For Mets and Yankees Fans It’s All A Matter of Perspective
For Mets and Yankees fans, where their respective teams are in the standings right now is all a matter of perspective.
Their teams’ records may be completely different, but you might not know that judging by some of what’s happening on social media these days.
That Tweet (sorry, but I refuse to call it “X”) sums things up pretty well.
Yankees
Since June 14 when they were a season-high 28 games over .500, they have a record of 5-15 and have put Yankees fans into full panic mode on social media and the call-in shows.
It’s Boone’s fault because he coddles the players, so let’s fire him. “If Billy Martin were still alive….”
It’s the infield’s fault. Anthony Volpe’s average is dropping like an anchor, DJ LeMahieu is a shell of himself, Gleyber Torres doesn’t care, and Anthony Rizzo is hurt (again).
Ben Rice? He had a great Saturday against the Red Sox and everyone wanted to put his plaque in Monument Park. But you might want to pump the breaks a bit and see where he is once opposing pitchers see where the hole in his swing is.
Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are the only two consistent bats in the lineup.
The rest of them? Bring on the “they’re overpaid” complaints. “Send so-and-so back to the minors and bring up someone who….”
You get the idea.
Barring a complete second-half collapse after the All-Star Break, Boone isn’t going anywhere, and neither are most of the players.
Most are out of minor league options and either no one wants them in a trade, or their contracts are too prohibitive to just cut them.
General Manager Brian Cashman will probably swing a deal or two to fix some of the holes, but what you see right now on the lineup card every night is probably going to be what you get during the second half of the season.
Mets
After a brutal 0-5 start to the season, the Mets went on a 12-3 run getting themselves 4 games over .500.
During the month of June, they had winning streaks of 3, 7, and 4 games which has kept them hovering near the break-even point and well within striking distance of a Wild Card spot.
As Chris Swendeman and I pointed out a couple of weeks ago, where the Mets are on July 22 after the series against the horrific Marlins should be a good barometer for what they do at the trade deadline.
By all rights, barring a complete collapse this month, the Mets should strongly consider adding a couple of pieces for the stretch run.
One thing you can be assured of – McDonald’s is absolutely LOVING the free advertising they’re getting courtesy of this overhyped purple character.
Red Sox
Since they were mentioned in the Tweet above (again, I’m NOT calling it “X”), and since they just took 4 out of 6 games from the Yankees, let’s consider what they’ve done so far.
2024 was supposed to be a bridge year. Still recoiling from the ridiculous trade of Mookie Betts, New England fans weren’t expecting much.
And yet, here they are having reached a season-high 9 games over .500 after the 3-0 win over the Yankees on Sunday night in the Bronx.
They’re young, they’re athletic, they’re running around the bases like crazy (ask Yankees catcher Jose Trevino about that), and they have a bonifide Yankee killer in Rafael Devers who apparently has never met a Yankees pitcher who he can’t take deep.
But get this – ESPN’s Buster Olney reported over the weekend that Red Sox management isn’t sure they’re going to be buyers at the July 31 trade deadline.
