and his co-hosts suffer, they were also very upset because Juan Soto flat-out refused to give the Yankees any incumbency credit when it comes to where he goes in free agency; they are "one of 30", level playing field, apparently.

Lots of vitriol about how Soto and Scott Boras have planned this upcoming bidding war since was Soto a teenager, no credit for the time served with Washington or San Diego or anywhere, no sense of roots, all that matters is the bottom line. And I have admit, such naked mercenary feelings make me twitch, given the Boras client who's been wearing Hojo's old number for the past 6 seasons.

Now, yes, unlike Soto, Pete does say (repeatedly) that he feels a connection to the Mets organization and it will be a consideration. But Boras-ball still gets me twitchy…especially conjuring the nightmare scenario where Soto goes to chase the biiiiiiiiiiiig check, and Boras tells the Steinbrenners that he has a lovely consolation prize that they can overpay for, and hey! Pete never even has to leave NYC!

Yikes!

[Amazin69]

Because I"m at least mildly petty: Yankees streamers suffer through Game 5.

[Westheim]

Hadji is gone.

Not Hadji...!

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Hadji is gone.

Not Hadji...!

Farewell, beautiful boy. Swift travel across the Rainbow Bridge.

(Not the one to Asgard, although if you want to make a side trip…)

[Amazin69]

Mets acquire Jose Siri, trading away the Make-a-Wish kid.

Manaea and Severino declare Free Agency…and so does Peeeeete.

There goes the "dynasty".

[Westheim]

Jose Siri and Keith Hernandez in the same stadium will be endless fun.

...until he hits .157 in June.

[Amazin69]

Frankie finished 2nd to the 50/50 guy in the MVP race, thus tying for the highest ever placement by a Met.

(63 seasons, 2 championships, 0 MVPs. Ridonkulous.)

The Mets re-signed Reid-Foley (yay?) and non-tendered Grant Hartwig, Alex "waste of a roster spot" Ramirez and Alex Young.

[Amazin69]

Reading the back pages, I am reminded that after the Choke of '22, I noted that both the 1996 Yankees and 2001 Diamondbacks won the World Series the year after firing Buck.

So…opportunity awaits?

I'll grant you that the current team doesn't look as though it could win the Little League World Series, but…things change.

And Uncle Stevie does have (piles and piles of) change.

But, in fact, we did come within 6 wins of winning it all, so there may actually be some validity to that "championships follow when you fire Buck Showalter" theory.

Not that this necessarily makes up for having hired Buck Showalter, but still.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Because I"m at least mildly petty: Yankees streamers suffer through Game 5.

Because I'm actually a significant amount of petty: A (mostly new) crop of Yankees streamers suffer through Game 5.

Of note, this compilation includes the parts where the Yankees do good things (score runs, play defense). The false hope only makes the schädenfreude sweeter, of course.

[Amazin69]

Mets sign Genesis Cabrera to a minor league deal.

Cabrera is 28 (a baby for a Mets signing) and was a perfectly acceptable mid-size sedan, er, middle-relief LHP for Toronto last season, just as he's been for his entire career. Good enough to suck up some useless innings, while bad enough to cost us games the minute we actually start to depend on him. But, since Danny Young is currently the only lefty in the pen, he'll at least get a look.

Also, last week, the Mets signed Joey Meneses to a minor-league deal. Because who doesn't need a 32-year-old who had a .569 OPS last season? I can't even do "Meneses, who's not from Manassas" jokes if he's not in DC, after all.

Meneses has been having an excellent off-season in the Mexican Pacific League. Which is an excellent reason to leave him right the heck there.

[Westheim]

Joey Meneses would be such a Metsian Pete replacement. (starts to cut out his own heart)

[Amazin69]

Even assuming the worst (Pete relocates to E. 161st St.), I can't really see their importing Joey as a replacement. The Big Wind (Vientos) would seem a natural to blow across the IF, leaving 2B and 3B available for being split between Candelita, Squirrel, An Acuña of Our Own, Baty's last chance, and Ronny Mauricio (should he heal before the Apocalypse). With a logjam at the other IF slots, why plug a hole with Washington's spent bullets?

[Amazin69]

With most of last season's rotation walking, Wild Turkey Stearns goes shopping in the discard pile once again, reportedly agreeing to a 2 year, $34 million deal with Frankie Montas, who was solidly mediocre with Cinci and the Brew Crew last season, after missing all of 2023 with an injury. He did stink out the Bronx after going there from Oakland in 2022, but he was hurt, of course.

On the plus side, should Mont-ass and Butt-o end up cheek-to-cheek in the rotation, the cheap jokes will write themselves.

On the minus side, that's about all I've got for pluses.

[Amazin69]

Severe No will apparently sign with Sacramento, 3 years at $22,333,333 apiece.

This will be the largest contract in Solons history. Congrats, I guess.

*********************
Rumor hath it, Soto will sign…somewhere by Monday. I only mention this because Boras won't push hard to get Peeeeete a deal until Soto has his deal in place.

[Amazin69]

Clay Holmes finds a better borough than the Bronx, for 3 years at $12,666,666 per.

Since the Mets already have a closer (or, technically, "closer") in Edlose, they will try Clay as a starter. (He already debuted a 4-seam fastball in the playoffs to go with his sinker-sweeper-slider arsenal.) Holmes is 31, which makes me wonder if this is the age to increase his IP somewhat severely, but Hell…this team got decent work out of Severe No last season, they're allowed a little trust, at least for a while, IMO.

[Amazin69]

In other free agent news, Michael Conforto to the Dodgers (1 year, $17 million)

Michael hit .886 v. RHP last season, so LA doesn't mind paying him for part-time duty. Just so long as you save some pop flies for us, should there be a rematch!

[Westheim]

Good on Mikey!

I mean it's a third of a Soto for a fifteenth the time, but they won't put it in the press release that he's 2% the ballplayer that Soto is.