For both Yankee and Met fans, it sure was a disappointing season. Both teams battled injuries throughout the year and just couldn’t recover. There will be no October baseball for any New York team. The Mets will miss the playoffs for the seventh straight year, while the Yanks will miss the postseason for just the second time since 1995. There are many question marks both teams will have going into the off-season. It is more than certain that both the Yanks and Mets will have a different look come the 2014 campaign.
One thing we know about the Mets so far is that they have decided to stick with their skipper Terry Collins. The team announced on Monday that Collins has agreed to a 2-year extension with the ball club. Now the team must address how they are going to make their team better. On offense, the Mets are in desperate need of a power bat to complement their franchise player David Wright. They must address their needs in the outfield as well. I’m thinking a player like Rangers’ slugger Nelson Cruz. Even though Cruz was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for performance-enhancing drugs, he still is a great player and a solid outfielder as well. Cruz will be a free agent this year and the Mets should be all in to inquire about his services for their team. Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo could fit in nicely as well in Citi Field. The team has nearly $50 million dollars coming off the books by season’s end from the expiring contracts of Johan Santana, Jason Bay and Frank Francisco. Their only long-term contracts belong to David Wright and Jonathon Niese, so they will have money to work with. The Mets finished in fourth place in the National League East with a win-loss record of 73-89.
As for the Bronx Bombers, things are much more complicated for them. Nearly 20 players had spent time on the disabled list including Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis. On offense, the team may have to break the bank when it comes to re-signing second baseman Robinson Cano. According to reports, Cano is seeking a 10-year deal worth about $305 million. With A-Rod appealing his 211-game suspension, Jeter on the decline and Granderson being a free agent as well, the team may have to do whatever it takes to re-sign their best player in Cano. Pitching is a concern too for the Yanks. C.C. Sabathia had his worst season as a pro and Hiroki Kuroda is a free agent. In the pitching rotation, it’s sure to have Sabathia penciled in at one, and Ivan Nova at two. Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera will no longer be there as the two decided to call it a career after this season. Even Joe Girardi has not fully committed to coming back as manager for the Yanks. It may become one big mess in the Bronx. The team will hope and pray Michael Pineda can resume his baseball career and help out with the pitching because it is more than certain that pitchers Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain are on their way out of New York.
Sports Notes: (Football) The New York Giants are 0-4. You’d have to go all the way back to 1979 the last time they went 0-5. The team looks to get their 1st win of the season when they welcome in the division rival Philadelphia Eagles and their high-tempo offense of coach Chip Kelly. Jets quarterback Geno Smith looks to get back on track after a terrible performance which saw him do some Mark Sanchez-like miscues. Smith and the Jets take their 2-2 record as they head to the Georgia Dome to battle with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.