PAPI SETBACK
David Ortiz has third surgery as he recovers from gunshot wound
Heading into the second half of the MLB season, the Mets and Yankees are both expected to make some personnel changes before the trade deadline hits on July 31. But the two teams will be doing so for entirely different reasons.
The Mets, who are 13.5 games out of first place, and 10 games below .500 at 4050, are rumored to be shopping Noah Syndergaard around to interested teams. But they’re apparently not looking to make a late-season run at this point, and instead asking for multiple top prospects as they gear up for next season and try to remedy the disaster caused by GM Brodie Van Wagenen.
The Yankees on the other hand, World Series aspirations in mind, and as such, are in the hunt for a starting pitcher who can add depth to a rotation that has had injury problems during the seasons. The pitchers most closely linked with a move to the Bronx are Toronto pitcher Marcus Stroman, San Francisco pitcher Madison Bumgarner, and the aforementioned Syndergaard.
On the offensive end, the Yanks are eagerly awaiting the return of Giancarlo Stanton, who will complete the Yankees much-ballyhooed ‘murderer’s row’ lineup. Stanton strained his PCL in June while sliding into third base (just two games after a lengthy stint on the IL), and is not expected back until August. The Yankees have had no trouble producing offense without Stanton, but his return will only make them more dangerous come October.
The Amazin’s, meanwhile, will spend the rest of the season attempting to salvage whats left of their public image and cling to the one draw they actually have: Pete Alonso, who is the runaway favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year. In an attempt to generate excitement around Alonso, the Mets will be welcoming fans to Citi Field with tickets that are discounted by 80 percent. But unfortunately, the Mets still have plenty of other issues to worry about in a season that has included lategame bullpen implosions aplenty, a post-game outburst from Mickey Callaway and a embarrassing scoreboard gaffes.
The Mets will jump back into the trenches on Friday against the Marlins, where Jason Vargas is expected to get the start in the first leg of a three-game series down in Miami.
The Bombers will begin their march to the World Series with a three-game series against the Blue Jays starting Friday night, followed by a four-game series against division-rival Tampa Bay Rays next week.
Whether you’re looking for drama on,or off, the field, it’s going to be an interesting summer of baseball in the Big Apple.