Steve Cohen, tongue-in-cheek, urged fans to “get back to what matters – the black jerseys.” Marcus Stroman was “turnt right now.”

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The deal worked out well for the Mets, who signed Lindor to a 10-year, $341 million contract extension on the eve of Opening Day in 2021. It is, by total value, the seventh-largest contract in baseball history. Juan Soto‘s deal is first.

Lindor has slashed .261/.338/.462 with 141 home runs in five years in New York. He’s finished top 1o in the MVP vote four times, including a second-place finish in 2024, won two Silver Sluggers and earned his first National League All-Star nod in 2025. He’s currently fourth among Mets position players in team history with his 29.8 fWAR. Only David Wright (51.3), Darryl Strawberry (35.5) and José Reyes (33.2) are ahead of him.

He also hit a pair of the franchise’s most dramatic home runs over a nine-day period in 2024.

This two-run blast (“Linsanity again!” bellowed Gary Cohen) gave the Mets the lead in the ninth inning of a playoff-spot-clinching 8-7 win in Atlanta. This grand slam put the Mets ahead for good in the NLDS clincher against Philadelphia. (Howie Rose: “They were famished for the big hit all night and Francisco Lindor just provided a feast!”)

For good measure, he hit three home runs in a victory over the Yankees in September 2021.

The Others

Carrasco spent three years with the Mets, struggling in 2021 and 2023 but going 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA in 2022. Last season, he pitched to a 7.09 ERA over 45 2/3 innings combined between the Yankees and Braves.

Rosario, once a highly regarded Met prospect, has played for the Guardians and five other teams since the deal. Cleveland sent him to the Dodgers for Noah Syndergaard at the 2023 trade deadline. He hit .276/.309/.436 with six home runs in 191 plate appearances combined for the Nationals and Yankees in 2025.

Giménez won three Gold Gloves in four seasons in Cleveland, made the 2022 All-Star team and finished sixth in MVP voting that year when he hit 17 homers, stole 20 bases and posted an .837 OPS. The Guardians traded him to Toronto last offseason. He had a poor year offensively for the Blue Jays (.598 OPS) but filled in well for an injured Bo Bichette in the postseason.

The prospects, so far, have not panned out. Wolf, a right-hander, pitched to a 4.74 ERA in 57 innings for the Giants’ High-A affiliate this year. Greene, an outfielder, advanced as high as High-A in the Cleveland system. He posted a .722 OPS in 42 games in the MLB Draft League this year.

Final Grade: A+

This trade, five years later, should put a smile on your face.

The post Lindor Deal Looks Good Five Years Later appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns addressed the media for his post-season press conference. While there were plenty of quotes regarding pending free agents, including the mention of wanting to bring back both Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker, Stearns also gave updates regarding injured Mets.

First was right-handed relief pitcher Dedniel Núñez, who was severely missed by the Mets’ bullpen down the stretch run of the season. The Mets’ president of baseball ops said that Núñez is progressing well after missing the last month of the season due to a strained flexor tendon in his right arm; the club hopes to get him back on the mound by November, and have a normal offseason if that goes well.

The other major piece of injury news was not as positive, as Mets prospect Ronny Mauricio has not started baseball activities while his rehab has not progressed as quickly as the club hoped for. Mauricio tore his ACL last offseason during his stint in the Dominican Winter League and is trying to get back on the field some time in 2025.

For a full breakdown of Stearn’s presser, click here!

Photo by Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

The Mets’ seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft, Luke Ritter, was selected by USA Baseball to represent the nation at the WBSC Premier 12 Tournament, which will feature the top 12 baseball nations in the world, per Taylor Eldridge of The Wichita Eagle. 

The League Championship Series was the most-watched since 2017, per MLB Communications. Game 1 of the NLCS between the Mets and Dodgers drew more than 20.6 million viewers in the United States and Japan. 

Alex Cohen, wife of Mets owner Steve Cohen, announced she is taking a social media break, but made sure to show her love for Mets Nation prior to doing so. “You guys have been the best fans any team could ever ask for,” she wrote.

Latest MLB News

The Miami Marlins will interview Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough for their vacant managerial position, per Isaac Azout of Fish On First.

Netflix has officially premiered its documentary on the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox, titled “The Comeback.”

Sam Blum and C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic detailed what it feels like for major leaguers whose big league cameos resulted in World Series jewelry. 

The Tampa Bay Rays re-signed RHP Michael Flynn to a minor league deal with a spring training invite, per Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. Tampa acquired him in a trade where they sent the Dodgers Amed Rosario. 

Latest on MMO

MMO writers gathered to give the Mets’ miracle season a letter grade.

Ronny Mauricio is not doing baseball activities following his ACL surgery. 

David Stearns addressed the media in his post-season press conference. 

On This Date in Mets History

2019: The MLBPA announces Pete Alonso as the NL Outstanding Rookie and Jacob deGrom as the NL Outstanding Pitcher for the 2019 MLB season. 

2006: Carlos Delgado is awarded the Roberto Clemente Award; Clemente is the reason Delgado wore 21. 

2000: Al Leiter becomes the second Met to ever win the Roberto Clemente Award, joining Gary Carter. 

2000: The Mets beat the Yankees in Game 3 of the World Series behind a Benny Agbayani go-ahead RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Born On This Date: Omar Quantanilla (1981), Mike Matthews (1973), Junior Ortiz (1959), Ron Gardenhire (1957).

The post Morning Briefing: Dedniel Núñez Progressing Well appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Late on Wednesday night, the Angels made the first big move of the trade deadline as they acquired White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and relief pitcher Reynaldo López. In return for the California native, Chicago landed the Angels’ second and third-ranked prospects in catcher Edgar Quero and left-handed pitcher Ky Bush. Giolito has a 3.79 ERA on the season and could be a big piece for the Angels as they try to chase down the final wild card spot.

Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets split the second of two Subway Series as they fell to the Yankees by a score of 3-1 at Yankee Stadium. There was a lot of traffic on the bases throughout the game, but José Quintana and Carlos Rodón both navigated it well enough to throw up quality starts. The Mets’ offense was not able to capitalize early and went quiet in the later innings as they fell to seven games under .500 and now stand at 47-54.

The Mets are back at Citi Field on Thursday for their final four games before the trade deadline on August 1st. New York will throw Kodai Senga (3.27 ERA, 7-5) against the Nationals’ Josiah Gray (3.45 ERA, 7-8). 

Latest Mets News

The Mets were anticipating Starling Marte‘s return from the 10-day IL on Thursday as he was dealing with serious migraines. But that plan has been hindered as Marte is expecting a child in the coming days, which will affect his availability, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

The Mets released veteran starting pitcher Dylan Bundy, who had spent the season down in Triple-A Syracuse after spending parts of eight seasons in the majors. The Mets took a flyer on the veteran, but it did not pay off as Bundy had a 10.08 ERA in six games before he was put on the IL and is now being released.

Latest MLB News

Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated published an article that put to bed the Shohei Ohtani trade rumors, as he reported that Los Angeles would hold on to Ohtani and be buyers at the deadline. The Angels were reportedly fielding offers and holding internal discussions the past two days, but decided they’ll go all in before Ohtani hits the market this winter. The Angels are four games back of the final Wild Card spot as of Wednesday night and will take on the owner of the third and final Wild Card spot, Toronto Blue Jays, this weekend. 

Some familiar names were on the move Wednesday as former Mets swapped homes in a trade between the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Dodgers. In the deal, Cleveland sent shortstop Amed Rosario to LA and, in return, netted starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard. The two struggling Mets hope they can find some success in their new landing spots, as they have had abysmal seasons so far. Syndergaard has spent time in the minors due to both injury and his 62 ERA+ in the majors, while Rosario has an 89 OPS+ and a tough time in the field with a -.3 WAR, the first percentile in outs above average.

Major League Baseball put out a news release announcing that current commissioner Rob Manfred’s contract will be extended through July 29, 2029. Manfred has been on the job, and by the end of his third term, it will be 15 years; for more information on the topic, click here. 

The New York Yankees are planning to active Aaron Judge from the IL on Friday before their game against the Orioles, according to Joel Sherman of the NY Post. Judge was firmly in the AL MVP race before he suffered a toe injury while falling through the bullpen door in the Dodger Stadium outfield on June 3. Judge will be a huge boost to the Yankees, as their offense has been dreadful since the reigning MVP’s departure. 

Latest on MMO

Sam Neumann looked at how Pete Alonso is breaking out of the longest slump of his career.

Dan Quiñones recapped how the Mets’ defense let them down against the Yankees.

John Sheridan went over Ronny Mauricio being ranked the Mets’ top prospect by Baseball America

On This Date in Mets History

2017: The Mets trade first-baseman Lucas Duda for relief pitcher Drew Smith. Smith has played for the Mets in parts of five seasons while accruing a career ERA of 3.46, ERA+ of 115, and WHIP of 1.231; while Duda would play two more seasons for the Royals and Braves.

2003: Gary Carter is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Carter finished his career with 11 All-Star selections, 2 All-Star Game MVPs, 3 Gold Gloves, and 5 Silver Sluggers and was on the 1986 World Series Champions Mets team.

1999: The Mets debut their look into the future jersey as they became the Mercury Mets for the day. The futuristic jerseys were supposed to be a look at what the Mets would be wearing in the year 2021. 

Birthdays: Max Scherzer (39)

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Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Carrasco took the mound for the first time since April 15 for the Mets after missing time due to elbow inflammation. The right-hander faced off against his former team, the Cleveland Guardians, for the first time since getting shipped to Flushing with Francisco Lindor in January of 2021.

However, Carrasco’s return ended up as the third time in four starts that he’s given up at least five runs.

Carrasco retired Cleveland lead-off batter Steven Kwan on a popout to begin his night, but he gave up a single to former Met Amed Rosario before walking José Ramírez. After falling behind 3-1, Carrasco surrendered a three-run homer to Josh Naylor. Since joining the Mets, Carrasco owns a startling 7.60 ERA in the first inning, and the Mets’ pitching staff has now allowed 42 first-inning runs in 2023 for an 8.02 ERA.

“I made one mistake on the homer with a pitch in the middle,” Carrasco said after the game. I was trying to avoid that and get a ground ball.”

Carrasco got into immediate trouble in the second inning, giving up a long double to Myles Straw to lead off the frame. With one out, Cam Gallagher dropped a single into left field to bring home Straw with the fourth Cleveland run of the game.

Following the single by Gallagher, Carrasco was able to settle down, retiring the next seven batters he faced. He threw just nine pitches to get through the third inning, then threw just nine more to work a clean fourth inning, striking out Straw to end the frame.

Carrasco ran into some resistance in the fifth inning, issuing a lead-off walk to Will Brennan. After striking out Gallagher and getting Kwan to ground out, Carrasco allowed a two-strike single to Rosario, bringing home Brennan. Carrasco battled Ramírez for seven pitches, ultimately getting him to ground out to end his outing.

Despite his struggles, there were some positive signs from Carrasco’s night. His four-seam fastball averaged 92.1 miles per hour, up from his season average of 91.3. Carrasco’s change-up was effective, generating five whiffs on 11 attempts, inducing mostly soft contact, and getting two of his three strikeouts. His slider, however, induced just one swing-and-miss. The 36-year-old generated eight outs on grounders, compared to four in the air.

“It was good to be able to finish my pitches,” Carrasco said. “I didn’t in the beginning of the season.”

After his outing, Carrasco’s ERA sits at an unsightly 8.68 on the season. Meanwhile, Joey Lucchesi tossed six shutout innings for Triple-A Syracuse in his first start since getting sent down. Should Carrasco’s struggles continue, Lucchesi seems to be one of the first players in line to take the final spot in the starting rotation. Carrasco’s next start is lined up for next Friday in Colorado.

The post Carlos Carrasco Struggles in First Start Back From IL appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Francisco Lindor. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

All is forgiven for Francisco Lindor following a terrific bounce-back season in his second year with the New York Mets. Thumbs down and boos gave way to cheers as Mr. Smiles lived up to the expectations of an all-around player and team leader. On a team that ranked fifth in the majors in runs scored, Lindor was the second-biggest driver of those runs, as expected when he signed his 10-year, $341 million extension.

Following Lindor’s 2021 season, the trade in which the Mets acquired him from Cleveland didn’t appear too great. Sure, Lindor played much better in the second half of the season and his underlying metrics indicated that he got somewhat unlucky. Still, a 100 OPS+ is not what the Mets had signed up for.

Let’s reexamine that trade again, two years later. How are both sides looking? Who “won” the trade?

The Prize: Lindor

Obviously, the impetus for this trade was Lindor. The Guardians knew they could not afford to retain him in free agency and therefore unloaded him for the best deal they could get.

In six seasons with Cleveland, Lindor slashed .285/.346/.488/.834, averaging 29 homers and 85 RBI per 162 games (he played 99 games in 2015 and 60 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, so he had the equivalent of five years of service time). His OPS+ was 118, and he compiled 28.1 bWAR.

Lindor’s first season with the Mets did not go as planned. He hit just .230/.322/.412/.734 with a dead-average OPS+ of 100. He totaled just 3.1 bWAR, the lowest total of his career (excluding the pandemic year).

Furthermore, because Lindor’s OPS was just .698 in the first half of the season while the Mets were still competitive, there was a perception that he could not handle the pressure of New York. In this area, Lindor did himself no favors when he and Javier Baez made the thumbs-down signal to each other in a game, signaling their defiance towards the fans’ displeasure.

Lindor also had stark splits between the Mets’ wins and losses in 2021. In 62 wins, he hit .288/.397/.550/.947, but in 63 losses, he hit .174/.273/.278/.521. His OPS+ was 124 in wins and 73 in losses. When the Mets were ahead in games, he hit .271/.357/.556/.914; when they were behind, he hit .195/.281/.289/.570. This also furthered the idea that Lindor could not hit in big spots to help the team get over the hump.

Ironically, Lindor hit significantly better at home than on the road in 2021, which means the home fans got to see the better version of him, at least. At home, he hit .244/.335/.453/.788, certainly not an ideal batting average but actually similar to his overall 2022 output in terms of OPS. On the road, though, those numbers went down to .216/.310/.370/.680. That puts into question the narrative that the pressure of New York was too much for him.

In 2022, though, Lindor returned to his old excellent form. His overall slash line of .270/.339/.449/.788 and 125 OPS+ understate his value to the Mets. He posted 5.4 bWAR and 6.8 fWAR, which do a better job of describing how much the Mets needed him, as those numbers led the team. He also put up 26 homers and 107 RBIs, bringing the power element to a team that needed it.

As described in a previous article, many of Lindor’s underlying metrics were actually worse in 2022 than 2021. However, they were also more in keeping with his career norms: not hitting the ball quite as hard or as high, but making good contact in the zone and outperforming some of his expected metrics.

It also cannot be overstated how much value Lindor brings the Mets as a switch hitter. They feel comfortable slotting him in at the top of the lineup regardless of the handedness of the pitcher since he can hit both ways. In 2022, Lindor was remarkably consistent from both sides of the plate, hitting .269/.343/.446/.789 from the left side and .271/.327/.457/.784 from the right. His ability to hit lefties was a huge boon for a team that struggled to find consistency vs. southpaws.

After one difficult season and one strong one, there is no way to know for certain where Lindor will head in 2023. However, he had already started to come on in the second half of 2021, which means he has posted a year and a half of Lindor-like numbers. The ZiPS projections forecast 6.1 fWAR for him in 2023.

So far, this part of the deal seems to be working out for the Mets.

Carlos Carrasco

The Mets were thrilled to receive Carlos Carrasco as part of the Lindor package. Cookie was coming off a bounce-back Covid year in which he posted a 2.91 ERA (3.79 xERA), 3.59 FIP, and 1.5 WAR in 68 innings across 12 starts. From 2014-18, Carrasco was a rock-solid starter, posting ERAs no higher than 3.63 and FIPs as low as 2.44. He had a rocky 2019 before his leukemia diagnosis, but rebounded in 2020.

However, Carrasco’s first year in orange and blue never really got off the ground. He missed the first three-and-a-half months of the season with various injuries. When he returned, he pitched just 53.2 innings across 12 starts, posting a 6.04 ERA, 67 ERA+, and a 5.22 FIP. He was particularly terrible against right-handed batters, allowing a .296/.347/.600/.947 line (155 OPS+) in his supposed platoon advantage.

In Carrasco’s second season with the Mets, he was penciled in as the fourth or fifth starter during spring training. He often functioned as a third starter during the season, though, due to injuries up and down the Mets rotation throughout the year.

On the surface, 2022 was another bounce-back season for Carrasco. He pitched 152 innings across 29 starts, posting a 3.97 ERA and 3.53 FIP. However, his 1.32 WHIP meant that he was working in and out of trouble every game. In addition, his 97 ERA+ indicates that he was slightly below average in ERA when adjusting for the ballparks he pitched in. He put up 2.4 fWAR, which is okay for a fifth starter.

Carrasco’s biggest asset as a pitcher was getting batters to chase pitches out of the zone, placing in the 94th percentile. He was also above average in whiff rate (65th percentile) and the spin on his curve (75th). However, his poor hard-hit rate (32nd) was one of the drivers of his high WHIP, which put pressure on his defense and led to many high-leverage pitching situations.

Overall, Carrasco’s part in the Lindor deal has been uneven. He battled injuries and poor performance in 2021, but the sum total of his performance in 2022 was close to what the Mets could have realistically expected from him at his age and given his career trajectory.

There has been some trade speculation about Carrasco this offseason. However, there does not appear to be anything imminent in the works. As of now, Carrasco will likely play out his one-year team option for $14 million in his age-36 season and then become a free agent.

The Mets would be thrilled if Carrasco can give them a repeat performance from last year. He once again enters spring training as the fifth starter. Given his age and injury history, along with the ages of the Mets’ other starters, the team will likely end up relying significantly on their starting pitching depth, including David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi, and Elieser Hernández.

Carrasco’s ZiPS projection forecasts 140 innings pitched for Carrasco with a 4.35 ERA, 4.24 FIP, and 1.1 fWAR. The Mets would be happy with those innings numbers but hope for some better production. However, the amount of hard contact Carrasco allowed in 2022 would tend to indicate that his .337 BABIP was not fluky and will correlate with worse results as he continues to age.

Andrés Giménez

Many Mets fans liked Andrés Giménez, who displayed a plus glove and some intriguing hitting skills in his time with the Mets. However, a price had to be paid for Lindor, and New York now had two shortstops who were rendered redundant in Gimenez and Amed Rosario.

Giménez’s first season in Cleveland went far less swimmingly than even Lindor’s in New York. He hit .218/.282/.351/.633 in 210 plate appearances for the Guardians, posting a 74 wRC+ and 0.8 fWAR while striking out 25.7% of the time. Defensively, he played a fine shortstop, posting 5 OAA and 4 DRS in 322 innings. He was not as good at second base, putting up -1 OAA and -2 DRS in 196 innings.

It appeared that Giménez was never going to make it as a hitter enough to develop as a starting-caliber middle infielder. However, he was still just in his age-23 season and had time to grow as a hitter.

2022 was a totally different story for the diminutive Giménez. In 146 games, a full starter’s slate, he made the All-Star team and looked like the player the Mets had seen glimpses of at times when he was a rookie. Giménez hit .297/.371/.466/.837 with 17 homers, 69 RBI, and 140 wRC+. His 6.1 fWAR was among the top for middle infielders.

Interestingly, Giménez’s Statcast numbers read somewhat similarly to Jeff McNeil‘s, as he recorded a .353 BABIP, which was identical to McNeil’s. He was also below average in both hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and average exit velocity, although not quite as low as McNeil. The main difference is their batting eye and expected batting average: McNeil was in the 99th percentile in strikeout rate and the 91st in whiff rate, while Giménez was in the 56th and 39th in those areas, respectively.

Still, Giménez seems like a typical Mets prospect: a seeing-eye hitter who can hit it where the fielders aren’t. If he can keep that up, the Guardians will have gotten back a player who can make up for a lot of what they lost in Lindor. Indeed, Giménez’s 17 homers and .837 OPS show that he’s not even that far behind Lindor in the power department (if at all). Not bad at all for what was supposed to be a one-sided trade.

Of course, Giménez needs to show that he can sustain his success rather than be a one-year wonder. His ZiPS projection for 2023 is .266/.336/.416/.752 and 4.9 fWAR, which is a significant drop-off from his 2022 height (although still solid). However, since ZiPS takes into account the previous three seasons in the projection, Giménez can outperform it significantly if 2022 was a true breakout.

Amed Rosario 

The other major leaguer involved in the deal was Amed Rosario, another shortstop who had shown flashes of potential with the Mets. However, after a strong finish to 2019, Rosario reverted back to his high-strikeout, low-contact prior ways in 2020.

Rosario has been just about an average player for Cleveland in both of his seasons with them. His slash lines of .282/.321/.409/.730 and .283/.312/.403/.715 are about what you’d expect from a player with his hitting profile. He posted an identical WAR of 2.4 and wRC+ of 99 and 103, respectively. That is pretty much textbook average.

Statcast metrics for Rosario are all over the map. He doesn’t hit the ball that hard (41st percentile in hard-hit rate and 39th in average exit velocity) or barrel many balls (18th) and his chase rate is terrible (4th), but his whiff rate is above average (74th) and he did not strike out a lot in 2022 (79th). His batting eye has seemingly improved since his days with the Mets, but the results aren’t all that different.

Rosario placed in the second percentile in OAA in 2022, which makes him a very poor defensive shortstop.

Overall, Rosario is a competent major-league starter who seems unlikely to develop into anything more than that. His defense is a liability that lowers his value, but his hitting is good enough to keep him in the lineup. He was a decent complementary piece for Giménez in the deal.

OF Isaiah Greene and RHP Josh Wolf

These two were minor leaguers of little consequence for the Mets. Both were in A-ball in 2022. Isaiah Greene hit .226/.393/.340/.733 in 114 minor league games last season. Josh Wolf had an ERA over 6.00 between rookie ball and Class-A. They are 21 and 20 years old, respectively, so there may be some time for them to develop, but neither appeared on the Guardians’ MLB.com top 30 prospects list in 2022.

Who Won the Trade?

After two years, the Mets still received the biggest star of the deal. Lindor’s combination of power, defense, clutch hitting, speed, and leadership cannot be underestimated. He has a solid history of above-average play. Carrasco also provided the Mets with value.

However, this trade has not turned out quite as one-sided as it appeared at the time, at least as of now. Giménez had a year that rivaled Lindor’s in many areas. Rosario is almost as serviceable a hitter as Carrasco is a pitcher, and he’s 27 years old to Cookie’s near-36.

I believe that each side is likely satisfied with what they have. Should the Guardians have gotten a higher-ceiling prospect than Rosario in return for one of the best shortstops in the league? Likely, but they did not have leverage due to their noted inability to pay Lindor and the influx of top shortstops hitting the free-agent market the following offseason. Considering that trade position, if Giménez can sustain his 2022 success, it will truly be a win for the Guardians, as well.

The one regret that the Mets might end up having is giving up Giménez instead of Ronny Mauricio. At the time, Mauricio was considered the Mets’ second-best prospect, as he was No. 67 on MLB.com’s top 100 list in 2021. It was quite the coup not to have to give him up for Lindor. However, Mauricio has now fallen out of the top 100 (although he is still on Keith Law’s list at No. 87), and there are questions about his long-term prospects in the majors.

Hindsight is always 20-20, but imagine this Mets team with Lindor at shortstop, Gimenez at second, and McNeil in left field (or wherever else the Mets chose to place him on any given day). Still, you’ll hear few complaints from Mets fans who have their second- or third-best hitter locked down for a decade.

We’ll continue to revisit this trade as the years go by. For now, consider Steve Cohen’s first big splash with the Mets a good one.

The post A Look Back At Mets’ Trade for Francisco Lindor, Two Years Later appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jul 9, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) throws his bat after hitting a two run home run in the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

It was the first significant move of the Steve Cohen era. Francisco Lindor had been rumored to be a trade candidate that offseason and speculation was that the New York Mets were an ideal fit. But when news broke that the Mets had acquired the superstar shortstop from Cleveland, there was little notice it was going to happen.

Nevertheless, the surprise was certainly a pleasant one for Mets fans. This was a clear indication that new ownership was making good on its commitment to build a championship roster and operate, at last, as a big-market organization. Two years later, those promises are continuing to be fulfilled — with Lindor among the key pieces.

The trade also brought Carlos Carrasco to bolster the rotation. The Mets sent a pair of promising shortstops in Amed Rosario and Andrés Giménez to Cleveland, along with prospects Isaiah Greene and Josh Wolf.

In Lindor, New York got one of baseball’s elite performers — not to mention a charismatic star that seemed built for the Big Apple. Prior to the shortened 2020 season, he had reeled off four straight seasons in which he had amassed a WAR above 5.0. He was an All-Star four times, a Gold Glove winner twice, and a Silver Slugger recipient twice.

That was just step one in ensuring Lindor would be a Met long-term. As spring training began, the talk then centered around the Mets potentially giving Lindor the contract extension Cleveland wouldn’t. With free agency looming at the end of the season, it would have been a topic of conversation year-round.

On the night before Opening Day, the two parties agreed on a club record 10-year, $341 million contract extension. There was going to be immense pressure on Lindor regardless if there was a new deal or not. Now minted as a face of the franchise, it was heightened. And that first season couldn’t have started much worse.

Through the end of May, Lindor had slashed .194/.294/.294 with just 11 RBIs. The distress of some impatient fans worsened as the year went on and Lindor couldn’t get out of his funk, despite still being defensively solid. Although he recovered more to his typical level at the plate, an injury in July derailed that progress. It was also a significant blow to the Mets who fell out of first place while Lindor was healing. Despite a less than satisfying debut year, he delivered a signature performance in the Subway Series that September with a three-homer night.

Similar to a high-profile Mets acquisition of the past, Carlos Beltrán, Lindor bounced back with a terrific 2022. It was easy to tell Lindor was a more comfortable player. The numbers were evidence of that: a 5.4 WAR, a 125 OPS+, 26 homers and 107 RBIs. He was arguably the most valuable player on a team that won 101 games.

Lindor’s marked improvement can be credited to the additional upgrades the front office made which lessened the burden on him. Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar, Mark Canha, and especially Max Scherzer. These were just more examples that the Mets would be significant offseason buyers for years to come. And it’s why January 7, 2021 is a landmark date in team history.

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How did you fill the baseball void during the lockout? Anguish/revel in the Giants and Jets seasons? Play MLB The Show? Watch Game 6 of the 1986 World Series on a loop? Maybe pursuing through Met yearbooks one of your activities. Personally, I found a few of the covers simple, yet aesthetically pleasing (even if the team itself wouldn’t be that way) and others less appealing to the eyes (thus a perfect metaphor for the team’s fortunes).

Here are some that stand out, for better or worse:

1962

Easily the most famous. And probably the best. The birth of New York’s newest National League franchise is symbolized perfectly. Unfortunately, you won’t find this for 50 cents on eBay.

1969

This would have been near perfect if not for the disembodied heads of Koosman, Grote, and Seaver floating in the sky. All that matters was the perfect ending on the field.

1970

Back when film strips were a thing…a year like 1969 is impossible not to cap and makes for a lot of material. Much of those memories (and those who made them) are here.

1974

Unlike the 1970 edition, this one succeeds because of its simplicity. A close-up shot of the 1973 pennant overlooking Shea Stadium. One of my favorites.

1986

The early 80s was the worst period — a revival of cartoon-themed covers, including the especially-busy 1981 edition (manager Joe Torre cooking up “a recipe for Mets magic”). Contrast that one to this. Very simple yet very unique — and a memorable year for sure.

1987

There are two versions to commemorate the World Series championship afterglow, but we’ll go with the mural of memories from the remarkable ’86 postseason. I would have liked this more if it was less a mural and more of a photo collage, although it still works.

1997

It’s so bad it’s kind of good. I can’t tell you how many times I went back and forth tilting the yearbook with the hologram of Todd Hundley’s single-season record-setting 41st home run. For entertainment value, this wins in a runaway.

2001

It’s easy to love the ones that celebrate the championships. What makes this one stand out (in addition to every player on here wearing black uniforms) is John Franco following the 2000 NLCS win over the Cardinals.

2008

I never really cared for the looks of 2002 through ’07 for some reason, but it made a comeback in 2008 to celebrate the final year at Shea with a split-screen sketch of the ballpark — half the original outer facing and half the remodeled look.

2012-13

Why go with a single cover when you can have 50? A half-century of yearbooks is encompassed in the 2012 design. It starts a collage-heavy trend that has more or less continued through 2021. The next season’s (not pictured), in tribute to that July’s midsummer classic at Citi Field, has all 48 players which have represented the Mets in an All-Star Game.

2020

The recent editions lack a lot of variety. However, the player collages — whether they are action shots or poses — are all well done. Just a personal preference, but 2020 is my favorite of the last seven years: Jacob deGrom and Pete Alonso at the top, J.D. Davis and Michael Conforto’s walk-off exhilarations from August ’19, with Amed Rosario sliding in below.

This year’s marking of the 60th anniversary will likely away from the latest trend and have a historical slant. The logo is a beauty, so if the Mets artistic team continues to be on point the yearbook should follow suit.

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As the New York Mets prepare for their season opener Thursday night in Washington, DC, several players spoke with the media on Tuesday afternoon. Pete Alonso was among them, and he expressed his excitement for the upcoming campaign, while also sharing his thoughts on the Mets’ new shortstop, Francisco Lindor.

Alonso was a founding member of the Mets’ 2019 “cookie club”, a group of players who would gather after games to talk baseball. As John Flanagan of MMO tweeted, Alonso sees a similar camaraderie among the current group of players.

Alonso said this group has been gelling really well together, and it’s going to be something special.

“Having the new additions and having the core group of guys, all of us are pushing each other in a positive way.”@Metsmerized

— John Flanigan (@JohnFlanigan_) March 30, 2021

Among the “new additions” on the team is the offseason’s prize acquisition, Francisco Lindor. As we know, Lindor and the Mets are up against the clock to work out a contract extension before the season starts. The shortstop has indicated he will not negotiate in-season (the same applies to Michael Conforto, though Conforto’s position does not seem as hardened).

According to reports, the Mets and Lindor have a fairly substantial gap between their current offers. The Mets are said to have a deal on the table for 10 years, $325 million, while Lindor has countered with 12 years, $385 million.

Alonso thinks Lindor is worth every penny he is due on his next contract, as he advocated for the shortstop to get a pretty significant payday.

Pete Alonso on Francisco Lindor:

"I hope they pay him $400 million, he's worth every penny" pic.twitter.com/scrtOySs4S

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 30, 2021

Alonso went on to say that he “respects the hell out of”  Lindor and can just tell (Lindor) is “damn special”.

The 26-year-old first baseman is clearly correct on the “special” part, as Lindor is a four-time All-Star at 27 years old. The native of Puerto Rico also owns two Gold Gloves, and has a career bWAR of 28.8 over six seasons.

It behooves the Mets to resolve the Lindor situation before 7:09 pm on Thursday night, as not signing the star player will be a big distraction for as long as the situation goes on. In addition, the Mets parted with talented players in Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario to complete the trade, and they risk having nothing to show for their investment after the 2021 season.

Still, it’s great to hear Alonso talking about how the Mets are blending well as a team. It only serves to fuel the excitement the fans have for the upcoming season. Signing Lindor long-term would only further energize the fan base, and bring Alonso’s enthusiasm to an even higher level.

The post Pete Alonso Excited for 2021 Mets and Francisco Lindor appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Francisco Lindor is a New York Met. It’s been that way for a week now, but it still feels weird to say out loud. Thankfully, we didn’t end up getting punked.

Over the past seven days, there have been tons of virtual ink spilled on this lovely website and many others across the interwebs about just how big this particular acquisition is for the orange and blue. It’s all accurate because he’s been one of baseball’s best players since debuting for Cleveland in 2015 — only Mike Trout and Mookie Betts have accumulated more fWAR than Lindor’s 28.9. And despite the game being full of terrific young shortstops over the past few years, Mr. Smile’s fWAR is at the top of the positional leaderboard since landing in the big leagues.

That’s all stuff we already know, though. When thinking about the magnitude of this trade for the Mets organization itself, there are a couple of recent organizational trends he can stop by sticking around in Queens for the next few years if he inks an extension.

Homegrown No More

Back in April, which feels like 20 years ago, we were all trying to find ways to stay occupied during the early days of the pandemic. One of the ways I’ve been escaping is by going down baseball black holes, whether it’s on Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, YouTube, or something else. One particular journey had me going down the rabbit hole of who played the majority of games at shortstop for the Mets over the past 25 years or so.

What I found was that the majority of New York’s primary shortstops have been homegrown during that period of time. As a review, here are the homegrown Mets players who have led the team in games played at shortstop since 1996, and the years in which they accomplished this:

On the flip side, here are the non-homegrown players who have done the same thing:

The Mets have made a handful of franchise-altering trades and free-agent signings during their existence, but shortstop hasn’t been a focus. Guys like Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza, Yoenis Cespedes, and Carlos Beltran immediately come to mind when thinking about deals that changed the landscape of the organization, and clearly, none of them were shortstops.

Since Rey Ordonez became New York’s starting shortstop in 1996, there’s never been an outside acquisition for the Mets that has led the team in games played at the position for consecutive years. As it currently stands, Lindor wouldn’t break that trend either, but let’s be hopeful an extension is in the near future so he can accomplish this.

Oh, Yea… The Production

It’s already been well established that Lindor has been one of baseball’s best players. The 2021 season will be his age-27 campaign, which hypothetically means the best is yet to come as he enters his physical prime. After seeing what he’s already accomplished, it’s impossible to not be excited.

Between 2015 and 2019, Lindor posted an fWAR of at least 4.0 in each season (4.0, 5.5, 5.7, 7.6, 4.4). Meanwhile, the Mets have seen one of their shortstops produce 4.0-plus fWAR in a season just four times in the franchise’s entire existence.

All of these occurrences belong to Jose Reyes (5.8 in ‘08 and ‘11, 5.7 in ‘06, and 5.6 in ‘07). Since he left via free agency, it’s obviously been a winding road for New York to find a long-term solution at the position, and the efforts haven’t yielded consistent results. There have only been three different occasions where a Mets shortstop put up 2.0-plus fWAR in a single season since 2012 (Asdrubal Cabrera’s 3.6 in ‘16, Reyes’ 2.0 in ‘17, and Amed Rosario’s 2.7 in ‘19).

So, merely doing what he’s typically done in his young career will help Lindor break another recent trend among Mets shortstops.

A Chance To Be Revered

Based off his social media activity, what he said at his introductory press conference, and how he made a little boy’s life the other day, Lindor is already loved in New York before even taking the field. And one can hope that once the games start, this feeling of affection only strengthens amongst the fan base.

If Lindor does sign an extension and is in Flushing for the foreseeable future (fingers crossed), he’ll easily put a stop to the Mets’ recent homegrown shortstop trend. Since he’s still so young, there’s also plenty of opportunity for him to climb the franchise leaderboards rather quickly.

His Steamer projection for 2021 would certainly help propel him in that direction — he’s currently projected to accrue 4.8 fWAR with 33 home runs, 90 RBI, and 99 runs scored. Lindor’s potential impact to the Mets is obviously why the front office swung this trade in the first place. If he sticks around and continues his current career trajectory, though, his name will roll off our tongues with the likes of Piazza, Hernandez, Reyes, and David Wright when talking about some of the best in franchise history.

And that, would be unbelievably awesome.

The post Francisco Lindor Could Break These Recent Mets Trends at Shortstop appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In the latest episode of Simply Amazin’, Jacob Resnick returns to join Tim in breaking down quite possibly the biggest trade the New York Mets have made since acquiring Mike Piazza.

With the addition of Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco, the Mets have put themselves on the cusp of front-runner status in the National League. With more action on the horizon, the excitement in Queens is palpable.

A brief farewell to Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, Josh Wolf, and Isaiah Greene is followed by a breakdown of what Lindor and Carrasco bring to the table and what comes next for the Mets.

https://soundcloud.com/simply-amazin-mmo/episode-66

The post Simply Amazin’: Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco Coming to Queens appeared first on Metsmerized Online.