Category: MLB

The Angels have upheld their obligations under their stadium lease, the state auditor said in a report released Thursday, and disputes between the city of Anaheim and the team are largely the result of vague language in a lease that dates to 1996.

“We did not uncover any instances in which Angels ownership violated the terms of the lease agreement,” state auditor Grant Parks wrote in his report.

The only specific financial outcome of the report: Auditors discovered the Angels had overpaid $95,000 in ticket revenue to the city in 2021. The city agreed to refund the money to the team, the report said.

The Angels last month exercised their option to extend their stadium lease through 2032. They have two additional options, through 2035 and again through 2038. The city says there are no talks underway on a new deal with the team.

Read more:Could the Angels lose their Angel Stadium lease? New state audit to probe land deal

The audit, requested last year by state legislators representing the stadium area, was one of several actions pursued by elected officials after the collapse of a previous deal.

In 2022, after the release of an FBI affidavit disclosing a public corruption investigation of then-Mayor Harry Sidhu, the city killed the deal in which Angels owner Arte Moreno would have bought Angel Stadium and the surrounding property, renovated the stadium and built a neighborhood around it.

According to his plea agreement, Sidhu disclosed confidential city information to the Angels at a time when the city was negotiating with the team. He is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.

The collapse of the deal meant the Angels would remain a tenant at the stadium, under the terms of the 1996 lease.

In their audit request, State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Assemblyman Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) cited “deep concern” that the team had withheld revenue owed to the city and failed to comply with stadium maintenance requirements stipulated in the lease.

That lease does not allow the city regular access for stadium inspections, meaning that the city “cannot ensure that its own stadium is properly maintained,” according to the report. The city and team have squabbled over access to the stadium for a property assessment authorized in 2023 that has still not been completed.

The city and team also have disagreed on the funding of maintenance and capital expenditures and the interpretation of “first-class stadium” in the lease, which requires Angel Stadium to be maintained on par with Dodger Stadium and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City but does not define specific requirements or say as of what date those comparisons should be valid.

If the city and team cannot resolve those issues, Anaheim will “face the possibility of litigation,” the report said.

In accordance with the lease, the Angels pay no rent to play at the stadium, and share no ticket revenue with the city unless they sell more than 2.6 million tickets. The city agreed to waive rent because Disney, then owner of the Angels, paid for all but $20 million of a $117-million stadium renovation.

At the time of the 1996 lease, the Angels had sold more than 2.6 million tickets four times since moving into the stadium in 1966. Under Moreno — and in the wake of the only World Series championship in franchise history — the Angels topped 3 million every year from 2003-19. Attendance fell below 2.6 million in two of the last three full seasons; the Angels have not posted a winning record in 10 years.

"The failure of the Angels to put a decent product on the field means that the city is basically paying the Angels to play baseball in their stadium," Umberg said in a statement.

The auditor also noted the lease allows the city to perform an audit twice per year to ensure the Angels’ compliance with the lease. According to the report, the city has conducted two such audits in the last 12 years.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Flores gifts Posey birthday present with first Giants win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

CINCINNATI — After meeting with the media and watching batting practice, Buster Posey went up to the executive’s suite a bit earlier than he normally will. Posey never before had gotten to soak in all the pageantry of an Opening Day, but with his catcher’s gear gathering dust, he was excited to sit down and watch the festivities.

The rest of the day, which also was his birthday, couldn’t have gone much better. Wilmer Flores’ three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning gave the Giants a 6-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Posey’s first official game as president of baseball operations. Afterward, Bob Melvin said he planned to present the lineup card to Posey as a gift. It was a memorable 38th birthday, with just one complication.

Not many Giants seemed to actually know that it was Posey’s birthday.

Flores had no idea. Opening Day starter Logan Webb’s eyes widened when he found out. He laughed and said he had a 30-minute conversation with Posey earlier in the day and it didn’t come up. Heliot Ramos, who kept the Giants in the game early on, said he spoke to Posey multiple times without passing along birthday wishes.

“Oh man,” he said, smiling. “I just told him, ‘Congratulations on your first day as the boss.'”

It would have been one to celebrate regardless, but it was extra special thanks to Flores, Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, Patrick Bailey and others, including a stream of lockdown relievers. A big part of Posey and Zack Minasian’s plan to get the Giants back to contention is situational hitting, and on Thursday, hitters came through in big spots.

Ramos capped an 11-pitch at-bat with a two-run homer, which not only kept the Giants close, but helped knock dominant Reds starter Hunter Greene out earlier than expected. That caught up to the Reds in the ninth. 

Lee, who earlier had walked ahead of Ramos’ homer, drew a one-out walk from Ian Gibaut. Matt Chapman singled to right, and after Ramos’ strikeout — one of 17 for the Giants — Bailey lined a single into right-center to tie the game. That set up Flores, who presented Posey with one of his most interesting decisions of his first offseason in charge. 

There was no doubt that Flores would opt in for the final year of his deal after a disappointing 2024 that ended with knee surgery, but nobody would have blamed the new executive if he had gone in a different direction at first base. Posey played with Flores, though. He knows how valuable he can be in the late innings, and the Giants came to camp hoping the veteran would look like his old self. When he did, he became an easy choice to return to the first base/designated hitter mix. 

On a day when Reds pitchers lit up the radar gun, Flores waited for something soft in the ninth. Gibaut floated a 1-2 slider and he crushed it to left. 

“He’s usually better when there’s more money on the line,” Melvin said. 

Flores smiled a few minutes later and said he had told Willy Adames during the game that he had never hit an Opening Day homer. The blast came two innings after an 11-pitch battle, which ended in a strikeout but showed that Flores was back to his grinding ways. When healthy, he’s as tough of a late-inning at-bat as there is on the roster.

“It showed today on the first day, but we want to keep it going,” Flores said of the situational-hitting success. “Not only today, but we’re going to try to push it all year. We talk about having good at-bats and I feel like we had a lot of good at-bats that didn’t end in a good result.”

Greene struck out seven in the first three innings, but he lasted just five. The Reds are without closer Alexis Diaz and when the game got to the ninth, the Giants took advantage. As Flores rounded the bases, Adames burst from the dugout and ran along the rail. Ramos and Lee excitedly grabbed each other on the top step. 

“I wouldn’t expect nothing (less). He’s a veteran, he’s built for those moments,” Ramos said of Flores. “The fact that it was him, it’s super-cool to see. He’s bouncing back from last year and all the injuries and all that. We were ready, I feel like the whole game we were all focused, we were all trying to push in the same direction. Obviously Hunter Greene was doing a pretty good job today and he was nasty — he had his stuff going on. But we never gave up, I feel like we took good at-bats and we were battling.”

For all of the pageantry and attention that’s paid to Opening Day, it’s just one game. There are no guarantees, but there sure were some positive signs Thursday.

The homer was one of Ramos’ best swings against a right-hander in the big leagues, a very intriguing development. And if Flores is back to his 2023 form, the lineup is going to be much deeper than anticipated. 

Two years ago, Flores primarily hit second or third in the lineup. On Thursday, he was seventh on that lineup card that was headed Posey’s way, and the man in charge can surely relate. 

When Posey returned from a year off in 2021, he hit seventh in the opener. Nobody knew what he would give the Giants, but he ended up homering on Opening Day and looking just like his old self for six months. The hope is that the same proves true for Flores. 

“It was just about health for him. I mean, it looks the same,” Melvin said. “Last year he couldn’t drive off his leg. We saw some homers this spring where he was pulling some balls, he’s pretty good about sitting on pitches at times and he has always been a clutch guy. He has a lot of walk-offs in his career and the bigger the situation, the better he has been.”

“There’s still a lot to like about Flo.”

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The Mets have designated outfielders Alexander Canario and Jose Azocar for assignment, after both players did not make the Opening Day roster, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

Canario and Azocar, who are out of minor league options, will be available for any team to claim on outright waivers unless the Mets work out a trade within the next seven days.

If one or both players clear waivers, the Mets will be able to outright them to the minor leagues.

The 24-year-old Canario, whom the Mets acquired from the Cubs via trade in February for cash considerations, is an intriguing prospect.

He spent most of the 2024 season with the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, slashing .243/.336/.514 with 18 home runs in just 64 games.

Canario started slowly with the Mets in spring training but got hot late. Overall, he hit .306/.419/.611 with three home runs and two doubles in 36 at-bats over 17 games.

For the Mets, it simply came down to the fact that they didn't have room on the roster for Canario since they opted to go with a four-man bench and eight-man bullpen.

A few hours before Carlos Rodon throws the first pitch of the Yankees' 2025 regular season, manager Aaron Boone gave an update on Giancarlo Stanton's progress.

Stanton, who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday (retroactive to March 24) with right and left elbow epicondylitis, is making progress, according to Boone, but the team is still not putting a timetable on when the 35-year-old could be back in the lineup.

"He's doing pretty well. I think we've all been encouraged by the last couple of weeks," Boone said. "Still no timetable on anything, but he's been able to swing the bat and feel like there's been some steady improvement day after day. Encouraged by the last couple of weeks, but we've still got a ways to go."

Swinging a bat is obviously a huge step for Stanton, who has received multiple rounds of PRP injections to try to ease the pain in both elbows, an ailment that he played through during parts of last season.

Stanton had a down 2024 regular season by his own standards, posting an OPS of .773 while hitting 27 home runs and driving in 72 runs. His numbers were better in the postseason, but it's clear that if the Yanks want to make a run to the World Series, they're going to need better production from their veteran designated hitter.

What we learned as Wilmer Flores' homer seals Giants' Opening Day comeback win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

CINCINNATI — It was mentioned every day during spring training. Situational hitting, situational hitting, situational hitting. The Giants needed to get better with runners on base. 

It appears all of that work paid off. 

Patrick Bailey tied it up with two outs in the ninth on Opening Day and Wilmer Flores followed with a three-run homer, stunning the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. With a 6-4 victory, the Giants gave one hell of a birthday present to Buster Posey, who was in the executive’s booth for the first time as president of baseball operations. 

The late rally started with a Jung Hoo Lee walk and included a Matt Chapman single. After Bailey’s single, Flores unloaded on a hanging slider from Ian Gibaut. 

IF NOBODY GOT ME, WILMER FLORES GOT ME 🙏 pic.twitter.com/J2WdtXShAC

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 27, 2025

During the first three innings, the Giants got a reminder of how dangerous it is to trust spring training results. They didn’t face many marquee pitchers while winning 21 games during the exhibition season, but Reds ace Hunter Greene came out sitting at 100 mph and dominated for the first hour. The Giants struck out six times the first lap through the order and 16 overall, but they came through when it counted. 

Greene is a dark horse Cy Young candidate, and he might have the National League’s best four-seamer. He threw it 70 percent of the time, topping out at 101.7 mph and averaging 99.2. The Giants were stuck in the mud until Heliot Ramos took Greene deep in the fourth, cutting the deficit to one. Logan Webb kept it there and the bullpen had a strong day, with Ryan Walker closing it out after Flores’ bomb.

Great American Small Park

Can you lock up at-bat of the year on the first day of the season? It’ll be hard for any Giant to top what Ramos did in his second at-bat.

The Giants had just one hit when he came up in the top of the fourth, but he fouled off five straight two-strike pitches from Greene — all at 98 or 99 mph — before hitting a high fly ball to left that kept carrying and snuck over the wall for a two-run homer.

Ramos gets the Giants on the board with the first homer of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/9YDrx9AlQ4

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 27, 2025

The first Giants homer of the year came on the 11th pitch of the at-bat. That was the most pitches seen by a Giant before homering since May 12, 2023, when Michael Conforto unloaded on the 12th pitch of an at-bat.

Slow Start

The best time, sometimes the only time, to get to Webb is in the first inning. The Reds did it with a two-out rally and then tacked on two more runs in the third. In his fourth consecutive Opening Day start, Webb was charged with three earned runs in five innings on six hits and three walks. 

Webb struck out five, and his first of the 2025 MLB season came on his cutter, a pitch he didn’t even throw until last May and rarely used before this spring. He threw 13 of them against a Reds lineup heavy on left-handed hitters. 

Webb threw his changeup only nine times, although there were some characteristics there he’ll probably be happy with. He’s trying to widen the velocity gap between his changeup and sinker; the change averaged 86 mph on Thursday and the sinker was at 92.3, topping out at 94.8. 

The New Guy

Willy Adames has 19 career homers against the Reds and he nearly got his 20th. In the top of the fourth, he hit a high fly ball to right that kept carrying the same way Ramos’ did, but Jake Fraley caught it on the track. 

Overall, it was a quiet debut for the longtime NL Central star. Adames struck out in his other three at-bats, including a leadoff whiff in the ninth. The most notable moment defensively was a tricky one. 

Adames made a slick stop of Gavin Lux’s grounder up the middle in the third, but he couldn’t beat Elly De La Cruz to the bag at second and the hesitation cost him a chance to get Lux at first. With the bases loaded, Jeimer Candelario drove in a pair with a single.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

What we learned as Wilmer Flores' homer seals Giants' Opening Day comeback win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

CINCINNATI — It was mentioned every day during spring training. Situational hitting, situational hitting, situational hitting. The Giants needed to get better with runners on base. 

It appears all of that work paid off. 

Patrick Bailey tied it up with two outs in the ninth on Opening Day and Wilmer Flores followed with a three-run homer, stunning the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. With a 6-4 victory, the Giants gave one hell of a birthday present to Buster Posey, who was in the executive’s booth for the first time as president of baseball operations. 

The late rally started with a Jung Hoo Lee walk and included a Matt Chapman single. After Bailey’s single, Flores unloaded on a hanging slider from Ian Gibaut. 

IF NOBODY GOT ME, WILMER FLORES GOT ME 🙏 pic.twitter.com/J2WdtXShAC

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 27, 2025

During the first three innings, the Giants got a reminder of how dangerous it is to trust spring training results. They didn’t face many marquee pitchers while winning 21 games during the exhibition season, but Reds ace Hunter Greene came out sitting at 100 mph and dominated for the first hour. The Giants struck out six times the first lap through the order and 16 overall, but they came through when it counted. 

Greene is a dark horse Cy Young candidate, and he might have the National League’s best four-seamer. He threw it 70 percent of the time, topping out at 101.7 mph and averaging 99.2. The Giants were stuck in the mud until Heliot Ramos took Greene deep in the fourth, cutting the deficit to one. Logan Webb kept it there and the bullpen had a strong day, with Ryan Walker closing it out after Flores’ bomb.

Great American Small Park

Can you lock up at-bat of the year on the first day of the season? It’ll be hard for any Giant to top what Ramos did in his second at-bat.

The Giants had just one hit when he came up in the top of the fourth, but he fouled off five straight two-strike pitches from Greene — all at 98 or 99 mph — before hitting a high fly ball to left that kept carrying and snuck over the wall for a two-run homer.

Ramos gets the Giants on the board with the first homer of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/9YDrx9AlQ4

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 27, 2025

The first Giants homer of the year came on the 11th pitch of the at-bat. That was the most pitches seen by a Giant before homering since May 12, 2023, when Michael Conforto unloaded on the 12th pitch of an at-bat.

Slow Start

The best time, sometimes the only time, to get to Webb is in the first inning. The Reds did it with a two-out rally and then tacked on two more runs in the third. In his fourth consecutive Opening Day start, Webb was charged with three earned runs in five innings on six hits and three walks. 

Webb struck out five, and his first of the 2025 MLB season came on his cutter, a pitch he didn’t even throw until last May and rarely used before this spring. He threw 13 of them against a Reds lineup heavy on left-handed hitters. 

Webb threw his changeup only nine times, although there were some characteristics there he’ll probably be happy with. He’s trying to widen the velocity gap between his changeup and sinker; the change averaged 86 mph on Thursday and the sinker was at 92.3, topping out at 94.8. 

The New Guy

Willy Adames has 19 career homers against the Reds and he nearly got his 20th. In the top of the fourth, he hit a high fly ball to right that kept carrying the same way Ramos’ did, but Jake Fraley caught it on the track. 

Overall, it was a quiet debut for the longtime NL Central star. Adames struck out in his other three at-bats, including a leadoff whiff in the ninth. The most notable moment defensively was a tricky one. 

Adames made a slick stop of Gavin Lux’s grounder up the middle in the third, but he couldn’t beat Elly De La Cruz to the bag at second and the hesitation cost him a chance to get Lux at first. With the bases loaded, Jeimer Candelario drove in a pair with a single.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Watch Heliot Ramos hit San Francisco Giants' first home run of 2025 MLB season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos started the 2025 MLB season with a bang.

The 25-year-old crushed San Francisco’s first homer of the year — a two-run shot — in the top of the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday at Great American Ballpark.

Ramos gets the Giants on the board with the first homer of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/9YDrx9AlQ4

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 27, 2025

Ramos earned the long ball, which came on the 11th pitch of the at-bat against Reds starter Hunter Greene. The homer run cut Cincinnati’s lead to 3-2.

The 2024 NL All-Star finished with 22 homers last season, second most on the Giants, and he picked up right where he left off.

The 2017 first-round draft pick hit fifth in the Giants’ Opening Day lineup and extended San Francisco’s historic streak of having a different player start the opener in left field.

The Giants expect big things from Ramos in his second full MLB season, and so far, he’s delivering.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

The Mets face the Astros on Opening Day in Houston on Thursday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

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Mets Notes

• Clay Holmes is on the mound for the Mets in what will be his first big league start in the regular season since his rookie year with the Pirates in 2018
• Juan Sotois making his official Mets debut
• Francisco Lindor is beginning his fifth season as a Met. Over his first four years in Queens, Lindor has finished in the top 10 in National League MVP voting three times
• Pete Alonso is 26 home runs shy of tying Darryl Strawberry for No. 1 in franchise history

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For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here. 

SNY's Andy Martino is responding to and breaking down answers to Mets questions from readers. Here's the latest...

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Is Kodai Senga on a pitch limit, for sure? – @KrankingKranick

I’m told that all Mets starting pitchers, including Senga, will be on a somewhat limited pitch count in the early part of the season. This isn’t Senga-specific, though he might be built up a bit less than the others.

Big picture, the best way to talk about the Mets’ pitching might be to think of it in terms of a staff rather than a "rotation.”

The Mets will be comfortable using their bullpen aggressively behind all their starters and will expect to use their organizational depth – not to mention external additions – to cycle through fresh arms over the long season.

The front office has acquired, and the player development staff has developed, pitchers with high-end stuff, many of whom are relievers. Manager Carlos Mendoza will utilize these pitchers at all points in games.

The philosophy will, at times, challenge traditional baseball discussion. If Mendoza removes, say, a reasonably effective Tylor Megill with one out in the fourth inning at 75 pitches, some talk radio callers will go bananas. But it’s worth noting at the outset of the season that this is the expected approach.

Does Brett Baty have a chance to ‘Wally Pipp’ Jeff McNeil? And do you see him sticking around once McNeil returns if not? Are the Mets happy with the Jose Siri/Tyrone Taylor platoon in center? – @tmcgrathBC

To cut to the very heart of your first question, it’s not clear that either of the players you name will be the Mets’ long-term solution at second base. McNeil’s hold on the position has clearly weakened over the past year, but David Stearns and Mendoza value plus defense up the middle. McNeil offers more of that than Baty, who, through no fault of his own, was born with the body of a corner infielder.

Baty dove wholeheartedly into learning second base, taking great pleasure in the newness of positioning, cuts, throws, etc. The Mets are lucky to have a touted prospect so willing to do whatever he can to make the roster. Not long ago, teams valued offense more than defense at second base – remember the Dan Uggla era? – but that is generally no longer the case. On the plus side for Baty, he has a strong throwing arm, an underrated tool at second that is useful in turning double plays.

Consider this, though: Baty is on the team essentially as Jose Iglesias’ replacement. Remember Iglesias’ above-average range and magic hands? If McNeil and Nick Madrigal (the infielder originally signed to replace Iglesias, who is now out for the year) were healthy, it’s hard to see Baty making the Opening Day roster. He remains an imperfect fit for that role. But he has worked his tail off, and he can hit. Let’s see what happens.

To answer your second question, the Mets are in great shape in center field. Siri is an elite fielder in the Harrison Bader mold. Count on Stearns to always bring in a plus-plus glove at that position to help offset Juan Soto in right. The Yankees were unable to this last year with Aaron Judge in center, but Stearns will not fall into that trap. Siri will also contribute power from the bottom of the lineup. And Taylor’s ability to play whenever and somehow produce makes him a manager’s dream.

Do you think Stearns will make a move for a high-end starter this year? – @StengelCase

Yes.

Who do you see as the top pitcher at the end of the year for the Mets? It can even be a player the Mets trade for. – @TaddHilyard3

Dylan Cease or Michael King.

If Pete Alonso struggles in the 3 hole, how long till Mendy makes a change? – @steve60264894

Mendoza will not have this problem because Alonso will hit at least 50 home runs this year. I mean it.

Why you always talking about the Yankees? – @kelsan2415

Here at SNY, we are proud to offer coverage of the entire New York pro sports scene. My question is, why you mad about it?

Are you excited or are you excited? – @metsandanime

I am excited.

SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino answers Yankees questions from readers...

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Why are they so secretive with Stanton? Has he officially been placed on the IL and for how many days? No replacement, so is it Rice\righty platoon at DH? - @BillBrown35

I don’t know about secretive. I am told that Stanton responded well to the PRP shots and should be back to contribute before too terribly long. There is no exact timetable, but it does not sound nearly as dire as, well, Stanton made it sound when he called the injury “severe.”

Yankees officials were not as alarmed as fans by Stanton’s choice of words. The organization has long known Stanton as a player who does not sugarcoat injuries or provide overly optimistic prognoses. He’ll be out a while, don’t get me wrong. But the expectation is that he’ll be back with more than enough time to provide his typical late-season and October heroics.

In the meantime, yes, Ben Rice along with Aaron Judge and others will take the DH at-bats. External additions are always possible, too. Brian Cashman and his staff never stop looking.

Why do you think we care about the Yankees so much? Most of us are Mets fans. Genuine question! - @HeismanHedley

Your phrase “most of us” struck me. For whom are you presuming that you speak? Your social media bubble, which is naturally self-curated? Who are you to define what “us” means?

This is like when people on Twitter say “Mets fans think this” or “Mets fans think that.” Baseball fans are a diverse group with a wide range of opinions, most of whom are not on Twitter. Why not just speak for yourself? I accept and respect that you do not care about the Yankees.

Why can’t Juan Soto keep the Yankees out of his mouth - he chose to take the most money from the Mets , but he’s trying to play the victim card here by saying he still keeps tabs on the Yankees and their offseason … why can’t he just move on - @shamshirosenfe2

I find the fan angst on both sides of town regarding Soto’s feelings about the Yankees to be strange.

He is a human being who had a profound experience with his previous employer, coworkers and fan base. He initially hoped to return to that job, and then made a difficult decision to accept a new job at a company whose resources and culture left a strong impression on him and his family. He subsequently balanced feelings of loss with excitement about the new coworkers and fan base.

When reporters ask him about this, he does his best to answer openly, likely knowing that social media bullies will parse his every word despite his good faith attempts to share nuanced and evolving feelings.

In other words, let’s all give this young man a break.

What's your favorite vendor at Yankee Stadium? - @benjamntenison1

Christian Petroni meatballs and cheesy garlic bread. Yum yum.

Do the Yankees still win the division? - @drjevans182

I have Boston winning the American League East and the Yankees making the playoffs. My reasoning is that the Red Sox have dramatically improved their starting pitching by adding Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler and imported championship-caliber edge (and elite third base defense) with Alex Bregman. Alex Cora is a difference-making manager whose clubs exploit opponents’ weaknesses -- remember the Jose Trevino stolen base extravaganza at Fenway last year?

The Yankees should still be good, even without Gerrit Cole and, for several months, Luis Gil and Stanton. They have Max Fried and oodles of homegrown talent that could lead the offense. Players like Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells and Rice feature swings perfectly tailored to Yankee Stadium. And like the Red Sox, they have one of the best managers in the game.

Here is my list of the top Opening Day memorable moments for the Mets all time...

1) Gary Carter’s Debut: Mets 6, Cardinals 5, 10 innings, April 9, 1985, Shea Stadium

Acquired in a surprise trade from the Montreal Expos the previous December, Carter was viewed as the final piece of a team with championship potential. So when he sent a full house at Shea home happy with a game-winning home run off former Met Neil Allen in the bottom of the 10^th, this Opening Day had a Hollywood feel to it.

It was also the first shot fired in a season-long battle with the Cardinals for NL East supremacy, and Carter went on to have a great year, hitting 32 home runs with 100 RBI. As it turned out, of course, the Mets finished three games behind the Cards in ’85 and so it wasn’t until the next year that Carter helped deliver the championship GM Frank Cashen envisioned when he made the trade to get the future Hall of Fame catcher.

2) The Franchise Returns: Mets 2, Phillies 0. April 5, 1983, Shea Stadium

Six years after the Mets infuriated their fan base by trading Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds, their star pitcher was back at age 38, having been acquired from the Reds the previous December after the worst season of his career.

Welcomed back with a standing ovation as he took the mound, Seaver pitched six scoreless innings in a duel with Steve Carlton and wound up getting a no-decision when the Mets scored two runs in the seventh. 

It made for a feel-good story in an otherwise forgettable season as the Mets went 68-94, their seventh straight losing season, and then lost Seaver again when the Chicago White Sox surprised them by claiming him in a free agent compensation draft the following January.

3) Darryl Strawberry’s Roof Shot: Mets 10, Expos 6. April 4, 1988, at Montreal

Having been there for this Opening Day, I’d make the case that you had to see Strawberry’s mammoth home run off Randy St. Claire to truly appreciate it. It’s still the longest, highest shot I’ve ever seen, as it seemed to climb forever above the right field stands until it crashed into the rim of lights just below the roof of Olympic Stadium.

Long before the Statcast technology that now measures home runs, a physics professor from a local college in Montreal calculated that the ball would have traveled 525 feet had it not essentially hit the top of the dome. For Strawberry it was his second home run of the day and quite a start to a superb season that included 39 home runs and 101 RBI as he finished second in the NL MVP voting to the Dodgers’ Kirk Gibson.

4) First Opening Day Win: Mets 5, Pirates 3, 11 innings. April 7, 1970, at Pittsburgh

Nope, the Mets didn’t always win on Opening Day. In fact, they lost the first eight season openers before breaking through on this day at Forbes Field in their first game following their miracle championship ’69 season.

Seaver pitched eight strong innings but the game was tied until Donn Clendenon, fresh from winning the World Series MVP Award the previous October, delivered a pinch-hit, two run single in the 11^th, and Tug McGraw then got the last three outs for the save.

5) Raising The Flag: Mets 3, Pirates 2, April 7, 1987, Shea Stadium

The 1986 world championship was the second in franchise history but because the Mets opened the season in Pittsburgh after their ’69 title, this was the first Opening Day they could celebrate by raising the championship flag.

Nevertheless, the day had a bittersweet feel to it for the Mets, coming only a week after they were stunned to learn that Dwight Gooden had tested positive for cocaine and entered a rehab facility in New York. 

In what he said was a tribute to his teammate, Darryl Strawberry wore Gooden’s uniform pants in the opener and had the decisive hit, a three-run home run in the first inning that Bob Ojeda and Jesse Orosco made stand up for the win. 

6) The Strangest Day: Mets 1, Braves 0, July 24, 2020, Citi Field

At 81 degrees it had to be the hottest Opening Day ever but that was hardly the strange part. Due to the pandemic, no fans were allowed in the ballpark, and while crowd noise was pumped in via the sound system, the quiet was eerie at times, especially when Yoenis Cespedes hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to provide the only run of the game.

Cespedes’ heroics seemed to be a good omen for the 60-game season, but within a month he was gone, opting out due to COVID-19 concerns, though reports surfaced of his unhappiness at potentially being benched at times. Meanwhile, the Mets would never climb above .500 the rest of the season, losing seven of their next nine games en route to a disappointing 26-34 record.

7) Johan Santana’s Debut: Mets 7, Marlins 2, March 31, 2008, at Miami

After their historic September collapse in 2007 the Mets were hoping that acquiring Santana from the Minnesota Twins in a blockbuster trade would be the boost they needed to get back to the postseason. And Opening Day, as usual, offered plenty of promise.

The two-time Cy Young winner pitched seven strong innings andDavid Wright, in what would be a spectacular 33-home run, 124-RBI season, had a pair of doubles and three RBI to lead the Mets to an easy win. Santana would go on to pay dividends on the trade all season, posting a record of 16-7 with a league-leading 2.53 ERA, but the Mets fell short of the postseason again, eliminated from wild card contention on the final day of the season in a loss to the Marlins, the last game played at Shea Stadium.

8) Extras In Atlanta: Mets 6, Braves 4, 10 innings, April 3, 2001, at Turner Field

Coming off their World Series season in 2000, the Mets had high expectations, all the more so after their Opening Day win against the team they could never seem to beat when it counted in those days.

Al Leiter pitched seven strong innings, then both teams blew late-inning leads before Robin Ventura’s two-run home run in the 10^th off Kerry Lightenberg put the Mets ahead and Armando Benitez closed out the win. 

However, with Mike Hampton gone via free agency the Mets couldn’t repeat their success of 2000, finishing 82-80, making for second-guessing that maybe they should have taken up free agent Alex Rodriguez on his desire to play in Queens.

9) Pedro Martinez’s Debut: Reds 7, Mets 6, April 4, 2005, at Cincinnati

It felt like a hugely important day as Martinez, freshly-signed after his 2004 championship season with the Boston Red Sox, signaled the start of a big-spending era under GM Omar Minaya, racking up 12 strikeouts in six solid innings.

However, closer Braden Looper gave up two home runs in the ninth to blow a 6-4 lead and the Mets would lose five straight games before new manager Willie Randolph got his first win. 

Pedro delivered a strong season, going 15-8 with a 2.82 ERA, and though the Mets fell short of the postseason with 83 wins, their first winning season in four years set the stage for big things to come in 2006.

10) Meet The Mets: Cardinals 11, Mets 4, April 11, 1962 at St. Louis.

After four years without a National League team in New York, thanks to the Giants and Dodgers leaving for the west coast, the Mets began play as an expansion team on this Opening Day in St. Louis, and the ugly loss, which included three errors, turned out to be a sign of things to come.

Gil Hodges did make history in this game by hitting the first home run for the new franchise, and that proved to be a bit poetic when he later managed the Mets to their 1969 championship. But it was an awfully long inaugural season as the Mets stumbled to a record of 40-120, which included a 17-game losing streak in May and June, finishing a mere 60 ½ games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League.

With all the lore and big moments in Yankee annals, you know they’ve got some Opening Day highlights. For instance, maybe you heard about the time a big Yankee star blasted the first homer ever in the ballpark that was (nick)named for him?

We’re looking back at the top moments in Yankees Opening Day history. 

April 14, 1908

Stump your friends: What pitcher threw 12 shutout innings for the Highlanders (the Yankees’ former name) on this Opening Day? Slow Joe Doyle, that’s who! He allowed only six hits in a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. You’re welcome.

April 18, 1923

What, you thought Wally Schang was going to hit the first home run at brand-new Yankee Stadium? In the first-ever game at this baseball palace, aka The House That Ruth Built, Babe Ruth smashed a three-run shot in the third inning, delighting a crowd listed at 74,200 strong. More fans milled around outside, unable to get in to see the show. Bet they were happy, too.

April 12, 1932

Ruth was in his age-37 season, but still lethal. He was 3-for-5 with two homers and five RBI in the Yankees’ 12-6 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. Samuel Byrd homered twice and Lou Gehrig homered and tripled in the rout.

April 17, 1951

There was a lot going on when 44,860 folks crowded into Yankee Stadium for this Opening Day. Mickey Mantle, wearing the No. 6 jersey he was initially assigned, was starting his career. Joe DiMaggio was playing in his final opener. A new public address announcer, who’d stick around for quite awhile, was making his debut. The first batter that Bob Sheppard announced? Joe’s brother, Dom DiMaggio, the center fielder for the Boston Red Sox. In the only opener in which Joe DiMaggio and Mantle played in the same outfield, both went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Vic Raschi threw a six-hit shutout in the Yanks’ 5-0 victory.

April 13, 1955

Bob Cerv and Mantle had four RBI apiece as the Yankees hammered the Washington Senators, 19-1, in front of 11,251 at Yankee Stadium.

April 19, 1960

Please allow Roger Maris to introduce himself: In a remarkable debut, Maris, acquired in a big trade with the Kansas City Athletics, batted leadoff and went 4-for-5 with two homers, a double and four RBI. Quite a kickoff event for his first two seasons in pinstripes, which brought consecutive AL MVP Awards and an assault on the single-season home run record.

April 6, 1973

This 15-5 loss at Fenway Park was mostly forgettable, except for this: In the top of the first inning, Ron Blomberg of the Yankees became the first designated hitter in baseball history when he drew a bases-loaded walk against Luis Tiant.

April 6, 1974

Yankee Stadium was being refurbished, so the Yankees played at Shea Stadium. Mel Stottlemyre threw a complete game, allowing one run and seven hits, to beat Gaylord Perry and the Indians, 6-1, in front of 20,744 fans.

April 9, 1981

The Yankees kicked off a World Series season with an opener made memorable by Bobby Murcer’s pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning.

April 2, 1996

Everyone knew Derek Jeter was an uber-prospect, but doubt swirled over whether he was ready, mainly in the owner’s box. This was the Steinbrenner Era Yankees, after all, and at one point The Boss wanted to swap a skinny pitcher named Mariano Rivera to Seattle for shortstop insurance in the form of Felix Fermin. Luckily, no one listened to that ranting. Jeter swatted away all the nonsense with a star turn on Opening Day, homering off Dennis Martinez and making a great catch to steal a hit from Omar Vizquel in a 7-1 victory in Cleveland. Oh, and it was Joe Torre’s first game as Yankee manager, too. It all worked out OK after that, didn’t it?

April 3, 2006

In a 15-2 blowout in Oakland, Alex Rodriguez was 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBI and Hideki Matsui was 4-for-4 with a home run and four RBI.

April 1, 2008

In a hello-goodbye kind of day, Joe Girardi made his debut as Yankee manager in the final opener at the old Yankee Stadium. Chien-Ming Wang made it a happy occasion, allowing only two runs in seven innings to beat Hall of Famer Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays, 3-2.

March 29, 2018

Giancarlo Stanton turned his first game as a Yankee into a power show, blasting two homers and a double in a 6-1 victory in Toronto.

July 23, 2020

The Cole Train and the Hype Train ran on parallel tracks as big-money free agent Gerrit Cole made his first start as a Yankee amid all the fanfare over his $324 million contract and his vapor-trail fastball. He delivered. Cole allowed one hit in a five-inning complete game in a 4-1 victory over the Nationals in Washington, D.C. Stanton homered in this one, too, a mammoth 459-foot blast off then-Nats ace Max Scherzer.

When the Yankees couldn’t re-sign Juan Soto over the winter, they pivoted to a run-prevention plan that included streamlining a pockmarked defense, adding one of the best free agent starters in lefty Max Fried, and trading for dazzling closer Devin Williams. Nice. 

But that plan took a serious ding this spring when Gerrit Cole needed Tommy John surgery. Fried is still a great signing and will front their staff, but the Yanks are far weaker now that they don’t have Cole, one of the few rotation lions still working in baseball’s age of the “five-and-fly” starter. 

Now it’s fair to wonder if the Yankees’ lofty goals – a repeat trip to the World Series, this time with a victory parade – are in peril. Luis Gil and Giancarlo Stanton are out to begin the season, too. Yuck.

But the Yankees still have Aaron Judge, the single greatest offensive force in the game – his OPS of 1.159 last year was 123 points higher than Shohei Ohtani’s (Yes, that Ohtani) – and they added what they believe will be lineup help in Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. 

And who knows what Jasson Domínguez can bring now that he’s going to get a chance – finally. If it seems like you’ve been hearing about his outsized talents before he was even born, well, it’s because he’s one of the most-hyped prospects ever, even in an age when teenagers are treated as untouchable diamond gods though they have miles to go before they sniff the majors. 

Now, however, it’s Domínguez’s time. Is it the Yankees’ time, too? The answer would be much simpler if Cole were pitching this year. 

What the Yankees have going for them

Judge. You know why, if you’ve been paying even cursory attention to baseball the past few years. If he’s healthy, he might hit 60-plus home runs again. 

Their bullpen, led by Williams and his “Airbender” changeup and setup man Luke Weaver, is strong, though Weaver must prove that his 2024 breakout (2.89 ERA!) was not a one-year surge. The Yanks have been very good at finding other relief contributors, sometimes from unlikely candidates, too.

The remaining arms in the rotation are solid. Carlos Rodón can be confounding every five days, but his ceiling is high – can’t stop thinking about that nails Game 1 start against Cleveland in the ALDS last year. Clarke Schmidt holds promise for more than he’s delivered in his young career, too. Fried is a ground ball machine and the Yanks now own the gloves to scoop ‘em up. 

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is back at second base, probably his best position, and he and Anthony Volpe should form an athletic keystone tandem. Chisholm, one of four players with at least 24 homers and 40 steals last season (Ohtani was one of the others), is a power-speed blend who could be ready to go even bigger.

Goldschmidt, if he provides, say, 20 homers and strong defense at first, will be an enormous improvement over what the Yanks have gotten out of first base in recent years. Yankee first basemen had a .335 slugging percentage in 2024, the worst in the majors at the position. 

We’ll get to third base in a separate category. That’s foreshadowing, if it wasn’t clear. 

Bellinger, in center field, should help on defense and his lefty swing could thrive in Yankee Stadium. Most projection systems have him getting to the low 20s in home runs, but perhaps the short porch helps him to a power infusion that gets him into the 30s again. We’ll see. 

Catcher Austin Wells, coming off a huge spring, is an ascending player with power and catching acumen. He slugged 13 homers last season. Can he get to 20 or perhaps beyond, this year? Another player who had a huge spring, Ben Rice, could be an interesting lineup wrinkle.

The Yankees will make the playoffs if…

Judge is healthy all season. 

Judge led the majors last year in too many categories to list, even in an Internet article. There is enough behind him to get the Yanks into the tournament where they can, as usual, take their chances in October’s cauldron. Even without the wondrous Soto, the Yankees should score.

Of course, it would help if Domínguez turns out to be even half as good as some of his boosters say he’ll be, Bellinger hits, Chisholm continues to grow, and Volpe finally makes an offensive leap. Volpe increased his average by 34 points (to .243) last year, but his homers dipped from 20 to 12. 

This would help, too – a triumphant Stanton return from tennis elbow in both elbows. He hit seven homers in 14 postseason games last October, a huge factor in the Yanks getting to the Fall Classic. The ugly swings he sometimes takes are cringe-inducing, but his power is an undeniable, game-changing (series-changing!) weapon. 

They need to squeeze something out of their rotation depth, too, considering what’s happened so far. Good thing they kept Marcus Stroman after trying to trade him over the winter. Will Warren, a talented youngster, and pickup Carlos Carrasco should have impact, too, at least early on. 

Crisper, more athletic defense profiles as a must, too, all over the field. Domínguez, who was so worrisome on defense last year that the Yanks kept using Alex Verdugo instead, is key here.

The Yankees will miss the playoffs if…

Judge is not healthy all season. 

Remember 2023? We might not have realized it at the time, but the Yanks were cooked once Judge hurt his toe crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium. The Yanks finished 82-80, everyone was big mad, and it was easy to wonder if a longer-term lull was looming in the Bronx. 

It remains to be seen if third base is a crater that hurts their chances, too. The Bombers go into the season with Oswaldo Cabrera as the likely starter, though he’s been mostly a utility player (and human caffeine as a hype man) in his career. They clearly wanted DJ LeMahieu to take the job to start, but he got hurt in camp. 

So it’s fair to ask: Did they fall one winter move short here? 

And, since it’s the Yankees and we know their recent history with aches and aging players, the specter of the IL always lurks. They must stay healthy (they haven’t already). Judge most of all. 

Final record and playoff prediction

88-74
Third in the AL East
Second Wild Card spot

Chill, they’re making the October tournament. Everyone seems to think the AL is the weaker league this year. Maybe so, but tell it to the AL East, a minefield of a division, what with the Red Sox improving, the Orioles flashing immense young talent, the how-are-they-always-problematic Rays, and the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Blue Jays, who someday might put it all together as a club.

That’s why the Yanks profile as third place finishers. The real test always comes in October, anyway. The Yankees get there thanks to Judge, defense, and pitching. The front office, under GM Brian Cashman, has always shown a willingness to add at the deadline and they’ll probably need to, so they could be different (better!) in a few months. 

Moves help push them into the ALCS and a meeting with the revived Texas Rangers. That’s where the pinstriped season ends, unless Judge has the playoff series of his life, the monster one Yankees fans have been craving. 

As with everything Yankees, so much depends on Judge.

Turner leading off in Phillies' Opening Day lineup originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Trea Turner? Kyle Schwarber?

In Game 1 of 162, it’s Turner in the leadoff spot against Nationals left-hander Mackenzie Gore.

The Phillies have been interested in seeing what their offense can look like with Turner leading off. Manager Rob Thomson has said that for now, Turner will lead off against lefties and Schwarber against righties.

Schwarber has led off in 83.6% of his plate appearances as a Phillie and he’s certainly performed, setting the major-league record last season in leadoff homers while also leading the National League with 106 walks. Pretty valuable skill set atop a lineup.

But there’s also some more RBI potential if Schwarber hits second, behind Turner, or fourth, behind Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm. You can pretty much bank on Schwarber hitting 38-plus home runs in a healthy season, so putting that bat a spot or two after Harper’s near-.400 on-base percentage could lead to more crooked numbers.

It can’t hurt to try out a couple of variations throughout a long season to see what works best. For Turner to give the Phillies what they’d want from him in the leadoff spot, though, he needs to be able to revert to his table-setting ways.

From 2015-22, Turner hit .303 with a .356 on-base percentage. As a Phillie since, Turner has hit .279 with a .328 on-base percentage, averaging 15 fewer hits and 10 fewer walks per 162 games.

He is still a very good player. He hit .295 with 21 homers and an .807 OPS in 121 games last season but it was his second straight year of extremes. Both years, he carried the offense at one point for 6-8 weeks with power. Both years, he also experienced prolonged cold spells. Ideally, there’s a better balance in 2025 and beyond for a shortstop signed through 2033.

Turner and the leadoff spot isn’t the only lineup focus. Perhaps more important than the structure of the one-two hitters is whether or not Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh can bounce back. Stott’s batting average fell from .280 to .245 last season. He dealt with a bad elbow for most of the way which likely affected his performance — this season should give us an indication of how much. Marsh couldn’t find the same offensive rhythm he found in 2023, when he hit .277 with a .372 on-base percentage that would have ranked ninth in the National League if he wasn’t 30 mere plate appearances away from qualifying. The Phillies know that both 27-year-olds have the ability in them, it’s just a matter of them both doing it again in the same year to help supplement the offensive core.

Here is the Phils’ Opening Day lineup behind ace Zack Wheeler:

1. Trea Turner, SS
2. Bryce Harper, 1B (L)
3. Alec Bohm, 3B
4. Kyle Schwarber, DH (L)
5. J.T. Realmuto, C
6. Max Kepler, LF (L)
7. Nick Castellanos, RF
8. Bryson Stott, 2B (L)
9. Brandon Marsh, CF (L)

Five left-handed hitters in the lineup against a lefty starter is an unusually high number, but the Phillies want to play Kepler every day and give Marsh more opportunities against southpaws. The other factor is the opponent himself. Gore is a talented 26-year-old starter who is only getting better, but he has reverse platoon splits, with lefties hitting .279/.377/.438 against him compared to .253/.325/.409 from righties.

The Mets enter the 2025 MLB season not only as playoff contenders, but as a team that is viewed as one of the very best in baseball.

It's been a huge leap over the last year for a franchise that began the 2024 campaign with legitimate hope that they were turning things around, but not much in the way of postseason expectations.

In last season's version of this story, I predicted that the Mets would win 86 games (they exceeded that mark by three wins) and nab the third Wild Card spot in the National League (which they did).

But even the most optimistic prognosticators had to be surprised at how far the 2024 Mets went, as they caught fire in the second half of the season, rode an incredible wave into the playoffs, took out the Brewers in the Wild Card Series on the back of the most dramatic home run in franchise history, ousted the Phillies in four games in the NLDS, and ultimately fell to the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in six games in the NLCS.

Because of the way the Mets finished last season, and the pixie dust that seemed to be sprinkled on them as they made their remarkable run, it had to be tempting for David Stearns and Co. to keep much of that group together.

But while the Mets re-signed some of the players whose contributions were huge last season (including Pete Alonso,Sean Manaea, and Jesse Winker), others are now playing elsewhere (Luis Severino, Jose Iglesias, Jose Quintana).

Of course, the biggest move the Mets made this past offseason also happened to be the most seismic one they've ever made: the signing of Juan Soto.

Along with Soto and a big chunk of players who were part of the 2024 squad, a new cast of characters including Clay Holmes, A.J. Minter, and Jose Siri will try to help New York not only get back to the playoffs, but be the last team standing at its conclusion.

Without further ado, here is our preview and prediction for the 2025 season...

What the Mets have going for them

After scoring the sixth-most runs in baseball last season, the Mets will return the bulk of that lineup while also adding Soto -- who had a .178 OPS+ last year while smacking a career-high 41 homers, driving in 109, and scoring a career-best 128 runs.

To say that the top of New York's lineup with Francisco Lindor at No. 1 and Soto at No. 2 is dynamic would be an understatement. But it doesn't stop there.

A returning Alonso (who will be looking to cash in after the season) along with Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo should provide serious punch in the middle of the lineup. Meanwhile, Winker and Starling Marte (who could split DH duties) and Jose Siri add pop to the lower half.

Two X-factors for the offense could be Francisco Alvarez (who is out until the end of April or a bit longer) and Brett Baty (who will begin the year as the regular second baseman in Jeff McNeil's absence).

The Mets should also have a very strong bullpen, which is a big step up from where they started last season. Anchored byEdwin Diaz, there are a plethora of arms that not only possess big-time stuff but the ability to pitch in the late innings.

That list includes Minter, Ryne Stanek, Reed Garrett, and Dedniel Núñez (who should be ready to contribute soon). And if high-upside, multi-inning options Jose Butto and Max Kranick excel, New York's bullpen could be elite.

The biggest question mark is the rotation, which will be led by Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, and David Peterson early as Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas work their way back from injuries.

But while the starting staff will have a lot of pressure on it until Manaea returns (perhaps at the end of April) and Montas is back (in May or June), the strength the Mets possess elsewhere should allow them to persevere through any potential early hiccups in the rotation.

Even though most of the focus is rightfully on the players who broke camp on the big league club, it's impossible to ignore the fact that a handful of truly impact prospects could contribute in a big way this season -- potentially as early as the first half.

Names to watch there are right-handed pitchers Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, and Blade Tidwell, infielder Ronny Mauricio, and outfielder Drew Gilbert.

There's also a chance infielder/center fielder Jett Williams debuts in 2025.

The Mets will make the playoffs if...

If they stay relatively healthy and the starting rotation is at least average, the Mets should find themselves in October.

And if the rotation excels and/or gets a jolt by Sproat and/or McLean, New York could be headed for its first NL East title since 2015.

Something else to note here is that if serious reinforcements are needed around the trade deadline, Stearns and the front office are now in a spot where they'll likely be more than willing to part with some serious prospect capital in order to acquire it -- whether that's an impact starting pitcher or something else.

Most of these Mets can also draw on the experience of last year's battle for the playoffs and ensuing run, so they should be well-equipped to handle a tight race.

Also a plus is the steady Carlos Mendoza, who had the same demeanor, guiding hand, and communication skills for every day of last season in what was his first year as manager -- from 0-5 to Game 6 in Los Angeles.

The Mets will miss the playoffs if...

For every team, there's always a chance that injuries could derail a season. For a team as deep as the Mets, though, it would take a rash of lengthy injuries to top contributors in the lineup and the pitching staff.

If not injuries, the Mets could also be doomed by how ridiculously deep the National League is -- especially compared to the relatively weak American League.

For someone ranking the 10 best teams in baseball, it wouldn't be crazy to list seven NL teams (the Mets, Braves, Phillies, Dodgers, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Cubs) among them. It's also possible the Brewers are formidable again and the Reds take a step forward, which would set up a serious battle for the six playoff spots.

It is not impossible to envision a scenario where the Mets win 90 games and miss the playoffs, though it should be pointed out that every team that has won 90 games or more since the third Wild Card in each league was added has made the postseason.

Final record and playoff prediction

94-68
Second place in NL East
First Wild Card spot

The Mets will come close to winning the division, but the Braves will eke that out, leaving New York as the top Wild Card team.

New York will oust the Phillies in the Wild Card Series and take out the loaded Dodgers in the NLDS.

But the Mets' season will again end one step shy of the World Series, as they will fall to the Braves in the NLCS.