4 Thoughts About the Start of New York’s Baseball Season

162 GAMES
Remember back in March when the New York Yankees’ torpedo bats caused Dave Portnoy to lose his mind? 15 homers in 3 games will do that to a Boston Red Sox fan. Of course, now that the Yankees have gone as cold as the weather in Detroit, scoring only two runs with no homers in their last two games, those bats are already forgotten.

Remember back in March when New York Mets fans were frustrated with the lineup? Now they’ve won 6 in a row and we’re already planning the parade.

Every April we overreact to the first couple of weeks of the season, and someone, in this case me, has to say relax. Baseball is a long season. 162 games over 185 days. Trent Grisham isn’t likely to be the Yankees best clutch hitter come October; any more than Mark Vientos is going to continue to hit .125.

If you are looking for edge of your seat, do or die entertainment, that’s what the NBA and NHL playoffs are for. Baseball has a different cadence. It takes time for storylines to develop. Sit back and smell the pollen.

LUKE WEAVER
I keep hearing that Luke Weaver, with his ability to set-up or close, is a “luxury”. He’s not. He’s a necessity. Whether it was Mariano Rivera for John Wetteland, or Jeff Nelson for Mariano, or David Robertson for Mariano, you need at least two back-end stoppers. Look at the Los Angeles Dodgers. They have Blake Treinen, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates. The Yankees hope that Jonathan Loaisiga, recovering from UCL elbow surgery, eventually joins closer Devin Williams and Weaver to match the Dodgers’ firepower. 

ICYMI Link “By The Numbers: Who’s Next for Jersey Retirement in New York Sports”

DAVID ROBERTSON
Weaver wears the same #30 made famous by another smallish, slim relief pitcher. The aforementioned Robertson broke in with the Yankees in 2008, won a ring in 2009, and had the unenviable task of replacing Rivera in 2014. He responded with 39 saves before signing with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent. He returned for the end of 2017 and 2018. Since then, he’s been a hired gun for 6 additional teams. Last year, at the age of 39, he proved he was still effective, pitching in 68 games, while striking out 99 in 72 innings.

Robertson, who turns 40 today, is a free agent. I know the Yankees have high hopes for the return of Loaisiga to the back end of the bullpen,  and they are striving to stay under the “Steve Cohen Tax”. However, for a team with championship aspirations, signing Robertson without relinquishing any assets would be a great move.

VLADIMIR GUERRERO, JR
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. signing a 14-year, $500m contract with the Toronto Blue Jays was good news on many levels. First, Toronto is one of the few teams willing to spend money at the level of the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers and it was nice to see them rewarded for their efforts. Guerrero, Jr. is a homegrown talent who decided to stay in Canada rather than heading off to the coastal elites.

Second, while I promised at the top of this post not to jump to early-season conclusions, it certainly appears as if Pete Alonso really does belong in Citi Field. Steve Cohen has never asked me for financial advice, though he should considering I was the first writer on record to state that it was going to cost at least $700m to get Juan Soto’s name on a contract. Therefore, listen up Steve! A fair deal for both sides would be 6 years/$214m (same AAV as Guerrero).

ICYMI Link “The All-New York Team: Mets & Yankees Ultimate Roster”