Noah Syndergaard

Pete Alonso says the New York Mets ‘have the pieces’ to win

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New York Mets, Pete Alonso

Pete Alonso and the New York Mets are preparing for a fan-less 60-game regular season. The Mets have played a handful of exhibitions over the last week, getting a sense of what games without fans will look like.

Alonso compares playing in empty stadiums to playing in the Florida State League (quotes per amNY’s Joe Pantorno).

“It felt exactly like playing in the Florida State League,” Alonso said. “You can probably count how many fans are in the stands on both your hands in Florida State League games.”

Alonso says the Mets have to be “motivated” this season.

“At the end of the day, we have to be motivated to try and win a ballgame,” Alonso said. “We have to be motivated to try and win a championship.”

The Mets will be without Noah Syndergaard this season due to an elbow injury. Wednesday afternoon their starting rotation was dealt another blow with Marcus Stroman being placed on the injured list with a calf injury.

Alonso expects Stroman to be back “very soon.”

“I know Marcus is such an incredible worker. That’s the one thing when he got traded to us last year, that man works, he takes care of himself,” Alonso said. I respect the hell out of him and he’s a great teammate. I know he’s going to be back very soon.”

Alonso says the Mets have an “extremely dynamic lineup.”

“I think we have an extremely dynamic lineup. When we’re hitting on all cylinders, we are extremely dangerous,” Alonso said. “We have a really well-balanced lineup. There’s no easy out.”

“I think we have the pieces to do it. I think we have everything that it takes.”

Alonso feels the Mets “have the pieces” to win a championship.

“Falling short of the postseason leaves a sour taste,” Alonso said. “We don’t want to leave anything in question. We want to do it, we want to be there, we want to compete for a championship.

“I think we bottled the feeling of going home in September and not playing in October. We’re all extremely motivated and we’re going to find out a lot about our character. We have the pieces, we just have to out between the lines and do it.”

Last season the first baseman hit .260, posted a .941 OPS and 148 OPS+ and totaled 53 home runs and 120 RBIs. That production helped Alonso win the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Steven Matz is wowing the New York Mets with his curveball

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New York Mets, New York Yankees, Steven Matz

New York Mets left-hander Steven Matz is entering his sixth season in the big leagues. Across 103 appearances, 101 of which have been starts, Matz has recorded a 4.05 ERA, a 4.30 FIP, a 1.30 WHIP and 516 strikeouts.

Matz has caught the eye of his new manager, Luis Rojas, in summer training, as the skipper says the southpaw’s curveball has been “really good” (quotes by means of Zach Braziller of the New York Post).

“The velo difference in the ones that he’s throwing is really good,” manager Luis Rojas said of the velocity. “There are some things he can do off that curveball with his fastball, up in the zone or sneak one on. There are so many things he can do. Adding that weapon to the contrast of his pitches and repertoire of his pitches, it will be great for us and himself.”

According to FanGraphs, Matz threw his curveball roughly 14.9 percent of the time while clocking it in at roughly 78.6 mph last season.

Rojas gives props to pitching coach Jeremy Hefner for his work with the Mets pitching staff.

“I know Hef is really good at working on expanding repertoires and teaching details of release points,” Rojas said.

Right-hander Noah Syndergaard underwent Tommy John surgery in March which will keep him off the field this season. The Mets starting rotation projects to be Matz, Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman and free agent signees Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello in some order.

Last season Matz recorded a 4.21 ERA, a 4.60 FIP, a 1.34 WHIP and 153 strikeouts across 32 appearances, 30 of which were starts.

Rojas says that both a player’s past and the way they look in summer camp will play a role in finalizing the roster.

“It will be a balance of both,” Rojas said.

“It should be a late, late call as far as getting real close to the season for that,” he said.

Matz is under team control through 2021.

New York Mets: Noah Syndergaard Shares His Apartment Story

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New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard, yankees

After news circulated on the New York Mets Noah Syndergaard pending lawsuit for his NYC apartment, he shared his side to the story. The original tale pitted him as the bag guy after he decided not to pay rent on his eight-month lease for his Tribeca apartment.

Syndergaard’s landlord says the Mets pitcher abandoned the apartment, refusing to pay for it. Since the season’s postponement, the city-wide shutdown, and Syndergaard’s Tommy John Surgery, there was no longer a need for him to live there. The landlord leaked the story then filed the $250,000 lawsuit against Syndergaard.

All About the Money

Syndergaard’s statement likely came with the guidance of the lawyers. His side makes it seem like the landlord just wanted to steal all the money he can from an All-Star athlete in the middle of a pandemic. But we should be aware that the details of the lease have not surfaced.

The lease could have been non-negotiable. If so, Syndergaard’s hands become tied if the landlord did not want to budge. There are still plenty of variables in this case, and there is a long road ahead for everyone involved. Between rehabbing his elbow and dealing with the case, it will be a busy summer for Thor.

 

MLB News: Grim news for Judge, Mets star Syndergaard sued, and more

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge news not encouraging

The New York Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames reported on the status of Aaron Judge’s recovery, and, while the news isn’t bad, it’s not good either.  It’s days from June 1st, and the slugger has not recovered fast enough to even swing a bat.  It’s been reported that the most he is doing on the field is picking up balls for the guys at the batting cage.

New York Yankees medical staff believe that Judge fractured his first rib when he dove for a ball in the outfield at Yankee Stadium.  That also resulted in a partially collapsed lung which had completely healed.  After a long period of tests and MRIs early in spring training, it was finally discovered that the shoulder pain Judge was experiencing was sympathetic and the source of the pain was the cracked rib.

Once they discovered that actual problem, he was shut down and started rehab treatment.  Recently a doctor familiar with that type of injury at New York’s Presbyterian Hospital who has not seen Judge explained that his injury is actually quite rare.  Most people have twelve ribs on each side of the rib cage.  In a fall usually, the middle ribs that bulge out further are the one’s to be fractured.  In Judge’s case its the first rib up top.  That’s rare and the healing takes longer due to all the muscles that are attached to that rib.

That explanation makes it easy to understand why Judge can’t swing a bat.  Thames said he continues to heal but it’s slower than expected.  It was hoped that the delayed season would benefit him in his healing.  With the slowness in recovery, there is no opinion as to when Judge will be able to swing a bat and take part in spring training when it starts, which is expected sometime in June.  It now looks a surety that the star will not be ready to play when the Yankee season starts or possibly not at all in the worst-case scenario.

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard sued for not paying rent

A federal document shows that Noah Syndergaard’s landlord is suing him for not paying his rent on a Manhattan penthouse. He reportedly made an agreement to rent the $27k a month apartment as of March 20th. The agreement was approved back in February and was submitted for evidence in the suit. The deal was for the residence that Syndergaard was to inhabit during the season through November 30th.  The suit claims that the Mets star has failed to honor the agreement or pay any rent.

The choice New York apartment is a penthouse in downtown Manhattan. The apartment has three bedrooms, three and a half baths, a chef’s kitchen, and three expansive terraces. The high style residence has all the latest amenities and the high-end finishes, including the kind of architectural touches you would expect in an expensive penthouse.

Syndergaard is coming off a fairly disappointing 2019 season. He went 10-8 with a 4.28 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 197⅔ innings while earning $6 million.  His new contract for this season is $9.7 million.  His nine-month lease agreement for $234k is something he can afford. Noah offered to pay two-months rent and told the landlord that due to the coronavirus, he would not be taking residence.  His lawyers responded to the suit “he has no intention of taking possession of the subject premises, and the landlord is hereby free to re-rent it as he sees fit.”  Syndergaard said he made a good faith effort and is confident in his case, saying, see you in court.

MLB negotiations at a standstill and the clock is ticking

The clock is ticking away on a Yankee baseball season as the MLB negotiations appear to be at an absolute standstill.  If there is any progress, the sides have been tight-lipped.  The negotiations are entering the third week.  The stumbling blocks have been player health, and the owners demand that the players take part in the losses of not having fans in the stands. So far both sides have failed to compromise on the money although the health situation has been addressed with a 67-page health initiative

This week there may be a breakthrough in the talks as the owners and MLB have come up with a new economic proposal.  That proposal is assumed to have a deal that would be more liked by the players union. According to The Atlantic, the proposal will be put forward this coming Tuesday. Hopefully, that will resolve the stalemate to getting a baseball season started this year. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on an already shortened season.

If the sides come together on a deal, the teams still have to get a three or four-week spring training 2.0 accomplished to prevent injuries and afford some training before the regular season can begin.  An early July start is still hoped for as both the Yankees and Mets are telling players to get ready to arrive at their Florida training facilities.

 

New York Mets: Noah Syndergaard Sued For Missing Rent

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2020 has not been a rough year for New York Mets fireballer Noah Syndergaard. After a flurry of events changed his plans, Syndergaard decided he was not going to live in his New York City apartment.

Syndergaard is being sued in Manhattan federal court after he decided not to pay rent for his $27,000 apartment. He signed an eight-month lease in his Tribeca apartment, which began on March 20. Syndergaard found out he would need the surgery right around the time the tenancy started. His injury, combined with the season’s postponement, gave him little incentive to continue with the lease.

What is His Next Move?

Syndergaard treated the lease “like an option” and never did anything with the apartment. Syndergaard signed the least about a month before the city-wide Coronavirus shutdown. The shutdown postponed season, and surgery all gave Syndergaard no reason to live in New York.

After he missed the first payment on April 17, the landlord said Syndergaard defaulted on the lease. Then two weeks later, his lawyer told the landlord he could re-rent the apartment since Syndergaard was not moving in. All of this leads to a lawsuit where the landlord is seeking all $250,000 from Syndergaard, the full payment of the eight-month lease.

We are no legal experts here, but it seems hard for Thor to come out victorious.

New York Mets: The Variables of the Pending Season

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After MLB owners approved the plan to continue the baseball season, the war between the league and the players union is ready for its first battle. Out of all teams, the New York Mets find themselves in a unique situation compared to the rest of the league.

Outside of health concerns, the battle of salary negotiation is going to be the biggest fight in the process. Union chief Tony Clark and legendary agent Scott Boras both agree that being paid a pro-rata salary would be the agreement whenever games resume. The sacrifice stands at 30-40% of wages, which the owners claimed as feasible, according to the owners.

According to Boras, his clients are not willing to budge from the agreement. If salaries receive a blindsided cut, it will extend the baseball drought longer. Should the union have a legitimate legal case, the damage could wipe out the rest of the season. But Clark is just as poor as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. This situation serves as a prologue to how next year’s discussions on a new collective bargain agreement will play out.

The Mets Effect

The only Boras represented Met is Michael Conforto, and luckily 30-40% of his $8 million salary is $2.4 million through $3.2 million. That number is no worry for the organization, especially with the rest of their high priced talent.

The conflict comes from Wilpon ownership and General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen. First, the Wilpon’s have continuously lost money from the Mets franchise over the last few years. The revenue from SNY, which the Wilpons also own, covers the losses from the organization.

Due to the revenue from SNY, the Wilpons call it untouchable in any team sale discussions. Since revenue should grow from SNY, since fans will not attend games, they might squeak by and suffer minimal damage to their finances due to the lack of fan revenue. But you can never be sure with the Wilpons.

Agent to GM

Van Wagenen plays a role more connected to the players. Not too long ago, he was the co-head for CAA Sports Baseball Division, which happens to represent the most players (6) on the current 40-man roster. Should the Mets look to cut more money from the players, Van Wagenen would have to side with ownership since they write his paychecks.

Four of those players make less than three million, including Brandon Nimmo and Robert Gsellman. Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom are the two high priced/talented members of CAA. Van Wagenen also negotiated the current contracts Yoenis Cespedes, and Robinson Cano collect. Cespedes already lost money in the offseason due to an injury on his ranch.

Van Wagenen does not make any final decisions, but he knows both sides of the fence. His voice will be heavily relied upon to fix and issues between players and ownership without it creating a media storm. Not to mention, he has to figure out the best pieces for a potential 82-game season at the same time.

Van Wagenen is a master agent and earned the GM job because he knows how to handle strenuous situations. He will be able to take any negative that comes out of the meetings and make it a positive. Few GMs in baseball have that ability.

New York Mets: Is the Starting Rotation Actually Set?

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Each day inches closer to the hope of baseball returning, and the New York Mets will have some crucial decision to make with their roster. Seth Lugo is a versatile weapon in the pitching staff and could sneak his way back into the starting rotation during this shortened season.

The original thought when Noah Syndergaard had to get Tommy John Surgery was Michael Wacha sliding in to take his place. As the season gets shorter and shorter, the idea of Seth Lugo moving into the rotation should have weight.

Reasons to Start Lugo

If Syndergaard were healthy, the urgency would not be as high. The Mets need to replace his production, and there is no guarantee Steven Matz, Rick Porcello, or Wacha could do the same. Lugo has a 4.06 ERA during his career as a starter, compared to 2.52 in the bullpen. His K/9 is three better as a reliever. A move to the rotation moves him from a dominant reliever to a solid starter.

There are concerns about Lugo’s workload as a reliever, which limited his usage early in the season. The extended period on the sidelines has allowed his injured elbow to heal. If the season is 100 games and everything works as planned, Lugo makes no more than 20 starts. His average 5.5 innings per start would equal 110 innings. It would be the most he has thrown in a season, but there are ways to limit the number.

The shortened season could include a roster expansion from 26 to 30. The Mets could implement a six-man rotation that includes Lugo in the mix. In that situation, he could pitch out of the bullpen late in the season as well. It would keep him around the 100 inning mark Lugo reached in 2017 and 2018.

Lugo could also remain in the rotation until the Mets acquire a starter. He spends half the season starting and the rest in the bullpen. It becomes another way for the Mets to get the most out of him.

There are plenty of avenues for the Mets to go with Lugo. Teams throughout baseball do not have weapons like these, and the Mets should make the most out of a shortened season.

Bartolo Colon’s “Big Sexy” nickname was born in the New York Mets

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

The man known as “Big Sexy” is a big personality in the baseball industry. However, that nickname may be actually even bigger than him. Ever since Bartolo Colon adopted the “Big Sexy” phrase, fans and teammates alike loved it and it became part of the culture of the sport. And it all started on the New York Mets.

The former Cy Young winner, the owner of a career 4.12 ERA, reveals in his upcoming book that the nickname was born when he was an active member of the New York Mets roster a few seasons ago.

Colon played for the Mets between 2014 and 2016, and even made it to the World Series in 2015, losing to the Kansas City Royals. In his biography “Big Sexy: In His Own Words,” he recalls that it was current Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard the one that dubbed him “Big Sexy” during the 2015 season.

“Noah Syndergaard just started calling me Big Sexy in 2015, and the name stuck,” Colon wrote, according to Newsday. “I don’t think I’m sexy, but if the fans like the name, I like it, too.”

Another epic Colon moment with the Mets

Colon was a trending topic in social media this week because of the fourth anniversary of his first and only home run as a major leaguer, a scene that took place in San Diego in 2016 against James Shields. That was an epic moment, one that also happened when he was a member of the New York Mets.

The aforementioned book is expected to be released on May 12 according to the New York Post, and will cover Colon’s colorful 21-year tenure in the Major Leagues. Over that span, he played for the Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers in addition to the Mets.

The “Big Sexy” nickname was probably born in the clubhouse, but it really went viral when Syndergaard published an Instagram post of his entire family sporting Big Sexy T-Shirts with Colon’s face on them in December 2015. In 2016, Colon filed for a trademark on the popular nickname.

New York Mets: What will the team do with Conforto and Thor?

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New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard

While there is no baseball being played as we speak, the New York Mets have quite a few interesting cases at hand when it comes to player contracts. Some of the deals that run through the 2020 season are Marcus Stroman, Jed Lowrie, Rick Porcello, Michael Wacha and Yoenis Cespedes, among others. But what about those who are up after 2021?

Two of the highest-profile cases in that last scenario are Noah Syndergaard and Michael Conforto. They are two of the Mets’ most important players, but if we read any indications, the former would prefer to test free agency while the latter is more likely and open to a future with the organization.

Mike Puma of the New York Post touched base with both players’ scenarios. “Both players can head to free agency after the 2021 season, but the fact Syndergaard underwent Tommy John surgery and likely won’t resume pitching until at least next June leaves him in limbo. The Mets could always offer him a one-year extension to minimize their risk on his elbow, but Syndergaard might want to bet on himself returning strong next year, showing he’s worthy of a free-agent deal in Zack Wheeler’s stratosphere.”

The Mets’ starter has hurdles to clear

The thing is, Syndergaard, who has been with the New York Mets during his whole career, will only have a few months next year to prove himself worthy of a big-money, multi-year deal. We know that a healthy Thor is easily worth a fortune, but who knows what will his performance look like after nearly a year and a half on the shelf?

In the case of Conforto, he is a valuable piece in the Mets’ puzzle. He has pop and he gets on base, which is the prototypical modern player. However, he won’t come cheap in an extension.

Regarding the matter, Puma said: “Conforto has repeatedly indicated he would like to remain with the Mets long term, but his agent Scott Boras is also known to push his clients to free agency. The time to extend Conforto would be soon — provided baseball resumes this season — but given the financial uncertainties facing the game, where do you even begin in trying to establish value for a player?”

In this specifical case, the issue would be establishing the Mets’ outfielder market value.

The Wonder of the 2016 New York Mets

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The 2016 New York Mets had a unique season in the franchise’s history. After falling short in the previous year’s World Series, the Mets retooled their middle infield and bullpen with an expectation to return in 2016. Though falling short to Madison Bumgarner and the Giants, there is always wonder of what would have happened if the Mets made the NLDS.

Injuries were the theme of the 2016 Mets. Zack Wheeler was out for the entire season while recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Jacob deGrom, Josh Edgin, Hansel Robles started their seasons on the Injured List. Throughout the year, David Wright, Lucas Duda, Yoenis Cespedes, and the list goes on of other Mets who spent extended periods on the IL. To make matters worse, Michael Conforto and Matt Harvey performed nowhere near expectations. The most used lineup only made it to the field nine times all season.

Late But Key Pickups

Next ma up was the motto for these Mets. Jose Reyes, James Loney, and Seth Lugo were just a few essential parts that helped guide the Mets in the second half. On August 24, the Mets dropped to 63-63 on the season and one the outside looking in of the wild card race. It was on a night where Jacob deGrom was dreadful, and it was his second to last start before injuries ruined his season.

September was a crazy ride for the Mets. Their starting pitching at the beginning of the season was Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, and Bartolo Colon. By September, it was Syndergaard, Colon, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, and the combination of Rafael Montero and Gabriel Ynoa.

This was way before Lugo and Gsellman were anywhere near household names. Lugo had a 6.50 ERA when he came up, and Gsellman started the year in double-A. Both pitched to a 2.67 and 2.42 ERA respectively and solidified the Mets rotation out of nowhere. Montero and Ynoa were no help to the rotation, but the Mets managed to go 18-10 over September/October to sneak into the postseason.

The efforts of Jeurys Familia, Addison Reed, Jerry Blevins, Hansel Robles, and Fernando Salas also go overlooked in giving the Mets a quality bullpen, especially when the short least the rookies in the rotation received. The health of Curtis Granderson and Asdrubal Cabrera allowed the Mets to keep starters on the field despite losing others to injuries.

What the Playoffs Could Have Looked Like

If the Mets happened to get past Bumgarner things would have gotten very interesting from there. They would have faced a Cubs team which the Mets went 5-2 against and swept in the 2015 postseason. After Syndergaard threw a gem in the wild card game, it left the Mets with a rotation no one saw coming. 43-year old Bartolo Colon would have become the oldest pitcher ever to start game one of the postseason. Lugo or Gsellman would start game 2/4 with Syndergaard starting game 3. They would have faced the combination of Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, and Kyle Hendricks.

The lineup would also be interesting with Granderson, Cespedes, and Cabrera as the regulars. The supporting cast would be the likes of T.J. Rivera, (slumping) Jay Bruce, James Loney, and Jose Reyes, who all were nowhere near the Opening Day roster. Rivera was the only one in Spring Training with the Mets. Rene Rivera and Travis d’Arnaud would be managing the catching duties.

Could They Beat the Cubs?

They lack of quality pitching behind Bumgarner is what did the Giants in. During a one-game playoff, you can ride his greatness to a win, but it was impossible to do to a team as strong as the cubs. That said, there is no reason to think the Mets could not have broken the Cubs hearts again and extended the curse for another year. Outside of Aroldis Chapman, the Cubs bullpen did not offer anything better than what the Mets had.

The Dodgers were very similar to what they beat in 2015, and their rotation was worse without Greinke. The biggest question would have been how the Mets could get by with the unproven Lugo and Gsellman. The games Colon and Syndergaard pitched would become must-win games just based on the uncertainty of the other half of the rotation.

Beat the Tribe?

Topping the Indians would have been a much tougher feat due to the entire roster matching up better than the Mets. Though like the 2019 World Series, the Astros seemed like the sure bet, but anything happens when you get to the World Series. Things have not been quite the same for the Mets since 2016. The Mets could have seriously changed the landscape of baseball should they have managed even one run off Bumgarner.