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MMO Exclusive Interview: Former Mets’ 1B, James Loney

Former big-league first basemen James Loney spent 11 seasons in the majors from 2006-2016 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Mets.

Loney stepped in for an injured Lucas Duda in 2016 and helped the Mets reach the Wild Card that year playing in 100 games and slashing .265/.307/.397. His last appearance in the majors came with the Mets on October 2, 2016, when the team fell to the San Francisco Giants in the Wild Card pitcher’s duel between Madison Bumgarner and Noah Syndergaard.

Metsmerized caught up with Loney on Friday to discuss the electronic sign-stealing scandal in the wake of the Mets “mutually parting ways,” with first-year manager Carlos Beltran as a result of being named in the fallout as a player on the 2017 Houston Astros.

“I’ve never been a part of or seen a technology scheme up close in baseball,” Loney noted. “As players, when a guy gets on second base, they are always trying to relay signs to the hitter. Reading catchers body language and knowing how they call the games is a big part of it too,” said Loney, who claims this type of technology utilization was not an open forum during his era.

“Guys are always trying to get an edge and technology makes it a lot easier,” he added.

“Whose risking their jobs to have an extra camera or implement other forms of technology? It’s a scary thought because you wonder where teams draw the line,” said Loney.

“The rumors make it even worse not knowing the facts. It makes everyone go crazy accusing players of what’s on their bodies. We need to reserve ourselves until there’s proof.”

“There are recovery patches guys where now. The confetti on Josh Reddick was being looked at by conspiracists as a wire. People get into conspiracies. It’s always left open until the investigations are done.”

“They’re doing their due diligence in trying to dig up the facts. They should put the buzzer allegations to rest since they couldn’t find evidence,” said Loney commenting on video clips of the Astros allegedly wearing buzzers on their uniforms to relay signs.

There was also a mysterious Twitter account claiming to be Carlos Beltran’s niece, who was stirring up trouble accusing Astros players Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman of wearing wires during games. The Beltran family has since denied any relation to this account posing as a relative despite his/her accurate knowledge involving the exact timeline of the beginning and end of Beltran’s tenure as Mets manager.

“Carlos Beltran’s niece burner account sounds fishy. I could see that more of being a player, not a relative,” said Loney who agreed with Metsmerized that the account was making claims that only a player could know.

The third-base coach from Loney’s NL West rival San Francisco Giants in Tim Flannery was very vocal about the cheating scandal on Friday claiming that teams have been trying to use cameras to steal signs since the ’80s including Bobby Valentine’s Mets from 1996-2002.

Flannery served as a third-base coach under Bruce Bochy from 2007-2014 helping the team win three World Series titles in his time there. Flanery also spent 11 seasons with the San Diego Padres as a player before serving as a coach for 15 years in the majors.

“Guys have always tried to find a way to get signs. They’re trying to prove your signs aren’t complex enough. So we are trying to make them change it up and the opponent has to figure them out to beat the other team. Whether it’s a camera on the third base coach, or even watching coaches with your eyes. You can have people watching for you from some stories I heard (from a video room),” said Loney in response to these claims of normality by Flannery.

“I could see more names coming out (in this scandal) just because as a player what do you do if your club has this system in place? You’re not going to refuse to implement the system, you’re trying to win the game. As a player at the time, Beltran wasn’t the only one doing it just because he was named.”

“I’m assuming the Mets ultimately decided to let him go because they didn’t want the backlash after he was named in the report. Or if something worse came out later. I felt they could’ve waited a little longer (in making their decision.”

Loney was also asked if Mets ownership and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen were truthful during their conference call on Thursday when claiming they never spoke with Beltran during Major League baseball’s investigation on the matter.

“I would take their word on that. They aren’t going to go off some story or rumor they heard without the facts,” he said. “They were just waiting on Major League baseball I guess they didn’t feel the need to do their own investigation. I would think if there’s not clear evidence they aren’t going to speculate just based off rumors.”

Loney spoke on the possibility of the Mets bringing back his former manager with the Amazins’ Terry Collins.

“Terry was great I knew him since his time with the Dodgers before playing with him in New York in 2016. He’s great for the city of New York,” he noted. “He was a fiery, energetic, standup guy. I could see him managing the Mets again. He worked his butt off to get where he was at. Coached forever. He was grateful to be in that position.”

With spring training only a few weeks away, Loney doesn’t feel it is too late for the Mets to go outside the organization by hiring an external candidate.

“I don’t think an external candidate is unrealistic at this point. They still have time to get in here before spring training.”

Loney has not played professional baseball since 2017 and coming up on age-36, he is set to start his first season in the player operations department with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I’m working with the Diamondbacks in player operations as a player mentor/coach. I’m going to be helping out the younger guys and the veterans as an all-around reference giving them feedback,” said Loney “I did a little broadcasting on TV in LA last year, but I really am more interested in being around a team and helping develop young players with the goal of eventually taking over the NL West.”

Right now, Loney doesn’t see himself as a future manager. He says he likes being an advisor and primarily focusing on the minor leaguers and their development.

“I might get goosebumps when I get out there (to spring training),” joked Loney as it will be his first spring training where he hasn’t shown up as a player.

“As for the Mets, I really enjoyed my time there. Their fans are great, and I feel like they’re ready to compete based off what they did last year.”

Loney retired with a career bWAR of 12.1, 1,425 hits, and a lifetime slash line of .284/.336/.410 with 108 home runs and 669 RBI in 1,443 games.