For the first time since 2000, there was a repeat winner in the American League, as Detroit’s Tarik Skubal took home the Cy Young Award for the second consecutive year. Pedro Martinez was the last pitcher to win the award in back-to-back years for the AL, doing so in 1999 and 2000. The most recent back-to-back winner in baseball was Jacob deGrom with the Mets in 2018 and 2019.

Skubal received 26 first-place votes and four second-place votes.

The 35-year-old Hayward, CA native was 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA in 31 starts for Detroit in 2025. He threw 195 1/3 innings, striking out 241, and had the lowest WHIP in all of baseball with a 0.89.

In the National League, after finishing third in the voting in 2024 behind Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler, right-handed pitcher and 2024 Rookie of the Year Award winner Paul Skenes was named the 2025 Cy Young recipient. He was the unanimous winner, nabbing all 30 first-place votes.

In 2025, just his second year in the major leagues, Skenes was 10-10 with a 1.97 ERA. Through 32 games started, he pitched 187 2/3 innings. He struck out 216, which was second in the National League, and had a WHIP of 0.948, best in the NL.

Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez came in second place in Cy Young voting, earning all 30 votes. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto came in third place, nabbing 16 third-place votes. San Francisco’s Logan Webb received 10 third-place votes and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta received four third-place votes.

In the American League, Boston’s Garrett Crochet was the runner-up to Skubal, nabbing four first-place votes and 26 second-place votes. Houston’s Hunter Brown came in third, earning 24 third-place votes. Max Fried of the Yankees also earned six third-place votes.

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What we do know is he’s a legitimate National League Cy Young contender, nearly a dozen starts into his 2025 campaign. And, as he improved to 6-3 on the season in New York’s 8-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, he reminded all of us that he might just be the most under-the-radar ace in the sport.

After giving up a solo homer to Ezequiel Tovar — just the second home run he’s ever allowed on his splitter in the majors — Senga locked in. He retired 17 straight Rockies at one point and didn’t allow a single hit between the second and seventh innings. The only real blemish came via a leadoff walk in the seventh, which later came around to score.

He allowed just two runs on two hits in 6 1/3 innings, while striking out seven and recording 13 whiffs.

In all 11 games he’s started this season, Senga has allowed three runs or fewer. That trend continued as he and the Mets beat up on a beleaguered Rockies ball club. After surrendering a first-inning home run, the Mets responded quickly, capped off by a Brett Baty bases-clearing triple that gave Senga breathing room.

Kodai Senga (34) Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

From there, he cruised.

It’s easy to dismiss strong outings against bad teams, but Senga has done this to everyone. While he came into Saturday with a 1.46 ERA and left Citi Field with a 1.60, he still leads all National League pitchers in ERA and is third in the bigs behind Kris Bubic (Kansas City) and Nathan Eovaldi (Texas).

Beyond Tovar’s solo shot, Senga is keeping the ball in the yard. And he’s looking more and more like a pitcher fully in control of his craft in his third season with the Mets. Last season doesn’t really count for the purposes of he threw just five regular season innings before making a couple of unexpected postseason cameos. The injuries now behind him, there’s no considerable sophomore (or junior) slump. He’s just a guy who who now understands exactly how to navigate a major league lineup.

There’s no runaway Cy Young favorite in the National League right now. That leaves the door wide open, and Senga’s walking right through it. He might not get the same attention as some of the bigger names, but the numbers are doing all the talking.

At some point, people are going to have to start listening.

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When he would flash the strikeout stuff, but also walk too many batters and hand the ball to the bullpen with at least twelve outs to get.

Well, that was first half Manaea. And when the Mets started winning toward the All-Star break, Manaea continued to work, dropped his arm slot, and has turned out an ace-like second half.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In 13 starts post All-Star break, Manaea is 11-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 81 2/3 innings. Length has also been a strong suit, with the lefty recording at least six innings in 10 of his 13 starts.

It was no different on Monday, where Manaea turned out a much needed, shutdown outing against the Nationals. He carved up the young and improved division rival Nationals, striking out six across seven innings of one-run ball.

He kept young phenom James Wood to a single, 2023’s No. 2 overall draft pick Dylan Crews 0-for-4, and set the Mets up for their dramatic comeback win where they scored runs in the eighth and tenth innings.

It was yet another exclamation point by Manaea. And another page in the impressive book he’s been writing in September. In four starts this month, the lefty is 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in 27 1/3 innings.

“I’ve learned the hard way, when you stop trying to put in the work and get better bad things will happen,” Manaea said on his strong season. “I never want to be caught off guard like that again.”

Outing after outing, Manaea has given the Mets a chance to win, which the team has taken as they’re 11-2 in his second-half starts. It’s all coming together for the starter and the Mets as they continue to win and chase a playoff spot this season.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re in a playoff atmosphere,” Manaea said on his one-run performance. “We’ve got to take it like that every day.”

Zooming in, Manaea has established himself as one of the best starters in the majors this season. He’s 15th in the majors in ERA and seventh in the National League.

He’s pitched well above his contract, and has solidified himself as the ace of the Mets staff in a season where the club has gotten one start from Kodai Senga.

Sean Manaea overpowers James Wood to work out of trouble in the third pic.twitter.com/E9aTXS5ojb

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 16, 2024

Manaea is one massive reason the Mets are in a pennant race right now. He leads the rotation in starts (30), wins (11), strikeouts (177), WHIP (1.082), and is second in ERA (3.26). Manaea would easily get the Game 1 start if the Mets secured a playoff spot.

And that’s a testament to how good Manaea has been this season. Not the Mets’ position as a team. Manaea has been a top 10 pitcher in the NL this season, and is easily in the conversation for the Cy Young award.

No, he won’t win due to Chris Sale‘s renaissance in Atlanta, but he’ll garner votes. Heck, Manaea could finish in the Top 5 by the season’s end.

As pointed out by Anthony DiComo, Manaea ranks second in the NL in games started, fourth in Win Probability added, fifth in WHIP, sixth in ERA and ERA+, seventh in strikeouts, ninth in innings, and 12th in wins.

The numbers speak for themselves. Manaea, along with Luis Severino, has been a great sign by David Stearns and will continue to push the Mets toward the pennant in a year where they were supposed to be retooling.

Manaea’s next two starts especially will factor into whether or not the Mets are playoff-bound. The lefty’s next start is against the Phillies, who tagged him for six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings back on June 8.

Then, it’ll be the Braves, indisputably the biggest series of the season. Unsurprisingly to say the least. As of now, the Mets will enter Atlanta desperately needing the tiebreaker over the Braves. Manaea hasn’t faced them this season, but will look to leave his mark on the mound with the season on the line.

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There is a direct correlation between the Tom Seaver trade in June 1977 and the moment when Shea Stadium, by every measure, went dark. Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry supplied attitude and power when they arrived in 1983. But it was “Dr. K”—at age 19—who brought the electricity back.

Dwight Gooden.

On Sunday, Gooden will be center stage again as he deservedly gets his No. 16 retired at Citi Field.

The incredible start of his career gave reason to believe he was on the fast track to the Hall of Fame. His story has been told as a cautionary tale—one in which outside influences and internal demons stunted his astonishing talents and prevented him from achieving even greater accomplishments. But with passage of time, a better understanding of mental health and human frailties, plus his admittance to past personal faults, Gooden’s legacy is as a Mets legend.

He would go on to win 157 times and record 1,875 strikeouts over his 11 seasons. Those statistics, along with WHIP and ERA figures that are ranked in the top 10 of the franchise leaderboard, place Gooden alongside Seaver and Jacob deGrom on the short list of greatest Mets arms.

It would have been impossible for Gooden to match this level no matter what the circumstances. Bright spots were mixed with dark days. He missed the World Series parade and started the following season in drug rehabilitation. Similar off-the-field issues would haunt him for the duration of his Mets tenure.

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Tom Seaver.

We’re looking back at the 50th anniversary of the Mets’ 1973 National League pennant-winning team by reviewing the most inspirational figures of that remarkable run. Last but not least, “The Franchise,” who stood out again as the finest pitcher in baseball. 

In the pantheon of great seasons from the greatest player in Mets’ history, this season isn’t at the top. And in the list of elite pitching performances, very few from 1973 stand about above any others.

It would be difficult, even for Tom Seaver, to match what he or the Mets did in 1969. Individually, equaling his numbers in 1971 (when he somehow wasn’t recognized as the league’s top pitcher) is asking a lot.

Seaver didn’t reach the same heights of ’69 four years later. Neither did his team. But he did win his second of three Cy Young awards. In many ways, the ’73 season turned out to be a very rewarding one for the ace of the New York staff. But it also brought its share of challenges.

By this, his seventh year in the big leagues, Seaver had become New York’s biggest sports figure. The public fully embraced his integrity, and intensity in a city that thrives on such qualities.

From 1970–72, Seaver fanned an average of 274 batters, led the National League in strikeouts twice, and claimed a pair of ERA titles. Still, somehow, he never added to his Cy Young collection. The most galling omission came in 1971, when Seaver constructed a career-low 1.76 ERA, a career-low 0.946 WHIP, a career-high 289 strikeouts, and a career-best 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings only to lose out to Chicago’s Fergie Jenkins and his 24 wins. Seaver had 20.

There would be no snub in ’73, a season in which he was one of few not missing time due to injury. Only twice did Seaver allow more than four runs in a start. And by mid-September, a replenished roster sparked a resurgence. Even as Seaver’s shoulder barked with soreness, the call of the pennant race didn’t go unanswered.

“For the last month, I didn’t have my stuff and I didn’t know where it was going, anyway,” Seaver said to the New York Times. “It’s tough trying to pitch like that.”

Seaver helped lock up the division and the Cy Young in Chicago with the help of Tug McGraw to earn his 19th win and secure an MLB-best 2.08 ERA. It didn’t come easily. A 5-0 New York lead became 5-2 in the sixth and a 6-2 advantage was narrowed to 6-4 in the seventh. After allowing his 11th hit, Seaver gave way to McGraw, who got the final nine outs.

He then attempted to win the NLCS opener in Cincinnati on his own. Seaver drove in the lone Mets’ run with his bat on a second-inning double that drove in Bud Harrelson. He kept the Reds in check and off the scoreboard until the eighth when Pete Rose took him deep to tie it up. Seaver stayed out into the bottom of the ninth, striking out a then-LCS record 13. But Johnny Bench‘s walk-off homer ruined an otherwise tremendous performance.

Seaver got another opportunity with the National League pennant at stake. He wasn’t nearly as sharp in this Game 5 at Shea Stadium. He struck out four and walked five (three intentionally) and allowed two runs. But he didn’t need to be as spectacular, because the Mets’ bats came alive. They scored twice in the first, four times in the fifth, and again in the sixth to give their ace a 7-2 lead. Seaver struggled to get through the ninth but again passed the baton to McGraw, who took them across the finish line.

Seaver appeared again as the World Series shifted to New York. He would have only two starts in this seven-game series, each coming with their own bit of frustration. He exited Game 3 tied after eight innings—a contest the Athletics eventually won in 11. As the Mets took the next two, Seaver was set for a potential close-out start in Oakland. With the luxury of a series lead, manager Yogi Berra could go with Seaver or his freshest arm, George Stone, and save Seaver for a potential winner-take-all. The ladder was a strong 12-3 during the season. Sore shoulder and all, Berra played his ace.

While Seaver was good over seven innings, allowing two runs, his opponent was better. Catfish Hunter allowed one run and pitched into the eighth. It remains one of the most scrutinized decisions in Mets’ history, but a matter that was no fault of Seaver’s.

Seaver’s last game as a Met was in 1983. It would have been easy to believe ten years earlier that all that time would’ve been spent in New York. But the rift between “The Franchise” and the franchise that began on an infamous night in June 1977 became a dark period in Queens. The Mets were irrelevant and it took until Seaver was let go a second time after ’83 that things began to look promising for the first time since their last pennant year.

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Before the game, the Marlins were 79-73 and needed a win to remain in the third National League wildcard slot.

Meanwhile, the Mets, who were nine games behind the Marlins in the standings, had their rookie sensation Kodai Senga pitching. And Tuesday’s start was another opportunity for the rookie to cement his case for two major awards.

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Senga wasn’t sharp on Tuesday but kept the Marlins off the board for the first three innings. He allowed two walks and singles in that frame but retired the side on softly hit groundballs and flyouts.

After having a baserunner every inning, the Marlins finally cashed in for a run in the bottom of the fourth. Bryan De La Cruz singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on Senga’s league-leading 14th wild pitch.

De La Cruz advanced to third on a ground out by Jesús Sánchez, and then came into score after Garrett Hampson flew out to center field. Senga escaped further damage in the inning by striking out Jacob Stallings to retire the side.

Surprisingly, the strikeout of Stallings was only Senga’s second of the night. He didn’t have his normal swing-and-miss stuff against the Marlins and finished his night with a mere three strikeouts.

Despite having only three strikeouts and having traffic on the bases every inning, Senga recorded another quality start on Tuesday. He allowed seven hits, two walks, and two runs in six innings.

15 straight starts with 3 earned runs or less for Kodai Senga pic.twitter.com/wR5ba6vG2v

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) September 21, 2023

Senga’s start against the Marlins also continued an impressive streak. He has recorded eight consecutive quality starts dating back to August 7, where he has gone 6-2 and recorded a 2.31 ERA.

Senga’s impressive streak, however, really started on June 23. Since then, Senga has a 2.50 ERA, 107 strikeouts, and 33 walks in 90 innings pitched. In those 15 starts, he hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs.

Senga’s dominant stretch has put him in the conversation for not only the National League Rookie of the Year, but also the NL Cy Young award.

As it currently stands, Senga might have an easier path to the NL RoY. His greatest competition is Corbin Carroll, who is having a historic stretch for the Diamondbacks.

After homering on Wednesday, Carroll became the first rookie in major league history to record 25 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season. With this historic season, Carroll (5.3) is also outpacing Senga (4.5) in bWAR. With a dominant start on Wednesday, Senga may be able to inch closer to Carroll for the award.

While the NL RoY is in reach, lefty Blake Snell has distanced himself from the competition for NL Cy Young. He leads the majors with a 2.33 ERA and 176 ERA+, despite also leading the majors with 97 walks.

Snell also solidified his status with a dominant start against the Rockies on Tuesday. He struck out 10 batters and didn’t allow a run in seven innings.

Senga simply doesn’t have enough time left to meet Snell’s ERA. Buck Showalter confirmed that Senga’s last start is on Wednesday, and even if he pitched a complete game shutout, he would still trail Snell by half a run (2.80 ERA).

Still, even if Senga misses out on both awards, which is likely, it shouldn’t take away from his amazing first season. As of September 21, Senga has a 2.96 ERA, 143 ERA+, and 194 strikeouts in 28 starts.

If the season ended today, Senga would be the sixth rookie starter in Mets’ history to finish the season with an ERA under three with at least 100 innings pitched. The others are Jacob deGrom, Dwight Gooden, Jerry Koosman, Tom Seaver, and Jon Matlack.

Senga also has one more start to chase another milestone — 200 strikeouts. He would be the 30th rookie in major league history to reach the milestone and the fourth Japanese rookie to do it behind Yu Darvish (2012), Daisuke Matsuzaka (2007), and Hideo Nomo (1995).

The milestone is achievable. He has 194 strikeouts and one more start against the Marlins on September 27.

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After landing their big white whale in David Stearns, the Mets proceeded to put on an absolute show for their new president of baseball operations by taking three out of four against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

By taking down a team in the thick of the wild card race in the National League, the Mets proved again they aren’t punting on the season. There were many positives to take from this series, including an absolute gem of an outing from a rising star and the offense absolutely going off.

And, if the D-Backs fail to make the postseason, their struggles against the Mets will have something to do with it. By winning this series, New York improved to 6-1 against Arizona on the year, outscoring their opponent by a wide margin of 47-16.

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

3 Up

Star Rising

David Stearns has a gargantuan job ahead of him as he prepares to take over the Mets in October. However, he at least knows he has a potential ace in which to build the starting rotation around in 2024. The Mets saved their best starter for last, and they were rewarded with the best pitching performance of the entire series. Kodai Senga was absolutely magic on the mound, putting together arguably his best outing in a Mets uniform yet. And, given how special he’s been this year, that really is a testament to just how good he was on Thursday. Senga mesmerized the Citi Field crowd once again, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out 10. He’s now racked up 14 straight starts of allowing three earned runs or fewer.

Senga’s ghost forkball will give the Diamondbacks lineup nightmares for months, given just how lethal it was. After a two-out single by former Met Tommy Pham in the first, Senga retired the next 13 batters in a row, racking up eight strikeouts in the process. Per Baseball Savant, Senga had 15 called strikes or whiffs on his forkball (41% CSW). His fastball also clocked 98 mph while showing near-perfect location. The righty also now has 78 strikeouts in 11 starts since the All-Star break, which is tied with Cubs ace Justin Steele for the fifth-most in the NL in that span. Senga is in the thick of both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year races, boasting a 2.95 ERA (3rd in the NL) with 191 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP. Senga has been stellar in his rookie year in Queens, and he looks set to be an absolute star for the Mets for many years to come.

Seed Of Hope

One of the biggest tasks for David Stearns this coming offseason will be rebuilding a hot mess of a rotation. As he sees out his days with the Brewers, he will be keeping a close eye on events in Queens to work out what he’s got. And, as we saw on Wednesday, he may have something in Joey Lucchesi. Called up before the game to be the sixth man in the rotation to give Senga an extra day of rest, Lucchesi delivered some hope that he could force his way into the rotation full-time in 2024. The lefty had to work his way out of some trouble throughout his start, but he did so at every turn and allowed just one unearned run on five hits while walking three and striking out two in seven innings. Lucchesi made the most of his opportunity, and his start would have no doubt caught the eye of his new boss.

Going Off

The bats were red-hot for the Mets throughout this series. While they only put up three runs in the 4-3 loss in the opener, they rebounded by outscoring Arizona 25-6 the rest of the way. There was a slew of notable offensive performances at the plate, including Jeff McNeil going 5-for-16 with a pair of home runs, Pete Alonso drove in six runs, Ronny Mauricio went yard for the first time in his major league career, Mark Vientos and Francisco Álvarez homered, and Brett Baty broke his slump. Even Jonathan Araúz got in on the act on Thursday, hitting a three-run homer as the Mets exploded offensively over the final three games of the series. Nearly every player played their part in the surge of run-scoring, and it meant that some great pitching performances didn’t go to waste for once.

Buck Showalter. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

3 Down

On The Clock?

With the 2023 season drawing to a close for the Mets, all of the focus and all of the many conversations will revolve around David Stearns’ first act as president of baseball operations. There’s already a laundry list of jobs for the new man at the helm to tick off, chief among them the futures of manager Buck Showalter and star slugger Pete Alonso. Showalter had to answer questions about his future during this series in the immediate aftermath of Stearns’ hiring, and they probably won’t go away anytime soon. Showalter hasn’t done a great job of giving the franchise’s young talent every opportunity to develop this year, and given that 2024 will probably be a transitional year for the Mets, there is a case to be made for Stearns may be looking to hire his own guy in the dugout next year.

As for Alonso, the speculation over his future as a Met has refused to go away since the Trade Deadline, and Stearns’ first offseason in Queens will be defined by what path he decides to go down with the masher. It still makes the most sense to sign the three-time All-Star to an extension, but Stearns may have his own ideas for building a long-term winner. Whatever happens, it is feasible to suggest that several players and coaching staff are perhaps now on the clock with a few weeks remaining of the regular season. There’s a new sheriff in town, and he will be looking to make changes.

Another Setback

It has been a tough stretch for Brett Baty. The prospect has been laughed at by the Baseball Gods all year, hindered by a series of setbacks and challenges. Baty’s latest trip to the majors hasn’t been any different. After breaking his tough 0-for-18 stretch by hitting a pair of singles on Wednesday, Baty was then pulled from the game with a mild left groin strain and is considered day-to-day. You couldn’t blame Baty for maybe thinking the world is out to get him, given that he just can’t seem to catch a break. With the end of the regular season in sight, every single game is of paramount importance to Baty’s development and his quest to earn a full-time role in 2024. You just hope Baty can return to the field soon and finish hot down the homestretch.

Finding Ways To Lose

Monday was a horrific night for New York sports fans. Aaron Rodgers went down and had his season ended within minutes at a wet and gloomy MetLife Stadium. At an equally wet and gloomy Citi Field, the Mets found a new way to throw a game away. Armed with a 3-2 lead heading into the final two innings, the bullpen continued to be as reliable as a promised season of glory for the Jets. Trevor Gott gave up a solo shot to Tommy Pham, before Drew Smith‘s rough stretch continued as he came in and gave up the go-ahead run. It was a brutal way in which to end the game, and akin to what was happening in New Jersey, the Mets did their best to heap more misery on New York sports fans in 2023.

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It took five years, six months, and one day for the Mets to try and atone for their greatest mistake.

With the Cincinnati Reds, Tom Seaver compiled a record of 75-46 with an ERA of 3.18 and a 116 ERA+ while also tossing his only no-hitter. No amount of time, five-plus years or five minutes, was sufficient for Mets fans to adjust to seeing their favorite in colors other than orange and blue.

In June 1977, the drama between Seaver and team chairman M. Donald Grant came to a boiling point when the Mets traded away their greatest player and thus let the wrecking ball loose on the “Midnight Massacre.” To no one’s surprise, the Mets took a nosedive into irrelevance.

But a different regime made the Mets a more welcome destination for their legendary right-hander. In sending pitcher Charlie Puleo and minor leaguers Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice to Cincinnati, “The Franchise” returned home.

”It’s where I wanted to pitch,” he said once the trade was agreed to in principle, according to the New York Times.

He was joining a Mets team far different than when he left. After cratering in 1979, the organization was slowly being rebuilt by new ownership and new general manager Frank Cashen.

”We have said all along that we wanted a senior pitcher on our staff to serve as a role model for our younger ones,” Cashen said. “He certainly fits that description.”

Seaver was the Mets’ franchise leader in every significant pitching category: wins, strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts. Three Cy Youngs, three ERA titles, and the driving force behind the Miracle Mets of 1969. At age 38, by baseball standards, he was an old Tom Seaver. He was coming off a 1982 in which a bad shoulder and bad hip contributed to the worst season in his distinguished career: limited to 21 starts in which he compiled five wins, 13 defeats, a 1.617 WHIP, and a 5.50 ERA.

Opening Day 1983 was an afternoon for Shea Stadium to show how much they missed Seaver and for Seaver to show he still had it. He shut out the Phillies for six innings in a vintage performance. Pitching for a last-place club that lost 94 games, Seaver showed improvement in his return season with a 103 ERA+.

Twenty-seven wins shy of 300 and with an up-and-coming club, it made all the sense for Seaver his career where it started. Then Mets management made the same mistake as their predecessors. They let Tom get away. Not by choice, but by mistake.

Each club was required to protect 26 players from claims in a free-agent compensation pool. For the Mets, their list did not include Seaver. The White Sox claimed him — a move that stunned Cashen, Seaver, and anyone who followed the Mets,

Fans were denied a chance to witness the link of pitching generations with “Tom Terrific” and incoming rookie Dwight Gooden in the same rotation. Gone also was the chance for Seaver to get that coveted 300th victory in the uniform of the team he’s most associated with.

Tom Seaver’s return was the best attempt to right a wrong in team history. One more season of Seaver is better than none, although he should’ve been a Met for life — or, at least, a Met until the very end.

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This offseason, we’re looking at the Mets’ history with free agency, particularly their best and worst uses of money. As far as the top signings go, we’ve featured Rick Reed, R.A. Dickey, Robin Ventura, and (at No. 7) Max Scherzer. Next up, it’s another pitcher who, when he signed, was already destined to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Tom Glavine‘s Mets career is remembered for one game, which was also his last start as a Met. It couldn’t have been worse and couldn’t have come at a worse time: seven earned runs allowed in the 2007 season finale against the Florida Marlins and not getting out of the first inning. When he left the mound to a shower of boos from the Shea Stadium crowd, the Mets season was all but over and the late-season collapse was all but complete.

He wasn’t the same Cy Young-caliber pitcher who was a mainstay on a legendary Atlanta Braves rotation and was a future Hall of Famer before putting on a Mets uniform. After regressing in his first two seasons in Queens with a subpar club, Glavine thrived when the franchise made other key additions. He became a major contributor to the first division title in 18 years which brought them to the cusp of a World Series.

Glavine pitched to a 3.97 ERA over five seasons with a 15.3 WAR and was remarkably durable despite his advanced age, averaging 33 starts per season. In three of those five years, he led the team in innings pitched and games started. Glavine added two more All-Star appearances during his time as a Met while bolstering his Cooperstown-worthy resume with a personal milestone.

The Mets were fresh off an underachieving 2002 season. Adding the 37-year-old Glavine on a four-year, $42 million deal (and taking him away from Atlanta) would be a way for the Mets to tip the scales in the NL East—albeit not entirely.

Glavine’s success was well-known: two Cy Youngs, eight All-Star appearances, five 20-win seasons, and a World Series MVP. So too was his pitching style: a mastery of control from a smooth delivery featuring an excellent changeup and pinpointed fastball, he regularly utilized the outside corner of the plate which made him effective versus right-handed hitters.

The level of talent Glavine enjoyed while in Atlanta wasn’t matched initially in New York. Not even close.  The Mets were actually worse in 2003 than the year before. Glavine struggled to adjust, posting his worst WHIP since becoming a full-time big-leaguer.

Glavine returned more to form in 2004 with an ERA of 3.60. His sub-.500 record was a reflection of a team still struggling to win. Fortunately, help was coming. Glavine would soon be supported in the rotation by fellow veteran Pedro Martinez and backed by a lineup that included Carlos Beltrán as well as emerging stars David Wright and José Reyes.

Although he was comparatively better in 2005, it was the ’06 season when he got an opportunity to return to the playoffs. Glavine tossed six shutout innings against the Dodgers in a best-of-five Division Series sweep and then befuddled the Cardinals in the NLCS opener. Glavine went seven, again didn’t allow a run, gave up four hits, and walked two. But with the series tied, Glavine slipped up. He got the loss as he gave three earned and only got through four innings.

Glavine entered free agency prior to the ’07 season, but only temporarily. He re-upped with the Mets for another year and on August 5 notched career victory No. 300 at Wrigley Field. It was a performance reminiscent of many other Glavine starts. When he departed in the seventh inning with a sizable lead, he had held the Cubs to two runs and six hits while only yielding one walk.

It was quite the turnaround for fans to embrace someone who contributed so much to the success of the hated Braves and the misery of the Mets. Perhaps it took one bad outing in a big spot for the fans to revert back to the feelings of the 1990s.

Consider September 28, 2007 the day that changed.

In fairness, those fans had seen a 7.5-game division lead dwindle in 17 games. It was an outpouring of evident frustration. But however justified they were in letting Glavine hear it, the lefty’s comments afterward (saying he was “not devastated”) certainly didn’t ease the anger toward him.

Tom Glavine’s Mets career began shakily, turned very good, and ended disastrously. Overall, he was a much-needed addition to a franchise in search of a veteran pitcher to lead them into championship contention. But the sour taste in Mets fans still remains.

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Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY

This offseason, we’re looking at the Mets’ history with free agency: their best uses of money and their worst. The latest was a third baseman who delivered a terrific debut season capped by one of the greatest moments in franchise history. Now comes the shocking free-agent landing of 2021 that should have reverberations for years to come. 

The prevailing narrative was “nobody wants to join the Mets.” It was loudest when the team went through an endless stream of candidates to fill their top front office position. It persisted when Steven Matz and his agent seemed to use his former team as leverage to get a better deal with the Cardinals (which in retrospect might have been for the best).

Even picking up Eduardo Escobar, Mark Canha, and Starling Marte in a Black Friday shopping spree wouldn’t have quieted critics who expected the richest owner in the majors to go after and obtain the biggest names on the free-agent market.

Then they took it to the Max—one year and one day ago.

In the span of about 48 hours, the prospects of landing the three-time Cy Young Award Winner went from nil to hopeful to reality. The signing of Scherzer to the highest annual value contract in baseball history—at three years and $130 million—defied conventional wisdom for Mets fans. More so, it re-aligned the compass for what the Steve Cohen regime brings: lots of money and a win-now commitment. It at once raised the club’s ceiling and reputation around the league.

Even at age 37, Scherzer was among the best in the game—coming off a stellar season with the Nationals and Dodgers. He was a respected superstar with an intensity unmatched by any pitcher or any player. Almost instantly, the culture within the New York clubhouse changed.

Max’s presence on the mound was not as consistent as he or anyone involved with the Mets would’ve preferred. He missed a total of nine weeks with injuries to his left side—a strained oblique in mid-May that took him out of action for 47 days and more pain that sidelined him for 15 days in September. Nonetheless, Scherzer compiled the third-best ERA (2.29) and ERA+ (169), and the fifth-highest bWAR.

Scherzer opened the 2022 season as the de facto ace while deGrom was on the IL and more than satisfied expectations. Over his first eight starts, Scherzer compiled an ERA of 2.54 and held opponents to a batting average of .203 before pulling himself in a May 18 outing versus St. Louis.

He returned in early July and did not miss a beat. Actually, he got better. Scherzer delivered superb performances against the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees. His July ERA was a scant 1.39 and he struck out 12.9 batters per nine innings. This level of excellence was maintained once deGrom returned to the rotation as the Mets battled for the division and zeroed in on more than 100 victories.

Scherzer came back from his second IL stint with a flourish—tossing six perfect innings in Milwaukee as the Mets clinched their first playoff appearance since 2016.

Big-money pitchers are paid highly to deliver in crucial games. In his two most important starts of the season, the biggest-money pitcher in baseball did not deliver. Scherzer struggled against the Braves with the NL East at stake and was even worse in the postseason opener—surrendering four homers and seven earned runs to the Padres at Citi Field.

The unsatisfying ending to an otherwise superb first season in New York puts his Mets legacy in a holding pattern. At this point, it’s difficult to fully gauge where Scherzer’s signing ranks in club history. What we know is that it completely changed that lingering franchise narrative, especially when it came to the free agent market. All signs say it will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

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