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3 reasons the Mets are in a better spot than the Yankees
The Mets have taken steps to improve their long term future while the Yankees haven't
It has been a bad baseball season for both teams in New York in 2023. One organization has pivoted and dealt with their failure better than the other. The New York Mets acted fast and pivoted in a new direction while the New York Yankees stood pat. Neither team can look at this season as a success but at least one team did something worthwhile in trying to create a brighter future.
1. The NY Mets added top prospects at the trade deadline, the Yankees did nothing
The Mets made a somewhat controversial choice in trading away veterans before this year's trade deadline. The team was a massive disappointment the entire year, but the talent made you think they could still make a run at a wild-card spot.
Steve Cohen and Billy Eppler weren't fooled and decided to trade old pitchers like Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and David Robertson. For these older pitches who have little future with the team, the Mets acquired the two top prospects in their system, and two more in the top eight of their organization.
The team was proactive in their trades, they didn’t throw more money after bad, or hope things would turn around. As Steve Cohen said, “Hope is not a strategy.”
They didn’t stand pat like the Yankees, who are even further out of a playoff spot than the Mets are. The Yankees could've sold off veterans like Harrison Bader and Wandy Peralta and added to their farm system. Instead, they actually traded a prospect for middle reliever Kenyan Middleton.
This inaction will cost the Yankees in the long-term. They thought too much about what the public would think instead of doing what was best for the team. The Mets picked a direction and went all-in. The Yankees did almost nothing.
After the various trades the Mets farm system is much improved. FanGraphs and MLB.com rank the Mets system 11th best in MLB. The Yankees come in at 25th on FanGraphs and 21st on MLB.com.
The Yankees fooled themselves into thinking they still had a shot to make the playoffs. The Mets made a hard calculated decision that will benefit them in 2024 and beyond.
2. The NY Mets have a better core of everyday players than the Yankees do
For most of the season the Mets core everyday players were a dissapointment.
Lately, they have been producing to their expected level. The Mets recent run has been fun to watch. It’s nice to see the Mets core players like Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil produce. McNeil’s recent play has been particularly encouraging. The Mets need him to bounce back in a big way next year.
Add Francisco Alvarez, a 21 year old rookie catcher who has held his own for most of the year, and that is an excellent group of everyday players to build around. Not to mention guys like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos who have played with the Mets and struggled but have put up big numbers in Triple-A.
The Yankees do not have a group of core players to match what the Mets have.
Aaron Judge is a superstar and one of the best players in baseball, no debate there. Anthony Volpe is a very promising young shortstop who has a lot of potential. Besides Judge and Volpe the pickings are slim.
The only other productive everyday player the Yankees have is Gleyber Torres and he isn't exactly a fan favorite. The Yankees also have an albatross contract in Giancarlo Stanton that is unmovable.
The Mets don't have that type of player on their team. Starling Marte has been unproductive but his contract is up two years sooner than Stanton's. I'd feel much better about the Mets core of players performing well next year than the Yankees.
3. The NY Mets have started to adapt to the new age of baseball, the Yankees have not
The new rule changes have hurt both the Mets and the Yankees this season.
Speed, athleticism, and defense are more important with the new rules. The ban on shifts means you need quicker and better defenders on the infield. Limits to pickoff attempts and bigger bases make it easier to steal. The pitch clock makes it harder for older pitchers to recover between pitches.
The Mets have tried to rectify their problems in these areas by acquiring prospects who are fast, athletic, and good defenders. This would describe guys like Luisangel Acuna and Drew Gilbert, who they acquired at the trade deadline.
They have also drafted guys who fit this bill, like Jett Williams in the first round last year and Colin Houck in the first round this year. The organization has targeted athletes who can play up the middle and be versatile.
The Yankees have not gotten the memo and look more like a basketball team than a baseball team. They are old, slow, and unathletic.
If you have ever seen Judge or Stanton run the bases you know what I mean.
They didn't acquire any players that will help them in this area next season. The team will be another year older next year and another year slower. Volpe is the one guy they can hold their hat on as he has stolen 20 bases this year and been solid defensively. They need much more than just him though.
It seems like one team has a plan to make things better next season and one team has no plan at all. The Mets have chosen a direction, while the Yankees remain directionless.
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