The Mets and Yankees are slated to face off for their second two-game set of the season. The Mets swept the first two games at home, but now the venue changes to Yankee Stadium nearly a month later.
Both New York teams are second place in their respective leagues, but could we be witnessing a changing of the ties in the Big Apple? The Mets are full steam ahead after taking three of four from the Phillies while the Yankees have lost all six of their series in August, including three straight to division rivals.
Ryan and Shaun Chichester were joined by Matt iBanez on Audacy’s “Bomber Brothers” podcast to discuss the changing baseball landscape in New York.
“If you just look at these two organizations, I think what a lot of Yankee fans aren’t coming to terms with or accepting is the fact that, in my opinion, as it stands right now the Mets are just a better-run organization,” Ryan said, 1:23 in player above). “It happened so drastically with the sale of the team and Steve Cohen coming in, but now you have the Mets with an owner who’s willing to spend every dollar to put a winner on the field. And you see that with the Scherzer contract, extending Lindor – who has silenced his critics as of late, he’s been unbelievable.”
Scherzer has been as advertised for the Mets. He's 9-2 with a 2.15 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Lindor has been filling up the box score with a .274/.346/.459 slash line at shortstop.
“And then even the Mets have a trade deadline like they did where it was widely criticized for not going after more bullpen help and only getting platoon-like players, then all of a sudden Vogelbach is mashing and all of a sudden everyone forgets about that,” Ryan continued. “Meanwhile, the Yankees’ trade deadline acquisitions – (Sunday) not withstanding because Benintendi finally came alive – but their acquisitions have largely been a disaster. Frankie Montas has been bad. Benintendi was terrible up until (Sunday).”
“What I think is fascinating, in my opinion, as we get ready for another Subway Series is the fact that I don’t think people are acknowledging that I think the tides have changed in that aspect, where the Mets just seem like a better-run organization and right now have a better team on the field.”
The Mets sure do seem to have a leg up on the Yankees in that regard. They’ve made the necessary moves up and down the organization and currently have five more wins than their AL counterpart. Those upgrades include in the dugout.
“The Mets also have a professional in the dugout in Showalter. And that, to me, is a big difference,” Shaun said. “I think Yankee fans got really nervous when the Mets got sold because Hal (Steinbrenner) has been running the Yankees a lot more frugally than George did. Not to the point that the Wilpons managed the Mets, but they started to get that vibe and then Uncle Stevey, as you call him, came in and then they got Showalter,” he continued. “That definitely feels like the last piece and the culture has changed and the respect he commands is just incredible. It shows. He ran circles around Boone in the Subway Series.”
Showalter has managed the Mets to a 79-44 record through 123 games. Only the Dodgers (84-36) have a better record across Major League Baseball.
“When you talk about a team that’s coming off of the likes of Mickey Calloway and just thinking years back of Jerry Manuel and a lot of bad managers have been in that dugout,” iBanez said.
But Showalter “Bucks the trend,” he said. The construction of the roster and the voice leading them doesn’t allow for many tough slides in a baseball season – losing five of seven or seven of 10, for example.
“I feel as though with how they’re run right now it’s not really gonna happen,” iBanez said. Because of the pitching with the two stoppers, but also because I feel like everyone has bought in so much to what Buck brings to the table that I feel like they’re never really gonna falter like that.”
Fans of other teams have been waiting for the other shoe to fall and for them to “Mets it up,” but this team gives iBanez a sense of confidence.
“If other managers were in the dugout, I could probably still have that pessimist in the back of my mind saying those things can possibly happen,” he said. “But when I have Buck Showalter and I have a competently-run front office who made some moves that I liked – some I didn’t – but some that I liked that helped this team, and the pitching that they have, and the offense that they have, I feel very confident. I feel that’s something that a lot of Mets fans need to learn how to accept. I feel like a lot of them are not confident enough yet, and I think that this team has done enough to earn that confidence.”
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