I know it's symbolic for the Mets and Cohen to pump up the payroll.

But I'm going to engage in a little thought experiment.

When you thought Correa was signing with the Giants, did you think it upset the balance of the NL West? 

Or did you think the Giants were a third-place team who would maybe battle for a wild card?

The Mets were already a good team, in a surprisingly tough division if you think the Phillies are legit. I'm not so sure they are, but who knows?

I think Correa is better than Escobar and the Mets are hoping Correa comes through in October.

It's not that big of a deal in the scheme of things.

I would be very surprised if the Mets won more games in 2023 than they did in 2022.

Is $1 million a lot?

The over-reaction on both sides to the Correa signing is bizarre indeed.

The Mets didn't sell one million tickets in one day, the sold $1 million worth of tickets.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 single-day tickets. Just guessing $100 average ticket price. No big mathematical analysis here.

Not 10,000 season tickets, just 10,000 single-day tickets. Like, more than you'd expect to sell probably in the middle of December, but it's not like you have to rush if you're planning a family outing in May.

The Other Team in New York

We weren't even talking about the Yankees: 

 "What really just happened for Mets fans, like '’Twas the Night Before Christmas' a few nights early, can be traced back through 50 years of Mets history, all the way back to when Yogi Berra was their manager and once said this, famously and for all times in baseball:

'It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.'"

 Yes, Yogi Berra is probably most well-known for being a manager of the Mets.

Also, next time you write a story, just re-read it first. Now imagine the story without the opening paragraph.

Better? When the opening paragraph doesn't add anything? It's just, "it's almost Christmas, am I right?"

 

"Once George Steinbrenner, on the other side of New York baseball, became the most flamboyant owner in all of sports in the 1970s after he signed Catfish Hunter on New Year’s Eve and signed Reggie Jackson to what felt like the biggest deal in the world before the 1977 season -- $3 million over five years -- and then signed Dave Winfield to a 10-year contract after that. Steinbrenner was the one in the center of the baseball bullseye."

Let's talk about the Yankees from 35 years ago.

 

"The Yankees went deeper into the playoffs this past October than the Mets did, making it to the American League Championship Series before being swept by the Astros. The Yankees then spent with both hands and brought back Judge, their big man, on the biggest deal they’ve ever made, and just signed left-hander Carlos Rodón . Even with all that, the Yankees feel like the Other Team in New York, at least for today, because of what just happened with Correa."

I think Lupica is the only person keeping score of the Battle of New York.

Notable, of course, is the lack of derision in paying luxury taxes, hiring mercenaries from all over the world, treating the rest of MLB like a farm system, it's not how much you spend, it's how ... but that's very typical.

No one really wants to dismantle the Yankees. They want to emulate the Yankees.

The man with the six-year slump.

"Jason Heyward, the former All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner who has struggled offensively for most of the last six years, has signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team announced Thursday. The agreement includes an invitation to spring training."

I think we should all get past these childish analyses.

Aaron Judge is a movie star. He will move massive amounts of merch and put fannies in the seats. He's the only Baby Boomer who made it (no offense to Severino). He's the face of a $billion corporation.

Also, he's earned it.

When you're casting "Taken 3," you would be a fool to replace Liam Neeson.

I truly don't know why these analyses of a contract's "worth" don't take these factors into account.

I know the hardcore angry fans who point out the subpar playoff performances and the unfortunate tendency of modern-day fans to take of the role of Comptroller for the Yankees: "They could have spent this money on two mediocre starting pitchers and a lefty reliever. This 'asset' will be de-valued by year seven."

I'm not even sure that's accurate.

In 2030, I'll bet half the fans in sold out Yankee Stadium will be wearing #99 jerseys.

 

 

Revisiting a prediction from September.

 

I'm going to guess eight years, $350 million, not the Yankees.

Nine years, $360 million, yes the Yankees.

Mike Lupica's lack of ethics is predictable and tedious.

This is Mike Lupica a couple of weeks ago, elevating the status of Jacob deGrom in the free agent pool, particularly vis a vis Aaron Judge.

Lupica acknowledges the risks associated with age and health, but basically concludes that you want this dude throwing effortless 100 MPH fastballs at awestruck batters.

He quotes his lone remaining MLB source Buck Showalter at length.

Then when the news of deGrom's signing blazes across the twitterverse (when is the last time Lupica has been first with breaking MLB news, by the way? Like, 1988?), Lupica instantly dismisses the signing.

Tweet number one points out that the Mets won 101 games in2022 and deGrom only won five (the Mets actually won six of his starts, which isn't much of a difference, but it's at least comparing apples to apples).

Tweet number two elevates the previously mentioned risks and mocks the Rangers for the size and length of the contract.

We already know how Lupica would have reacted if deGrom had re-signed with the Mets. It would be the 30th year in a row the Yankees need to look out for the superior Mets.

Have you tried ebay?