Gwreck
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Could you be more specific as to your definition of “lofty position?”
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Britton did a piece a few weeks back about what the payroll would look like at $244 million (below luxury tax threshold), $284 million (below penalty level where draft position is lived back) and at $340 million. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6695773/2025/10/07/new-york-mets-roster-offseason-budget/ Takeaway: He had $340M as a level at which the Mets could (1) retain Alonso and Diaz; (2) sign a Shane Bieber or Michael King as a starter; (3) add a couple luxury bullpen arms (Shelby Miller, Brad Keller). At the $340M level though, that’s still putting McNeil at 2B, Baty at 3B, Vientos at DH, and Taylor in CF as part of the everyday starting lineup (under the theory that Benge and Williams are likely to help later in the year, but won’t be on the opening day roster).
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I believe it’s announced closer to the vote. An additional wrinkle is that each committee member can only vote for 3 players. By way of reference, the “classic era” committee that elected Allen and Parker was: Hall of Fame Players (5): Paul Molitor, Eddie Murray, Tony Perez, Lee Smith, Ozzie Smith Hall of Fame Managers (1): Joe Torre Executives (5): Sandy Alderson, Terry McGuirk, Dayton Moore, Arte Moreno, Brian Sabean Media/Historians (5): Bob Elliott, Leslie Heaphy, Steve Hirdt, Dick Kaegel and Larry Lester.
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8 candidates announced for the ballot: Barry Bonds Roger Clemens Carlos Delgado Jeff Kent Don Mattingly Dale Murphy Gary Sheffield Fernando Valenzuela Ballot was selected by 11-member panel of baseball historians. A 16-member committee (composition not yet announced) will meet in December. 12 votes needed for election. Fewer than 5 votes means a candidate is ineligible for the next Contemporary Era ballot in 2029. Garnering fewer than 5 votes on two Contemporary Era Ballots (e.g., if they return in 2032 and again get <5 votes again) they are ineligible for further HOF consideration.
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Mets had 147 steals (5th most in MLB) and a ridiculous 89% success rate. Obviously that’s not *all* due to Richardson but hard to say he didn’t significantly help the team be better.
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All of those uniforms — other than the classic white with blue pinstripes — are ghastly.
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I’m not so sure that helps him. I guess if Utley gets in it will help Kent’s candidacy but there are a lot of other second basemen who I think compare favorably to Kent and also aren’t in: Lou Whitaker and Bobby Grich, probably Utley, and also the not-yet-eligible Jose Altuve. And also Cano, who I suppose is in a separate category.
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With both Scherzer and Kershaw advancing to the WS again (for the last time, probably), I was reflecting on the fact that at least one of the no-doubt HOF pitchers Greinke, Kershaw, Scherzer, and Verlander had been involved in almost every WS from 2017 to present. Thus, barring some strange revelations between now and voting, there are only 4 World Series in which there’s no current likelihood that either team will have had a Hall of Fame player in that series: 1. 2002 (Bonds may some day get in of course. Perhaps Kenny Lofton is re-evaluated by the modern era committee) 2. 2008 (Rollins and Utley still on the ballot, but not exactly close to election) 3. 2016 (A little early, but between Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and Kyle Schwarber, someone will probably make it) and… 4. 2015. Best bets are the two still-active players, deGrom and Salvador Perez, but neither one is that likely.
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And as for why it benefits Skubal to be traded before getting free agency: the potential for postseason heroics. Everyone knows Skubal’s worth a ton, but pitching a team to a championship is a really great way to get paid above-market price (see, e.g., Stephen Strasburg). And is Skubal on the Tigers or Skubal on the Mets more likely to win the 2026 World Series? I think it’s firmly the latter.
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In fairness, Skubal trade talk began immediately upon his making some noncommittal remarks in the end-of-season press conference, long before the Heyman report. Also, one has to wonder how exactly they could be $250M apart. That just stretches all credulity. Cole got $324M/9 years. Yamamoto got $325/12. Skubal couldn’t possibly think $500M is on the table, and even the Tigers couldn’t possibly be seriously offering something as low as, say…$100M over 3 years. I see no real way they could be “$250M apart.” Now, as far as the Mets are concerned, Skubal is exactly what the Mets need, moreso than any other possible addition (unless the Pirates are trading Skenes). For one year, I certainly am trading Tong plus a hitter not named Benge or Williams. But if the trade is conditioned on negotiating an extension with Skubal? Then sure, we can talk about a package of Sproat, Benge or Williams, Mauricio/Baty, and one more not named McLean.
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I think it’s just really hard for non-playoff games to get in there. The rally in Philly *was* a great game, but regular-season games are hard to include. Other fun ones are the Ramon Castro game in late August 2005; the Wright walk-off against the Yankees in May 2006; the August 2015 Sunday night game to cap the sweep of Washington; the 2022 game against the Dodgers with the Nimmo catch and Timmy Trumpet appearance…but they inherently can’t quite be the same as postseason baseball.
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I didn’t think it was up for debate that the 21st century began on 1/1/01! The other contenders are, to my mind, in chronological order: -September 21, 2001 (Piazza homer) -2006 NLDS Game 1 -2006 NLCS Game 6 -June 1, 2012 (No-hitter) -2015 NLCS Game 1 -2015 WS Game 3 -2024 Game 161 at Atlanta -2024 WC Game 3 -2024 NLDS Game 1 -2024 NLDS Game 4
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Division series game 5 against the Dodgers. The best Mets game this century? Tim Britton has a good oral history with Alderson, Collins, Granderson, Harvey, Murphy, and Wright: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6716547/2025/10/15/mets-dodgers-nlds-2015-daniel-murphy-jacob-degrom/
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Sarbaugh was also the infield defense coach. Brett Baty had a pretty good defensive season, so credit to Sarbaugh there. Everyone else on the infield…not quite so much.
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SNY reporting that Sarbaugh is also out. SNY’s reporting is that Gibbons’ departure is of his own accord.
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Hefner, Chavez, Barnes, Gibbons all not being retained per Jeff Passan. [TWEET] [/TWEET]
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Albert is already under a 10-year personal services contract with the Angels that began after his retirement.
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Catching instructor Glenn Sherlock is retiring. More moves expected per SNY.
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Snitker (whose contract was up after this season) is leaving the manager role in Atlanta, transitioning to an "advisor" role.
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I believe Canning is a free agent as well.
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The AL games are 1:08 and 6:08 Eastern starts. I’m not a television executive but it’s always been strange to me that there’s an insistence on playing games in the early afternoon. Sure, the Boston/Yabkees and Dodgers will be in primetime as they get the most eyes nationally. But it seems odd that they would really get a better TV audience for the other games by airing them at a time when no one is watching versus also showing them at 6 or 7 PM.
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He’s serving as an opener ahead of Jacob Misiorowski, one of the Brewers regular starters, since Misiorowski will be serving as a reliever this postseason.
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That’s fine, and mostly likely anyway, but reliable relief pitching does not grow on trees. The Mets declined to pay the giant prospect cost for a Duran or Miller, and they’re going to have to pay a significant amount of cash to retain Diaz this offseason. The Mets will assuredly exercise their 2026 option for Raley, probably will exercise it for Drew Smith, and AJ Minter will probably exercise his player option. Brazoban is arbitration-eligible for the first time and threw 62 innings (more than any reliever other than Diaz) to a 109 ERA+. He’s not going anywhere, nor should he.
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What does this mean? Taylor had a .941 OPS in August after being terrible at the plate earlier, and also has hit in his limited September action. That’s improvement, yes? C’mon. Acuna is not a natural centerfielder, he’s a valuable pinch runner and defensive replacement on the infield, and he doesn’t hit. Mullins might be well be awful this year but he does have actual past major league success, and Taylor is far and away the best defensive option there. It’s not at all “odd” that Acuna’s not been a primary consideration for center. I think there is *maybe* a colorable/fringe argument for playing Acuna a bit more but this is not some obvious thing being missed.
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No, he isn’t. And he certainly hasn’t been this year, as the numbers show.
