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00:00I do also continue to believe they'll get healthier.
00:03They'll fit some stuff at the deadline.
00:05Their history for 35 years is to figure out how to win 90-something games and get into the playoffs.
00:10There is some overtones to last year's Mets to this team, like where it's like they were great till mid
00:16-June.
00:17And then it started to go bad.
00:18And again, I'll say John Heyman was ahead of the group on this one also.
00:22And I kept saying almost to the finish line, come on, man.
00:25And they're better than the Cincinnati Reds or the Miami Marlins in the way that I'm going to say the
00:31Yankees are better than like whichever the Baltimore Orioles or the Minnesota Twins or whatever.
00:37Is there any chance that like the Yankees peaked in mid-June and they're in trouble?
00:43Interim manager is not something most people want.
00:46It's a very, very tough job.
00:48It's probably tough still to have it and have to talk to me and you about what's going on with
00:53the Mets.
00:54But Andy Green was kind enough.
00:55He's going to join us on the show.
00:57Yeah, it's going to be good to talk to Andy.
00:59It's always good to talk to him.
01:00He's a great talker and he has an impossible job.
01:02So that's a good combination for an interview, I think.
01:05So we're looking forward to it.
01:08Yeah, we'll ask Andy, hopefully, all the stuff that's going on with the Mets.
01:12But their near future looks like, of course, he's still, in theory, running their farm system.
01:17John and I at the top will talk about our interview with Steve Cohn last week and the plummet of
01:23the Yankees.
01:24We'll play hit and error at the end if you stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and
01:29John Haynes.
01:34John, we had the owner of the Mets, Steve Cohn, with us last week.
01:38He said a ton of interesting things that I believe will have legs well beyond that interview.
01:45Lots of people, obviously, responded to it inside and outside the organization.
01:50But you and I haven't had a chance to kind of chew it over and talk about it.
01:54So why don't I just do something broad to begin, John?
01:57He talked to us for 45 minutes.
01:59What lingers for you a week later?
02:01Well, first of all, I think it's great that he's out here talking to us, not only us, but to
02:05the fans.
02:05I think that's awesome.
02:07Not that many owners do that.
02:08Obviously, he felt the need to do it with the Mets having this poor season.
02:13Obviously, it's a disaster.
02:15He wouldn't say anything else.
02:17He made clear he understood where things stood.
02:20A couple of things he answered in questions that you asked stood out to me.
02:25One was, obviously, that David Stearns isn't going anywhere.
02:29He said he's going to stay for the five years.
02:31He did say a couple other things.
02:35You know, nothing's guaranteed, and he said the record's mixed and that.
02:40But I do think he is going to stay, and that doesn't surprise me.
02:45Obviously, the fan reaction wasn't very negative toward that.
02:50To me, I understand it fully.
02:53I get it.
02:55David Stearns was an excellent GM in Milwaukee.
02:58He did have a very good first year here.
03:00You're right.
03:01The trend is not good.
03:02He was not good the last couple of years.
03:04But, look, he took a while to get the GM that he wanted.
03:09Is he perfectly happy?
03:10It's obvious that he's not.
03:12But I'm not surprised, and I think it's correct,
03:15that he's not firing David Stearns immediately.
03:19The other thing was on the Lindor-Soto relationship.
03:23You know, everybody around the team understands that they don't have a great relationship,
03:27and they certainly didn't have one last year.
03:29Maybe it is a little bit better this year, as he suggested.
03:32I found it interesting that him saying that it's better, people said,
03:36oh, wow, they really did have a big relationship.
03:39I mean, we've said this on the show, and maybe they didn't believe us,
03:42or they weren't listening or whatever many times.
03:44But now it's kind of out there.
03:47He did also say that Lindor and Soto, for that matter,
03:51not that anyone thought Soto was going anywhere, aren't going anywhere.
03:55And I know I've seen stuff out there since then, people saying,
03:59oh, I think Lindor is going to get traded.
04:02I know Mike Francesa said they're going to try very, very hard to trade him.
04:05Well, unless he was telling us some fib, I don't believe that.
04:10You know, Lindor is 10-5.
04:13He has full veto power over trades.
04:16My understanding is, from what I hear, people close to him,
04:19he's not going anywhere.
04:21Beyond that, it's not easy to trade someone who's got $175 million to go
04:26in the middle of the year.
04:27The Giants are the only team that seems to want to take these kind of time
04:31tracks on in the middle of the year, and they're sellers.
04:33So I don't see it.
04:35I mean, someone's going to say, oh, the Yankees need a shortstop.
04:37He's not trading him.
04:39First of all, I believe he's not trading him.
04:41Second of all, he's certainly not trading him to the Yankees.
04:43So those are kind of two of the things that definitely stood out for me.
04:47Well, a lot there, John.
04:48I'll start at the end, which is, without us knowing what the future CBA is,
04:54and is there a salary cap?
04:56Is the taxes going to be even tougher if they don't get a salary cap?
05:00It's very hard for any team to acquire a guy who's making $32 million a year
05:04for the next five years without knowing, does that put me way over a cap
05:08if there's a cap?
05:09So I think beyond the fact that the owner is on record telling us he's not being traded
05:15and we would then have to reverse course, I'm going to believe that the player is not
05:20going to be traded.
05:21I will go right to the beginning of what you said.
05:23Look, the Knicks just won the championship, so it's deodorant.
05:26You can do whatever you want.
05:28Leon Rose, the guy who runs the team's operations, he never talks to independent reporters to explain
05:35like, why I didn't sign Mitch Robinson, why I did this, why we're not making trades.
05:39I think it's a real disservice and disrespectful to fans.
05:43So I, A, have a lot of respect that David Stearns, in the worst of times,
05:48every homestand comes out and talks to reporters and does it,
05:51and that the owner of the team comes out fairly regularly.
05:56He's usually on with us, at least, John, twice a year.
05:58However, he's at the ballpark all the time.
06:01So I have a lot, like when most people are hiding, I'll say that Stearns isn't hiding
06:05and I'll say Cohn isn't hiding.
06:08And on the big picture on Stearns, like my, the one thing is I, the biggest thing I thought
06:14that Cohn said, you actually didn't hit on.
06:16And that was that he's really worried about next year because of how bad the farm system
06:21performing is performing at the top while looking at what, what is here.
06:26And yet he is saying he is keeping Stearns.
06:30And again, I think that's the right thing, but he's already anticipating another potentially
06:35bad year, which would be three in a row.
06:38As the team becomes more David Stearns team, the least David Stearns team went to the NLCS.
06:45They made the playoffs the last day of the season, but as it's become more his team,
06:49it's doing worse and worse.
06:50And the owner is anticipating, he said, he pointed out that he is very concerned about
06:57the 2027 Mets.
06:58I'll say this.
06:59I mean, it's his job to be concerned.
07:01I get why he's concerned.
07:03These things change in a hurry.
07:05Let's not forget in 2024, they had a very exciting, certainly finish and overall successful
07:12season.
07:13They added Soto.
07:14And then we thought everything's great.
07:17And they didn't make the playoffs the next year.
07:18Now, they look very, very bad this year.
07:21They are very, very bad this year.
07:23I don't want to sugarcoat it at all.
07:24They are bad this year.
07:26Things change.
07:27They had the number one farm system, at least according to some rankings, toward the beginning
07:32of this year, or at least in the winter.
07:35And right now, it doesn't look as good.
07:38Now, those change quickly, right?
07:40I mean, Tong had like basically almost a zero ERA last year at a high level.
07:45This year, it's like five.
07:47I think these minor leaguers are not consistent.
07:52So that can turn around.
07:53I get why he's worried.
07:55I would be worried, too, if I'm him.
07:57But I'm going to say that can turn around in a hurry.
08:01We didn't expect Ewing to do what he's doing.
08:03Benj, they were hopeful that he might.
08:05But Ewing has obviously become a very, very good player already.
08:10And that's a positive.
08:12So there are positives to look at.
08:13I get why he's worried.
08:16But I think it's cyclical.
08:18And that can turn around in a hurry.
08:20Yeah.
08:20You know, when you talk about things that turn around in a hurry, John, a tortured segue
08:24here.
08:25The Yankees were 46-28 through June 19th.
08:32They have the second worst record in baseball since then.
08:35It's 4-13.
08:37And they pretty much stink at everything for three weeks.
08:42Starting pitching, which we thought would be a strength, has been bad.
08:45The offense and defense has been atrocious.
08:47The attention to detail has been terrible.
08:49You know what I was shocked at, John?
08:50I looked at it this morning.
08:52We have been...
08:53And I think they do need relief pitching.
08:55You're going to tell me the bullpen, right?
08:56The bullpen ERA, right?
08:58The bullpen ERA is number one in the major league.
09:00I just noticed that.
09:01Like, it's the only thing that's formed well in this period of time.
09:05John, I wrote about this the other day, and I do wonder what you think about it.
09:08This is the fifth straight year where someplace in June or July, the Yankees didn't struggle.
09:14They nosedive.
09:15They death spiral.
09:16Pick your term.
09:18And we know what good Yankee teams look like because for the 25 years beforehand, this was very rare for
09:25them to play badly for a stretch of time.
09:2720 games, 30 games, 40 games, 50 games last year.
09:32Is this poorly constructed by Cashman?
09:35Is it bad leadership by Boone and his coaching staff?
09:38Is it bad leadership by a judge and whatever fabric there is in the clubhouse?
09:42I wonder...
09:43This is not coincidence anymore.
09:45It's always June or July after a hot start.
09:48And to their credit, almost always a strong finish that gets them into the playoffs, which I again expect this
09:53year.
09:53But this should be unacceptable.
09:56It is weird.
09:58Look, there have been championship teams that have had tremendous lulls in June or July or even August.
10:05But five years in a row now.
10:07Yeah, it is weird.
10:09But look, 2017 Dodgers, which should have been the champion team, I think they lost 17 of 18 at one
10:15point or 18 of 19.
10:17They obviously lost in the World Series to the trash can Astros.
10:23So, you know, it does happen probably more than we think.
10:27It's a long season.
10:28There's only 198 Yankees.
10:30But it is weird.
10:31I will say that.
10:32Another thing that's weird, which you mentioned, is the bullpen having the best ERA.
10:37Today, I've thought, and maybe I'm wrong, I've thought that's where they need to improve.
10:42And I think that they think that, too.
10:44I think they believe that, right?
10:47Certainly, Bednar's been good.
10:49Cruz has been good.
10:50Hill has been okay.
10:53I'm shocked.
10:55Heitrick has been a real special guy.
10:58Yes, he's been really good, too.
11:00And they said that.
11:01They said in spring training, I remember Boone saying, telling me that this guy is going to be good and
11:07a big lefty, and he has been good.
11:09So it's certainly better than we thought.
11:12I've thought that's where they're going to look to improve.
11:14I will say that that list of bullpen pieces that are going to be available, it's pathetic.
11:19You know, so maybe they will look elsewhere.
11:21Maybe they will emphasize catcher.
11:24I mean, we've mentioned Jeffers on here many times.
11:26I do think that's the great fit for them.
11:30You know, and the Mets are going to sell.
11:32I think the Twins are a game and a half out of a playoff spot.
11:35I know.
11:35I know.
11:36So maybe they need to go back and get Torrens if they can get him.
11:40That's who I would go get rather than Alvarez.
11:43But we know the Mets are going to have a huge sale, right?
11:46So maybe they will trade one or both of the catchers.
11:50I'm not sure about that.
11:51I don't think they're trickling the door.
11:52But I can see them trading one or both of their catchers, potentially.
11:56You know, maybe they need to emphasize catcher.
11:59I did hear they are going to look at the rotation now, which is kind of a shock.
12:03But as you mentioned, they haven't been that good lately out of the rotation.
12:07Can I call out a name to you, John?
12:09And they got questions.
12:11They got questions.
12:12You know, obviously, Freed is still three, four weeks away.
12:16Rodon, four, five weeks away.
12:18So there are some serious questions there.
12:21We don't know.
12:21Schmidt could be coming back, but we don't know when.
12:24Go ahead.
12:24What do you say?
12:28So the answer probably is, one, they need the help right now.
12:33And two, the Mets aren't going to help the Yankees.
12:36In a year where the Mets are terrible, the last thing they want is to trade anyone to the Yankees
12:40who helps them get a parade and have to explain that.
12:43But to me, Clay Holmes is…
12:44I don't think any of their players is getting anyone a parade.
12:46I mean, we've seen them play, right?
12:49But you're probably right.
12:50You're probably right.
12:52Historically, they're not making impact moves, right?
12:55Lee Guterman was traded.
12:57They're, you know, their occasional minor trades.
12:59Jeff Nelson for Armando Benitez was a trade one time.
13:03But I was just saying that Clay Holmes is almost the perfect guy because you know he can handle New
13:08York.
13:08You know he can handle October.
13:09And you know he can help in the rotation now and fold into the bullpen later because you've seen it
13:16all.
13:16And I think this is the best version of Clay Holmes.
13:18I like Clay Holmes.
13:20He's got to get on the mound.
13:21I think he's got to throw some pitch.
13:23I mean, how can you give something up for a guy who has not…
13:26And he was great.
13:26He went at 2-3 ERA.
13:28You know, we'll see.
13:29Can he get on the mound in time?
13:31I don't know.
13:31We're running out of time here.
13:32We've got three weeks to go.
13:34I mean, obviously, very bad luck.
13:36He was their best pitcher.
13:37It is interesting that the guys who performed for the Mets are the guys who were already proven in New
13:45York, right?
13:46Weaver, Soto, Weaver, before that Severino.
13:51But anybody they brought in from wherever it be has underperformed other than New York.
13:57So, I mean, maybe they do need to get guys from the game.
13:59Is Carlos Mendoza in that group?
14:01I like Carlos.
14:03And I…
14:04So did I.
14:04That's one I wish I had pressed on a little bit more.
14:06Or Steve said that they weren't going to pick up the option and, you know, they weren't playing well.
14:12You know, my press would have been, he's doing better than Stearns.
14:17You know, he's having a better year than Stearns.
14:19But what is he going to say to that?
14:21But, yeah, I thought…
14:23I think Mendoza will be a good manager for somebody someday.
14:27This team was not well constructed.
14:29That's the problem.
14:31So, John, I wonder if we could wrap up the segment with this.
14:34I think that last week you said this.
14:38I don't want to put words in your mouth.
14:40But I think last week you kind of, like, the Yankees were two weeks into these struggles and not three
14:44weeks into these struggles.
14:45And you were very much, they're going to be fine.
14:48I do also continue to believe they'll get healthier.
14:52They'll fit some stuff at the deadline.
14:54Their history for 35 years is to figure out how to win 90-something games and get into the playoffs.
14:59There is some overtones to last year's Mets to this team.
15:03Like, where it's like they were great until mid-June.
15:05And then it started to go bad.
15:07And, again, I'll say John Heyman was ahead of the group on this one also.
15:10And I kept saying almost to the finish line, come on, man, they're better than the Cincinnati Reds or the
15:18Miami Marlins in the way that I'm going to say the Yankees are better than, like, whichever, the Baltimore Orioles
15:23or the Minnesota Twins or whatever.
15:26Is there any chance that, like, the Yankees peaked in mid-June and they're in trouble?
15:32It's possible they peaked.
15:34I don't think they're in trouble with one caveat.
15:36If Judge does not come back, and we don't know when Judge is coming back, right?
15:41They won't even say when he's getting the re-imaging.
15:44They do have a date.
15:45I've heard they do have a date in mind, which can change, but they don't want to say anything for
15:50whatever reason, whether it's Judge being brought.
15:51So can I call nonsense on it?
15:53What?
15:54So this is my only thing, John.
15:56And, again, I'm talking to a foremost reporter, and I'm not saying it with false modesty, who I know is
16:02smarter than me.
16:03Like, I always try to be a detective.
16:05Only in math.
16:06Go ahead.
16:08I was trying to play detective.
16:10His imaging was supposed to be done in four to six weeks.
16:14I know I personally asked him if he was still having pain, and he said, I don't want to talk
16:18about it with you.
16:19Like, you know, not mean.
16:20That sounded meaner than it was.
16:21It was very, as you know, Judge is always gracious.
16:24Very nice.
16:25And then in the group, he also said it was fun.
16:27So, yes, he also then said it to a group about a week after I asked him.
16:31He said to the group, we'll talk about the pain afterwards.
16:33It would suggest to me, if he had no pain, then just say you have no pain.
16:37But if he had no pain, I think they do imaging, right?
16:39To say, like, okay, let's see if it's full field.
16:42So the fact, again, I know nothing.
16:44It could be he's asymptomatic and has no pain.
16:47But, like, if he had no pain, why isn't he getting imaging, and why isn't he beginning something that feels
16:52like a ramp-up towards playing?
16:54This feels like they could say they have a target date.
16:57What if the target date's September 15th?
17:00Yeah.
17:01Well, it shouldn't be because originally it told us four to six weeks, and we're – well, we had four
17:05weeks now.
17:06It feels like –
17:06For imaging.
17:07For re-imaging.
17:08Re-imaging, yeah.
17:08Not for playing.
17:09No, not for playing.
17:10He had the similar – not exactly the same, but similar in 2020 when we were all away due to
17:17the pandemic.
17:18And to me, it sounded like he would have been out at that point two and a half to three
17:22months.
17:22So if that's true, we've still got another six to eight weeks to go.
17:29But as I said, if he comes back at all, at least for a few weeks, I think they'll make
17:34it in this league.
17:35This league is worth – to make fun of the Cincinnati Reds all we want last year with the 83
17:40wins,
17:41you might get in with 81 wins right now, right?
17:44Right now, 500 team is the sixth spot, right?
17:47So you could get in potentially with 81.
17:49It seems improbable, but possible in the American League this year.
17:54So I find it hard to believe that they're not going to do better than that,
17:57even after this terrible, terrible turn that they've had.
18:01There's still several games over.
18:03I mean, they were – what were they, 18 over at some point?
18:05That's been cut in half, basically.
18:08But, I mean, look at the names.
18:11You know, these are – you never know in baseball.
18:16We don't know.
18:16We really don't know on Judge at this point.
18:19They're not saying anything.
18:20If Judge is back, they'll be in the playoffs at least.
18:25Yeah.
18:26Look, the other side of that team we know is going to be selling over the next few weeks is
18:31the New York Mets.
18:33Their interim manager who replaced Carlos Mendoza is Andy Green, and he joins us next on the show.
18:43Andy Green.
18:44He's been playing in the major leagues for four seasons.
18:47He was the manager of the San Diego Padres for four seasons, became the bench coach of the Cubs,
18:52and departed that job to – after the 2024 season – or after the 2023 season maybe, right,
18:59to join David Stearns and run the major – the Mets minor league farm system.
19:07And now he's the interim manager of the New York Mets.
19:10Andy, thank you so much for joining us on the show.
19:13Yeah, great to be with you guys.
19:15You've got an interim title, and it looks like the team is going where it's going,
19:22which is not in a great place, right?
19:24Probably going to have to be sellers in the next few weeks,
19:26and it's going to be an overall disappointing season.
19:30What's important to emphasize from here to the finish line for you?
19:33I'm sure you want to win as many games as possible,
19:36but what needs to be emphasized from here to the finish line to set you up better for 2027 moving
19:41forward?
19:41Yeah, I think the goal in baseball, regardless of where you find yourself, remains the same.
19:46It's like to win the baseball game that you're playing that day.
19:49And if you're sold out to doing that, that creates opportunities to build the culture you need.
19:54It creates opportunities for guys to develop and to get better.
19:57And it creates the environment that ultimately leads to long-term winning.
20:01So no matter where you find yourself, there's a game to be played today,
20:05and there's an expectation to go out there and play it to win it.
20:08You know, when you were appointed the interim manager of the Mets,
20:13David Stearns said that you will be returning to your executive role as the farm system director after this season.
20:22Since then, I've talked to people, and they use the words, that's the plan, that's the expectation.
20:29Can you enlighten us at all?
20:31Is there any chance that you'll be the manager next year?
20:35It seems to me like you're qualified.
20:38You were a manager in San Diego.
20:43You know, you worked in a front office,
20:46which is something that people look at as a valuable asset these days.
20:51You know, is there any possibility that you will remain the manager of the Mets?
20:56I think what David and Steve came out and said,
20:58and that I said the first day is the expectation is I am going back to the front office at
21:03the end of the year.
21:03That remains very much the expectation.
21:07I certainly didn't expect to be down here as little as two weeks ago or a week and a half
21:11ago.
21:12So life changes, life moves fast.
21:15My expectation is to do that.
21:16I've got personal reasons why that matters to me.
21:19And at the same time, this fan base, this organization, David and Steve,
21:23deserve the right to go out and find whoever they believe is the best person to lead us going forward
21:30from the dugout.
21:32Andy, everyone who's listening to us or watching should know.
21:35I mean, you're great to deal with.
21:37We see you an awful lot in spring training.
21:39I know I always use you as a resource.
21:42You have great insight into the game and into your team.
21:46And when we talked in spring training, by the way, not just Andy Green, Joel Sherman, too, sorry, third-person
21:51reference,
21:51but thought the Mets were going to have a strong year this season.
21:55And one of the reasons was I actually thought you're going to have a lot of depth to deal with
21:59things.
22:00Why do you think the team is where the team is?
22:03And therefore, you're managing that team.
22:06Yeah, it's been frustrating.
22:07I know it's been frustrating for the fan base.
22:08It's been frustrating at Steve and Alex's level with all they invest from a heart and soul level into this
22:14team and from every single level into this team.
22:17And from the dugout perspective, I know it's been frustrating.
22:20I spent some time talking to Marcus Simeon the other day, and we talked at length about when the team
22:26was put together in Texas in his first year there.
22:29And there was high expectations with him and Corey Seager coming into the clubhouse together, a lot of acquisitions.
22:35And it just didn't take off.
22:38The following year, after winning 68 games, there were World Series champions without substantial changes.
22:44Changed the manager, made a couple additions here and there and subtractions here and there, but largely the same club.
22:51And for whatever reason, it's taking us time to put winning games on the field.
22:57We can point to injuries.
22:59There's been a lot of those this year.
23:00There's been a lot for Mindy to have had to navigate and just haven't found our stride collectively.
23:07And so I think that you can take some hope and perspective in the fact of how quickly baseball can
23:12flip and do genuinely believe there is a lot of talent in this dugout.
23:17Guys work hard.
23:18They're good people.
23:19They're out there pouring their heart into winning every single day.
23:23Do continue to believe that this will click and this will get going well going forward.
23:28That Texas turnaround, that was an interesting point that Marcus made.
23:33What do you see?
23:34What are some of the positives that lead you to think that it is possible that things can turn around
23:39in a hurry?
23:41Because we all know this season has been really, really bad.
23:44But obviously, you must know about the talent, not only at the major league level, but certainly at the minor
23:50league level, being the farm director.
23:52Where do you see the positives going forward?
23:56I think there's a lot of talent here.
23:58I think it's exciting when you look up and we've got A.J. Ewing leading off, who flew through the
24:03system at 21 years old and goes four for four last night, hanging in on tough lefties, takes a walk
24:08as well.
24:09You've got Carson Binge hitting in the middle of the order and looks like that's exactly where he should be.
24:13Got the best hitter on the planet, Juan Soto in your lineup.
24:17Francisco Lindor is exceptionally talented and has played this game at an incredibly high level for a long time.
24:23It's been a tough year for him from just stops and starts with injuries and getting himself going on the
24:28field.
24:29He's going to be a huge part of what we do going forward.
24:32Nolan McLean, Christian Scott.
24:34I think there are real pieces, great players, good people.
24:39And that's what you're looking to build a team around.
24:42And we'll continue to build around those guys.
24:45And there's obviously a lot more high quality players I didn't mention right there.
24:48But that gives you like real hope for a real lineup and a reason to believe like there's good days
24:54ahead.
24:55You know, Andy, there's a bit of a dichotomy on maybe the farm system a little bit.
25:00Because like what team wouldn't sign up every year to have two players debut to the level that Benj and
25:06Ewing are?
25:07And look, McLean's still rookie status this year.
25:10He's working through some stuff, but he's still been better than not with a high upside.
25:16And yet Steve Cohen was with us last week, and he mentioned that he has real concerns for the 20
25:21-2017 team.
25:22Because a lot of your prospect base that made people very excited by the end of last year, the Tongs,
25:28the Wenningers, the Reimers, Ryan Clifford, etc., maybe have backed up a little or stalled this year.
25:36I know you've used the term that it's not linear.
25:38And of course it isn't, that prospects move from point A to Z cleanly.
25:43Are you still optimistic, because this was your job until two and a half weeks ago or so, two weeks
25:49ago.
25:49Are you still optimistic about this group, and if so, why?
25:53Yeah, I think the first responsibility of a farm system is to like add talent to the major league level.
25:58Would you like to have three of the top 25 prospects in the game, or would you like to have
26:03three of those guys up here producing to where they're going to probably on the path they're on?
26:08Like, they're going to be three guys in contention for rookie of the year status.
26:12There's other good rookies out there in baseball.
26:14But any farm system that throws three rookies into the rookie of the year chase, like, has done some positive
26:19things.
26:20That speaks to drafting.
26:21That speaks to coaches.
26:22That speaks to, like, an organizational infrastructure that's churning hard to get guys to the big leagues.
26:27At the same time, we have gone all out to win baseball games over the last number of years here.
26:32We've made trades at the deadline.
26:34I think it's 20-plus players have gone to other organizations.
26:39And as you do that and you take shots at winning, you bring talent in with the expectation of winning,
26:44which is what the New York Mets fans should be having an expectation of.
26:48That's what we have an expectation of.
26:50So as those things happen and that churn occurs, yeah, there's a little bit of a depletion in the farm
26:55system because you want to graduate your best players to the big leagues.
26:59And it's true, there are some guys that haven't had the year that we still genuinely believe they're capable of
27:05at the top half of the farm system.
27:07And most of these guys have come from off the radar to, like, prospect status.
27:14And there's people that deserve some credit for getting them to that point.
27:17Now it's up to us to get them to the next point.
27:19And I've always said that we should love and welcome adversity in the minor leagues.
27:24We can't run from it.
27:25It shows up in the big leagues.
27:26And any place that has development take place that doesn't challenge the players, that they don't see adversity, like, they're
27:35not going to be ready for it all, ultimately hits them in the big leagues.
27:38Bench had a rough spell in AAA last year.
27:40Nolan didn't win a start in his first 10 or 11 AA baseball games.
27:44A.J. Ewing went back to A-ball after punching out a ton.
27:47And these things are good for players and it's good for player development.
27:51We have to use the tough times to kind of launch them to their next level of greatness.
27:56And if we don't embrace that, if we run from it every time and we give up on people because
28:00they run through a tough stretch, we're not going to be fortifying the big league team in years to come.
28:05So I think we're genuinely excited about who has graduated here because of what is intrinsic to them, what is
28:11inside of them, the way they go at the baseball game every single day.
28:14If you have the privilege to watch Carson and A.J. and Nolan compete, they're a great representation of a
28:23lot of people's effort and energy into giving them everything they had to be great.
28:27And we're going to continue to relentlessly do that as well.
28:31Joe and I were supporters of Carlos Mendoza when he was here.
28:35At the same time, and he's not here to really debate this or anything, but I like the idea that
28:42you made a couple of changes, Ewing, at the leadoff spot.
28:46I think that, to me, makes sense.
28:48He has a great idea of the strike zone.
28:50I mean, he's maybe not the incredible savant slash prodigy that Soto is at age 18, knowing exactly which is
28:56a strike and which is a ball, but he's pretty darn good, and that made sense.
29:01Are there other changes that are maybe more subtle that we haven't seen that you've implemented?
29:06Is there anything else you might consider?
29:08I mean, Weaver's been your best reliever.
29:10Can he be the closer, or is it too much of a track record thing that with Williams and the
29:16money and all that, that you wouldn't change that?
29:18Anything else you might change?
29:20And if you could talk a little bit more about the Ewing decision.
29:25C.A.J. is the quintessential leadoff hitter.
29:28I have believed that as we watched him go through the system, it took a few people watching a few
29:34games to realize, like, you know, like he is eventually going to end up there.
29:38I don't think there's anything wrong from Mindy's perspective of, like, waiting for that moment to arrive.
29:43I assume at some point in time, maybe Mindy would have made that decision as well.
29:48Carson profiles a little bit more as a middle-of-the-order bat, driving in runs, and it doesn't mean
29:52A.J. doesn't have pop, but I think A.J., when we made that change, was rocking a 390 on
29:58-base percentage against right-handed pitching.
30:00It's not rocket science when you're seeing somebody do that, to want them to lead off in front of Juan
30:04Soto and get on base at that level.
30:06And to be doing that as a rookie with 12 games in AAA and 200 at-bats under your belt
30:12in the big leagues and flying through AA as well, like, it's incredibly impressive.
30:17And do think, like, Carson is just going to drive in more and more runs as time goes on.
30:21So, I think that one, as I slid into the seat, felt like that was coming in about a weekend,
30:28felt like the right time to do it.
30:29Andy, obviously, the person who's kind of under the glare right now, under the negative spotlight, is your boss, David
30:38Stearns.
30:38He's taken a lot.
30:40You know, the team didn't get into the playoffs last year.
30:43One loss-wise, it looks far worse even this year.
30:48You've worked with him for well more than two years now.
30:51I'm sure you're very positive about it.
30:54If you were trying to explain to the average fan who's furious about David Stearns why David Stearns ultimately is
31:01going to get this turned around, what would you tell the fan?
31:04He's incredibly smart.
31:05He's introspective for evaluating kind of all of our processes, everything we do in the acquisition space, everything we do
31:11in the development space, everything we do in the major league space.
31:14Like, we're committed to getting this right for the fans, for our players, for the organization.
31:22Like, he carries an immense amount of pride in getting this right.
31:25I think what you want in life is to give intelligent people who are introspective opportunity to course correct over
31:33time.
31:33I think a lot of organizations make the mistake of deciding they need to change at the top and not
31:39allowing intelligent people the time to make adjustments and to move forward.
31:43And I think David is the type of person that when you're around him, you realize how introspective he is.
31:48You realize how intelligent he is.
31:50You realize, like, he actually really does get the human element and how tough this game can be, how tough
31:55this market can be at times.
31:56So I think just when you're around people like that, you know, if you just give them time, they figure
32:04it out.
32:04They get it right.
32:05Speaking about this market, you played here briefly, but you've coached, managed all over, right?
32:12Arizona, Chicago, San Diego.
32:15So you've been basically in almost every quadrant of the United States.
32:18New York is something different and something to consider.
32:21And Joel and I had a segment, which we just talked to each other.
32:25And one thing we mentioned was how much more success the team has had signing guys who had already were
32:32New York proven, even going back to Severino.
32:36But certainly Weaver, Soto, you know, Holmes.
32:43It feels like, you know, the ones that were New York proven are the ones that are really succeeding with
32:48the Mets.
32:49I mean, is this a big as big a factor as it seems to us or is this just a
32:54small sample size up we're looking at?
32:56It's definitely something we've discussed internally, aware of especially midstream when a player's only been in one organization and they
33:04come in for a playoff chase.
33:06We had a lot of introspective conversations about that heading into the second half of last year after we made
33:11trades for guys that didn't really find their footing.
33:14So I think we like are asking those questions.
33:17We're talking about that.
33:19And we do genuinely believe that like really good players, when you create the right kind of environment in a
33:24major league space, they tend to flourish in time.
33:27And you can talk about free agent signings all across the game.
33:31Some big ticket signings often take a while to find their footing in any market, not just the New York
33:36market.
33:36So I think that is true to an extent everywhere.
33:39And it probably does ring a little truer here in New York, but it makes winning here all the more
33:45sweet.
33:45It makes it really, really special.
33:47Andy, look, it became a story again in the last week.
33:51Maybe it will get put to bed at some point.
33:53But I'm wondering, again, you're around a lot, especially in spring training.
33:58What do you think of the Soto Lindor dynamic and, in general, the leadership abilities within your clubhouse?
34:08Yeah, they're both great.
34:10You said dynamic.
34:11They're both dynamic baseball players.
34:13And you're hungry to have dynamic baseball players on the field.
34:16They're getting along well.
34:17I did not have a ton of past experience in the major league clubhouse in my old role.
34:22So I wasn't walking through these halls paying attention to those types of things.
34:26I've seen teammates that like each other, teammates that get along well, teammates that go on the field and they
34:31compete like crazy to win baseball games.
34:33And the more winning you do collectively, I've never been in a place where culture doesn't get better after you
34:40post some W's.
34:41Those things help immensely.
34:43But what I'm looking at on a daily basis is guys that enjoy themselves, like themselves, unafraid to have real
34:49conversations in the clubhouse.
34:50And that stuff is what you're looking for and what you want.
34:53That's what's been in abundance over the last 10 days.
34:56A follow-up on my first question, which was about what you might be doing next year.
35:00And, yeah, the way I'm hearing it from other people, as I said, is that it's the expectation, the plan,
35:06that you go back to the front office.
35:08And you alluded, when we asked you about it originally, you alluded to some personal reasons where you, you know,
35:15may not be the best fit for manager.
35:18So my understanding is at least the Orioles, and I think there were multiple teams that showed interest in you.
35:23And you told David you wanted to stay with the Mets, and they kept you in the front office at
35:27that point.
35:28Why did you decide to do this?
35:30And is it your choice for next year?
35:34Is it their choice?
35:35How is it?
35:35How do you think it works?
35:37And what exactly, and I have some idea about your personal situation, but if you could elaborate on that a
35:43little bit.
35:44First, it's their choice.
35:46David and Steve make the determination on, like, where we go in this respect to the organization.
35:52My choice to turn down those opportunities to interview at other places over the last couple years goes to a
36:00few things.
36:00One, I do genuinely enjoy the mission we have, what I was doing, the people I was doing it with.
36:06I don't think there's anything more special than being at the start of somebody's journey and watching them go across
36:12the board and impact your major league club.
36:14I genuinely love that, and I love the people I worked with in that role and in that respect, and
36:19I still very much do.
36:21The personal reason to get into that, why I turned down other opportunities that I think are amazing opportunities in
36:27another time in life I would have been all over is, I've sat in this seat before.
36:32It demands all of you.
36:34The fan base should expect all of you, and it has all of me in this moment.
36:39I have twin daughters who are going to be seniors in high school next year.
36:43There are some seminal moments in their life that I want to be there for that go beyond just cap
36:48and gown day, and that's the last year before my wife and I have an empty nest, and so that
36:53is like a personal reason to me that matters being more present than I believe this job allows next year.
36:59Now, the timing of this when David and Steve made this decision falls into a different window where I can
37:06still fulfill those family, I don't want to say obligations, but desires, because a lot of people sacrifice that to
37:13do other things in life, and I fully respect that sacrifice.
37:16And where I'm at in life, being present for my daughters in their senior year as much as humanly possible,
37:22while still working crazy hard to do something special with a group of people, like, that's real to me right
37:29now.
37:29And the first time I managed, I missed a good portion of their life, because this job is incredibly demanding.
37:36The guys who have sat in the seat know it full well.
37:39It grips you, not just from a time perspective, but emotionally, mentally, and the city deserves all of that.
37:46So that has been one of the reasons I have allowed opportunities to pass by, and it's always been with
37:53a ton of gratitude that people see me as somebody to even consider, because there's a lot of really good
37:58people out there.
38:00And I am certain wherever this ends up next year, we're going to end up in a really good spot
38:05there, but there's a lot of baseball to be played between now and then.
38:08There's a lot we need to focus on before we start talking that far down the road.
38:12We've got games to win, we have an expectation to win, and we have an expectation to make these next
38:18three months as magical as they possibly can be, and recognize that that is incredibly hard, given where we are.
38:24But we're going to keep grinding here to do this really well.
38:27Just to follow up, since I've heard it's the expectation, it's the plan, you know, it's not a hard and
38:33fast.
38:33Is it fair to say that it is possible that you might, if they draft you to do this, that
38:40you could consider it next year as the manager?
38:43Yeah, I am not there at all.
38:47I am here today.
38:48If you asked me two weeks ago if I'd be sitting here talking to you from this role, I would
38:53have told you no chance in the world.
38:55So I'm done trying to predict the future, done trying to predict where I will be three months from now.
39:01I am here, I'm present, pouring everything in to try to make this as best as possible, and to go
39:06win baseball games, because our fan base deserves that, our city deserves that, our players deserve that.
39:11So I'm all in right now, and that's where I remain.
39:16As a way to wrap this up, maybe one twin dad to another is in this situation, something real positive,
39:25which there's a tinge of negative to it, is Juan Soto has played as great as you can pretty much
39:30play these last two years, and the Mets haven't kind of followed.
39:33I do wonder, when you have the eye level that you have, this is an historic offensive player, and really
39:41just a good baseball player.
39:43Give us an insight maybe you have today into Juan Soto you didn't have two weeks ago, because you're getting
39:49to do it from the office you're in now, and the viewpoint you're in now.
39:53Yeah, the focus, the time he steps on deck, this time he steps in the box, reminds me of watching
40:01my old bench coach when I was still young, and watching Mark McGuire's focus as he stood on deck before
40:07he went to the box in that chase where he hit 70 homers.
40:11And just seeing that relentless focus, it's a separator. He doesn't give at-bats away ever. It doesn't mean he
40:19wins every one, but Juan is as special as I've ever had the opportunity to be around.
40:24And one of the greatest things about being in a major league dugout is being around greatness, and he is
40:29that. And he also made a heck of a catch last night in the game. It was a really impressive
40:33diving play.
40:34Yeah, that was a Russian novel of a game last night. A lot was going on, including a great play
40:38by Soto diving into the line. Andy, this is a rough time for the MET organization. It's a time of
40:45real transition for you. And your graciousness here is appreciated that you would join us on the show. We wish
40:52you nothing but success moving forward, and thank you again for joining us on our podcast.
40:57I appreciate you guys. Thanks for the time.
40:59Thanks, Andy.
41:33We'll see you next time.
41:34Guys, but he's one of the guys. He's one of the top guys. The game's in Philadelphia. He came back
41:39from the thoracic outlet syndrome like no one's ever come back from it before.
41:44Even before the no-walk 14 strikeout game yesterday, he was deserving.
41:50You know, I think that the factored in was that he's pitching Sunday, which some other guys are pitching Sunday
41:57too, but pitching Sunday, and they would have had to replace him.
41:59But he should have been put on the team, but he should have been put on the team and then
42:01replaced.
42:02And I think also they thought about the fact that he declined the last couple of years, right?
42:08Maybe that was a factor.
42:09And they said, hey, this guy's not that enthusiastic about it.
42:13But we're not going to – because it's hard to figure out why he's not on the team.
42:17Logan Webb's fantastic, but he's got a three-and-a-half VRA.
42:21It's Paul Skeen, same thing.
42:23So I didn't get it.
42:25Zach Wheeler was correct.
42:27He should be on this team.
42:28Yeah, I think he should be on the team also.
42:29And I'm with you, John.
42:30Just name him and replace him so that, you know, he gets to say he's an all-star justifiably,
42:35something that might help what might end up being a borderline Hall of Fame career, you know, where you get
42:40to say some people –
42:41I don't care about it.
42:42But, like, some people might say the difference between, you know, he was a five-time, six-time, seven-time,
42:47whatever number of time all-star.
42:48He deserved it this year.
42:49John, somebody who is going to the all-star game.
42:51I just – Shohei Ohtani, let's give a hit, hit his 300th homer yesterday.
42:58And I just – again, every once in a while, I just like to do this.
43:03So Shohei Ohtani has hit 20 homers with a 949 OPS in 391 plate appearances.
43:10In 340 plate appearances against as a pitcher, he's allowed four homers.
43:15That's plus 16.
43:17And he has a 519 OPS against, which is plus about 450.
43:23So he – it would be remarkable if he pitched once every three weeks or, like, okay.
43:31But he is – I mean, I think we've lost our awe at just what he's doing.
43:39And that he – and I just wanted – at the moment of a milestone, hitting his 300th homer, he's
43:44a full-time pitcher and he's one of the 10 best at that.
43:46He's a full-time hitter.
43:47He just might be the plain best at that, especially with Judge out.
43:51So, it's – every once in a while, I do think it needs a pit stop to go, guys, this
43:57is the same human being doing this.
43:59It's still stunning.
44:01Yeah, and he runs well, too.
44:03You know, he wanted to steal 50 bases, so he did.
44:06He wants to win the Cy Young now – I mean, to win the Cy Young when you've got a
44:10950 OPS, it looks like it's not going to be possible.
44:14He's having a fantastic year, but, you know, there's other guys having even more fantastic years.
44:19He's the greatest player that any of us have ever seen.
44:22I don't want to hear any debate over it.
44:24Obviously, Barry Bonds is an amazing player.
44:27He did cheat.
44:28You know, Alex Rodriguez is an amazing player.
44:30He also did cheat.
44:32Otani is not cheating and doing fantastic stuff both ways, pitching and hitting.
44:39And we've seen other guys try to be a pitcher and a hitter.
44:43And, like, who's – nobody came close, but did anyone –
44:48was anyone productive both ways that we've seen?
44:51I don't think so.
44:53Not even, like, productive, like, you know, a 750 OPS plus a 3.5 ERA.
45:00We haven't even seen that.
45:01So not that I expect to.
45:04He's one of the greatest athletes ever.
45:07And I'm not going to speak for all athletes because I'm not an expert in these other sports.
45:11But he is the greatest baseball player that any of us will ever see, and there's no debate there.
45:18Yeah, I'm with you, John.
45:20You know, I'm up at the network as I do this.
45:21And a couple of weeks ago on one of the shows, somebody was still doing well.
45:25Should he just be pitching or just be hitting at this point?
45:28And I'm like, well, what would he have to do to convince you that he should do both?
45:33He's, like, one of the best at both.
45:35Like, until, like, he breaks down completely at one of them, the advantage he gives –
45:41by the way, with one of the extra advantages, they get to play with 14 pitchers when everyone else is
45:46limited to 13.
45:47And they need him at the – I mean, Snell and Glasnow are out.
45:50It's a gigantic advantage, as well.
45:51Right, Snell and Glasnow are out at this point.
45:53So they need him as a pitcher.
45:55He's still not giving up his hitting, right?
45:56So I guess they're saying giving up the pitch.
45:59It's ridiculous.
46:00And also, we live in the real world.
46:01They're making hundreds of millions of dollars.
46:04Yeah, they're making hundreds of millions of dollars off the fact that he is this incredible phenomenon.
46:12You know, they'd still make big money because he'd still be Shohei Ohtani if he gave up pitching.
46:17But they're making hundreds of millions of dollars.
46:21And it enabled them to do whatever they want.
46:24One of the things they wanted to do was to give Kyle Tucker $60 million a year.
46:29I don't get that.
46:30The Mets can breathe a sigh of relief over that.
46:32That's the highlight of the Mets' year, the fact that Kyle Tucker didn't want to come to New York.
46:37Thank God.
46:39That's the one positive we could take.
46:40I mean, obviously, Soto's having a good year.
46:43Luke Weaver's doing well.
46:44But can you imagine if they had a $240 million contract of Kyle Tucker on the books, too?
46:51Yeah.
46:51You know, John, is it possible the two highlights of the Steve Cohen administration is the Dodgers beat him out
46:56for both Kyle Tucker and Trevor Bauer?
46:58I knew you were going to say that.
47:00Yeah.
47:01I was fortunate.
47:03Look, the Mets have made efforts all over it.
47:06Right?
47:06Verlander, who retired.
47:08Congratulations to him.
47:09We could have had him as a hit.
47:10A fantastic career.
47:12They spent the $43 million on Verlander.
47:14They spent the $43 million on Scherzer.
47:16I don't want to say that they're not trying or he's a bad owner.
47:18Oh, they're trying.
47:19Yeah.
47:20That was snarky of me.
47:23Yeah.
47:23No, I know.
47:24I'm not talking about you.
47:25I'm just talking about the fans that I'm reading.
47:27And he's a bad owner.
47:28He's trying hard.
47:29That's what you need from the owner, to give them money.
47:32That's number one.
47:34Right?
47:34Now, obviously, they've got to do better on the decision-making.
47:37The answer might be to spend less.
47:39Maybe.
47:40Maybe it's better to spend less.
47:42I don't know.
47:43They certainly, I think.
47:44Well, so the question you asked, John.
47:46Yeah.
47:47You asked about, like, is there a lot of pressure in New York?
47:49I mean, and you rightfully pointed out, it's kind of like the ex-Yankees who have succeeded here.
47:56Like, when they've come with some, you know, acclaim.
48:00I just wonder, is, like, do you have to back off at the, like, is there something?
48:04Because clearly, like, Max Fried has succeeded with the Yankees, like, as a big guy from the outside.
48:10Like, the Yankees have had some success.
48:12We always do Ed Witson on them, but it's been a long time since Ed Witson.
48:15Like, they've had a lot of success in free agency.
48:18The Mets, at the highest levels of free agency, outside free agency, have not.
48:23And I just wonder, like, do they need to maybe go into the more comfortable zone of David Stearns?
48:31And as much as it's, that Cohn's capable of spending at the top of the market, should he pull back
48:37a little bit?
48:38Well, I wouldn't advise that.
48:40But, yeah, I mean, certainly, Stearns was very successful in Milwaukee on a shoestring.
48:46So, I don't know if you would repeat that in New York.
48:49I don't think you can.
48:51The fans would not probably allow that.
48:54You should be having an advantage being able to spend $380 million instead of $100 million.
49:00That should be a major advantage.
49:02And you probably can't limit yourself to just guys you've had before or played for the Yankees.
49:07It is weird, as you mentioned, if you point this out correctly, the Mets have had a far bigger issue
49:14with the transition to New York than the Yankees.
49:17Right?
49:17Ed Witson is, what is that, 40-something years ago at this point, almost 50 years ago, probably.
49:24The Mets have had, Alomar was not the same by Aragut, I mean, George Foster, but, I mean, there have
49:29been a number.
49:29Beltran wasn't good the first year anyway.
49:31He was great after that.
49:33Even Lindor wasn't great the first year.
49:35I don't know what it is.
49:36Something about the Mets, Dave Lennon tells me it's built on burial grounds or something like that.
49:40I don't know if that's apocryphal or an actual thing, but there's something weird going on with the Mets.
49:47And it's not, for whatever, it's been going on for now 60-something years, almost as long as I've been
49:53around.
49:56It's something.
49:57But I do think they should spend.
49:59They should just spend better.
50:00Yeah.
50:01All-star game coming up on Tuesday, the end of the first half on Sunday.
50:06The draft begins on Saturday.
50:08Our all-star is Tommy Hogan, our producer.
50:11Thank you, Tommy, so much.
50:12Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts, please rate and review us.
50:17It does help the show.
50:18So does going to the New York Post Sports YouTube page and watching our show.
50:24And please continue to stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and John Heyman.
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