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00:00It's Christmas week and Mets fans are checking their phones like kids checking the tree waiting to see what Santa's bringing this offseason or not bringing this offseason. But not everything deserves excitement and not everything deserves panic. This week on Straight Outta Flushing, we're breaking down what really matters and what Mets fans should and shouldn't overreact to this Christmas.
00:24Joining me for this conversation is someone Mets fans know very well. Matt Ibanez, co-host of the Till Mets Do Us Part podcast. Matt, he brings a fan for his perspective. But here's the thing. He's always grounded in reality. No hot takes. No panic. Not the least that I've seen. Just honest Mets talk. And that's exactly the kind of voice you need for a conversation about what really matters for the Mets this Christmas. Matt, what's going on, man? How you doing?
00:54I'm doing well, Dexter. How are you, man? Thank you for having me on. Always a pleasure.
00:58No, man. I'm good. Hey, just getting ready for the holidays, Christmas season. I'm glad you are well and everything that's going on here. Mets fans, it's maybe not been the best offseason start right before the Christmas season, but we'll see how that goes. We're going to have a good conversation around things here with the Mets.
01:17Yeah, we're going to have a good one. And we're going to, here's what we're going to do, just to let the people know. We have a couple of different segments that I'm going to go through with Matt here that we're going to try to talk about and try to see, you know, what really matters with this Mets team as we approach the Christmas holiday.
01:31So, Matt, the first segment I've got here is the noise around the Mets and the reality. We're going to try to set expectations here, okay? Because you know this, every Mets offseason, and particularly this one coming off the 2025 season, it's got a lot of noise, right?
01:46You've got rumors, you've got speculation, reactions. So let me ask you this. Right now, what's the biggest thing that fans are reacting to that you think deserves more context than it's been getting thus far?
01:59Honestly, I think it's this idea that the Mets don't want to spend money. I think that a lot of fans are just are hell-bent on thinking that this team penny-pinching after Soto and things of that nature, and they watch some guys are not going to do it.
02:16And I think that that's misplaced because I honestly feel that, you know, this team wants to spend money, but they're going to spend it properly.
02:24It's not that they're being cheap. Obviously, the payroll speaks to that as they're number two, number three in baseball when it comes to payroll.
02:31Obviously, you're always going to play this up-and-down game when it comes to luxury tax. You don't have to pay penalties and stuff like that.
02:36But, you know, we've seen this team go out and spend. They got you Juan Soto last year for $765 million. I honestly think that the idea that they don't want to spend is improper.
02:47I think that they just want to spend on the right players. Now, that brings forth a whole other conversation about, you know, who fans think the right player is.
02:55But I think the idea that this team doesn't want to spend or that they're penny-pinching, I think that section of fans that believe that, I think that's a little bit off.
03:04So, I want to follow up with you on that, too, right? Because there is a lot of that speculation among fans about what's the intent of this Mets front office right now, right?
03:15And then the optics surrounding this team, particularly in the week of the winter meetings when they lost Pete Alonso and they lost Edwin Diaz.
03:24The optics around that hasn't been good. Do you think fans need to trust David Stearns and company a little bit more?
03:33Should they look at, you and I talked about this on your show recently, should they look a little bit more and say,
03:38Hey, David Stearns really hasn't had the chance to make this team in his image and now is that time.
03:45But I'm going to push on that because some of the fans, the concern is the image is bargain basement hunting.
03:52It's not big game hunting, right? It's that kind of thing. Is that fine for fans to feel that way?
03:58I mean, I'm not telling you how to make safe how fans should or shouldn't feel, but do you think that's logical to feel that way?
04:04I can understand why fans feel that way, because when you have the richest owner in the sport,
04:11you think that you're just going to constantly throw cash at everything and get every big time player.
04:14But that's not always going to be the case because it's about getting the right player.
04:19And I know people can look at other teams that spend a lot of money to this point.
04:23Like you're seeing like Baltimore, who has a very rich owner now that they're going out spending money.
04:27We've seen the Dodgers. Everyone says, Oh, they spend all this cash.
04:30Like this is what you're supposed to be doing.
04:32It's they're getting the right players for their team in that given moment.
04:37I honestly think that, you know, when it comes to the Dodgers for, you know, seven, eight years,
04:42they weren't spending any money and the money that they were spending wasn't money well spent.
04:46They were, they were focusing more on what the Mets are doing right now,
04:49which is how the Dodgers became what they've become, which is, you know,
04:53building the farm and, and, and building that infrastructure and working from within
04:56and then spending on the right players, like extending Mookie Betts and signing Freddie Freeman
05:01and obviously signing Shohei Ohtani, which is, you know, a generational sign.
05:05You know, the Mets are trying to do that as well.
05:07And I think that that's where I think fans need to instill trust.
05:12I know they don't want to right now, but these are the same fans that every time you throw out a player
05:18that's out there right now and you say, oh, you're going to sign, you know, X player,
05:23let's say Cody Bellinger for eight years.
05:25And then the fans go, no, no, no, I don't want that.
05:27But wait a minute.
05:27You just said you wanted this player.
05:29It's like, I think the fans just want action because it's been so slow.
05:33So I understand the frustration, but I do still believe that you should trust this process
05:37because again, you haven't seen something like this for the longest time.
05:42And I think that this is something that this team has needed for a very long time
05:45to finally build a team properly.
05:47So I get the action thing, right?
05:50I get wanting to see the action, but I also will say baseball offseason in particular
05:54is different to other sports, can be quite lengthy, right?
05:58It can take some time.
05:59Very slow.
06:00Yeah.
06:00We've seen moves made in late December, early January, late January,
06:06maybe a week before spring training.
06:07We've seen all that before.
06:09So when you look at that and what you were trying to put in context there,
06:13do you think patience matters for the fan base now at this point
06:16and where we are in December approaching Christmas?
06:19Does patience need to be instilled from the fans now more than ever?
06:22Because the front office seems to be showing it.
06:24So maybe the fan base needs to be a little patient too?
06:28For a team that hasn't won since 86, I get why fans are impatient in that sense.
06:33I understand that.
06:34I do.
06:35But, you know, especially with the holidays coming up, things tend to slow down when it comes to baseball
06:39because obviously people are with their families and people are taking a step away.
06:43So, you know, if nothing happens in the next, you know, call it two, three days,
06:48then I don't think you're going to see much action happening until bordering the new year,
06:53if not into the new year.
06:54But if you just look across baseball, outside of a couple of bigger signings for some teams,
06:59it's been very slow.
07:01I think teams are slow playing because they don't know what's going on when it comes to contracts
07:04and what might be for the CBA coming up next year.
07:07Like, I think there's a lot of finagling going on in that sense,
07:09which is why things have slowed down.
07:11This is very similar to what, I think it was 2019's offseason, 2018, 2019,
07:17around that time when it was, you know, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper.
07:20Like, those are the big names out there, but teams weren't budging on them.
07:24And I think you're kind of seeing that now with the overall market.
07:26It's slowed down to a point where people don't want to pay the guys that are out there.
07:31And, you know, for those players I just mentioned,
07:33I think it was more so waiting them out for these players.
07:36I think it's because they don't want to give them the money that they're asking for.
07:39Yeah, it's all going to be very interesting to see.
07:41You're right, though.
07:41The perception of what Mets fans may think about this front office
07:45and their willingness to spend might not exactly be the reality.
07:48So, you've got to be patient.
07:49We've got to wait and see.
07:51Okay.
07:52Always.
07:52Always got to wait and see, right?
07:54We might be more patient than most, Matt.
07:56So, I don't know.
07:58All right, Aby.
07:58Next thing I wanted to talk to you in the next part of this conversation,
08:03what should Mets fans overreact to?
08:05Because, look, I don't want to say, Mets fans out there,
08:09that there aren't real concerns, right?
08:11So, let's try to get into some of the real stuff.
08:13What should Mets fans be paying close attention to right now?
08:17What would you say that is?
08:19I think it's the pitching.
08:20I think it's the front-end pitching,
08:22especially with things that just happened in this offseason
08:25when you see a team like Baltimore go out there and trade, you know,
08:29three prospects and a comp pick to get someone like Shane Boz from Tampa Bay.
08:35Look, I think Boz is a fine pitcher.
08:37He's a very upside-related pitcher.
08:39Three, four, three, four type of pitcher.
08:41Not ace stuff could be there, but you're seeing the cost that you have to pay
08:47in order to get coverage in terms of years on arms.
08:53He has three years of control.
08:54So, you're seeing if you go after a picture of that magnitude,
08:57like if you wanted to trade for, let's say, a Mackenzie Gore as an example,
09:00a pitcher with control, you're seeing what you're going to have to give up
09:03to get that player.
09:04Now, one could argue also, you know, when it comes to only one year,
09:07where you talk about the Scoobles and the Peraltas, well,
09:10their talent outweighs someone like Boz.
09:13So, does that mean that their talent kind of makes up in terms of the lack of years?
09:17Are you still giving up that much?
09:19I'm of the idea that this team should be focusing on paying somebody.
09:23There is someone that I do like out there that I think makes sense.
09:26So, I think that the most important thing for fans to focus on is
09:29how are they going to better the front end of this staff
09:31so it allows people like Noel McClain and Clay Holmes and even Sean Minaya
09:36and if Kodai Sanga remains here, like those guys to drop down,
09:39David Peterson as well, drop down a spot to take off the pressure
09:42so it allows guys to fall into places where they truly belong as a starter.
09:45Okay, so you and I are kind of on the same page here with that,
09:48like in terms of thinking what you should be concerned about.
09:51I do think them, the Mets, that is, developing the front of their staff
09:55is, in my opinion, the most important thing.
09:58They need to do this offseason.
09:59They need to go get themselves an ace.
10:00I think that's absolutely paramount, right?
10:04I guess my follow-up to you would be, how important do you think that is?
10:10And if they don't do that by this spring, how would you feel as a Mets fan about that?
10:16You know, what's the risk if they go into the season
10:18and they don't have a bona fide ace there to start the 2026 season?
10:24I think the word ace does get thrown around too much.
10:27I think we did this on our show, like, months ago where we had, like, outlined it
10:34where we thought that there was maybe six, seven, maybe eight aces in the game.
10:41So we're looking for someone that can be on the front end,
10:44which ultimately for this team especially is someone that provides innings.
10:48If they don't go out there and get a pitcher on the front end,
10:51I know people often compare it and say, like,
10:53who's starting game one for you in a playoff game.
10:56Like, that's always the go-to line.
10:58If they don't get someone of that ilk,
11:00then I think it's just putting way too much pressure yet again on the young arms.
11:04I don't think they want to get rid of these young arms,
11:06which is why I think they're being very stingy when it comes to deals,
11:09which I understand why,
11:10because you don't want to give up something for only one year
11:13when you have six years of control
11:15and you like the upside of said arms that you developed.
11:17But I do think that if they don't come out of this offseason
11:21with somebody that you could plug in,
11:23whether you want to call them a 1,
11:24whether you want to call them a 1A to McLean or even a 2
11:27and go in that sense.
11:29But you have to get somebody in the front end here that provides innings.
11:35That's been the biggest problem for this team over the last two, three seasons.
11:39You have to find innings somewhere.
11:41Okay, Ibi.
11:42So here's the other thing for me.
11:44Maybe this is where I might say,
11:47okay, this is a bit of a concern for me.
11:48It's what's the organizational direction right now for this team, right?
11:52I think there are some Mets fans that are maybe concerned.
11:55Okay, well, how are they trying to get an ace?
11:57What kind of ace are they looking for?
12:00Do we really know what David Stern's plan is around this team
12:04and how he wants to build it in his own vision?
12:07It kind of ties into the first part that we talked about here,
12:09but is that a concern for you that maybe the organizational direction
12:13of how they want to build this team isn't necessarily clear?
12:15It doesn't really bother me all that much,
12:21mainly because I feel that when there's silence for a front office,
12:26it bodes better in terms of how the organization is run.
12:29I think as Mets fans, we're so used to everything playing out
12:32in front of the media and through the media
12:34that when we don't hear anything,
12:36we kind of act as though that we're being kept out of the loop.
12:41But to me, that tells me that this team has a tight ship
12:44and that they're playing everything close to their vest.
12:47And then when you need to learn something or know something,
12:50it'll happen, which is what every move has been to this point
12:52because no one has seen it coming.
12:54I think that, of course, that frustrates fans,
12:57that frustrates media because they have nothing to report on
12:59and they just assume that nothing's happening.
13:01But, you know, at the same time,
13:03people love that when they get hit with something that they like.
13:06I think right now fans are just, you know,
13:09they're not liking where things are going
13:11because it's being slow played.
13:13And, you know, it's kind of tough to see the entire picture right now,
13:18which is why every move to this point has kind of been, you know,
13:21wait until you see the next part, wait until you see the next part.
13:24Like putting that puzzle together is taking a lot longer
13:26than people want to, you know, that they're comfortable with, obviously.
13:31But I don't think that it's an issue that they're not straight up telling us,
13:35hey, we're going to be doing X, Y, and Z.
13:38You know, I just think that there's a lot going on.
13:41I think there's a lot of irons in the fire
13:43and we'll see things as they play out when they actually play out.
13:46Yeah, all we can do is wait.
13:48I understand why people, you know, fans, even myself,
13:51might want to know some of the information, but got to wait and see.
13:54Okay, let's flip it here.
13:57What are Mets fans overreacting to that, you know,
14:01probably you would say doesn't matter as much as it feels right now?
14:06We just talked about things that Mets fans should overreact to,
14:09they should be concerned about,
14:10but what are Mets fans overreacting to that might not be that serious?
14:15What the owner tweets about.
14:17Seriously.
14:17Like what the owner is tweeting about, in my opinion, like doesn't matter.
14:21I know it's, I know it's, it's, it's maybe it's a little recency bias.
14:23I mean, cause there's plenty of that fans are overreacting to,
14:26but, you know, when I see my phone blowing up over, you know, the idea of,
14:30you know, who is he going after?
14:32Is he going after, you know, this paper?
14:34Is he going after the fans?
14:35Is he, is he going to issue an apology?
14:37Like he has a lot of nerve, all this stuff.
14:39Like, I don't think stuff like that matters.
14:41I really don't.
14:42And it's just, I think it's just putting a microphone to the smaller voice,
14:50because as much as people don't want to, you know, realize this,
14:52the internet and social media is a small sector of a fan base.
14:57It's not always the entire vibe of, of, of an overall fan base.
15:01If you see things at city, it's a lot different than what you hear and hear,
15:04you know, hear and see online or on the radio and stuff like that.
15:07So I think whatever he is posting, whoever it's about,
15:10like, it doesn't really matter.
15:12Like, look, there's context to all of it.
15:14And, you know, it does matter in the sense of, you know,
15:16what's been said about money, this and that,
15:19when you equate everything, then yeah,
15:21like they're going to be over $320 million because of arbitration and all
15:24the money that's still to come in.
15:26So no matter what they have holes, they have to fill,
15:28they have signings they still have to make.
15:30So that money is going to be higher than what is being said.
15:33It's going to be.
15:33So again,
15:34it's being able to just look at something at the surface level and then
15:38react to it.
15:39Who cares what the owner says in the end,
15:42it's all about results go out there and win stuff like that.
15:44Doesn't matter, you know, moving forward in the moment,
15:47people think it does because of what we just said,
15:49it's been so slow or just, you know,
15:52reacting to any morsel of information that comes out.
15:56So that's why I think everyone's just running amok with it,
15:59which is just ridiculous.
16:00But stuff like this in the, in the, in the end,
16:02in the long haul doesn't mean anything really doesn't.
16:05Yeah.
16:05At the end of the day, you got to win.
16:07Right.
16:07And that's now look,
16:09I will say this too.
16:10I understand why fans like the,
16:13and I'm also going to put air quotes again,
16:17the so-called transparency that you might see from Steve Cohen on Twitter.
16:22And I really say so-called because I,
16:23I'm in agreement with you.
16:26Some of the stuff is,
16:27you know,
16:28so playing a little PR to the fans as well too.
16:31And I mean,
16:31that's cool.
16:32I'm not saying there's something wrong with that.
16:34That's fine.
16:35But how real is it?
16:37And what are you really,
16:38you know,
16:39learning about that,
16:40that about anything with the team at the end of the day,
16:42you're right.
16:42The moves are going to be the moves,
16:43how they play on the field is exactly how they're going to play.
16:47Let me know how you feel about this,
16:48because I think what fans are overreacting to is the fact that the team
16:53hasn't made a big move,
16:55right?
16:55Something hasn't happened early.
16:57And it'll go back to something I said earlier,
16:59which is the baseball off season's way too long.
17:03You cannot judge the off season in December,
17:06even before Christmas.
17:07And I think not all,
17:09just hearing you out your point about social media.
17:13It's a small segment of the fan base,
17:14but we have seen some people overreact way too early about one big move,
17:20not happening yet.
17:21And there still could be a big move to come.
17:23So that's for me.
17:24I think that's the thing that's fans necessarily shouldn't press the,
17:28press the panic button about.
17:29We could,
17:29we could wait and see,
17:30but you know,
17:32it's patience.
17:32Not everybody,
17:33not everybody has that there.
17:35All right.
17:36Next segment.
17:37We're going to move to,
17:38uh,
17:38let's take a,
17:39try to take a perspective check on the Mets.
17:42So when you zoom out where we are right now,
17:46before Christmas,
17:46where do you think the Mets are compared to where some fans might think they
17:53are?
17:53What do you think is the most misunderstood thing about this Mets off season,
17:58at least where it is now,
17:59where it could possibly go.
18:00So what's most misunderstood about some in the fan base about this Mets
18:05off season?
18:07I think that this fan base believes that this is a bad team.
18:12I think that that's where I,
18:14I disagree.
18:15I think that it's an incomplete team.
18:17Yes.
18:18And that's what we keep on talking about patients and things and allowing
18:22things to,
18:22um,
18:23you know,
18:23to come to fruition and play out.
18:25So you can actually see a finished product,
18:26which is why,
18:27look,
18:27I understand because you know,
18:29we're doing a show right now.
18:31I do a show,
18:32you know,
18:32other,
18:32there's plenty of content creators and people that,
18:34you know,
18:34that get paid to talk about this team on the daily.
18:37So you want things to talk about.
18:39So clearly if you know,
18:41nothing happens,
18:41you're going to be judging things based off of the now,
18:44as opposed to waiting.
18:45I get that.
18:46But I just think that they're an incomplete team.
18:49Yes.
18:50You have to be patient.
18:51You know,
18:52I think it's wrong for everyone to look at something as an absolute,
18:55like we're,
18:56we're seeing things like,
18:57Oh,
18:57this is the Mets lineup.
18:58Now this is the Mets now.
19:00Like it's yes.
19:00At this second it is,
19:02but there's still so many free agents out there.
19:05So many moves that you keep on hearing more and more about the trade market.
19:07We're seeing things slowly come together.
19:10It just feels like it's a waiting out process.
19:12And eventually there's going to be,
19:14there's,
19:14you know,
19:15that avalanche is going to come.
19:16Like there's going to be a roll of moves that happen amongst baseball,
19:20as well as the Mets that help make this team better.
19:23Because like I said before,
19:24there's too many openings.
19:25There's too many holes and they know that they have to fill these needs
19:28because not everything is coming from within because they don't have the
19:31players to fill those needs from within.
19:34So that's kind of where I am.
19:35Again,
19:35it plays back to the patients,
19:37but people thinking that this is a bad team.
19:39I think it's an incomplete team at the moment.
19:42I like the word incomplete.
19:44I feel that's exactly what describes this Mets team.
19:47I think they are incomplete.
19:49Curious for me.
19:50Do you,
19:50let me ask you this,
19:51because I think what might be misunderstood about this Mets team,
19:55and this kind of ties back into the front office.
19:59Maybe we're not giving the front office enough credit and this is just fans,
20:02media.
20:03We're not giving them enough credit.
20:04Maybe the front office and David Stearns has learned some lessons from things
20:09that have happened recently in the Mets.
20:10I think there's a,
20:11and you tell me how you feel about this too,
20:13as a Mets fan around the Mets,
20:14it can sometimes be this,
20:15this segment of the fan base where the sky is always falling,
20:18or this is the same old Mets,
20:20or this is what you've seen before.
20:22Except maybe it's not.
20:23Maybe this organization has learned about patients.
20:28You've seen what you've done developing the farm system,
20:30right,
20:30in recent seasons.
20:31You mentioned that about how they're trying to get to where the Dodgers is.
20:35Do you think fans may be misunderstood also that David Stearns has looked at
20:40what's gone around with this franchise?
20:42David Stearns grew up a Mets fan.
20:43Steve Cohen was a Mets fan before he bought the team.
20:46And they know the fan base maybe a little bit better than,
20:50you know,
20:50I think maybe put on out there,
20:51but do you think they've learned anything recently from how their first couple
20:55of years on the job and also how the Mets have been running the past?
20:59Yeah.
21:00I mean,
21:00you look at,
21:01you look at this team and,
21:02you know,
21:02we've said it on our show,
21:03John put it out that,
21:03that he believes that,
21:05you know,
21:05somebody like Stearns in the,
21:06in the ship that he's trying to run is,
21:09you know,
21:09is similar to that of Frank,
21:10of a Frank Cash and back in the,
21:12you know,
21:12mid eighties of trying to build from within and then spend,
21:16money where it's needed to bring in the proper players.
21:18Like that's,
21:19that's the way you win.
21:20You know,
21:21if the fact that this team finally has a farm system that is developing
21:25pitchers with their pitching lab at a high clip that,
21:29you know,
21:30they have what seven players within the top 100 of,
21:33of,
21:34of prospect lists,
21:35depending on which syndication publication that you look at.
21:38So the fact that they have,
21:40you know,
21:41a youth movement going on that allows them to supplement at the big league
21:47level,
21:48that's the plan,
21:49which then allows you to go out and spend big on the proper players.
21:52It's not just about throwing money.
21:53It's about getting the proper players,
21:54like I said before,
21:55but this farm system is what has been needed to allow this team to build
22:02properly.
22:02Those things take time.
22:04And like I said,
22:05last week with you on the show,
22:06Dexter,
22:06I said that this fan base isn't used to it because they're so used to the,
22:11the singular approach,
22:13the one fix approach,
22:16the two move approach that this off season is going to be the one that
22:19changes at all.
22:19And that's not how you win teams that win the off season teams that,
22:24you know,
22:24are always splashy.
22:25They don't win.
22:26They win back pages.
22:27They win,
22:28you know,
22:29the week in social media,
22:30they win the,
22:31the off season grades or whatever,
22:33but those teams don't win in the end.
22:35If they,
22:36if they build properly and then they go out and spend and then,
22:39yeah,
22:39they can win.
22:40Then fantastic.
22:41But this team hasn't done that in a very long time.
22:45One could say the,
22:46the,
22:47the last time this happened for this team,
22:49if not the eighties could have been what selling off the likes of Carlos
22:54Beltran in 2011 to bring in a Zach Wheeler to then,
22:57develop your pitching to the run that you go on with Sandy Alderson in
23:012015,
23:02maybe,
23:02but again,
23:03that team didn't have the money to supplement it the way that this
23:05team can.
23:06So you're trying to get to that point and you don't like the way that
23:11the fact that,
23:11you know,
23:11the fact that it takes this long,
23:13but you know,
23:14yeah,
23:14I'm on this journey.
23:16I want this team to win.
23:17This is what I've always wanted.
23:18So that's why I always remain so calm and patient because I got the
23:23owner that I want.
23:24I got the general manager or president of baseball ops that I want.
23:27I got the plan that I want.
23:29What am I going to complain about?
23:31Yeah.
23:32You got some of the things you wanted.
23:33Now you have to let those guys cook,
23:36right?
23:36Steve Cohen bought the team fans.
23:39Remember what it was like before the previous ownership.
23:42I think they remember what it was like before David Stearns,
23:44by all accounts is a good baseball guy.
23:46He knows more baseball than you and I and probably most fans out there,
23:50but you got to let them cook.
23:52You got to give them,
23:53you got to give them some time and,
23:54and see how it is.
23:55I think we try to put things in pretty good perspective.
23:58So with that being said,
23:59last thing we're going to go here.
24:01We'll call this the Christmas truth here.
24:03We're going to give you the Christmas truth.
24:05So,
24:05okay.
24:06If Mets fans wake up on Christmas morning,
24:08we hope everybody does.
24:09And they remember just one thing.
24:10It'd be about this team heading into the new year.
24:13What should it be?
24:14What's your Mets mistruth?
24:16What do you have for the people?
24:17What's the truth about the Mets that people should know and think and
24:21remember heading into this new year?
24:24I wrote this down and I didn't want to,
24:26I didn't want to get this wrong.
24:27Once I had the idea of it,
24:30I came prepared.
24:31And it's just like the machine that great teams run on come from the,
24:36it come from the infrastructure built from within the team is thriving in
24:41that area right now.
24:42And that the lifeblood of sustainability,
24:44which is what all Mets fans have wanted and being a consistent contender
24:48moving forward.
24:49Like that's the way that you win.
24:52You don't like it now.
24:53You don't like the names right now,
24:54but you want to build a better team.
24:58It doesn't matter.
24:59And at the end of the day,
25:00what the names are on the back of the Jersey,
25:02you just want results.
25:04You want a team that can win.
25:05You're looking at this now and saying you lost Diaz,
25:08you lost Alonzo,
25:09you traded Nimmo,
25:10these names that you know and are viewed in a hierarchy of,
25:15of baseball as being,
25:16you know,
25:17difference makers or what have you.
25:18Well,
25:19they've been here for a long time.
25:20You had them for what many could argue is the peaks of said primes.
25:24Now that they're going on the backend,
25:26you don't want to pay for those things,
25:27which I understand,
25:28but I get why a fan could be upset.
25:30But at the same time,
25:31you want to bring in pieces that allow this team to move in the right
25:35direction.
25:36And the right direction is up.
25:38Everyone right now thinks it's going down,
25:40but you have to see this through and allow this vision to play out because
25:44it's clear as day that there is one.
25:46And even though fans don't like it,
25:47or they feel like they,
25:48they don't understand it just yet.
25:49It's going to come into context.
25:51Eventually it's going to come into full focus and that's all you can do.
25:54So Mets fans,
25:54like I said,
25:55be patient and allow this infrastructure to continue to,
25:58to get stronger because the stronger that gets,
26:01the better off this team is going to be moving forward and the happier God,
26:05I hope the happier a Mets fan can truly become.
26:08Well,
26:09Hey,
26:09we want the Mets fans to be happy.
26:11And it feels like the word of this episode is patience.
26:14And maybe that's the best gift that can be given to Mets fans.
26:18It's just a little bit of patience,
26:19right?
26:19Look,
26:20I know you all would like something else under your tree.
26:22You'd like a couple of big name players.
26:24You'd love a frontline starter and ACE,
26:26all that stuff.
26:27But maybe the real truth is we all just need a little bit of patience and wait
26:32to see how it all plays out.
26:33Because as you said,
26:34Ibi,
26:35the team is incomplete.
26:37You can't say,
26:38I can't even ask you right now and say,
26:39Hey,
26:40Ibi,
26:40what do you think the Mets are going to do in 2026?
26:43I don't know.
26:44I don't know yet.
26:45I don't,
26:45I don't know.
26:46I have to see what happens as much,
26:48as much as I'll accept patience under my tree.
26:51Like if you want to throw,
26:52a Frambois Valdez,
26:53I'll take them.
26:54Like,
26:54I'm not going to,
26:54I'm not going to complain if you,
26:55if you throw me a four year deal of Frambois Valdez,
26:58that's fine.
26:58I didn't think you,
26:59I didn't think you would say no to that.
27:00I had a feeling that you wouldn't say no to that.
27:02A couple other things you said that I just wanted to note that I thought was
27:05really good.
27:06You know,
27:06I thought you talked about the sustainability that Mets fans have wanted.
27:10You've talked about that and,
27:11and it takes time to build that.
27:13You'd rather see them build that the right way than go for the quick fixes.
27:17And hopefully that is part of the Mets mistruth here and that they are trying to build
27:22the right way.
27:22And maybe we all don't see it,
27:24but eventually it's what is going to work for this team.
27:28And Mets fans hope that they can see a winner.
27:30Maybe it's 2026,
27:312026 will be 40 years since the Mets last won a world series title.
27:35We'll see if they're able to do it again.
27:37Maybe it'll be later than that,
27:38but some sustainable success would be fantastic.
27:42That'd be a fantastic Christmas gift along with the patients,
27:45maybe along with the frontline starter for Mets fans like Matt Ibanez.
27:49That is Matt Ibanez.
27:51Check him out on the Till Mets Do Us Part podcast.
27:54He's a co-host there with our friend,
27:55John Sapanaro does a great job.
27:57They do a fantastic job.
27:58Thank you guys for having me on your show last week.
28:00I'm going to have you both.
28:02Straight out of Flushing in 2026.
28:03That's going to be a gift for the people that we are going to talk about.
28:07Matt,
28:07I appreciate you,
28:08man,
28:08for coming on straight out of Flushing again.
28:10Thank you so much.
28:12Thank you,
28:13Dexter.
28:13It's always a pleasure coming on,
28:14talk with everybody.
28:15Hopefully people are kind in the comments when it comes to my patients,
28:18but we will see.
28:19I'll be following along with that,
28:21but all in all,
28:22thank you so much.
28:23It's always a blast.
28:23No,
28:24man.
28:25Happy holidays.
28:26Merry Christmas.
28:27Happy new year to you and to all the fans out there.
28:30Happy holidays.
28:31Merry Christmas to you.
28:32We'll catch you next time.
28:33Another edition of Straight Out Flushing.