You’ve most likely heard that Juan Soto works for Steve Cohen now, and now that Cohen paid extra to get Soto as a free agent than any proprietor has ever paid for a free agent in all of world historical past, except you rely what Elon Musk paid for the federal authorities. So the Mets get Soto and Mets followers get him and you already know who else will get Soto? One of the best all-around ballplayer on the town and just about the very best all-around participant the Mets have ever had, which implies Francisco Lindor. And also you suppose Lindor was smiling earlier than Soto switched sides.
There has by no means been a Met to win the MVP award within the Nationwide League, all the way in which again to 1962. We thought Darryl Strawberry had a terrific shot again in 1988, however then he and Kevin McReynolds basically break up the Mets vote, and Kirk Gibson walked away with the award, on his method to limping across the bases after one of the vital well-known World Collection dwelling runs ever hit.
However final season it took Shohei Ohtani having a season for the ages, hitting greater than 50 dwelling runs and stealing greater than 50 bases, for him to beat out Lindor for MVP. And as nice as Ohtani was and is, as a lot as what he did even in a yr when he couldn’t hit turned a season for the ages, it’s going to all the time be a truth — particularly for these of us in New York who had the privilege of watching Lindor be the type of baller he was every day — that Lindor was each bit as useful to the Mets as Ohtani was to the Dodgers.
Now he could have Soto hitting behind him in Carlos Mendoza’s batting order the way in which Aaron Choose had Soto hitting forward of him in what turned one other season for the ages from Choose. And this has an opportunity to be as dazzling a 1-2 punch for the Mets as Soto-Choose was for the Yankees, and meaning earlier than we’re even speaking about Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo and all people else making Mendoza’s offense look as loaded and balanced because it does.
It begins on the high of the order with Lindor, although, the way in which the Mets season actually began final Could when Mendoza moved him to the leadoff spot, and it changed into one of the vital entertaining seasons the Mets have had for the reason that ’86ers. So many good issues occurred after the Mets had been 22-33 on the finish of the Could. But it surely was Lindor who supplied the spark that ignited the whole lot.
We hear so many dangerous issues as of late about infielders of their 30s; heard that lots earlier than Alonso signed a a lot shorter deal as a free agent than those the Mets provided him in the course of the 2023 season. However in Lindor’s age-30 season, he was pretty much as good as he had ever been, in Cleveland or right here, as thrilling from each side of the plate and within the area and on the bases, as he had been at any level in his profession. That was earlier than the dramatic dwelling runs he would find yourself hitting in October. He was all that the Mets may ever have hoped for after they signed him to the his 10-year, $341 million contract a couple of years in the past.
Francisco Lindor has been all that, interval. Not simply because the leadoff man. Because the undisputed staff chief. In fact he was the one who known as the players-only assembly the final week of Could. And from there till October, the Mets had been pretty much as good as anyone in baseball, all the way in which to the Nationwide League Championship Collection.
“If you don’t like him,” Buck Showalter instructed me as soon as about Lindor, “you don’t like baseball.”
Lindor took all of it on final season, together with his staff’s sluggish begin and his personal sluggish begin. He ended up with 618 at-bats in 152 video games. He hit 33 dwelling runs, the second most of his profession. He scored 107 and knocked in 91 after knocking in 98 the yr earlier than and 108 the yr earlier than that. Once more: This was a switch-hitting shortstop who’s additionally a streak of sunshine on the bases doing all that. The most important swing of all was the grand slam he hit towards the Phillies in Recreation 4 of the NLDS, the one which punched the Mets’ ticket again to the league championship collection for the primary time since 2015.
“Francisco Lindor!” the Mets nice radio voice, Howie Rose, stated in that second. “He may have just outdone himself!”
However then, he had been outdoing himself for the previous 5 months, till it took Ohtani, the type of expertise who comes alongside as soon as in 100 years in baseball, to be voted MVP. Lindor would find yourself with an OPS of .844, the third highest of his profession and a .500 slugging share, the second-highest of his profession. The one time he hit extra dwelling runs was when he hit 38 in Cleveland in 2018. There has by no means been a place participant, in all of Mets historical past, who may do as a lot sport to sport, to assist them win baseball video games as Lindor does.
There have been three enormous stars in Baseball New York final season: Choose was one and Soto was one and Lindor was one other. Now he’s the one who will get Juan Soto, will get him at a time when Lindor, even being 5 years older than Soto, appears to be each bit as a lot in his prime as Soto is. The mix of Lindor and Soto might be totally different from Choose and Soto, clearly, as Soto and No. 99 mixed for 99 dwelling runs. However the present at Citi Area will be simply as dynamic, and simply as compelling.
Soto was No. 3 within the MVP voting in his league. Lindor was No. 2. Now they’re teammates, and might be one thing to see. I used to be talking with Carlos Mendoza about Lindor final September, and this is among the issues the supervisor stated about sitting down together with his shortstop after getting the Mets job:
“[Lindor] was already one of the best players in our game, and all he talked about was wanting to get better. Listen, you could see it sitting in another dugout. But I like it much better sitting in ours, watching him hit — and hit for power — from both sides of the plate and get on base. He’s the complete package, and that’s before you see how he brings the whole group together.”
He introduced the entire group collectively in 2024, till the Mets got here up simply two victories shy of the World Collection. Now he will get to bat forward of Juan Soto. You understand who the very best act on the town is? Them. You understand who the very best act on the town may nonetheless be? The entire staff.
NO SURPRISES WITH STROMAN, KNICKS NEED TO COMMIT TO DEFENSE & ST. JOHN’S CAN MAKE A RUN IN MARCH …
Who amongst us ever for a New York minute thought issues had been going to work out nicely between the Yankees and Marcus Stroman?
Now he says, “I’m a starter.”
Yep.
A starter who was 10-9 for the Yankees, and who’s 87-85 lifetime, and in the event that they didn’t know precisely what they had been getting, they had been the one ones.
The Orioles aren’t the largest menace to the Yankees within the AL East, by the way in which.
The Crimson Sox are.
And I assumed that means earlier than they signed Alex Bregman the opposite night time.
The Knicks are much more enjoyable this season than they had been final season, which is saying a lot.
And, as we will all see, they certain can gentle it up.
However getting huge stops for them on protection nonetheless appears like a part-time job, particularly with their two finest gamers.
As a lot as their two finest gamers stored lighting it up all the way in which to All-Star Weekend.
There are extra gifted groups than Rick Pitino’s St. John’s staff.
However I haven’t seen one all season that performs more durable than his does.
At this stage of the sport, Rick stays one of many nice coaches of all time.
Which is why it’s not loopy to suppose that in a wide-open males’s school basketball season they’ll’t make all of it the way in which to the Last 4.
Can’t lie: Gonna miss the “OMG” man with the Mets.
Has Andy Reid made any changes but on offense?
There have been all of the methods we checked out Tremendous Bowl LIX, and it seems that the 2 locations we should always have been trying on the hardest had been these for the Chiefs:
Left sort out.
Proper guard.
Neither one among whom may block you or me.
Yet another query in regards to the huge sport:
Is Nick Sirianni off the new seat now?
My buddy Pete, who is aware of loads of stuff, says there are a few issues price retaining in thoughts in regards to the Dodgers:
Eight of the 9 guys projected to be of their common lineup are 30 or older.
Not one of many guys projected to be of their rotation made 25 begins final season.
I hope Conan O’Brien kills it on the Oscars present, as a result of he has all the time been one of many good guys.
Flag soccer at what’s left of the Professional Bowl is extra entertaining than the NBA All-Star Recreation.
Perhaps subsequent weekend, when the Knicks get to take one other run on the Celtics, they’ll do one thing that makes the champs seem to respect them.
I don’t understand how good the Lakers will be and not using a rim protector, but it surely certain can be enjoyable the remainder of the way in which if LeBron and Luka could make a run.
So at the same time as Aaron Rodgers is simply packing his luggage, we preserve studying and listening to that the Giants could also be going after their very own growing older quarterback in Matthew Stafford.
And, gee, what may presumably go unsuitable with a state of affairs like that?
I’m lacking Jake from State Farm already.
