Latest news with #DavidStearns
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shaikin: Why the small-market Milwaukee Brewers might be America's team
If you're a Dodgers fan, of course, you would love to see the Dodgers win the World Series again. If you're a baseball fan above all, though, you ought to be pulling for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Dodgers served as a convenient bogeyman for owners of many other major league teams last winter. To fans pointing a collective finger at the owner of their local team, all too many of those owners pointed a finger in our direction: It's not us. It's them. 'The Dodgers are the greatest poster children we could've had for how something has to change,' Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort told the Denver Gazette last March. How, those owners shrugged, can we compete against a team playing in a major market and spending half a billion dollars on a star-studded roster? The Dodgers are 58-40. Read more: Dodgers are shut out by Brewers, but Tyler Glasnow shows signs of growth The Brewers play in the smallest market in the major leagues — Sacramento included, Denver definitely included. The Brewers are 57-40. This is not about a sprinkling of fairy dust. The Brewers have made the playoffs six times in the past seven years, prospering even beyond the financially motivated departures of star shortstop Willy Adames, Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and two-time National League reliever of the year Devin Williams, and even after manager Craig Counsell and president of baseball operations David Stearns left for teams in major markets. 'It's not really an abnormal year,' said designated hitter Christian Yelich, the Brewers' franchise anchor. 'Each year, we're picked to finish last or second-to-last in our division, regardless of what happened the year before.' The Brewers cannot pay the going rate for power, so they do not try. Of the free agents signed by Milwaukee last winter, the most expensive one in the lineup for Friday's victory at Dodger Stadium: outfielder Jake Bauers, signed for $1.4 million. Shortstop Joey Ortiz was obtained in the trade of Burnes; third baseman Caleb Durbin was acquired in the trade of Williams. The Brewers rank in the bottom 10 in the majors in home runs, but they rank in the top 10 in walks, stolen bases, sacrifice bunts and fewest strikeouts. 'We know what we are,' Yelich said. 'We know we're not going to have a lineup full of guys that hit 30 homers. You've got to force stuff to happen sometimes and try to put pressure on the other team and try to manufacture runs any way you can.' They are one of two teams — the Detroit Tigers are the other — to rank among the top 10 in runs scored and in earned-run average. No NL team has given up fewer runs than the Brewers. The Dodgers lead the majors in runs scored. In four games against Milwaukee, the Dodgers have scored a total of four runs. 'They can really pitch,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. 'The 'pen is lights out. They catch it. They play good defense. In totality, they do a good job of preventing runs.' Whether they can do a good job of deterring a lockout, well, that might be a whole other ballgame. Read more: Shaikin: Live from Atlanta: The next front in the war between MLB owners and players The collective bargaining agreement expires after next season. The owners have not explicitly stated a salary cap is their goal but, at least the way the players' union sees it, why else would commissioner Rob Manfred already be talking about a lockout as a means to an end? At the All-Star Game, union chief Tony Clark blasted the concept of a salary cap. 'This is not about competitive balance,' Clark said. 'This is institutionalized collusion.' A salary cap would provide owners with cost certainty and potential increases in franchise values, not that fans would care much about either. So, to the extent that owners might settle on a talking point in negotiations, what Manfred said at the All-Star Game would be it: 'There are fans in a lot of our markets who feel like we have a competitive balance problem.' If you're the union, you'll say MLB has not had a repeat champion in 25 years. If you're an owner, you'll say no small-market team has won the World Series in 10 years. Read more: Jacob Misiorowski is the talk of the All-Star Game. Why Dodgers are partially to thank If you're the union, you'll say expanded playoffs offer every team the chance to win a wild-card spot and get hot in October, as the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks did two years ago. But, should the Brewers win the World Series this year, owners certainly would call it the exception that proves the rule. Over the past seven years, the Brewers have made the playoffs as many times as the Yankees have. Yet, for all their success in the regular season, the Brewers have not won a postseason series since 2018. Baseball has not lost a regular season game to a work stoppage since 1995, the last time the owners pushed hard for a salary cap. They might do so again next year, which would jeopardize the 2027 season, but to argue small markets need a salary cap to win after the team in the smallest market won the World Series might ring hollow. If the Brewers' success could derail the potential disaster that would be a work stoppage, America ought to be rooting on The Miz. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Mets' second-half storylines to watch, starting with the trade deadline
The New York Mets have arrived at the All-Star break toting a 55-42 record that is 10th-best in franchise history through the first half. Only twice this century (2022 and 2006) has New York been better positioned at the Midsummer Classic. And yet, this hasn't been a simple season for the Mets, and there are plenty of questions that David Stearns, Carlos Mendoza and the Mets roster will have to answer over the next couple of weeks before the trade deadline. Here are the big-picture questions that might determine the shape of the Mets' moves at the end of July. Advertisement The Mets finished the first half with the fourth-best rotation ERA in the majors, behind only the Phillies, Rangers and Royals. That's good. But there was a pretty big divide in how that rotation performed through June 13 and afterward. That's bad. What had been the best rotation by ERA for 2 1/2 months was 29th in ERA over the last month. A lot of that owes to injuries: The Mets lost Kodai Senga on June 12, Tylor Megill on June 17 and Griffin Canning on June 27. Before Senga and Sean Manaea returned this past weekend, New York was essentially running a three-man rotation with a mix of spot starters and bulk guys to flesh it out. Now the Mets have less than two weeks to evaluate whether the returns of Senga, Manaea and Frankie Montas are enough to return the rotation to its status as a team strength. All three looked solid in Kansas City, though Montas hasn't exactly looked trustworthy over his handful of starts to this point. Barring another significant injury — always a large 'if' for a pitching staff — the Mets should be reasonably well-covered from a depth perspective. While Canning is out for the season, Paul Blackburn should be back this month and Megill next month to provide depth, if needed, with other intriguing reinforcements in the upper levels of the minor leagues. But the Mets plan not just to get to October but to make noise once there, and it's reasonable to wonder if they possess enough quality at the top of their rotation to do so. Carlos Mendoza's lineup includes four names in permanent marker: Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo. The other five spots are a constant jumble, in part because of the young, relatively unproven options trying to show they're worth regular playing time. Whether the Mets need to add another offensive piece hinges on how they feel about the quintet of Francisco Alvarez, Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña. Put bluntly, how many of them can occupy regular spots in a championship lineup? Here's how one projection system (THE BAT X) views that group. Vientos can play third, Baty can play second and third, Mauricio can play second, third and short, and Acuña can play second, third, short and center field. How you view any of that group depends on how far back you can remember. Mauricio looks the best right now. Baty looked the best in May. Acuña looked the best in April. Vientos looked the best throughout a breakthrough 2024 season. If the Mets feel they can devote two everyday spots to that group of four, through platoons or riding hot streaks, then they probably don't need to go outside the organization to acquire another bat. If they're unsure, they can snag one more infield piece for insurance. If they doubt that group, it's time to acquire an established starter on the infield or in center. Advertisement Alvarez's status is more isolated because of the inherent lack of defensive flexibility. He's basically fighting to win back at least a share of his job from Luis Torrens. However, the Mets' overall evaluation of their offense needs to account for what they'll get out of the catcher position. To this point, they're tied for 23rd in baseball in offensive production out of their catchers. As 2024 proved, no part of a team evolves more over a season than the bullpen. The Mets began last season with Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley as the primary set-up men for Díaz. Raley went under the knife by May; Ottavino was with the club all season but was left off the postseason roster for multiple rounds. By the NLCS, Ryne Stanek — acquired in July, nearly released in August, not trusted until October — was pretty much the only other arm Mendoza relied on in the later innings to get the ball to Díaz. This season, the Mets have once again lost their set-up lefty for the year in A.J. Minter and seen Stanek slide down the hierarchy. Reed Garrett and Huascar Brazobán have been Mendoza's go-to set-up men, even as both went through some serious struggles in the second half of June. Brazobán is on pace to throw 79 innings — both a career high and the most by a Mets reliever since 2019 (Seth Lugo). Raley should return this month, giving the Mets their best chance to replace Minter internally. But New York has lost Minter, Danny Young, Dedniel Núñez and perhaps Max Kranick for the season. It should be looking to add an arm or two to the pen by July 31. (Top photo of Sean Manaea: Jay Biggerstaff / Imagn Images)
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Mets Predicted to Land 3 New Key Players at Trade Deadline
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The New York Mets have some needs to address at the trade deadline if they want to end up winning the National League East. The Mets' starting rotation is dealing with injuries, they have not gotten much offensive production from centerfield and they need another southpaw in the bullpen. The Mets are certainly set up to add at the deadline, but BALLCAP Sports' Jim Riley predicted the team would address all three needs in a very aggressive deadline. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 21: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on... NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 21: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on April 21, 2025 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Phillies 5-4. MoreRiley predicted the Mets would trade for Zach Eflin of the Baltimore Orioles, Danny Coulombe of the Minnesota Twins and Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox, calling it a "David Stearns masterclass." Eflin is not an elite starter, but he could help fill a void in the Mets' rotation. Griffin Canning will miss the entire season after an Achilles injury and Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn are still on the injured list. Eflin has a 5.95 ERA this year, but over the last two seasons, he had a 3.54 ERA. Last season, he pitched much better after being traded. Perhaps that could be the case again. Coulombe might be the most important piece that Riley predicted the Mets would land. Brandon Waddell and Richard Lovelady are the only southpaws in the bullpen right now, and Coulombe would give them a very reliable arm. He has a 0.68 ERA in 35 games this season. Robert would be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Mets. He has club options for the next two seasons, but the former All-Star is not playing his best baseball right now. He is hitting .190, and it's hard to argue that he would be an offensive upgrade from Tyrone Taylor. However, Riley noted that he would be cheap, and there is potential that he could play better in a better clubhouse with better leadership. Robert was an All-Star a couple of seasons ago when he hit 38 home runs and stole 30 bases. If he can be anything close to that after a trade, the Mets would be ecstatic. All three players could be rentals if the Mets choose not to exercise Robert's club option. However, all three have the potential to give the Mets a real boost in the second half. More MLB: Trade for Orioles Starter Would Fill Yankees' 'Imperative' Deadline Need
New York Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Mets miss a late-game lefty, lose another DH in doubleheader: 3 takeaways
BALTIMORE — It was a forgettable Thursday for the Mets. The Orioles swept New York in a doubleheader, 3-1 and 7-3, at Camden Yards. The Mets' bullpen blew a late lead in the opener and couldn't keep one in the nightcap. The offense went 2-for-19 with runners in scoring position. 'We just couldn't put anything together,' manager Carlos Mendoza said. Advertisement Let's run through some takeaways. Shortly after losing pitcher A.J. Minter for the season, president of baseball operations David Stearns acknowledged the magnitude of the loss. 'We're not going to be able to explicitly replace what he meant for our team,' Stearns said in the middle of June. 'So we're going to have to figure out a way to cobble that together. Whether it's in August, September or October, we're going to be facing very good left-handed hitters in leverage spots, and we're going to have to have pitchers who can get those guys out. Some of those pitchers are probably on our roster right now. To the extent we can continue to balance our pen with additional players who can get lefties out, we're going to look to do that.' The Mets have felt Minter's absence at various junctures this season, but never more acutely than in Thursday's first game. Ryne Stanek gave up the go-ahead homer to lefty-swinging Gunnar Henderson in the eighth inning of the 3-1 loss. Ryne Stanek is asked to assess his first half of the season: "Besides a couple ugly ones, I think I've thrown the ball pretty well…overall, trying to stay away from the big, ugly ones is more conducive to putting up overall good numbers" — SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 10, 2025 New York led 1-0 into the eighth. Mendoza had already started going batter-to-batter with starter David Peterson in the seventh inning. (This essentially means that Peterson was going to be removed if anyone reached base.) After Peterson's 1-2-3 seventh inning, Mendoza sent Peterson back out with 87 pitches and 6-7-8 due up in the Baltimore order. But when Peterson allowed lefty Colton Cowser's leadoff single the other way, Mendoza decided Peterson had done more than enough for the day. He turned to righty Ryne Stanek out of the pen, even though going with a righty meant the O's could pinch-hit their two best hitters, Gunnar Henderson and Ryan O'Hearn, who had started the day on the bench because of their struggles against southpaws. Advertisement This was a spot that Minter would have filled if healthy. With him out, Stanek stood out as the best of Mendoza's bullpen options. Of the right-handed set-up men in Mendoza's pen, Stanek has been the best against lefties throughout his career and this season. (He's actually been better against lefties than righties for his career, and this season he's held lefties to a .660 OPS, compared to .746 for Reed Garrett and .816 for Huascar Brazobán.) Perhaps bringing in lefty Richard Lovelady would have kept Henderson and O'Hearn on the bench; however, Lovelady has allowed six hits (four of them for extra bases) in 16 at-bats against righties this season. Mendoza could have gone outside the box by bringing in reverse-split righty Chris Devenski, who's always been good at getting lefties out but has traditionally struggled against righties (albeit not as much in limited big-league action this year). The only other real option was keeping Peterson in, and Mendoza had already signaled (by warming Brazobán as early as the sixth inning and by telling Peterson he was batter-to-batter by the seventh) that he didn't want to extend his starter too much. 'Once you get to the eighth inning, I had Stanek ready,' Mendoza said. 'We're in the eighth, 90 pitches, (Peterson) did his part.' 'I felt like I was in a good spot, pitch-wise. I felt great, physically,' Peterson said. 'He made it clear that he was going to be aggressive, so I wasn't really surprised when he came out and signaled to the bullpen.' Once in the game, Stanek just didn't have it. Henderson golfed his 2-1 slider onto Eutaw Street in right field to turn a one-run deficit into a one-run Baltimore lead. Stanek then walked four of the next six hitters, throwing a total of 11 strikes in 31 pitches. When Jesse Winker and Starling Marte have been healthy, the Mets have gotten excellent results out of their planned DH platoon: The two have combined to be about 20 percent better than a league-average hitter. That would place them eighth in baseball in production from the DH spot. Advertisement However, Winker missed two months with an oblique injury and was headed for an MRI on Thursday for back tightness, just two games into his return. Marte is already on the IL with a bone bruise in his right knee, the same one that required an injection in spring training. If these were one-off injuries where you could bank on better health in the second half, the Mets could feel comfortable moving forward with Winker and Marte. But both players have struggled to stay on the field in recent years, and it's hard to count on that platoon being fully healthy for the stretch run and into October. Yes, the Mets have other options (see the next header). However, the inconsistency at the bottom of their order and this uncertainty at DH should make adding another established bat a consideration at the trade deadline. When Winker's back tightened up in Thursday's first game, Mark Vientos came off the bench and delivered a pair of hits — the same number of knocks he'd had in his prior 27 at-bats since coming off the injured list himself. Mark Vientos lines a double to start the 6th — SNY (@SNYtv) July 10, 2025 'That was good to see. He hit the ball hard,' Mendoza said. 'He's going through it. Hopefully that game gets him going.' (In the nightcap, Vientos went 0-for-4. After a 10-pitch at-bat ended in a groundout in the second inning, his last three at-bats lasted just seven pitches, including two strikeouts.) Vientos has seen his playing time dwindle, first with the injury (a low-grade hamstring strain) and then with the slump since his return. Mendoza has been juggling Vientos with Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Jeff McNeil on the infield, and Vientos has been the cold bat. But with Winker's back tightness requiring a trip home to New York for an MRI, it wouldn't be a surprise if he landed on the 10-day IL. Given that Marte is also on the shelf, that would open up the DH spot for Vientos for the whole series in Kansas City and potentially for a few games after the break. Vientos hasn't started games on four consecutive days since May 18 to May 21. (Photo of Tyrone Taylor and Juan Soto: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
New York Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Minor-league stint could delay free agency for Mets' Francisco Alvarez
SYRACUSE, NY — Francisco Alvarez's demotion to the minor leagues didn't just dent his pride. It may also hurt his wallet. Unless Alvarez is recalled to the major leagues by Saturday, he will have spent enough time in the minors this season to delay his free agency by a full year. The New York Mets will gain an additional year of team control over the catcher, who wouldn't become a free agent until after the 2029 season. Alvarez would be a free agent entering his age-28 season, still relatively young to be on the open market. Advertisement 'I can't worry about that right now — it's a lot for me to worry about right now,' Alvarez told The Athletic when approached about the free-agency issue Tuesday before a game in Syracuse. 'I didn't know that, but I feel like I need to just focus on getting better and that's it.' President of baseball operations David Stearns declined comment on the issue. Alvarez entered this year with two years and six days of major-league service time. This major-league season is 186 days, and a player must spend 172 of them in the majors to receive credit for a full season. To become a free agent, a player must reach six full years of major-league service. So, entering the year, Alvarez needed 166 days of major-league service to get to three full years, putting him exactly halfway to free agency. Saturday would mark his 21st day in the minors this season, meaning he will fall short of those 166 days. Even if Alvarez is recalled to start the second half next Friday and is never sent down to the minors again, he will finish 2028 just a few days shy of the six years required to reach free agency. If it plays out this way, Alvarez will still qualify for salary arbitration after this season, though as a Super Two player, meaning it would be the first of four years of arbitration rather than three. Historically, catchers are not rewarded well in arbitration because of its reliance on counting stats. Alvarez's demotion was not a surprise, and it wasn't primarily motivated by the service-time issue. While trying to incorporate a swing change, the third-year catcher has just six extra-base hits in 35 major-league games. His slugging percentage is 100 points lower than it was as a rookie in 2023. Of course, the two sides could potentially work around this by agreeing to a long-term contract extension. In the past, Alvarez has expressed interest in an extension. Earlier this season, according to an industry source, the Mets were open to the idea of extending Alvarez than some of their other young players. (Top photo of Francisco Alvarez from March 4: Gordon Donovan / NurPhoto via Associated Press)
