Cowtipper

...or just complain, because that's the easiest thing to do.

...or take 15 seconds to go on Google and find articles that fit what you're looking for.

...then write it.

Carlos Lezcano died. https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/former-cubs-outfielder-passes-away-2125867 Who was Carlos Lezcano? Carlos Manuel Lezcano Rubio (1955–2025) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs from 1980 to 1981. Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and a cousin of Gold Glove winner Sixto Lezcano, Carlos attended Florida State University before beginning a pro career that included seven seasons in the minor leagues. He debuted as the Cubs’ Opening Day center fielder in 1980, appearing in 42 games that year, and finished his MLB tenure with a .186 batting average, three home runs, and 14 RBIs. After retiring as a player in 1984, Lezcano enjoyed a lengthy managerial career spanning more than two decades, leading teams in the Mariners, Giants, Brewers, and Padres organizations, as well as in independent and collegiate leagues. He earned recognition as the California League Manager of the Year in 2010 with the Lake Elsinore Storm. Lezcano later managed the Joplin Blasters of the American Association and the Liberal Bee Jays of the Jayhawk League. He passed away on September 6, 2025, at the age of 69. Also, who was Davey Johnson? Davey Johnson (January 30, 1943 – September 5, 2025) was a distinguished American professional baseball player and manager, renowned for his contributions both on the field and in the dugout. As a second baseman, Johnson played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1972), where he won two World Series titles (1966, 1970) and earned three Gold Glove Awards (1969–1971) and four All-Star selections (1968–1970, 1973). His standout year came in 1973 with the Atlanta Braves, when he hit 43 home runs, setting a record for second basemen and joining teammates Hank Aaron and Darrell Evans as the first trio to each hit 40+ homers in a season. Johnson also played two seasons with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan (1975–1976), overcoming a challenging first year to earn a Gold Glove and Best Nine honors in 1976. He concluded his playing career with the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs in 1977–1978, notably hitting two pinch-hit grand slams in 1978. As a manager, Johnson achieved remarkable success, compiling a 1,372–1,071 record (.562 winning percentage) across five MLB teams. He led the New York Mets to a World Series championship in 1986 and a National League East title in 1988, earning a franchise-record 595 wins. He also guided the Cincinnati Reds to a National League Central title in 1995, the Baltimore Orioles to American League Championship Series appearances in 1996 and 1997 (winning AL Manager of the Year in 1997), and the Washington Nationals to their first NL East title since 1981 in 2012, earning NL Manager of the Year honors. Johnson’s only losing season was in 1999 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Internationally, he managed the U.S. national team to a Baseball World Cup gold medal in 2007 and a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics, and briefly led the Netherlands team in 2003. A mathematics major from Trinity University, Johnson was a pioneer in using statistical analysis (later known as sabermetrics) to inform lineup and strategy decisions, notably with the Mets in the 1980s. Despite his achievements, including six division titles and a .588 managerial winning percentage, he fell short of induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Johnson passed away at age 82 in Sarasota, Florida, leaving a legacy as a versatile infielder, innovative manager, and influential figure in baseball’s analytical evolution.

Reed Garrett: Garrett (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton on Thursday. Garrett made his first rehab appearance Thursday and struck out two while allowing one hit across one inning. He has only been sidelined since Aug. 25, so Garrett should be able to return after a couple outings in the minors. Injury Elbow. Est. Return 9/7/2025. Tylor Megill: Megill (elbow) struck out five batters and allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks over four innings in a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Syracuse. After tossing five innings in the third start of his rehab assignment Aug. 22, Megill has now covered four frames his last two times out at Triple-A, but he was able to get stretched out to 79 pitches Tuesday and looks ready to return from the 60-day injured list. The Mets haven't confirmed that Megill will be deployed as a starter upon his activation, though he looks like a decent bet to get a look in that role while Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea have struggled since the beginning of August to put their standing in the rotation on shaky ground. If Megill is inserted into the rotation, he could be reinstated for Sunday's game in Cincinnati, though the Mets may prefer to wait until early next week to make a roster move in order to give him an extra day or two to recover from Tuesday's outing with Syracuse. Injury Elbow. Est. Return 9/7/2025. Tyrone Taylor: The Mets placed Taylor on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to a left hamstring strain, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. The 31-year-old has been battling hamstring discomfort over the past few days and will now head to the IL after being diagnosed with a strain. The severity of the strain is unclear, so it remains to be seen if Taylor will be able to return after spending the 10-day minimum on the shelf. Injury Hamstring. Est. Return 9/9/2025. Jesse Winker: Manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday that Winker has been shut down from all activities and will likely miss the remainder of the season, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Winker has been on the injured list since mid-July due to back inflammation. He was given the green light to begin a rehab assignment last Wednesday but was shut down after going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in two games with Single-A St. Lucie. With time running out for the 32-year-old to return to Queens this year, it now appears that he'll shift his focus to getting ready for the start of the 2026 campaign. Winker is due to hit free agency this winter. Injury Back. Est. Return 2/1/2026.

In a very Stearnsian move, the Mets have brought aboard the very mediocre pitcher Joe La Sorsa, who owns a 5.21 ERA and 83 ERA+, and who has a 10.80 ERA and 2.250 WHIP this year. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/09/joe-la-sorsa-elects-free-agency.html

Reed Garrett sent on rehab to the Ham.

Johnson had a winning pedigree. 33rd all-time in wins, a winning record overall, a winning record with every team he managed, the 10th-best winning percentage among managers with 1,000+ wins. Factor in his solid playing career and he becomes a good hybrid case. It seems almost inevitable that Lou Piniella will get in and when he does, it will be hard to deny the likes of a guy like Johnson. He's down the list a little bit, especially considering this era has so many managers that will take precedence (Bochy, Francona, Baker, potential Maddon, Showalter will get attention, potentially Scioscia, Dave Roberts, potentially AJ Hinch), but I think Johnson is an eventual inevitability. People debate the merits of Gene Mauch to this day...if a losing manager with no pennants continues to get that much support, then a guy like Johnson should have more than enough to get him over the bump.

LOL, that was pretty funny, Fman. Good one.

All aboard the Sproat boat, baby!

Good for him. Boo to her. Imagine being like 70 years old and getting that fussy about a baseball. I'm glad Harrison Bader helped make things right. [[YOUTUBE]ZUMgHfcQACY[/YOUTUBE]

Should've been elected to the Hall of Fame while he was alive. But now, as often happens (Dick Allen for example) they waited until he croaked to give him the nod.

Could be a good move. In 2001, Steve Trachsel went 10-7 with a 3.35 ERA after a stint in the minors; before that, his ERA was 8.24.

In a very Stearnsian move, the Mets claimed extremely mediocre reliever Wander Suero off waivers from Atlanta. He owns a 4.96 career ERA, an ERA+ of 88 and has a 11.37 ERA this season. https://sny.tv/articles/mets-claim-wander-suero-waivers-braves

I imagine because it isn't 1913 anymore.

No specific memories. A very lucky pitcher with a WHIP near 1.800. ERA of 2.35, ERA+ of 175, WHIP of 1.800. Those sorts of numbers can't happen too often.

Good to see Sproat make it. Tong, Sproat, MacLean—a good group. I still have faith in Hamel, too, but he'll probably do better in a bullpen role. Not a lot of young depth immediately available, but this fella named Dylan Ross (a reliever) is also at Triple-A and he's doing very well.

Reed Garrett's smoke and mirrors. His ERA since June is over 6. Ryne Stanek has an ERA over 5 and ERA+ below 80. Gregory Soto barely has a career ERA+ over 100 and a career WHIP over 1.400. Diaz is the only sure bet in the bunch, and even he's had issues in the past. Helsley's fortunes aren't looking promising. Raley is an aging late bloomer coming off an injury, so his immediate future is wishy washy. The last time the Mets had bullpens I had any confidence in was 2021-2022. This year's version is so bad because it's been stocked by a rotating door of Quadruple-A guys ... Garrett Brazoban Warren Devenski Herget Hagenman Waddell Kranick Castillo Garcia Danny Young Garza Lovelady Carrillo Adcock All those one-game guys. A stable team requires a stable of stable pitchers and the method of throwing poop at the wall to see what sticks for a few games doesn't work long term. The Mets were on pace for 100+ games earlier in the season and even though that wasn't sustainable, 90+ wins seemed like a good expectation. Now if they get to 85-87 wins they'll be lucky, in large part because of the pitching decisions they have made.

Seems like the Stearns strategy of having a revolving door of Quadruple-A pitchers is completely stupid and doesn't work. Gee, whodathunkit.

I truly cannot believe Rafael Montero has lasted in the majors as long as he has.

DFA Helsley and just cut your losses now.

Who knew Helsley would be so bad?

Magic numbers: 1st place in the division: 30 2nd Wild Card spot: 25 3rd Wild Card spot: 19

I hope they win.

Stephen Tarpley, who played for the Mets in 2021, is 4-4 with a 5.74 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) for the Sultanes de Monterrey in Mexico. Julio Teheran, who played for the Mets in 2024, was 4-3 with a 6.95 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) for the Toros de Tijuana in Mexico before being released in July. Ruben Tejada, who played for the Mets from 2010-2015 and in 2019, has hit .249 with no home runs in 181 at-bats between the Olmecas de Tabasco and Caliente de Durango in Mexico. Blade Tidwell, who played for the Mets in 2025, has a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings for the Giants Triple-A club in Sacramento since being traded. Michael Tonkin, who pitched for the Mets in 2024, is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 13 relief appearances for the Twins. He has a 2-0 mark and 4.50 ERA in 19 games between two minor league stops. Nick Tropeano, who pitched for the Mets in 2021, had a 10.29 ERA in 2 starts for the Long Island Ducks before being released in June. Justin Turner, who played for the Mets from 2010 to 2013, is hitting .215/.284/.315 with 3 home runs and 15 RBI in 71 games off the bench for the Cubs. -- Now let's go over how some more minor leaguers the Mets traded, but who never actually played for the Mets, are doing this year. Also noted are minor leaguers who were received in trades that are no longer in the Mets system. Deolis Guerra played in the Mets system in 2006 and 2007. He was traded for Johan Santana in 2008. He is 5-0 with a 3.54 ERA in 28 games (5 starts) between the Saraperos de Saltillo and Diablos Rojos del Mexico. Jefry Marte played in the Mets system from 2008 to 2012. He was traded to the Athletics for Collin Cargill in 2012. He is hitting .195 with 4 home runs and 19 RBI in 30 games for the Milwaukee Milkmen this year.