Category: Sports News

There are no poop emojis to be found on this meter. There aren’t even any down arrows to be found on this meter. I think that might be a first? It’s a shame it took until [checks notes] September 2026 when the team is already well out of the playoff race to achieve this feat. But scoring double-digit runs four times in the past two weeks and having three contests in which the team hit three or more home runs over that same span will do it. The Mets are fifth in baseball in position player fWAR and tied for third in baseball in wRC+ in this 12-game span, despite yesterday’s shutout loss. Juan Soto, still ramping up slowly from injury, isn’t even at the peak of his powers right now and they’re still doing this. What a weird baseball team.

Player	Last week	This week
Francisco Alvarez, C
Brett Baty, UTIL
Carson Benge, OF
Bo Bichette, 3B
A.J. Ewing, OF
Francisco Lindor, SS
Nick Morabito, OF	—
Christopher Morel, 1B/DH
Cristian Pache, OF
Marcus Semien, 2B
Juan Soto, OF
Luis Torrens, C
Mark Vientos, 1B/3B
Jared Young, 1B/DH

We’ll start with A.J. Ewing, who has probably had the starkest turnaround of anyone on the roster from the last meter to this one. Ewing was mired in a months long slump and he has finally broken out of it to the tune of a fantastic 174 wRC+ in his last 45 plate appearances. He’s already hit two home runs in the month of September after not hitting any at all in the month of August. In the Marlins series, Ewing had two three-hit games, driving in five in those two games alone. Overall, he leads the team in hits with 15. He has driven in nine runs in total, scored eight runs, walked four times, and stolen a base. He has continued to hit the ball decently hard this whole time, and the hits are finally starting to come in bunches for him in the season’s final month.

Meanwhile, Carson Benge has cooled off some as he tries to make his final push for the NL Rookie of the Year title. Though Benge is one of many Mets with double digit hits, he has just a .213 batting average in his last 54 plate appearances with six walks and only two extra-base hits—good for a 79 wRC+. He has scored seven runs, but driven in just three and struck out a whopping 16 times to lead the team. He was right on the cusp of red arrow territory, but he does lead the team in stolen bases with three and continues to make Superman style catches in the outfield.

But the third—perhaps less heralded—rookie on the team Nick Morabito is hitting extremely well, putting up a 121 wRC+ in 22 plate appearances. Morabito was called up when rosters expanded and has comported himself well in the big leagues with his big highlight being a bases-clearing double that gave the Mets some key insurance in the victory in the final game of the Rays series. That was the only one of his five hits that went for extra bases, but he also walked three times and scored three runs.

But despite also only having 22 plate appearances over the past 12 games, one could argue that Brett Baty is the hottest hitter on the team with his 236 wRC+ in that span. In the same game as Morabito’s big RBI extra-base hit, Baty also hit a bases-clearing double in the third that gave the Mets a 6-0 lead at the time. In fact, despite having less than half of the plate appearances as the everyday players, Baty is second on the team in RBIs over this two-week span with ten. That’s because of his seven hits, all but one of them went for extra bases: four doubles and two home runs. Baty has been making contact with the ball; he has struck out just twice in those 22 plate appearances.

Since returning from the injured list, Mark Vientos has also been reduced to a part-time role, but has performed well. He has four hits, including two home runs, and two walks in 16 plate appearances. He has also scored three times and driven in four runs. Jared Young continues to see the lion’s share of the at-bats at first base and he has earned it by continuing to hit. Young put up a 110 wRC+ in 42 plate appearances over the past two weeks, leading the team in runs scored with 12. He also walked five times and drove in three runs. Of his ten hits, two went for extra bases, including the final home run of Saturday’s dinger bonanza against the Yankees.

Speaking of that dinger bonanza, it is no surprise that Francisco Lindor leads the team in RBIs with thirteen. That includes two home runs on Saturday—a grand slam and a solo shot. In fact, all 12 of Lindor’s hits are either singles or home runs. He also leads the team in long balls with six and is second only to Young for the team lead in runs scored with ten. With a 129 wRC+ in his last 59 plate appearances, the Mets’ shortstop is in his usual second half groove.

Nestled right between Ewing’s team-leading 15 hits and Lindor’s 12 hits is Bo Bichette’s 13 hits—the second-highest mark on the team. Four of those 13 hits went for extra bases, including two home runs. Bichette scored eight runs and drove in seven runs. Bichette is also tied with Benge for the team lead in walks with six. All told, Bichette put up a 118 wRC+ in 55 plate appearances as he continues to have a solid second half.

Of the Mets’ big hitters, Juan Soto has ironically put up the worst numbers over the past two weeks with a 90 wRC+ in 54 plate appearances. He hasn’t been quite 100% since coming off the injured list, but he is still Juan Soto, as evidenced by his moonshot that was one of the Mets’ six home runs on Saturday. That home run was one of three home runs for Soto—the only Met besides Lindor to go deep more than twice over the past two weeks. Soto also hit two doubles, making half of his ten total hits extra-base hits. Soto scored nine runs and drove in six runs. He also reached base via the walk six times to match Benge and Bichette’s total, but one of those walks was intentional. Unfortunately Soto leads the team with three double plays grounded into, but he did steal a base, which is a good sign that his calf is feeling good.

Francisco Alvarez bounced back from his poop emoji mark from the last meter with an unremarkable but solid 84 wRC+ in 31 plate appearances. His six hits include four singles and two home runs. He scored three runs and drove in four. Unfortunately, he is also back to striking out a lot. He struck out 12 times against just two walks. Meanwhile, Luis Torrens has stayed hot with five hits and a walk in just 17 plate appearances. Three of those five hits went for extra bases—two doubles and a home run. Torrens drove in a whopping seven runs in just six games and all seven of those RBIs came in two of those games. He drove in four runs in the Mets’ wild victory in the series finale in Miami and then followed that up with a three-RBI performance at Yankee Stadium on Saturday in which he was responsible for one of the Mets’ six home runs.

Christopher Morel had just 11 plate appearances and appeared in only five of the Mets’ 12 games covered by this meter, but he had the game of his life in the insane series finale in Miami in which the Mets and Marlins combined for 39 hits. Morel had three of those hits, including a home run in the third inning and a crucial RBI single in the seventh that helped see the Mets go back in front (ultimately for good, but just barely). Morel had just one other hit in the four other games he played in combined.

Marcus Semien continues to putter along playing mostly every day and putting up okay-but-not-great offensive numbers. In 45 plate appearances, he posted an 87 wRC+. He racked up nine hits—six singles and three doubles—driving in three runs and scoring eight runs. He also walked five times while striking out only three times.

Cristian Pache is batting 1.000 for this meter; he hit a single in his only plate appearance over this two-week span and scored a run. He appeared in four games in total.

1921
The 58-79 White Sox were bad, a seventh-place team in the eight-member American League. But with an 11-8 loss to the Yankees at Comiskey Park, things were about to get a lot worse, as the defeat was the first of 11 straight — ALL coming at home.

The skid slid the White Sox down to 58-90, still comfortably ahead of basement-dwelling Philadelphia but contributing to one of the worst homestands (2-12) in club history — one that ended with four losses in five games against the Athletics, in fact.

The 11-game losing streak remains tied for the seventh-longest in franchise history.

As exemplified from this post-Black Sox fall from grace, the White Sox were about to enter the longest and darkest era for the franchise, mostly godawful losing seasons until 1951.

1931
A decade later, things weren’t much better in Chicago, as the White Sox started a 10-game losing streak with a 12-8 loss at Fenway Park. Starter Tommy Thomas and reliever Vic Frazier really took it on the chin during a six-run Red Sox seventh inning, as Boston pushed ahead, 8-4. But two-run hits by Luke Appling and John Kerr in the top of the eighth evened things back up. That’s when Lou Garland lost the game for the White Sox, surrendering four runs right back to the Carmines.

The loss dropped the White Sox to 55-85, en route to a 56-97 finish that at the time was the worst record in White Sox history. The South Siders would win just six games in September and went 1-13 to finish the season — beginning on this day.

1952
In a 17-inning game in Chicago, Sox pitcher Saul Rogovin struck out 14 Red Sox in 15 innings of work. But it was Luis Aloma who got the decision over two innings of relief; in the bottom of the 17th, four two-out singles by Sam Mele, Minnie Miñoso, Sam Dente and Rocky Krsnich delivered the 4-3 win.

It was the first game of a doubleheader; the nightcap was suspended by darkness. This was also the second 17-inning game played against Boston in two years.

1967
The day after the Sox beat Cleveland, 1-0, in 17 innings, they continued their mastery over them by winning, 4-0, in 10.

It was Cisco Carlos on the mound, going the distance and allowing only five hits.

The Sox won the game when Don Buford hit a grand slam off in the 10th inning of of Orlando Pena, scoring Tommie Agee, Duane Josephson and Joe Horlen. It was the first walk-off grand slam in team history.

1974
White Sox first baseman Dick Allen called a team meeting to announce he was retiring from baseball. Allen would win the American League home run title, despite missing the final two weeks of the season! Allen was fighting serious injuries to his shoulder and leg from previous seasons, and was frustrated with the effort being put forth by many teammates. However, the way Allen walked out on the Sox left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans.

White Sox GM Roland Hemond later traded Allen’s rights to the Atlanta Braves for catcher Jim Essian. Allen would return and see action with the Phillies and A’s before retiring for good in 1977. 

1997
Carlton Fisk had his No. 72 retired in a ceremony before the White Sox took on Cleveland. Because he was released unceremoniously in 1993, and also for being denied entry to the locker room during the 1993 ALCS, Fisk asked that owner Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Ron Schueler be absent from the pregame ceremony.

As if things couldn’t get worse, the game was also remembered for manager Terry Bevington using five pitchers in a five-run eighth inning — and going to the mound that inning to call in Keith Foulke to the game — with no one was warming up in the bullpen when he called for the change! Bevington ended up using an MLB-record nine pitchers in the nine-inning game. The Sox lost, 8-3, to fall 7 1⁄2 games behind first-place Cleveland.

1998
In a five-hour, 12-minute slugfest at Tiger Stadium, the White Sox upended Detroit in 12 innings, 17-16. Chicago jumped to a 5-0 lead after their second bats, were up 12-8 heading into the seventh-inning stretch, and even held on to a 12-10 lead in the bottom of the ninth. But Detroit scored a flurry late, and and RBI double and single tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, 12-12, with the bases full and one out. Bill Simas wriggled out of that jam, and the two clubs traded three-spots in the 10th.

In the 12th, Ray Durham led off with a solo homer and Craig Wilson went back-to-back, making it 17-15, White Sox. Detroit got one back in the bottom of the 12th on a fielder’s choice ground out, but the game ended with a Bobby Higginson (whose two-run homer in the 10th kept the game going at 13-13) strikeout.

The White Sox scored their 17 runs on 19 hits, with three steals and three errors; Detroit had 22 hits for their 16 runs, with two errors. Wilson went 4-for-7 with two homers, four runs and five RBIs and Albert Belle also drove in five on a 5-for-8 day that included three doubles and a runner thrown out at home plate. On the other hand, Robin Ventura went 0-for-6 in the mauling and Frank Thomas just 1-for-5, although the pair combined for five walks.

The 17 runs were the most-ever scored by the White Sox in a game that went to extra innings.

2017
It was a record-setting afternoon for a couple of White Sox players in the team’s 17-7 blowout of the Tigers at Comerica Park.

White Sox outfielder Avisaíl García went 5-for-5 with seven RBIs and two runs in the game, in addition to a walk. Rookie second baseman Yoán Moncada went 4-for-5 with two walks and five runs, and first baseman José Abreu went 4-for-5 with three runs. 

García became the second White Sox player with five hits and seven RBIs in a game. The other was Carl Reynolds against the Yankees on July 2, 1930 in New York. Moncada, meanwhile, tied Hall-of-Famer Tim Raines’franchise record with his five runs; Raines originally set the record against the Red Sox in Boston on April 18, 1994.

The White Sox pounded out 25 hits in the 2017 game.

The fresh arm express continues to run in September, with Emmet Sheehan optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of Monday night’s series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, one day after he pitched six scoreless innings on Sunday in Miami.

Paul Gervase was called up from Triple-A to give the Dodgers an extra arm in the bullpen, after the Dodgers used four relievers Friday, three on Saturday, and four more on Sunday against the Marlins. Monday is the fourth day of a stretch of 10 game days in a row for the Dodgers, their final extended stretch of games this season.

This had nothing to do with Sheehan’s performance, as he allowed only one run in 11 2/3 innings last week after getting called back up from Oklahoma City himself, with 15 strikeouts. But Sheehan is on the outside looking in when it comes to the Dodgers’ postseason rotation, and the team might also get Roki Sasaki at some point this week from a blister on his right middle finger.

Gervase last pitched on Friday for Oklahoma City, striking out four in a four-out save in a scoreless outing to close out a win over Sugar Land. On the season, the 6’10 right-hander had a 4.56 ERA and five saves in 38 games in Triple-A, with 66 strikeouts and 35 walks in 47 1/3 innings.

This is the fifth stint in the majors this season for Gervase, who has a 2.35 ERA in four appearances for the Dodgers, with eight strikeouts and five walks in 7 2/3 innings.

Citing recent record-setting prices for sports franchises, the uncertainty of an upcoming lockout and the monopoly Major League Baseball franchises have on their territories, a minority investor in the Atlanta Braves sent a letter to the teams' board of directors urging it to sell the franchise.

The Monday, Sept. 14 letter from Breach Inlet Capital Management, a boutique investment firm, to Atlanta Braves Holdings' board of directors outlined several reasons why the time would be right for a sale.

Most notably, the firm cited the recent sale of the San Diego Padres for $3.9 billion to Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, and the pending $4 billion sale of the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno to Stan Kroenke, both of which greatly exceeded those franchises' estimated valuations.

The Braves' value was most recently estimated at $3.35 billion by Forbes, seventh among major league franchises; the Angels were valued at $2.8 billion in those estimates. The club controls a development - the Battery - that's adjacent to Truist Park and has been the envy of other franchises seeking a similar build-out that allows it to control revenues that don't need to be shared with other MLB franchises.

The Braves were spun off from Liberty Media in in 2023 yet John Malone, the chairman of Liberty Media, remains the largest shareholder in the club. Terry McGuirk remains the club's CEO and control person, a role he assumed when Liberty purchased the club in 2007 for an estimated $460 million.

The Braves declined comment on the letter. Malone in 2024 cooled the notion of a Braves sale in an interview with Sportico, saying comments from Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei that did not rule out a franchise sale were misinterpreted.

Breach Inlet Capital's letter to the Braves, signed by founder and portfolio manager Chris Colvin and published by Business Wire, cites its "fiduciary duties obligate it to act in the best interest of shareholders" in urging a sale; according to Fintel, Breach Inlet Capital's investment in the Braves comprises roughly 13.5% of its portfolio, with a value most recently disclosed at $40.4 million.

It suggests the Braves' board and Malone "should capitalize on the current backdrop and not assume valuations for sports teams will keep climbing at these rapid rates into perpetuity," and, citing the player strike of 1994-95 and the impending lockout in December, "should not hope that history does not repeat itself and should instead capitalize on the MLB’s current momentum ahead of a potential extended lockout."

Additionally, Breach Inlet Capital cited changes to the tax code that "disadvantage the Braves relative to privately owned MLB teams" while noting that it views "every MLB team as a monopoly with scarcity value." The Braves' history, their significant footprint in a growing segment of the Sun Belt and the presence of the Battery add significantly to the club's value.

"If (Malone) is unwilling to sell and believes that (the franchise) is worth significantly more than its current trading price," wrote Colvin, "we encourage him to submit a proposal to take the Company private."

Colvin acknowledged that while MLB's media rights are up for bid en masse following the 2028 season, he projects that the eye-opening prices for the Padres and Angels already reflect what's expected to be a leaguewide windfall.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Braves minority investor urges club to sell while MLB club values high

Monday notes…

• EIGHT HUNDRED: The Cubs’ first run tonight will be their 800th of the season. They have scored an 800th run in only 12 seasons since 1901, most recently 2023, when they finished with 819, their eighth most in a season. This century, they also scored 808 in 2016, 814 in 2019, 822 in 2017 and 855 in 2008. Those 855 are the Cubs’ third most ever, behind 998 in 1930 and 982 in 1929. At their current average of 5.33 per game, the Cubs will finish this season with 863. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• MONDAY, MONDAY: The Cubs are 10-6 on Monday, for a winning percentage of .625, their second best on any day of the week after .769 (10-3) on Thursday. They are .583 (14-10) on Saturday and Wednesday, and .565 on Tuesday (13-10). At home, the Cubs are .800 (8-2) on Monday, second to .833 (5-1) on Thursday and .615 (8-5) on Saturday. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• PLAYING THE WINNING TEAMS: The Cubs are 39-33 this season in games against opponents that had winning records going into each game. They are 23-13 at home. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• HOME RUN NOTE: The Cubs lost yesterday despite hitting the game’s only home run. They are 37-10 when they have hit more homers than they have allowed, including 22-9 when they have allowed none. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Cubs lineup:

Braves lineup:

David Peterson, LHP vs. Reynaldo Lopez, RHP

David Peterson has had some good games for the Cubs and some not so good. Overall, though, since that stinker against the Cardinals in early July: 11 games (10 starts), 3.17 ERA, 1.444 WHIP, 49 strikeouts in 54 innings. That’ll play.

Peterson has not faced the Braves this year. He has done so quite a bit in the past as a former NL East pitcher. Current Braves are batting .250 (35-for-140) against him with five home runs, four of those by Matt Olson. But he has also struck out Olson 11 times in 24 at-bats.

Do good tonight, David.

Reynaldo Lopez missed almost all of last year with shoulder issues, then some knee problems have had him on the IL twice this year.

He has made one start since his most recent return from the IL, Sept. 6 vs. the Rays, and was touched up for seven hits and six runs in 4.2 innings.

His only appearance against the Cubs this year was 1.1 innings of relief May 14 in Atlanta. He allowed one run — a solo homer by Ian Happ.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Braves market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Braves site Battery Power. If you do go there to interact with Braves fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Pete Alonso, the Mets’ all-time home run leader, made his return to Citi Field on Monday as the Baltimore Orioles came to town for the start of a three-game series. 

“When the schedule came out, it’s one of those days where I knew it was coming, but we’ve been playing a lot of important ball down the stretch,” Alonso said. “I knew it was coming, but it definitely came quicker than expected. I obviously lived a lot of life here.”

A second-round pick of the Mets in 2016 out of the University of Florida, Alonso made his major league debut in 2019, when he cracked the Opening Day roster. He went on to play seven seasons with the Mets, slugging a franchise-record 264 home runs, perhaps none bigger than his game-winning homer against the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2024 Wild Card series, which he called his “moment” with the franchise, also declaring that the 2024 season was his favorite year as a pro.

“It’ll be definitely different, but there are so many good memories here,” Alonso said of his first game back in Queens. “I played with so many good people, talented people. It’s going to be interesting to see what kind of emotions bubble up, because you can never really anticipate things that happen, but the entire time I’ve just been super gracious because there’s some great people over on the other side.”

Alonso re-signed with the Mets following the 2024 season, but after posting a career-low .788 OPS, he returned on just a one-year contract rather than a multi-year extension. Then, after a much better season in 2025, Alonso cashed in as a free agent, inking a five-year, $155 million deal with Baltimore. 

“For me, I’m so stoked to be an Oriole and be a part of this organization,” Alonso said. “I’m happy, family’s happy, teammates are incredible, staff is incredible. I feel very, very fortunate to be here, and I also feel very fortunate to play all the years I have with the Mets. 

“Two things can be true at the same time. I’m very happy and appreciative of my time that I spent as a Met, and I’m beyond grateful and appreciative for the Baltimore Orioles.”

Alonso is starting at first base and hitting second in the Orioles lineup on Monday night, and he’s sure there will be plenty of emotions evolved as he’s reintroduced to a Mets fan base that supported him for quite some time. 

“Honestly, I’m very gracious and appreciative of all the years of support,” Alonso said of Mets fans. “It’s really special to have that. … I’ve been an Oriole now for almost a complete year, and to still have that support, it really means a lot. So, I’ll always much appreciate it.”

It’s no accident that a team with a losing record might reach the postseason for the first time in a full Major League Baseball season.

You have to have a lot of terrible play to pull that off. And, more specifically, a significant number of teams that greatly disappointed in 2026.

Oddly enough, many of them are still in playoff contention with roughly a dozen games remaining. That doesn’t mean they haven’t significantly underperformed, though, not unlike an NFL team canning its coach even if the bottom’s not falling out.

With that, we examine the six most disappointing teams this season – even if one or two still have a decent shot at the playoffs:

6. Toronto Blue Jays

Projected win totals (USA TODAY Sports, betting consensus): 91, 91.5

Record: 75-75

In a sense, the Blue Jays have played their way off this list, back at .500 and just a game out of the final American League wild-card spot. But they were expected to do much more than simply tread water.

Injuries have not helped, of course. They lost starter Cody Ponce for the season during his first start, waited three months for Shane Bieber to return from offseason arm woes and twice lost playoff hero Trey Yesavage to the injured list. Catcher Alejandro Kirk’s 63-week absence due to a left thumb fracture might have been the biggest blow, though somewhat amazingly, Toronto is 35-35 with Kirk in the lineup, 40-40 without him.

Still, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s mysterious power outage has been shadowing the team all season long. He finally hit his first homer of the year at Rogers Centre in the club’s 75th home game and still has just eight homers and a .700 OPS, nearly 10% below average.

There’s still time for Vlad and Co. to rewrite the script, particularly with the Blue Jays’ sell-but-upgrade maneuvering at the deadline that landed them starter José Soriano. But the window to prove they’re more than just a frustrating .500 team can’t narrow much more.

5. San Francisco Giants

Projected win totals: 82, 82.5

Record: 62-88

For all the furrowed brows and moderate takes regarding Tony Vitello’s leap from Tennessee to the Giants’ dugout, the season itself should have been relatively nondescript. All Vitello had to do was win between 79 and 81 games and the difference would have been virtually indistinguishable from predecessors Bob Melvin and Gabe Kapler.

Gentle reader, that’s not what happened.

It’s been a disaster by the Bay, most of the fingerprints on this crime scene belonging to club president Buster Posey but Vitello not exactly putting out the fire with his bullpen usage and lineup decisions. All of that’s to be expected from a first-year manager, but a franchise with a $200 million payroll was unwise to entrust such a steep learning curve to a coach conditioned for 70 games to be the entire season, not the 40% mark.

Now, thanks to injuries and trades, the Giants lineup looks largely like a Class AAA bunch, particularly now that Rafael Devers’ season was unfortunately halted due to a core injury as he closed in on a 40-homer campaign. Yet he’s proven he’ll be the lineup cornerstone the Giants envisioned when they dealt for him in June 2025.

Beyond that? Vitello will be back. Posey will be back. Bryce Eldridge, finally given runway at midseason, has an .814 OPS and looks like a potential star at 21. Yet a large portion of the rotation must be reconstructed and turnabouts in health and performance will be needed from veteran Posey signees Willy Adames and Matt Chapman.

The good news is the Giants won’t likely be on this list in 2027, simply because the expectations will be appropriately low.

4. New York Mets

Projected win totals: 87, 88.5

Record: 69-80

It’s easy to forget about these guys, given that it’s been nearly three months since the club mercifully fired manager Carlos Mendoza and some five months since a disastrous start that laid bare club president David Stearns’ questionable offseason.

Yeah, it’s true that he basically tried to replace Pete Alonso with Jorge Polanco, guaranteed Bo Bichette $42 million per year to switch leagues and positions and burned a decent chunk of prospect capital to acquire starter Freddy Peralta.

Nobody quibbled with that last move, because nobody expected Peralta’s hits per nine innings to soar by 51% from year-to-year, his ERA a ghastly 4.99. Peralta has been a little better after a trade to the Rays – posting a 0.97 WHIP in a much-smaller eight-start sample – though not so drastic that the water in Queens or the advanced info they shared with him somehow made him forget how to pitch.

On one hand, the 2026 outcome is a disaster relative to the $301 million invested in this roster. Perhaps the early injuries to Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto doomed them, though the confirmation that Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are below-league average hitters showcased that their organizational depth wasn’t what they thought it was.

Still, though, there were bright spots: Carson Benge is having a Rookie of the Year-caliber season. Fellow rookie A.J. Ewing’s speed and defense are useful in the outfield and on the basepaths. Soto is a machine, posting a 156 adjusted OPS and 25 homers in 98 games despite his calf and back woes. Jared Young, the 30-year-old first baseman, got to play more than 22 games for the first time in his career and flourished.

And Nolan McLean more or less established himself as the ace, or at least a rotation fixture for years to come. Christian Scott’s late-season showing displayed he might be ready to join McLean in that group. The rest?

That’s up to Stearns, who must have a better winter (or spring, given the lockout) than he did the last time around.