The more they stay the same. Remember all that talk a few months ago about the Mets taking over the town? SNY ratings were ahead of YES, the 2017 squad was World Series bound, the Yanks were rebuilding.
Not so fast.
With the Bombers trading prospects for Todd Frazier, David Robertson and more, they establish themselves as solid contenders, despite their poor play of late. I still think they need a starter and there’s no way Cashman lets the trading deadline go by without obtaining one. They’ve declared themselves all in for 2017, without harming their future much. Great job. And the old philosophy of beating the Red Sox to the punch prevails. Now Boston must look elsewhere for a third sacker.
As Tom Verducci writes in a terrific SI piece, the Yankees have turned pitching on its ear with a revolutionary approach.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/07/19/new-york-yankees-fastball-rate
The Mets need to start selling right away, before teams with needs fill their holes elsewhere. Right after Alderson tells the media that defense isn’t that important, the Mets start kicking the ball around, undermining a gutsy effort by Montero. And their big off season signing has 20 RBI and won’t talk to the media. With many open spots next year, this is audition time for the Mets’ youth. TJ Rivera is a worse fielder than imagined at third — either find a position he can play or make him part of a package. The rest of the season in Flushing will need more incentives than waiving tack-on fees to attract fans to the park.
