Without fail, the solution to (almost) every team's problems (almost) every year is to improve the bullpen.
The Yankees and the Mets need to improve their bullpens.
Where do you find all the great bullpen pitchers, anyway?
Maybe the Giants and Jets can shop there for offensive linemen.
"With the veteran struggling to get through the fifth inning -- having allowed the Blue Jays to load the bases with no outs -- he got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to hit a groundball to the shortstop that could have been a much-needed double play.
Instead, Guerrero beat out the throw to first by Gleyber Torres. Shortly after the safe call, Stroman was shown on the broadcast yelling into his glove. It looked as if Stroman was upset with Torres being unable to complete the double play.
Stroman would continue to show his frustrations in the dugout after he was pulled from the game."
I don't trust Stroman and I also don't like his attitude. Some of this is based on performance and a lot of it is based on style.
Still, not a game goes by where Gleyber doesn't screw up in the field or on the basepaths.
Turning double plays should be mastered by the time you're in high school.
How could they be worse than Gleyber?
If J.D. Davis stands at home plate and never swings, he might get HBP or a walk.
If Oswaldo Cabrera plays blindfolded with his back to home plate, he would be approximately as good at fielding ground balls.
In that case, the poor guy apparently has been fighting a groin injury for about six years.
He is working really hard in the same way that Gary Sanchez worked really hard on his defense.
Gleyber has 12 errors this year, but that doesn't tell the story of his defensive ineptitude. Bad decisions or an inability to turn a DP occur every other game. He doesn't even seem to be ready to go when the pitch comes in. He doesn't seem to think about which base to throw to. Or he hasn't learned to catch the ball first and then look up and then throw it to the base. You ought to figure that out in little league. Keep your eye on the ball.
The, ummm ... the Cleveland Guardians.
“The Yankees, to me, are on the brink of spiraling out of control,” BT said. “The Yankees have zero depth. The Yankees have a C-level lineup.”
...
“Everything that was up for grabs two weeks ago - 100 wins, run away with the division - I’m not even worried about that right now,” BT said.
At no point in this season did I think the Yankees were going to win the division or win 100 games.
They played over their heads for half a season. The same thing happened two years ago.
I'm not sure what he means by "spiraling out of control," but I take it to mean "miss the playoffs." Which I definitely don't think is going to happen.
Probably win about 90 games and then lose in the playoffs.
“Boston and Baltimore just slapped around the Yankees in these last two series,” Boomer said. “This is a little bit of a wake-up call. Right around game 80, right around halfway through the season here.
“They are not intimidated in the least by the Yankees and their lineup or their pitching staff.”
No one has been "intimidated" by the Yankees in the past 20 years at least.
"And if I’m the Baltimore manager or any Orioles player, I’m thinking ‘Man, we got them. We’re just as good if not better.’”
The Orioles were 19 games better than the Yankees last season. The Orioles have also defeated the Yankees in 2023. In 2024, the Yankees added Soto and have gotten surprisingly great pitching, but the Orioles have been the favorites since day one.
As for the notion of a wake up call, I suppose it's true. You go through streaks and slumps. Yesterday was a true beatdown in a big game. I'm not sure, however, that the Yankees were delusional about their success prior to the Orioles series.
Baltimore's closer is Craig Kimbrel. Would you rather have Kimbrel closing in the playoffs? I wouldn't. Not that I know what's going to happen in the playoffs.
I think Holmes has had one bad game this year. Maybe two. Four blown saves. One of them because of unearned runs and then the other night with a blooper and an infield single. Meh.
Who is a dominant closer nowadays Josh Hader? Sure, I suppose.
Hader has had some hiccups in the playoffs, but let's replace Clay Holmes with Josh Hader somehow so Yankee fans can feel like they have exorcised the Ghost of Aroldis Chapman.
By the way, the Yankees won a World Series with John Wetteland as a closer. He even won the World Series MVP.
The aforementioned Kimbrel recently closed out a championship for the Red Sox. So did Jonathan Papelbon, Keith Foulke, and the immortal Koji Uehara.
I mean, Holmes seems to have the proper mental makeup. He doesn't get the high number of strikeouts of a typical modern day closer, but he usually wriggles out of trouble.
Also, he has allowed zero home runs this year and only 16 in his career. Sixteen home runs allowed in 300 innings.
Holmes has 19 saves and a 1.80 ERA. Other than Clase, probably the best closer in MLB this year. There is no reason to disparage the accomplishments of Holmes.
" 'You gotta be perfect, there,' Mendoza said. 'I thought the bullpen, obviously, did a helluva job piecing it together all the way to the ninth inning when we couldn’t get the last three outs.'
About Diekman, the skipper added, 'Two pitches pretty much cost him the game.'
...
The lefty continued: 'I just don’t think I'm executing well enough in certain situations. The homer, if it’s two more inches in, it might be a swing [and] miss, it might be a double down the line, but they only score one so, it’s different… I liked how everything moved today, it’s probably more of execution.' "
Right.
Almost winning the game because you almost got the opposing batters out.
The home run could have been a double or it could have been a strikeout.
Reggie Jackson's three home runs in Game Six of the 1977 World Series. If he had missed them by two inches, they would have been strikeouts instead.
I heard a WFAN caller say the Mets should spend at least one billion dollars on a Soto contract if they have to. "An offer he can't refuse."
It could happen ... not the billion-dollar part ... but Soto could sign with the Mets. Money talks.
But a .400 team does not have the upper hand over a .700 team.
Which is good.
It's better to have a team full of bad players who are angry about being on the worst team in baseball than to have a team full of bad players who are not angry about being on the worst team in baseball.
"'I'm ready to come back tomorrow if they want me here,' López said.
The Mets apparently do not want López around, as SNY's Andy Martino reported shortly after the reliever's rant Wednesday that the 31-year-old López will be designated for assignment."
What happened to free speech in America. anyway?
He had earned the benefit of the doubt long ago, but I can understand those who were worried about his foot injury.
Now look at him.
A 1.000+ OPS and on pace for about 50 HRs and 125 RBIs.
No one wants to hear the owner say stupid things.
I think the Yankees have a good chance to sign Soto long-term, but why don't we first get through this season? See what happens.
Steinbrenner has quite the keen sense of marketing, doesn't he?
"Don't get your hope too high, Yankee fans. I've got my eye on marginal ROI, and I may have to move some financial levers in an undesirable direction."
"The Atlanta Braves were one out away from ending their 30-year no-hitter drought Saturday at Citi Field. Then J.D. Martinez stepped to the plate.
The New York Mets' designated hitter spoiled the Braves' bid with a first-pitch solo home run off closer Raisel Iglesias with two outs in the ninth inning. The heroics marked the veteran Martinez's first home run as a Met. New York, however, lost 4-1."
When is the ticker tape parade?
It's even better if the left-fielder throws down his glove in anger.
Of course, Soto is the team's MVP.
Also, Holmes is kind of the team's MVP.
Gleyber had a sac fly in game number three and there were some early instances of the Yankees taking a lot of pitches and then getting to the bullpen.
It was a mirage.
Soto is Soto. He is responsible for the at-bats of Soto. If he could really influence all the other players on his team, then there would be many more Sotos.
The Ks are down for the most part, and that just seems to mean the GIDPs are up.
As for the playoffs, just make the playoffs first. Then hope for the best.