METS’ SAVIOR THEO, KEEPING UP WITH JONESES & YANKS’ SHOT AT EAST...

One of these days Theo Epstein is going to decide whether he wants to run one more baseball operation, especially since he doesn’t even turn 48 until the end of this year.

You know he is the young guy who ended 86 years of waiting for the Red Sox in 2004.

And then he went to the Cubs, and all he did there was end 108 years of waiting on the North Side of Chicago.

Some people thought he might end up being the 11th commissioner of baseball someday, but I don’t believe that’s going to happen.

But in terms of baseball executives, Theo is the great white whale.

And one of these days you have to believe Steve Cohen is going to be the one to make a big run at him.

Most likely sooner rather than later.

If somebody is going to throw money at Theo, it might as well be the owner with the most money.

Right?

The maybe Theo can be the one to end all the waiting for Mets fans since October of 1986.

Hard to believe that Andrew Velazquez is the only bornand-raised Bronx kid to ever play for the Yankees.

But he is.

Even in one of those practice scrimmages, you just don’t want to hear that the Patriots’ Jones outplayed our Jones.

You know something else we’re going to find out with the Giants this season, other than if Daniel Jones really is about to take a big and quite necessary step forward?

We’re going to start getting an idea, if Saquon Barkley can stay healthy and stay on the field, whether or not Mr. Gettleman was right to take a running back with the No. 2 pick in the draft one time. Incidentally?

My pal Barry Stanton says that Daniel Jones is probably quite hopeful that the best offensive line around here isn’t the Yankees outfield.

For all that Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo have contributed to the Yankees since the Trade Deadline, the biggest get has turned out to be the biggest name, absolutely.

And that is Mr. Scherzer of the Dodgers, who is once again pitching like the ace of baseball.

You see how deep and talented the Dodgers are when they can withstand the loss of Trevor Bauer, and survived Cody Bellinger hitting under .200, and still win 16 out of 18 as they chase the Giants. By the way?

Having seen the Giants play all these games against our Mets lately, it is perfectly clear why they have been the best team in the sport, at least so far.

I still think the Yankees, as presently constituted, are going to end up winning the AL East.

And they better. Because even though they have been so much better than the Red Sox over the past month, do they really want to play a one-game season knowing they might have to face Chris Sale?

I am very much looking forward to reading Christopher Clarey’s new book about Roger Federer.

And very much looking forward to watching Novak Djokovic make his run at the calendar Grand Slam over the next couple of weeks at the Open.

Say it again: Impossible to believe it was 30 years ago that Jimmy Connors made his own run at the Open to the semis, at the Open where he turned 39.

The difference between Brian Cashman and Chaim Bloom of the Red Sox at the Trade Deadline was this:

Cashman was playing for this October.

Bloom wasn’t.

And got pantsed.