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00:04what's up everybody welcome back to straight out of flushing it's your boy Dexter Henry alongside
00:09my guy Tyler Ward the Mets coming off of series the Peter Lonzo return it is over they got swept
00:16by the Orioles but you know we're not really that much here for the wins and losses although
00:21be nice to have seen some wins that is over with the Mets are now moving on to their final
00:26home
00:26series of the season but we've got a lot to talk about we are going to get the final word
00:30on Peter Lonzo we're also going to talk about our guy the catcher Mr. Alvarez and what's going on with
00:38him we're going to look at the Mets bullpen and Daniel Duarte his season is over how do we look
00:42at that and then we're going to go down to the farm and look at Wardy's boy I'm going to
00:46put that stamp
00:47on him already this is a positive one people Mr. Jefferson Rojas who's been impressive in his first
00:51two games at Syracuse Wardy how you doing long time no see since I saw you earlier this week
00:57at Citi Field how's it going my friend everything is going Dex you know I think it's fitting that
01:01from the time we were at the ballpark 72 hours ago for the first game of Peter Lonzo's return to
01:06since
01:07then a lot came to fruition exactly as I expected it to so I'm sure we're going to have ourselves
01:12quite the discussion at the top of this and throughout regarding what was a messy series for
01:18the New York Mets messy messy is a good word messy is a really good word here uh interesting series
01:24uh you know I've had my thoughts on some things here and including with with the Mets fans and I
01:29think there's no way you can't not talk about the Alonzo situation than not talk about you know Mets
01:35fans reception and then what all that means for the team and what folks are saying about David
01:40Sterns but Wardy let me ask you first you predicted two home runs in this series we saw none on
01:47Monday
01:47and then uh won a piece in the final two games of the series what did you make of Pete
01:54Alonzo's
01:54performance overall in the series at everything that went down with the New York Mets I thought
02:00he was stereotypical Pete you know think about it Alonzo literally did nothing this entire series
02:04besides hit a couple big home runs first was of course the game time bomb in the ninth inning
02:09against former Fred now foe for his sake and Kodai Senga because if anyone's going to sit on a ghost
02:14fork that Kodai throws 10 times in a row and make sure that it doesn't completely miss the plate it's
02:19going to be Pete Alonzo obviously it was his teammate all these years that's why Senga even
02:23said postgame he wasn't even like mad at it because it was Alonzo out of all people then we fast
02:28forward
02:28to yesterday and of course he hits a towering bomb at the start of the game as he is naturally
02:33miked up
02:34by ESPN because if there's one thing we know about ESPN coverage in the New York Mets is always
02:38painting a bad picture for the New York Mets in this case was Pete Alonzo of course being the home
02:43run
02:43Kane um sharing his opinions throughout the entirety of the game I thought Pete again was
02:48as advertised and I just there's a lot that I have there's a lot that I have to say on
02:54Alonzo's
02:54return to city field but for now I'll just say it was very much so what I expected which according
03:00to
03:01some Mets fans online is quite contrary from their initial belief heading into the matchup so throwing
03:06it back to you what was your thoughts on Alonzo how he fared and ultimately the fanfare that came along
03:11with it yeah as far as how he fared I wasn't shocked about that and you're right we got typical
03:16Pete Alonzo here in what he did I do think it was a nice moment for him hitting 300 back
03:22of the place
03:22he's hit the overwhelming majority of his home runs I thought that was pretty I thought that was dope
03:29um I've already said this I'm not going to belabor it too much I did not think the fans needed
03:33to
03:33give him a curtain call consider it was a game-tying home run I'm with Sean Minaya and some other
03:37folks on this um but what I will say in the outcome of all of this and I've seen a
03:45lot of
03:46commentary and I think it's clear fans are trying to communicate some level of frustration particularly
03:53with David Stearns now and I have a question for you on this but what I'll say to this is
04:01and you've heard me talk about this a little bit before I understand fans trying to communicate
04:05the frustration fans you pay your money you go to the games you can boo you do whatever the hell
04:09you want don't really care as long as you're not disrespecting anybody uh personally I get that
04:16I think we have to talk about this as a sports loving community
04:22you want to cheer for Pete is that really getting the message to David Stearns and company here
04:27is that really what's gonna work is that really is are the you know David Stearns sitting there like
04:32man you know what I gotta be better than next year because you guys were cheering for Pete or
04:38then saying fire Stearns like no I I will stand I will stand and I'll die on this hill I
04:45think if
04:45fans fans you can do whatever you want but if you want the biggest impact to the front office and
04:50the
04:51ownership the best thing you could do is withhold your money and not show up that's a if you really
04:57want to talk about protesting as fans because some fans saying what's our right to protest we should
05:01be able to say whatever yeah you can say whatever you want but I'm just asking is that really
05:05effective are you really affecting any change that is the question I would ask here I understand the
05:11frustration for the Mets fan I understand after this year I understand after everything the Mets
05:15fans been promised Wardy you know it too I've seen you frustrated although you've told me this has
05:20been tempered frustration this year I've heard you say that I'll throw this back to you and say
05:26what do you what exactly do you think fans are trying to communicate during this three game series
05:32against the Orioles was it appreciation for Pete Alonzo was it frustration with the Mets in their
05:37front office or kind of a mix of both it's the latter it's it's a combination of everything Dex and
05:44you
05:44know I stayed this last time I live show I'll be saying it in content today for viewers on Wardy
05:49NYM and
05:49I'll say it to you here because this is something that I'm still trying to understand how people are
05:55thinking in the way that they are and what I'm saying is there's been I'm not saying this is
06:00you specifically just a lot of people online over the past 22 hours throughout this have been you
06:05know operating as if they're the fan police where oh well if you act this way then you're not a
06:10true
06:10fan or well if you were for Pete Alonzo to hit a home run then you're not a true fan
06:14well I guess
06:14the clip of Steve Cohen seen Alonzo hit a home run over the past day or two clapping emphatically
06:19and response that I guess Steve isn't a true fan either you know we can play this song and dance
06:24all that
06:24we want but here's the facts regarding Mets fans 30 plus thousand roaring at game one in which you
06:30and I were both there and then what they did in the games after here's simply why they reacted the
06:34way
06:34that they did it really isn't hard class but let me break it down to you in case I need
06:38to let's start
06:38with the following where are the New York Mets is here absolutely no man's land where have they been
06:43for a counter plus year now and no man's land a bottom three team in major league baseball so let's
06:48add
06:49that layer into this then let's add in the layer of allowing Pete Alonzo to walk a homegrown town
06:54someone who many Mets fans never want to see leave the organization regardless of that core shortcomings
06:59to get over the hump to actually win a championship it wasn't Alonzo's sole fault the reason as to why
07:04the New York Mets did not make playoffs last year but nonetheless the Mets made their change and Alonzo was
07:10part of that change then we add in the other layer which is not only making that change to break
07:15away
07:16from the core but to do nothing to properly replace and replenish that we've talked about constantly
07:20decks it's one thing to allow your homegrown home run Kane to literally part be parted with in his
07:25prime still it's another when you have no proper replacement for him at first base besides the nice
07:32blossoming of Jared Young this year when called upon and the power is most certainly gone because
07:37the Mets did nothing to properly allocate in other areas to supplement the power that they lost
07:42from Pete Alonzo's departure then we get into more so on the front of the David Stearns effect right
07:50it's not just about Pete Alonzo it's that Pete Alonzo is a glaring example of how much David has gotten
07:56wrong early as president's organization and we look at the full the absolute failure that has been this
08:02season for the New York Mets and David Stearns it's not just signing Luis Robert it's not just banking on
08:08Jorge Polanco boneheadedly it's not just going ahead and being complacent with at times the aspects not
08:14so much this year but in years past the bullpen or at times the rotation you know it's a combination
08:20of
08:20all these things the lack of winning and of course fan appreciation because what is one thing that Alonzo
08:26brought to the table that not many Mets players in this current core group have been able to provide
08:30because a lot of them haven't been here long and that's availability say what you will about Pete
08:34Alonzo is defensive shortcomings because I know I have plenty over the years of someone who covered
08:38him every single day for half a decade I can tell you very much so I'm not the biggest lover
08:42of Alonzo's
08:43defense nor are many of you guys watching this but the availability that comes with Pete is what's
08:47raining true and what we see things as egregious as Pete Alonzo having more home runs at city field
08:54this year than Jorge Effie and Polanco that's a problem so my thoughts and my response to fans
09:01how in the outcry and you know the outpouring support for Alonzo it is all those things combined
09:06would this have been the exact same if the Mets were in the heart and in the trenches of a
09:11playoff
09:11push right now no it would not have been they would have still gave Alonzo his flowers but I promise
09:16you there would have been far more boo birds at city field if Alonzo hit that game time tank game
09:21two
09:21of the series and naturally that impacted the Mets playoff hopes the way that the Orioles needed to sweep
09:27the Mets still to be three games below 500 as they're pushing for that final wild card spot
09:31in the American League okay so context is so important behind all this so for the fans out
09:37there that can't rationalize or wrap their head around as to why Mets fans would react in this way
09:42the simple answer is this along with Pete Alonzo is not just any former Mets decks I don't know
09:48if you've gotten to paint the picture by now Alonzo is literally the home run cane of the organization
09:53he is deemed by many as a top five fixture in the organization's history for someone
09:58who never even won championship here but because of the home runs because of on and off the field
10:04how much he positively impacted the community look at his interaction with the three Mets fans
10:09post game in the tunnel after he got the 300 ball back literally had beers with them sign everything
10:14for them invite them to O's games VIP packages they name it they are going to get it that's who
10:22Pete
10:23look at that and we look at everything that happened none of this should be surprising and
10:27the fact that we even have Sean Minaya coming out here and essentially saying how it's a little
10:32perplexing you know I understand how it can be a little bizarre from a player point of view but if
10:37you just paid attention the context as to how we got here nothing and I mean nothing should have
10:42been surprising with what we saw over the past 72 hours so I think the context matters for sure I
10:48absolutely do I I have also been clear I'm not and I know you weren't saying this to me I'm
10:54not fan
10:55police guy you can fan however the hell you want to oh no there's specific individuals I have in mind
11:00I do think I didn't like the situation of it being a game-tying home run that's for me and
11:07I say this
11:08specifically to the Mets fan base a fan base that has been called little brother sometimes sometimes
11:17can have that little brother complex I know some Mets fans don't want to hear it but sometimes they
11:20do I want to see a standard and say hey you know what that situation there we're not going to
11:26now if
11:28you want do I disagree with you that it's all mixed up and some of the ires to David Stearns
11:33and all this
11:33other stuff I agree with you I agree with you but where I draw the line but what I say
11:40to fans is a lot
11:41of fans this isn't exclusive to Mets fans what I'm saying just to be very clear this is sports fandom
11:48and we all love sports we've gotten to doing this because we love sports we love this is why we
11:52do
11:53this but I think fans sometimes can like too much the passion of what they can say and do at
12:00the
12:00ballpark or the stadium or the basketball arena but aren't really willing to be about that life and
12:07what I mean by that is are you willing to put your money where your mouth is for the Mets
12:13fans again
12:14I'm going to say this if you really want to tell me that this is your ire you have had
12:18enough of this
12:18team you don't show up show me that I want to see that from a group of sports fans and
12:26then I'll be
12:26impressed and say that is a real protest now for the players that side of it I got what Sean
12:31Mania was
12:32saying if I'm out there we're still trying to close this out we are busting our ass
12:37and I see it it feels around like the fans are rooting for the opposition I get the context he
12:45loves Pete I get why he feels some kind of way I get it I understand a lot night one
12:52for the fans
12:53night two come on after the first that after the final at-bats game one like that's that's great
12:58like that's that's nonsense to me like I'm not in favor of those fans let me let me clarify that
13:03okay
13:04because some people are lumping the fans and that are leaving like halfway through the game
13:08as the same ones that are just cheering for Pete every time he has his at-bat I don't I
13:12don't think
13:12that's true I fall in the category of I respect the people that were admiring Pete's return to city
13:17field giving him the flowers that he deserves but not the ones that were literally there just for the
13:21sake of Pete and then leaving like you can do if you're going to spend your harder money to attend
13:25these games I understand you want added incentive because the Mets aren't enough for you clearly
13:29um can't fault them there but leaving games decently prematurely I I don't rock with that for that
13:36specific reason no I I don't either and I think if you again people gonna spend their money and do
13:43what they're gonna do if you came just to uh let's put it like this how I'm trying to think
13:48of the best
13:48way to phrase it if you can't it's not really a hate watch but you came to just see Pete
13:52Alonso
13:52hopefully jack some bombs so you think that you're sticking it to David Stearns and company
14:00I I think it's a little lame and you're not just to be clear you're not but your money your
14:07time
14:07do whatever you want to do we talked on Monday when we said that how dope it was to see
14:12the fans
14:13early before the game in the lower bowl showering Pete with love thought it was great thought it was
14:18amazing right you and I stood next to each other and watched the tribute video video together thought
14:22it was great those thought the standing oh we got was fantastic okay thought it was great
14:30I thought past night one it's a bit much you gave him the night it's good now you can move
14:37on I get
14:38that the Mets fans frustrated I do get it and we'll get to more reasons why but I guess what
14:44I'm saying
14:45in all of this is look there's bigger questions around this team than Pete Alonso Mets fans love Pete
14:50Alonso they always should love Pete Alonso he's the home run king sadly for Mets fans he's not here
14:56anymore we have to move on David Stearns has to move on to make some decisions and I will say
15:03this
15:04because I didn't react to this it immediately as you said it whoo that Jorge Polanco stat is damning
15:10that Jorge Polanco stat tells you everything you need to know about 2026 it's it's a it's a great
15:16shout out some shout out to my guys Mark Mark and James the Mets community they know who they are
15:20they put that on next yesterday I was like you gotta be I'm like actually I'm not surprised at all
15:26to see this just like it's it as we've been saying if that isn't a prime example on how the
15:32years went
15:32for the David Stearns and this New York Mets team I don't know what is right I do um I
15:38do think
15:39one other thing Wardy I do think one other point you made that was really good that I want to
15:44support
15:44and you and I have talked about this throughout the season when we talked about David Stearns
15:48availability and please please please folks keep that in mind as we go into the offseason
15:53because Wardy and I have talked about it it's a great point about Pete Alonso the fact that
15:57however you felt about him his hitting maybe you thought he's too power heavy you didn't like the
16:02defense but Wardy's right here he was available you know who's not been available Jorge Polanco
16:11which he's literally been hurt since Santa Marta field yes he's literally he's literally been hurt
16:16since March 28th Dex like I remember the report like it was yesterday and what makes Mets fans crazy is
16:23he had a history of this before it's I know it's not like this came out of nowhere it's not
16:29like you
16:30didn't wait wait wait wait Dex you you mean to tell me that it didn't make rational sense from the
16:35start to bank on a player for first right for first base reps who's never had those reps in his
16:40major league career and played 70 percent of the time at DH last year how how could you fathom such
16:45a thing I mean again this is this is how I feel like I've been talking like a smart aleck
16:51all year
16:51long because it's just the Mets were built heading in the season banking on player development to their
16:58credit a lot of that has worked out this year with the youngsters in the rotation or Benji Ewing
17:03what have you I'm not discrediting that at all and Stearns has had his hands on those things as
17:07Andy Green from player development to manager but anything that's external for the most part
17:12anything that has to do with proper return on investment like oh my god like David Stearns
17:19still has not a single clue what he's doing he finally figured out the deadline by bolstering the
17:24farm as we're gonna wrap the show by getting into some of the positives from said deadline
17:29but the final thing that I want to leave here with you Dex because you touched on this and then
17:33this can put a bow on our laws of discussion sure I've said it many times over the years that
17:38the
17:38best way for an or a fan base to actually protest is to not show up but here's the thing
17:44about Mets
17:45fans we're sickos okay the fact that we're Mets fans as long as we have been when we only have
17:51two
17:51championships to flex tells you all you need to know so with becoming a Mets fan it not only builds
17:59character but it builds loyalty and the most lopsided relationship imaginable right I you know
18:04I reference this all the time Dex being a diehard Mets fan is like being in a toxic relationship where
18:09you cling on to that one day out of a seven day week where your girl or your man treats
18:14you right
18:14but the other six days they treat you like absolute trash but you cling on to that one day
18:19you're hoping what my friend what Dex my friend what I'm listening to you say that and I know you
18:25hear
18:25yourself as you're saying this I know doesn't that sound sad doesn't that sound sad everything
18:30about being a Mets fan is sad Dex that's why we want to win that's that's exactly why that's why
18:37fans that are out here saying like you know friends of the community saying oh the Mets and the fan
18:41base
18:42embarrass themselves this weekend it's already a low bar what are we talking about stop acting like we're
18:48we're we're on this pedestal like we're this story grandchild as all this resounding success
18:54oh my god I mean the bar the bar so the bar's so low but we gotta raise it we
18:59have to raise it
19:01we have we can't raise it but why are we worrying about raising at the end of the season for
19:05a Mets
19:06team that's on pace to lose 90 games I'm just come on I'm just saying you gotta raise it so
19:12you can
19:13have some more standards for next season I hear you I want y'all here's my point though that's what
19:18I want go ahead there this is my point though Dex Mets fans are still going to show up whether
19:23we
19:23like it or not we can all come together our podcast their podcast their podcast this show that show
19:30this night post game that night post game we can all come together as a Mets community and talking
19:34at and say no more attending Mets games you want to know what they're still going to attend so we
19:39need
19:40to kick that out of the discussion because it ain't reality so what is reality is what Mets fans
19:46can do to make themselves heard and that's what they did or this past series with guys like David
19:52Stearns and Steve Cohen um I think David heard it loud and clear and I promise you that David to
19:57this
19:57day has people in his circle that are not happy with the allows of departure and I promise you he
20:04himself probably has levels of regret maybe not immediate levels of regret but in the sense that
20:09everything is blowing up in his face in real time at once right Alonzo famously in an interview that
20:15we saw I believe in Tampa a couple years ago prior to the 2025 contract happening stated along the lines
20:23with an exclusive here at the post basically saying David while you're worried about your
20:27reffing projections I'm gonna worry about being a 500 home run hitter and getting in the hall of fame
20:32regardless if I'm in the Mets uniform or not and what is happening year one in the
20:36or in his Baltimore world's tenure an exact continuation of what he has predicted and
20:41talk about things going wrong they couldn't have went went worse for what David Stearns was trying to
20:46sell to this fan base versus the reality and allowing their homegrown uh their homegrown home
20:51run came to leave but that that's my TED Talk Dex this isn't just the Pete Alonzo show there's a
20:56lot
20:56of some talking about Pete for the entire season I'm over it okay um onto the next I'm over it
21:01there's a lot there's a lot more questions around the Mets than Pete Alonzo speaking of that uh we
21:06will move on to Francisco Alvarez okay Mr. Alvarez has struggled he did not play in the finale of the
21:15series against the Orioles uh in the series against Baltimore one for nine okay but last seven games
21:23folks 148 it's what Mr. Alvarez is hitting all right let's stretch that out a little bit more
21:30okay so you might say that small sample size bad week okay last 15 games 176 9 for 51 two
21:38homers
21:4022 strikeouts right and then when you just look at the season in totality
21:46so OPS of 702 15 homers 37 ribbies over 106 games that he's played he struck out 121 times that
21:57is a
21:57career high folks for Francisco Alvarez so if the season ended today just to be clear slugging percentage
22:06and his OPS slugging percentage which is 392 OPS those are all career lows for Francisco Alvarez
22:16I'm not even talking about the defense right now we haven't even got to that just talking about
22:19hitting just talking about hitting I say all that to bring those stats for context Mr. Wardy
22:28he's struggling how concerned are you with these recent struggles and does that change
22:36your confidence in what the Mets can expect from his bat or what you even can expect from his bat
22:41next
22:42season because I'm starting to get a little bit concerned if I'm being honest if I'm being honest
22:47to Dex it's not concern that's the first word that pops in my head it's frustration is what it is
22:52because at the end of the year Alvarez was a guy who I really thought was going to hopefully take
22:57that
22:57next step have his most successful season in the sense of power since his breakout as a 21 year old
23:03in 2023 and obviously started the year with ailment but this is still the most games that he's played
23:08since the 2024 season four more home runs in that season sure but you know not nearly as
23:14quality when looking at some of the at-bats he's had and you know Alvarez appears right now since
23:20the 2023 breakout with power he's been moving the lateral at best when it comes to both offensive and
23:26defensive production and defensively we know he's lacked oddly enough he's actually had some more
23:31defensive value this year than he did last season he hasn't been as egregious as what he was last year
23:36which is a plus but you know when you look at the two that they gave Louis Terenz earlier this
23:42year
23:42you know Stearns give credit where credit's too that's one of the few things that seems like you
23:46know he made the proper decision on right um having a catching tandem of two guys batting around 230
23:52with over 700 OPS is great you really can't find catching tandems like that much in baseball today
23:57because catching is such a rarity especially when it comes actually heading decently well in today's game
24:02but when we look at Alvarez as the individual player I think both things can be true he's heading
24:07into his age 25 season still for many catchers them just getting their career started and I
24:12be to this drum for so long because I just think it's unbelievably relevant um many catchers do not
24:17break out until they're mid to late 20s and the way that Alvarez has been in the bigs literally since
24:22he made his debut at the age of 20 I think should tell you that while yes I can understand
24:27a level of
24:27concern and frustration with things not developing the way that we would have liked to this point
24:32I also will argue that it's still premature to say that oh we just need to completely write him off
24:37and the reason why I say that is again a lot of it has to do with the age and
24:40a lot of it also has to
24:41the fact that the Mets have a Luis Terenz that they can bank on where if we get into next
24:46season
24:46and Terenz looks like the more viable option then okay have Alvarez earn his keep have him see how he
24:53can thrive and maybe a bit more of a limited sample because transparently I think Alvarez can
24:58thrive maybe playing one game out of three and Terenz handling the two out of the three and then
25:03having some games or one warranted that so doesn't left put Alvi at DH and have Terenz at catcher
25:08that was working at parts throughout the summer but as we know Alvarez this year has just been
25:14unbelievably underwhelming the bats of ball skills have been at times agreed to see striking out at
25:18roughly 31 percent we talk about K percentages Dex and we talk about guys like Billy Amick for
25:24example how awesome he's been in Syracuse but how in order for him to transition to the major league
25:29level and likely have success he's going to need to make sure that he's not striking out anything
25:32worse than the 25 to 30 percent rate at the major league level while he's currently doing that at the
25:37minor league level Alvarez has continued to climb the ladder essentially and K rate from his rookie
25:43season he was at 26 percent 2024 and 23 less games was at 25 percent 2025 26.4 and now
25:52this year is the
25:53worst yet so two Mets fans of one Alvarez gone I understand you to a degree but my counter is
25:59is
25:59what what's the replacement thought process there okay Chris Suero looks very exciting in the Mets
26:05minors but if you're worried about a guy swinging missing a lot I promise you're going to be very
26:09underwhelmed with Chris Suero who's batting around the Mendoza line with a north of 800
26:13OPS he's very feast for famine and he has a lot more developing to do when it comes to contact
26:18ability the defense also has development to do but he can play catcher he can play center field and he
26:24can play for space so he's really this awesome hybrid of a player that you can find unique ways to
26:29put
26:29him in the lineup should he especially get hot with the bat outside that though it's slim pickings
26:34right now as to who would be that next man up in the Mets organization so unless the Mets have
26:39a trick
26:39up their sleeve or a certain plan heading into next season this will likely be the tandem heading
26:44into next year and we just need to hope that we can get the development that we need from Alvarez
26:48I
26:48mean if I mean completely transparent Dex one thing that's bothering me this year is the fact that JPR
26:52and Cebia was initially working in Syracuse for the Mets the past year a year and a half he gets
26:57moved up
26:57to the major league level to work more one-on-one with guys like Alvarez and catchers and I'm not
27:02seeing a
27:03drastic difference here and I thought I was going to uh because we saw Alvarez remember when he was sent
27:08down to Syracuse midway last year not because of injuries just because he wasn't playing good like
27:13Kodai Senga returning from his injury and wasn't the same guy Alvey goes down works on his head tools
27:18comes back and he's a man possessed we all agreed Alvarez looks so good so he returned from Syracuse last
27:24year and that was what we were hoping to see more of this season um yes injuries play a factor
27:29but it's
27:30clear that unfortunately for the way that Alvarez plays his game he's likely going to be beaded
27:34and battered and bruised every single year as a catcher okay that's not going to go away um so
27:40his resilience has been great but resilience only gets you so far and then the finished product
27:47isn't much that Mets fans should be you know wanting to see on a night-to-night basis
27:53Terenz is clearly their guy at the time of us talking right now yeah and look for me the concern
28:00comes from and you hit the nail on the head for me it's a strikeout rate seeing that tick up
28:06when
28:07you look at the numbers year after year after year I think defensively he is what he is we have
28:12to
28:12look that I also agree you think you have to live with the fact that he's going to get nicked
28:15up
28:15there's a lot of catchers do and hitting catchers that hit really well are at an extreme rarity and
28:23premium in major league baseball these days so we're not asking for Francisco Alvarez to be the next
28:29Mike Piazza that's not going to happen here we we kind of understand that is can he be a little
28:34more consistent and cut down on the strikeouts it's better at bats it's better quality of bats
28:39that's what I think people would like to see I'm not just to be very clear I am not in
28:44the camp
28:44of get him off the team earlier this year we talked to John Heyman and John Heyman this was before
28:51the
28:51trade deadline and John Heyman made the suggestion that he thought that that should move on to Alvarez I
28:56think he had that was when John Heyman wrote a column about 10 things that the Mets could do to
29:01improve the team and we had him on with us and he said he would trade Alvarez and he said
29:05he thought
29:05the team could win with Luis Terrence now with all that being said I think it is great for the
29:11Mets
29:11that they have the and I'm putting air quotes here folks if you're listening security blanket with
29:17Luis Terrence that he can hold it down well enough that you're not hurt and when you're splitting time
29:22between the both of them you can be okay as you said Wardy one of the better catching duos in
29:28all
29:28of Major League Baseball if you look at it in that way would you like to have that guy you
29:32could count
29:32on that you can say he can play five out of seven games a week and be really consistent with
29:37the
29:37hitting sure you'd love that but it's not what the Mets have right now right the strikeout this is what
29:44I'm gonna say he deserves the chance it's good to have someone like Terrence there with him to push him
29:49and know that there will be some accountability there I think that matters but the strikeouts are
29:55the big thing for me that has to go down if he can get 31 percent this season too high
30:02this is a
30:03career high in strikeouts 122 as I just mentioned right this is a guy who could finish depending on
30:08how the season finishes could have over 130 135 ish strikeouts for the season you'd love to see that
30:16number go down a lot of it is just he's not seeing the discipline he's chasing a lot of pitches
30:21that
30:21are way out of the zone that's not what you've liked with Francesco Alvarez he's got to be better
30:26my concern is the way the numbers are trending I think it's very important for him to stay healthy
30:31he's been healthier this year I think that's a plus maybe he feels more confident coming off of a
30:37season in this one where he's healthier going into next season if there's baseball and having a good
30:41spring and then being able to build off of that I'm not willing to write him off just yet I'm
30:45not
30:45I'm not at that level of concern I'm just that I don't like the way some of the bats have
30:50been
30:50looking I don't like the level of strikeouts that he's had I think this is something you can go back
30:54in and work on and the age is a big factor as what he said the man's not even 25
30:59years old so
31:01development is not always linear I'm willing to see do I think next season is a huge season for him
31:07with the Mets we also said that this year yes but I'm willing to wait and see on what he's
31:13doing
31:13now speaking of good season I want to go to the bullpen we did an episode maybe about five six
31:18weeks ago where we're talking about some of the good bullpen options for the Mets that could impact
31:232027 and Wardy and I gave you some really good names we had some I think maybe one person similar
31:28but we had a lot of different guys one of Wardy's guys was Dana Duarte and Dana Duarte is now
31:33going on
31:34the IL so his season is over when you look at his body of work this season Wardy there's 24
31:42appearances
31:42for the Mets 2-1-2 ERA 0.81 whip two saves three opportunities to convert him what uh what
31:53part of
31:53what you saw from him did you when you look at his body of work says to you he's earned
31:59the opportunity
32:00opportunity to be with this club next year and what do you think his role will be with the club
32:04next year great question you know his role with the club next year is still out you know the jury's
32:10still out on that one um but I would say for now it's you know hopefully for his sake being
32:14this
32:15bullpen you know thankfully he's under club control until 2031 and the Mets do in fact have another minor
32:21league option with him which is another plus so they really do have solid control with some like him
32:25and Duarte what stood out this year for me was not just him beginning this season essentially like
32:32the first 15 plus outings north 20 outings without allowing more than one earned run yes he gave up some
32:38more runs as of late but let's call it how it is in roughly 30 innings he's at a career
32:43high 9.1k
32:44per nine to just a nice 2.1 walks per nine a sub one home run per nine we're looking
32:49at a 2.1 ERA
32:50but a very respectable 2.8 expected ERA I care a lot about those expected numbers per fan graphs
32:55because it paints a better pitcher for what a pitcher actually can control uh FIP at 3.2
33:00expected FIP at 3.7 not sexy but not the worst either for what his role was I think for
33:06Duarte
33:06you know he's a he's a soft tossing right-hander that's creative and not only getting you know more
33:10swing to miss than maybe maybe you would expect for someone like him but also someone who balances
33:14the ground ball outs from the fly outs you know he has ground ball percentage this year
33:19of right around 31.5% which has been solid and he's been taking advantage of the infield around
33:24him and also taking advantage of times of a awesome outfield especially when we look at
33:29guys in center and in right with AJ and Ben so all in all for Duarte when we look at
33:36who's under
33:36club control I think that's an important thing because David Stearns is clearly the guy that loves
33:41depth that comes with bullpens especially depth where maybe he doesn't need to dip into it right away
33:48but when say injuries happen or when see moves happen they can do that I mean say what you will
33:54about David Stearns because I've said plenty negative about the man this year you guys know
33:57it firsthand following here or following my platform um it doesn't change the fact that there have been
34:02positives this year and one of the few positives has been the bullpen approach I mean the bullpen was
34:06nails for the vast majority of the year for the New York Mets um up until the deadline and who
34:11they
34:11replaced these relievers with and the weavers and the bras bands and the mentors and the rallies of the
34:15world were all guys who have come in and got quality outs for the most part I mean Duarte was
34:20here prior to that but he continued that you know Jeffrey Yan who just got the call back has his
34:25best
34:25outing the bigs yet goes three perfect innings with three strikeouts why because of course he does like
34:30Jeffrey Yan he's just he's just a wild thing you know he's one where I have no clue what to
34:34expect
34:34next year but I like it I'm okay but I'm okay with that if that makes sense like if if
34:39he's a guy that
34:39is never a big factor for the Mets I'm not losing sleep over and if he is all right cool
34:43he settled down
34:44his celebration a little bit for fans that maybe get a little too bothered by his emphatic reactions
34:50every strikeout he he he he shorted up a little bit yesterday which I thought was pretty funny
34:55but nonetheless between guys like Jeffrey Yan to uh someone who I had the privilege of saying how great
35:00of a job he's done this season to which he really appreciated and Nate Lavender uh pregame uh before
35:05the series it began against the Orioles I mean Mets have a lot of guys right now that are under
35:09club
35:09control and are guys that you know maybe took them to maybe took them a bit late 20s early 30s
35:15to make an impact in the major league level but now they're running with it so do I think
35:19Duarte's a certainty to have the success next year no I think it's true that there are always flash
35:23and pan relievers where you see them kind of come out of the woodwork out of nowhere for 30 to
35:2740
35:27innings every single season and the next year they're like nowhere to be seen they they're not
35:32nearly as effective because they the teams are catching on or they just don't have the same stuff
35:36unfortunately so questions will of course surround Duarte and this bullpen but for what he provided
35:42in 2026 I mean talk about a slam dunk of a pickup for a guy essentially as a spring training
35:48invite
35:48added into the organization um this is one of the few moves that Stearns has done well bringing in guys
35:54especially guys that maybe had been rehabbing and hadn't done anything the year prior because he was
35:59out all of 2025 with injury yep I think look bullpen pitching is fickle from year to year you don't
36:05know
36:05and it's for disappointing as we've talked about in this show for the Mets fan that in the year
36:09that was extremely disappointing the bullpen was good even when they changed it even when they
36:13traded away all the guys excuse me the bullpen still was good and we still were like okay man
36:19there's some arms here that you can be really excited about look Duarte to me the biggest thing
36:24for him was showing that you that he can pitch here showing that you belong I said that for a
36:28lot of
36:28these guys said it for Nate Lavender how important was for him for him to show that he's belong I
36:32think
36:32he's shown that and I think when you have guys like that that have produced the way they have
36:37sure has it been the most high stakes or big leverage situations no because of where the Mets are but
36:44they've shown they can handle facing major league pitching they've shown they can bounce back I think
36:48those are all good signs for a lot of young arms in the Mets bullpen so look if I was
36:52giving
36:53Chris Duarte a grade here in terms of how he pitched so you know I can go with a B
36:58to a B plus
36:58in terms of his performances this year do I think Mets fans should be excited about it sure because
37:03he's an option going and spring training out of the bullpen that you can look at and say okay he's
37:08got a legit shot to make this team and I've seen him face major league hitters and he hasn't wilted
37:13and so we'll see now does that guarantee he's going to be successful next year we have no idea
37:17right but I think there is a way you can be encouraged by this and say okay this is something
37:22to look forward to in terms of the future now speaking of the future we're going to close with this
37:27Wardy's boy Jefferson Rojas two we I'm just going to say this for people to think we might be jumping
37:35off the window ledge here we're not going to temper this it's been two games since the man has come
37:42up the young man has come up and played with triple-a Syracuse two games two home runs okay
37:49he's reached base six times in his first nine at bats for triple-a Syracuse right
37:56Wednesday night very impressive very impressive game goes three for three home run two singles
38:02two ribbies two runs scored in that game as I said he's reached base six times in his first nine
38:10at
38:10bats and when you're looking at what he's been doing right just over this season 838 OPS
38:17he's got 26 homers 27 doubles 20 stolen bases 90 ribbies on the season
38:26I mean hey man the man's leveled up and the start to this level has looked good two games two
38:33games
38:33small sample size theater two games but the start has looked all right
38:38Wardy are you ready to further jump out the window uh and what has caught your attention the most
38:43about Rojas's first two games at the triple-a level I mean listen don't jump out the window
38:51Wardy don't do it don't do it it has been a pleasure learning and deep diving the farm this year
38:57as it
38:58was last year this is something I've really enjoyed over the past couple years of my Mets coverage
39:02especially when there hasn't really been anything else to look forward to early on into the season
39:06um for Rojas to come here and to not only continue the trend of what he's done in the minor
39:11leagues
39:12in the Cubs organization but get better and again something that we talked about a lot Dex is
39:16thriving with your surrounding when he gets the rumble ponies how can he not be red hot when you have
39:21Mr. AI you know Mr. Kendall over here and Mitch Voight hitting 400
39:26Emilian Petrie essentially doing the same Billy Amick hitting a home run what feels like every at bat
39:31you're thriving and you see that and then for Rojas to get the call to Syracuse and just continue
39:36exactly that hit these balls with authority these are big boy home runs at Dex the one I believe was
39:40over 106 miles per hour off the bat the other one was around 105 or so he's just been tearing
39:45the
39:45cover off the baseball I love the sweet swing he has it's short it's compact it's not too loosey
39:50goosey he just looks like a major league player that that's what I see when I look at Jefferson Ross
39:54and
39:55that's how I've seen him really since he's been adding to the organization I have the pleasure of
39:59learning more about him and his game uh defensively yes there are some questions that will you know
40:03continue to be raised with him as to or he will profile best at the major league level but that's
40:08a good
40:09problem to have if you're the New York Mets because you know he's going to be at the major league
40:12level
40:12as soon as next season so when we think of shortstop second base third base at Bo's at third all
40:18the more
40:19reason to you know lessen the at bats for Marcus Simeon and or Brett Beatty if it's not going to
40:23be
40:23say Emilian Petrie or Mitch Voight there I told you I believe Emilian Petrie will be the first guy to
40:31get the call given how you know he's risen since being added to the farm and how he kind of
40:36has been a
40:37little bit ahead of guys like Rojas and like Voight well now that Rojas has gotten this taste in
40:42Syracuse to wrap up the year if he stays hot until it wraps up now we have an even greater
40:47question
40:47on our hands because maybe I was maybe I was wrong for suggesting that not a slight on Petrie but
40:53maybe
40:53the Mets will have already seen enough in Ross to say you know what maybe this is a guy that
40:57could be
40:57our starting second baseman as soon as early next season so all he knows is that yes there are
41:02questions that are raised with prospects there's uncertainty that comes with them and we have all
41:08unfortunately made the ill mistake of looking at Alvarez Beatty and Vientos as near certainties from
41:15their breakout seasons when in reality that's not how player development works it's not linear it's
41:19something that can fluctuate over time so I'm not here to sell to Mets fans that like Jefferson Rojas
41:25is a guaranteed product that he'll be a stud at the major league level I'm telling you is there's a
41:29reason
41:30why he's the number one prospect in the organization there's a reason why he's top 80 in all baseball
41:34promo be pipeline and there's a reason why scouts continue to rave about him to the point that
41:38there is a great expectation that he will have a positive impact at the major leagues in 2027 so
41:44to throw it back to you Dex what has impressed you most about Rojas and just his continued you know
41:50surgence upwards in this Mets farm before we wrap it on 2026 is that the biggest thing that's impressive
41:57to me is that every time he's leveled up he's risen to the occasion every time there's been a change
42:01in
42:01scenery for him he has risen to the occasion now I this is two games I don't know how this
42:05is going
42:05to continue going forward but he's shown that the power is real and I totally forgetting the name of
42:13the play-by-play broadcaster who did his games uh for the for the Cubs at the double-a level
42:18he spoke
42:19with me um earlier this season about how real the power was and how he was one of the only
42:23players I
42:24believe in the history um of that team to there's a a structure that they have in the outfield and
42:30hit it um he said the power will jump off you'll be impressed with that Mets fans would like that
42:35and you're seeing that already too the power is real the biggest question for me going forward was
42:41and this was also told to me from people you talk to around the Mets it is going to be
42:44the defense
42:45how is it he sometimes can lose focus lose concentration have some lapses on plays I also want to
42:51he's 21 years old like this is where we talk about the development to you got to sometimes say
42:56okay he's a kid that can adjust here can he you know clean that stuff up especially now he's at
43:02the triple-a level and he realizes that he is so close to his major league dream speaking of that
43:07wardy him being so close to his major league dream I think the thing for me is like if to
43:13the point you
43:14made if he continues to hit this well as you close out the season here and makes the infielder
43:24potential of young infielders to come up to the major league level a little bit more jumbled
43:29when we're talking about Petrie we're talking about Mitch Voigt right in that mix and you said
43:33you thought Petrie would be the first to get called up and get a shot maybe to play a little
43:37bit of
43:37second base and much more if he does that I feel like what you're going to need to see and
43:43the thing
43:43you're going to watch for and you're going to I'm sure the Mets are looking for this too is going
43:48to
43:48be that defense is his defense major league ready because it sounds from a lot of people they feel
43:53like the bats there is the defense there is he does he still have the focus there I think that's
43:59the
43:59thing I'm going to be watching before we start talking about a serious major league timeline now
44:03you just even brought up and tantalizing the Mets fans there that huh he keeps hitting like this he
44:10looks good in spring training you might be talking about him being the starting second baseman
44:14look I'll put it like this I don't think what you're saying is crazy when it comes to second base
44:20particularly for the Mets everything should be possible next season there should not be a situation of
44:27saying that anybody is penciled in off of this roster right now is what I'm saying there should be no
44:32guarantees because nobody's played well to get a guarantee but so any of that is possible but I
44:38think for me for him to get to that point it's going to be about the defense and I wonder
44:43if for
44:44you my friend looking towards the end of the season are you going to be keeping more of an eye
44:48on what
44:49he does defensively more than what he does with his bat because we're both we both like the power
44:53we both like how he's hit pretty well as he leveled up but uh are you going to be paying
44:58more
44:59attention to his defense as the season closes for him I'll only be paying a little bit more
45:04attention to his defense if they're giving him more reps at like second at third versus at short
45:10stop I think that's important uh to decipher right because his role on the Mets next season would not
45:16be shortstop unless a blockbuster trade regarding Lindor does in fact happen this offseason which
45:21we're not expecting at this point in time of course conversations will happen but it's not something
45:26that at the time of us talking September 17 that we're you know lockstead as to you know this will
45:32be a reality bearing that in mind and also injuries you know I think of the fact that Lindor for
45:36the
45:37first time as a Met got hurt in an early going of a season where the only other time he
45:41really got hurt
45:42was in the second half around July in Pittsburgh in his first year here in 2021 with his oblique
45:47so to see you lose Lindor early this season after he didn't have a spring training mind you
45:53for a month plus and then your your Roddy Mauricio is supposed to be the replacement he goes down
45:58with injury right away you know comes about comes down to what we're saying decks availability is a
46:02very important thing so I think for Rojas while he may get those looks at short I think the fastest
46:08track again for him to get to the major leagues will be playing either third or second base so I'll
46:13be more locked in on defense if that's where he finds himself playing otherwise I definitely want to see
46:18how the bat continues to transition to Syracuse and we also need to remember that what the bat does in
46:23Syracuse while it can be very impressive you know doesn't guarantee anything at the major league level
46:28especially when you bear in mind the difference in baseballs that they use maybe something that we can
46:32talk more this more this offseason decks when we have less ongoing topics to get into that are
46:37relevant to the club can be what major league baseball can maybe do differently in a positive manner
46:42because for whatever reason they just love to use different baseballs in the minor leagues that are
46:46not at all conducive for player development um that you'll see some players thrive with and others
46:50completely not thrive with and it's a big adjustment at times for some of these guys to go from double
46:55a to triple a to the bigs because of that exact reason um there's something to float out there um
47:00when we look at player development and the factors that go into it are far more than just oh swing
47:06the
47:06bat play great defense and steal a bag or two a lot more goes into it including in the minor
47:12leagues
47:13yeah you know it's funny i'm so glad you brought that up we'll talk more about this off camera i
47:17might
47:17have a good guest for us to talk about that with the baseballs and all of that that i think
47:21will be
47:22a fun offseason conversation so folks stay tuned for that let us know what you think about all of this
47:27are you excited encouraged i will say about jefferson's rojas's introduction to the triple a level um he's
47:35been pretty good there through two games gotta like that are you concerned worried are you frustrated
47:40with mr francisco alvarez uh how do you evaluate daniel duarte's decision and you could also let
47:46us know what you think about the pete alonzo of it all or david stearns of it all as some
47:51of you'd
47:51like to talk about too warty has made his feelings very clear on mr david stearns and how he needs
47:55to
47:55value availability going into this offseason uh we think yes remember though remember steve cohen
48:02clarified it david stearns was in attendance this weekend so don't think that he was dodging the way that
48:08some people media were thinking he was dodging oh he was out here that he's out here ducking the
48:12smoke okay he was not ducking the smoke he made sure to he's not he's supposedly not ducking the
48:18smoke according to steve cohen oh one last thing to let people know we will i have a video essay
48:23coming out on carlos beltran who's obviously his number 15 will be retired awesome this weekend which
48:28is a fantastic honor for beltran and one thing i'll say before i go and i'll let people you know
48:34watch
48:34more the video essay i do think beltran's impact on the mets was huge i think it's an honor to
48:40see
48:40that his number is going up the first puerto rican player to ever have their uh number retired by the
48:45mets and he deserves to be remembered for so much more than how the 2006 nlcs ended um he's a
48:54tremendous
48:54player great in that series thank you for rolling your eyes warty ike warty was not rolling his eyes at
48:59me
48:59he was rolling his eyes at the people who criticize him for just that which i agree um beltran was
49:05a
49:05tremendous player tremendous impact was a huge free agent signing for the mets at a time when a lot of
49:11people didn't want to come here following mike piazza uh a departure from the club and when you look at
49:18his numbers he was a great met the the impact on and off the field the way he uh carried
49:23himself and
49:24who knows maybe he's the next mets manager that might be something taking words out my mouth
49:28maybe maybe the story is far from written regarding carlos and his mets tenure you know we'll just have
49:33to wait and see i don't think either of us here would be be mad at that but uh it'll
49:37be a good day
49:37for mets fans to come out and salute carlos beltran and show him all the love that he deserves because
49:43he does that definitely deserves it it's one of the great mets i think it's a great honor i think
49:47it's
49:47a fitting retirement and i will give props to steve cohen and company because they have done a
49:52fantastic job we're retiring these numbers and having these ceremonies over the last couple of years
49:57they've been absolutely amazing so also be nice to see all the mets that come back out for this one
50:02should be should be a good one that's gonna do it for this edition of straight out of flushing that
50:07is
50:07my guy tyler ward aka warty he's got more content coming for you too on his channel check that out
50:14as
50:14well we will be back next week with a lot more mets conversation until then everybody have a good weekend
50:20peace
50:22you
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