Juan Gone!

[Seton75]

All I know is I am a Dodger fan and I didnt want LA to play the Phillies. We dominated recent seasons and then sucked in the playoff. So I discount that stuff.

I think we lost all the relief games but Game 4 SD. Flaherty was a good get but so predictably inconsistent. Great in Game 1 Mets, but his game 5 WS for example was dreadful, and he lost to the Mets too, both very badly.

deep bullpen, but 3 healthy starters - opposite of deep. And none of our relievers can go long, which drives me nuts.

I think a good case can be made SD is better than LA. No one else was close to them imo

 

[Burnsly]

Soto has a great eye & walks a ton. Mets better have a masher or 2 behind him in the lineup.

 

[STLPirate12]

Mets-Dodgers series was a bit of an odd one. Game 6 was the only one that felt like both teams were going for it the full 9 innings. Games 1-5 all involved one team putting up a crooked number early and the other one choosing to save their best relief arms for the next day rather than attempt to hold it there and give themselves a shot at coming back.

 

[MooneyHall07]

It's not exactly a bargain signing, but so what? It's pocket change to Steve Cohen. If he wants to keep Alonso too, he will.

Yankees fans didn't apologize for Steinbrenner signing every major free agent in the 90s/early 2000s and Mets fans shouldn't apologize for Cohen signing 1 major free agent now. It was a long time coming and they should enjoy it!

I am a Yankee fan and I am not surprised in the least that Soto left for the Mets. It was apparent all along that Cohen was never going to be outbid, and all Cashman talked about was how there was a ceiling on what the Yankees were willing to pay. The only hope was somehow that Soto turn down more money to stay in Pinstripes. As soon as Game 5 was over and Soto basically said the Yankees didn't have an advantage, it was clear that he was going to go to Mets.

How do I feel about it? I am non-pulsed about the whole situation. think that the Yankees have not been the Yankees since 2009/10. This team is run differently. It's all about maximizing revenue. It's less about winning championships than selling a product that is predicated mostly on the past and Yankees "tradition." It's why they tore down Yankee Stadium to build a new ballpark. It is why they took games from over-the-air TV and put them behind a paywall with Prime. It's why they refused to meet with Bryce Harper even though he wanted to play for the Yankees. It is what it is.

The Mets have an owner who, unlike the Yankees, is willing to spend whatever it takes to offer a better on-the-field product. Will it automatically lead to WS titles? That remains to be seen. But they are no longer the little brother in NYC, not when you are able to outbid the Yankees for a generational talent.

 

[hallstorm]

The difference is Soto wants to play with the Mets. Yankees offered virtually the same money.

I know Yankee fans think players all want to play there, but there are many that do not.

It is what it is.

 

[mzadnik]

The difference is Soto wants to play with the Mets. Yankees offered virtually the same money.

I know Yankee fans think players all want to play there, but there are many that do not.

It is what it is.

He didn't want to continue to play there because he didn't want to be 2nd fiddle to Judge. And other guys don't want to play for the Yankees because they can't handle the pressure. There's not nearly as much pressure across town.

 

[Burnsly]

There will be pressure now with that contract. The Mets are basically his team now. He'll be the point man, win or lose.

 

[Section112]

Cohen pulled out all the stops. He may have also set a difficult precedent for contracts like this in the future. He gave Soto a family Luxury Suite at the Stadium to use at every game (a $500k+ value) as part of the contract. That approach and his focus on family probably made the difference especially after the Yankees gave his family trouble getting into the stadium last year - Soto was irate when that happened.

Cohen is doing what George Steinbrenner did. He's spending the money to win and he doesn't care and is going to follow through until he gets a championship. He is a gazzillionaire and has money to burn and knows he might operate at a deficit. As a Yankee fan, we can make excuses etc. but Cohen wasn't going to be outbid. The Yanks did way more than I thought they would do to keep him. Now they have to make this a positive and continue to grab some top pitchers (need a few really top relievers now) and a few more position players (OF and either Second or Third base and a few more solid bench players) to put them over the top.

Hopefully we see a Subway series in the future and settle this on the field. That would be wild.

 

[hallstorm]

He didn't want to continue to play there because he didn't want to be 2nd fiddle to Judge. And other guys don't want to play for the Yankees because they can't handle the pressure. There's not nearly as much pressure across town.

That is not only untrue, but makes no sense. Soto produced not only during regular season for the Yankees but also in the playoffs (unlike the “first fiddle” 🤣).

Soto was .327/.469/.633 for the Yankees this last post season. He was even walked to get to Judge.

Should we go into Aaron Judges’ post season numbers???

But whatever helps you sleep at night…

 

[Fishjam]

Huge loss for the Yanks especially considering they gave a nice package of players to get him for just 1 year. Steinbrenners run the Yankees like a business and Cohen running Mets like he loves it - same as George did. Not looking to maximize profits, he's looking to win.

If Cashman is savvy the Yankees can come out of this fine. They can fill their biggest weaknesses from last year - poor defense, poor base-running and shaky bullpen. Come out of this with an excellent pitching staff, much stronger defense, and a lineup that is more athletic, versatile and can run the bases.

Signing Fried was a solid move to give them a strong rotation with various different looks. Cole, Fried, Rodon, Gil, Schmidt, Nestor - that's 3 RHPs and 3 LHPs with different looks. I would now look to add 2 power arms to the bullpen. Can use Stroman and maybe Nestor as a trade piece.

I would trade for Bellinger (will cost money only) who is a plus defender at 1B and OF. Then sit and wait for a smart move to present itself to add another hitter - can be a corner infielder or Outfielder. 3 strong candidates - Christian Walker is enticing as a Gold Glove 1B or if the price is reasonable, OF Kyle Tucker (trade) or 3B Bregman (FA). Perhaps someone else becomes available via trade as they have Startiing Pitching to deal.

They have choices on who they bring in because they would have 2 guys who play multiple positions - Bellinger 1B, CF or LF and Chisolm 3B, 2B or CF. Also have 2 young players who look ready to step in in CF (Dominquez) and 2B (Durbin).