THE METS WANT VERDUGO BECAUSE HE USED TO BE A YANKEE

The New York Mets seem unable to escape the shadow of their cross-town rivals, our Yankees. Their latest move? Reportedly eyeing Alex Verdugo, a player who, while talented, symbolizes yet another attempt to mimic the Bronx Bombers. The Mets' obsession with being "Yankee-lite" is becoming embarrassing.

Verdugo is still a great player, and he has piqued the Mets' interest despite his underwhelming offensive performance in 2024. The potential acquisition of Verdugo, who remains a young, skilled player with a solid career batting record and valuable defensive versatility, has sparked intrigue. However, it also raises eyebrows given the Mets' apparent fixation on copying the Yankees' strategies and former players.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports that the Mets are among several teams interested in Verdugo. Cotillo shared, “(Pittsburgh Pirates) are indeed hot after Alex Verdugo and are a team to watch there, as Robert Murray reported. Other teams like Mets, (Toronto Blue Jays) involved, too. Adding two other teams to this mix, with Pirates leading the pack: (Houston Astros) and (Los Angeles Angels) at least checked in like Toronto, and Mets did.”

We reported on the Pirates and their interest in ALEX VERDUGO MAY HAVE FOUND A HOME.

Anyway, the potential move seems puzzling for the Mets, as highlighted by Rising Apple, a Mets blog, which stated, "...he seems like a puzzling fit on the Mets' current roster with Juan Soto, Tyrone Taylor, Brandon Nimmo, Jose Siri, and Starling Marte all occupying outfield spots at this time." The redundancy in the outfield lineup suggests that this move might be more about chasing the Yankees' ghosts than addressing actual team needs in my opinion. It's silly.

Steve Cohen’s apparent obsession with the Yankees and their former players, instead of focusing on genuinely improving the Mets’ roster, is perplexing. Verdugo, while unlikely to carry a hefty price tag due to his downgraded value after last season, still seems like a strange fit for a team that should be carving its own identity, not borrowing from the Yankees’ playbook.

Whatever... they are still just the Mets.

THE WBC IS ABOUT PRIDE & FREE BASEBALL & YOUR OPINION DOESN'T MATTER

I'm a huge Portnoy fan when it comes to business. I find his drive to create a product and run with it incredibly inspiring. While I would have loved BYB to be as big as Barstool, I also appreciate the controlled following that we do have. You are our BYB freaks, you read us because you found us in 2010 and you're loyal. We've done our best to bring you opinion, entertainment, laughs, truth and just plain Yankee fandom. And yes, we do get angry and we do rant sometimes too. Listen, Barstool is a monster. I will never compare us to them, but damn I admire it. 

But when it comes to BYB, what we don't suggest here in our stories is that people should get hurt, have harm sting someone or suggest someone should die. I mean sure, we will be harsh when we don't like a player, but let's face it... it's more of a "you just need to get traded, dude", not a "I hope you get injured."

BYB also doesn't womanize, and we aren't racist. Kind of important. We're also don't go political on these pages.  Botton line is we can rant about our team, but we don't hate.

Now that being said, I guess this dude from Barstool thinks being violent in his tweet means it falls into the provocative category.  No, sometimes people tweet stupid shit.  

Now let me state for the record that I am not a big, true fan of the WBC, but yes, I do like free baseball. I watch it here and there, but the idea of players getting hurt is always in the back of my mind. 

The other night it was Edwin Diaz, and while it was a fluke, he getting hurt in turn could affect the outcome of the Mets season since he won't be there to close for them.  But in the end, that decision to play is personal and fans should respect the fact that not only is it free baseball, but it's guys who believe firmly in their ethnic culture and want to represent the country where their ancestors are from. Respect it, it's blood line, pride stuff, not to mention sentimental.

Let me also state that I am no Marcus Stroman fan, but his point back to this guy is pretty important, being that he's an actual athlete, and not a guy typing behind a screen.

Personal choice. We may be fans and this blogger is just butt hurt by the fact that I guess he's a Mets fan and now he's destroyed about Diaz, but it's not his concern actually... I mean is it? The dude appears to be totally unraveling.

I mean is it because his personal life is in shambles that he's going off on this ridiculous WBC rant? It's weird.

And it gets worse. Keith Olbermann who I find to be straight up provocative trash crossed the line too.  

Alot of people went after him, because again, sometimes people think they're funny, but it comes off as idiotic.  Listen, when you piss off Lindsey Adler of the Wall Street Journal, one of the more respected, smart writers out there, you have a problem and clearly idiot Olbermann knows it. 

He apologized, but did he really? And would he have if Lindsey didn't say anything? Probably not. He's a piece of shit.

WBC is not my cup of tea, but let's face it, it gets players amped up and of course, they rep the country they came from and where it's name on their chest. That pride runs deep. You need to respect that.  But again, this Barstool dude, this Olbermann idiot, they just don't get that.

Let's break this down. 

1. These are not points, they are opinions. 

2. If you're asking Edwin Diaz AFTER the injury the likelihood of him saying it was worth it might be NO but could very well be YES, because it's a pride thing.  

3.The WBC is all over my feed and everyone is talking about it.  

And by the way, let me state that all this bullshit is over the WBC. 2 guys out there with really no credibility are screaming till their heads blow up about not having the WBC because guys get hurt.  Meanwhile, today Brendan Nimmo got hurt in a Spring Training game for the Mets.

Brandon Nimmo appears to be injured after a slide in to second base pic.twitter.com/5kQAONWe7T

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 17, 2023

Should we cancel that too?

In Closing and to move to story forward, this was the message from Edwin Diaz about this whole mess:

“To all my beloved fans, especially the Mets fans, I want to let you know that I am doing well and healing. I feel blessed and grateful for your support with messages and prayers, thank you very much,” Diaz tweeted. “I can’t wait to see you guys in NY again and play those trumpets.”

Class act. 

The others? They're clowns.

YANKEES HAVE A LOT TO DO NOW THAT JUDGE IS BACK

Source: CBS Sports

It is both a sigh of relief and cheers of excitement that our home-grown slugger is back in pinstripes. To even picture Aaron Judge in another uniform was nauseating. And now that Judge's negotiations are over, the Yankees need to get down to business with the rest of the team. The Yankees have a lot to do now that Judge is back. In fact it was Aaron Judge that told leadership he wanted to see improvement if he was to turn down the opportunity to pitch at home in San Francisco and leave $400 million on the table for San Diego. Time to own up to this pledge to do better. 

According to CBS Sports, "Left field is a glaring need and adding another starting pitcher is never a bad idea. The left side of the infield needs work too, though the Yankees do have good internal options there. Judge getting back was an important offseason goal. Now the Yankees have to improve the roster around him." Aaron Hicks offered nothing since signing his big contract a few seasons ago. His stints to the IL and lack of hustle in the field only added salt to the Yankees wounds. 

Source: Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media

"During the Winter Meetings, general manager Brian Cashman told reporters that the Yankees would “love” to bring Andrew Benintendi back. Last season was a career year for Benintendi, who was an All-Star for the first time. He hit .320 with a 124 OPS+ before joining the Yankees. In New York, he hit just .254 with a 109 OPS+ in 33 games before a broken hamate bone ended his season," reported NJ.com. The Yankees have also expressed their interest in Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds who asked to be traded earlier this week. The switch hitting All Star would make a great addition to the Yankees but it will cost them a lot to get him. 

Then there is starting pitching. The Yankees parted ways with Jameson Taillon earlier this week. Taillon accepted a four-year, $68 million deal late Tuesday night with the Cubs, pending a physical. That leaves a hole in the middle of the rotation, one the Yankees need to quickly fill. 

Source: Associated Press

"The Yankees are preparing to make an offer to Carlos Rodon, their top remaining target, and seem hopeful, or perhaps even optimistic, which shouldn’t come as a surprise the way this winter has gone. The Yankees beat out the Giants (who also are pursuing Rodon) for their own superstar Aaron Judge, and the Mets kept Brandon Nimmo, also preventing him from going to San Francisco," reported The New York Post. Rodon is a hard throwing left-hander and ironically was a Giant, last season. In 2022, he posted a 2.88 ERA, and 237 strikeouts over 178 innings. 

The Yankees have a lot to do now that Judge is back for good. Let's hope they can get some deals done before the end of the year and start 2023 in a great and powerful way. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

COULD YANKEES AND METS STEAL EACH OTHER'S FRANCHISE PLAYERS?

Source: New York Post

Well, how's that for a headline? It's an interesting idea but I am not so sure how real it is. I mean anything can happen—it is Hot Stove season after all. But could the Yankees and Mets swap their greatest modern day franchise players? Jacob deGrom just entered the free agency market joining Aaron Judge who wasn’t thrilled with the Yankees’ $213.5 million offer in spring. deGrom officially opted out of his current contract on Monday. Events leaving me and many others to question: Could the Yankees and Mets steal each other's franchise players?

According to the New York Post, "The belief is that the Yankees will be willing to top Judge’s $36 million a year asking price from back in spring, before he became the AL single-season home run record holder, and if deGrom wants to top Max Scherzer’s record $43.3 million Mets salary, as some suggest, the strong indications are that it will not be with the Mets." But would the Yankees buy deGrom over Judge? Would they even be given that choice?

Source: Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

The Mets locked up their trumpet-themed closer Edwin Diaz earlier this week. The Yankees picked up Luis Severino's $15 million team option for 2023. The Mets now seem focused on keeping their center fielder Brandon Nimmo a Met and the Yankees, well keep Judge a Yankee. So is the idea of franchise swapping futile?

According to the Post, "The speculation that either New York team may try to steal the other team’s marquee franchise player — i.e. the Mets signing Judge, the Yankees signing deGrom — has no noticeable legs. There’s an era of good feeling between our local teams, and while that may not last, it seems very evident right now. Neither side seems up for an intracity war. " Well that's good. But are the Yankees willing to let Judge sign his career way to the San Francisco Giants? And what will happen to deGrom? 

Hot Stove and others predict Judge will receive a big offer from the Giants while deGrom could be a welcome addition to the pitching staff of the new manager of the Texas Rangers, Bruce Bochy—ironically a three-time World Series manager for yes, the San Francisco Giants. Irony is everywhere.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Stealing franchise players could well, cause a riot in New York. And truthfully speaking, not good for the sport. The Yankees need to be focused on signing Judge and keeping Anthony Rizzo. And if the Mets let deGrom walk, they need to think about who they are replacing him with on a pitching roster that was very unforgiving at the end of the 2022 season. The Hot Stove is heating up with more interesting trade concepts coming in over the next few weeks leading up to the Winter Meetings in December. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

CLINT FRAZIER STRIKES & LEADS THE MLB ROUNDUP THIS WEEK!

Source: Newsday

Another great week to be a Yankee fan as they completely humiliate the Orioles in another series.
Clint Frazier, has been on a roll. Smacking two out of the park on Tuesday night improving his line from .259/.293/.463 to .268/.300/.518. Gleyber Torres joined in the fun Monday night with his fourth multi-homer game of the year.  Red Thunder and Gleyber Day stole the show this week for sure!

ALERT! Fun Factoid: Frazier’s home runs helped the Orioles yield their 100th home run in their 48th game. The previous record held by 2000 Royals, achieving this in 57 games. It really doesn’t mean anything, except that it is embarrassing, and our team helped them get there.

Source: NYDailyNews

Some bad news for the Yankee round up is that our veteran lefty CC Sabathia was placed on the 10-day IL even though he earned the win against the Orioles Wednesday night. The injury does not seem very severe, so a short stay on the IL seems likely at the moment.

The Mets in proper fashion are plagued with injuries. Most interestingly, Yoenis Cespedes, allegedly falling into a hole on his St. Lucie ranch, fractured his ankle. Yea. Remember that guy? I don’t. Guess we won’t be seeing him ever.

Mets have also lost Jeff McNeil, Robinson Cano, Michael Conforto, and Brandon Nimmo. The IL is becoming a little too full for my liking.

Source: CBS Sports

In better news, Rajai Davis has a call-up story he will never forget. Hopping into his Uber from Pennsylvania to Queens, Davis bonded with his driver for the next two hours. Six innings after arriving at Citi Field, Davis hit a three-run homer in his first Mets appearance.

“I’m just really grateful and thankful for the opportunity that the front office gave me,” Davis said. “I appreciate it. I’m trying to make an impact right away, and I was fortunate enough to be put in that position to make something happen,” reported MLB.com.

Source: CBS Sports

Zack Greinke, former Dodger and current Diamondback, still not a favorite of Suzie Pintstripe and me, has joined the 2,500 strikeout club. Greinke is the 37th pitcher to reach 2,500 strikeouts and the fifth active. Others include CC Sabathia (now at 3020), Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Felix Hernandez.

“I think we all need to sit back and appreciate what that means and who we have throwing for us every fifth day,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “He’s a very special, special pitcher,” reported MLB.com.

Source: NBC Sports

The White Sox had a very rare feat in their game on Wednesday, getting a triple-play and grand slam in one game. The triple-play was performed by Yoan Moncada, Yolmer Sanchez, and Jose Abreu.

“There's a lot of things that have to go well for that to occur,” manager Rick Renteria said. “You have to be well within range of that bag and be able to release it. They got it out of their gloves, getting it in and out quickly. Marisnick's fleet of foot. Everything had to be perfect.”

 

Source: The Chicago Tribune

Charlie Tilson is responsible for the grand slam, which also counted as his first big league home run. The White Sox are only the fourth team in the last 40 years to have hit a grand slam and turned a triple play in the same game.

Another week in the books! Cannot wait to sit with a glass of wine by the beach this weekend and watch our teams get some wins.  Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

KEEPING THE GLASS HALF FULL

Only a week into the season and the Yankees already have nearly a dozen players on the injured list. The line up, rotation, and bullpen are dropping like flies as the injuries stack up.  But there is a bright side and that is simply, guys who were not expected to be up in the majors this soon are here to contribute.  We may not like it, but at least the Yankees have a rich farm system to hopefully tide them over until guys come back from the IL.

“It’s not ideal,” Brett Gardner said. “Our depth obviously is going to be tested. But I’m confident that we’ve got the guys to step up and get the job done,” reported Newsday.

Source: Deadspin

Luke Voit was fortunate not to be the next guy added to the IL after being hit by a pitch again.  “It’s just the second time I’ve been hit in the area this year,” said Voit, who also was hit on Opening Day last week. “I get it, they’re trying to pitch up and in, but especially with all the injuries going around, it’s frustrating. I could have been the guy that’s No. 7 on the disabled list. I get it. He’s not trying to do it on purpose, but you never know what can happen. It’s just frustrating,” reported the NY Post.  Luckily he got mad enough to punch a three-run home run to beat the Orioles 8-4 in the Birds opening day in Camden Yards.

So, the glass is half full. Voit averted an injury and won the game for the Yankees- a sure sign that things will absolutely get better; the Yanks are just getting warmed up. And hey, we can't all be Milwaukee and Seattle, and who knows where they will be in a month.  

Source: The Daily News

Across the river, The Mets dropped their home opener to the Nationals yesterday. Prior to that loss, however, Jacob deGrom had an incredible start to his season. deGrom demolished the Marlins in his most recent start, earning a career high of 14 strikeouts. If that wasn’t enough, he also smacked the first pitch he saw out of the park getting the Mets ahead with a 2-0 lead.  

“I told Nimmo, I’m not taking the first pitch,” deGrom said, referring to Brandon Nimmo, the next hitter up. “I was fortunate enough to be on time,” reported the New York Times.

Source: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports 

deGrom ended his night after seven innings, extending his scoreless streak to 26 innings. I really thought that deGrom could not get any better after last season, but he continues to surprise fans with two quality starts to the season.  See, glass half full, right? 

Baseball is 90% mental and if teams can stay positive and focused on winning, they can get through the bad days and relish the good ones.  Mindfulness can go a long way and when you think about the length of the season, the dog days of summer and the cool days in the fall, everyone will forget the spring, which is arguably the most difficult season to navigate.  Stay positive, fans.  We will withstand the challenges...leading to better days ahead.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

THE ROAD TO STAYING HEALTHY STARTS WITH GOOD NUTRITION

As a recent college graduate, I admit I am definitely not the best cook. One thing I do know, however, is how to cook chicken. All you have to do is make sure it is not pink; it is really that simple. New York Mets Outfielder Brandon Nimmo was mysteriously missing from team workouts on Wednesday; not because of an injury, but because he gave himself food poisoning from undercooked chicken. “He cooked some chicken and didn’t know how to cook, so he was throwing up all night,” Mickey Callaway said. “We have to teach him how to cook so he doesn’t miss any more games,” reported the NY Post.

Source: NY Times

The Yankees’ nutritionist, Cynthia Sass, is starting her fifth season as the team's sports nutrition consultant. According to Sass, “It’s important to have a dietitian as a resource for players and staff to support the goals of preventing injuries, optimizing performance, promoting recovery, and enhancing overall wellness,” reported Luvofoods. She has been exposing players to better eating habits and better choices of food at the ball park.  Sure, they can get a burger if they want to, but overall, having healthier choices allows guys to focus on foods that make them feel good.  "Sports nutrition involves recommending the right quality, balance, and timing of foods in ways that are very strategic," says Sass.

Source: Sports Illustrated

At the beginning of last season, the Mets hired a dietitian, Maureen Stoecklein, who was "expected to spend more time around the players," reported the NY Times.  Guess she missed hanging with Nimmo this week. The medical staff has been tracking players sleep habits, hydration, soreness, and their mood. "The Mets are trying to fix the faults of the past. Although many factors play into it, the Mets rank among the worst in the league in the number of games missed because of injury, according to ManGamesLost.com," reported the Times.

Source: The Bergen Record

The road to staying healthy starts with good nutrition and if teams want to have a consistently healthy team on the field, investing in the right behaviors, which include good food, proper meal preparation and education are essential.  Spring training isn't just about workouts and skills refinement.  It is about developing the whole player and that includes healthy eating.  Now, if the Mets can just keep Nimmo out of the kitchen and make sure he doesn't practice cooking on the Yankees players, we can prevent one more injury in New York in 2019.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

WHO'S GUNNA BE THAT GUY?

Source: USA Today

As we inch closer to the start of the 2019 season, we are in the final stages of reflection on what went wrong for our teams in 2018 and how to fix this before first pitch. One major factor both New York teams lacked was a culture of consistent leadership. In a past article about the rival New York teams, we touched upon the fact that since the retirement of Derek Jeter and David Wright, there has been no clear leader on either team. Quite frankly, in order to have a more successful season, clubhouse morale definitely needs to be boosted. Someone needs to step up to the plate, quite literally, to help ignite this. Who's gunna be that guy for the Yankees and even the Mets this season?!

Source: AP

Injuries to key players such as Clint Frazier, Didi Gregorius, and Aaron Judge definitely brought down morale for Yankees as well as fans last year. But the reaction that the fans gave Judge in September when he was inserted back into the lineup after being on the disabled list for two months, leads me to think that Judge can really be “that guy” for the 2019 season. Judge led the team to within just one win of the World Series in 2017, and ruffled some feathers by playing Yankees’ theme song New York, New York on a boombox through Fenway in 2018. He has definitely demonstrated what it means to be fearless, a good quality for any leader, but he may not be old enough to take the reins as leader officially, yet.

Source: MLB.com

Another concern for Judge, at least from his point of view, is being able to lead while playing, which means staying healthy.  In an interview with The New York Post before the Yankees hosted the Red Sox last season, Judge said, “My biggest thing is to lead by example. When I can’t play I can’t lead by example.” So, health and consistency can certainly thrust Judge to "that guy" status for the Yankees.

Source: NJ.com

Besides Judge, “that guy” signs also point to Red Thunder, Clint Frazier, who definitely gets an award for resilience. After an unfortunate concussion, Frazier ended up losing most of the 2018 season. Luckily for Yankees fans, Frazier has announced in a tweet on December 13, that he has resumed baseball activities.



In an interview with YES network, Frazier said, “I know there is some time to be made back up to go out there and ultimately win that job, but everyone is well deserving. It’s just a matter of who’s probably hot at the time, what are the needs and overall how much we can help the team. I’m pretty confident in what I can do; go out there and play as hard as I can, and try to win that job and help the team.” Maybe with some improvement, we can give him a new nickname that pulls in his gritty, never give up, disposition and this aids in creating a culture of leadership for the team.

Source: NJ.com

Across the river, I think veteran and former Yankee Todd Frazier can really be an asset to the team. Even though Frazier isn’t the best player statistics-wise, he’s always been a consistent leader on every team he has played for since he joined the ranks of MLB and as a child star for Toms River Little League, winning the World Series back in 1998.  My favorite contribution of Frazier’s, which I know Suzie Pintstripe is still jealous of, is the “salt and pepper” celebration that he introduced to the team. When asked what it meant, Brandon Nimmo said, “We’re just adding a little seasoning to the offense.” The Mets. like the Yankees, definitely need more of this energy in 2019.

Source: ESPN

For now, all we can do is cross our fingers and hope that the 2019 season will be a healthy one for all of our players. With consistent leadership and an optimistic outlook, 2019 can really be New York’s year and "that guy"really becomes a key component to a winning attitude for both teams.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke