The 2021 New York Mets are more road pizza than colorful mess, but the impact makes the same sound at the end of the ride.
The “Slam Diego” Padres might be the team generating the most buzz, and the Chicago White Sox are the team taking everyone by storm for how quickly their rebuild has gone.
The end of August finds the Mets a 63-67, with just over 50 games remaining, 7.5 out of first place in the laughable National League East. I say laughable, as the division-leading Atlanta Braves sit a measly 11 games over .500 (70-59). In comparison, the Cincinnati Reds sit at 10 games over .500 in the NL Central, but are still 8.5 games back of Milwaukee for the top spot.
New York went out and spent $341 million over 10 years to swipe shortstop Francisco Lindor away from the Indians this offseason, by far the largest contract in league history. Lindor will make $43 million this season alone for hitting .224 with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs.
Javier Baez was acquired during the fire sale with the Chicago Cubs, and has responded by hitting .210 in his first 17 games.
Both have responded by giving a “thumbs down” gesture as a direct reply to the fans booing them. Baez could be seen doing the gesture even after hitting a home run on Sunday against the Washington Nationals.
Baez told reporters “It doesn’t really get to me but I want to let (the fans) know that when we’re successful, we’re going to do the same thing to let them know how it feels.”
Mets’ manager Luis Rojas said Baez was “getting to know our fanbase.” Sorry Luis, but everyone who plays and watches professional sports knows about the New York fanbase, regardless of which of the seven Big Four franchises it might be. Rojas did say that the fanbase has every right to boo, which given their underwhelming performance on the whole in 2021, is not saying all that much.
The timing of this story could not have been any more ironic, as I will be a guest with my old friend Mike Martinez on his podcast, “Big Rican On Sports” this weekend. Mike and I went to high school and junior college together, before he moved to New York in 2000. Whereas I am a die-hard New York Islanders fan having never visited there, you will not find a bigger Mets fan anywhere than Mike.
Martinez agrees with Baez and Lindor.
“Mets’ Twitter is a dark place. Mets’ Facebook is a dark place. The majority of Met fans are loyal. Upset at recent results yes, but loyal. The morons who are booing and talking shit on (social media) are basically just miserable.”
Banky Edwards did famously remind Jay and Silent Bob that the internet is for slandering others anonymously.
The Mets’ 2.4-percent chance of making the playoffs is the lowest of the nine NL teams oddsmakers decided to put a number by. Only the New York Yankees ($267 million) and Los Angeles Dodgers ($203 million) have a higher payroll than the $198 million the Mets spent this year. However, the Dodgers are the defending champions and the Yankees just saw a 13-game winning streak get snapped that has them sitting atop the first Wild Card spot in the AL.
The Mets will always be considered as the little brother in the five boroughs until they eclipse the Yankees in championships. It certainly does not help when two high-profile players are making gestures at the fanbase that perceives them as spoiled brats. As fiercely loyal as the fanbase can be, this type of response from the players will go far longer into determining if these fans will fill your ballpark, or take a drive across the bridge to Yankee Stadium to see MLB games going forward.
-JC24