Yankees caught another pitcher tipping pitches earlier this season
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Newsweek
29 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Yankees Predicted to Lose Key Outfielder After Career Season
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The New York Yankees have plenty of stars on the roster but a less heralded member of the team has been vital as well. After joining the Yankees as somewhat of an afterthought in their trade to acquire Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, outfielder Trent Grisham has enjoyed the best season of his career this year. He has a .244/.347/.457 slash line with 21 homers so far while once again playing Gold Glove caliber defense. But Grisham is currently in his final year of arbitration eligibility, making $5 million before earning the chance to become an unrestricted free agent. And as he surges toward a substantial long-term contract, the Yankees seem likely to move on to a younger option in the outfield. Randy Miller of predicted that the Yankees would watch Grisham sign with another club despite his career season in pinstripes. And that could mean slotting in Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones alongside Aaron Judge as the everyday outfield combination. BRONX, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: New York Yankee general manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in Bronx, New York. (Photo by Dustin... BRONX, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: New York Yankee general manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in Bronx, New York. (Photo by) More Satloff/Getty "Grisham's exceptional performance this year actually put his name in the deadline crosshairs, as dealing him seemed to be an option for the Yankees to leverage their outfield surplus to address other roster deficiencies," Stephen Parello noted for FanSided. "Further complicating matters for Grisham is the presence of top prospect Spencer Jones, who reached near-untouchable status in deadline talks and whose otherworldly performance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre means he soon will break down the door to the big leagues. That, unfortunately, will leave no room for Grisham to return." Though Grisham has unlocked a new dimension of power at the plate this season, his performance probably hasn't been strong enough to compel the Yankees into a long-term investment. But even if he does join another team, a great year in the Bronx has surely boosted the price tag of his next deal. More MLB: Mets' Carlos Mendoza Responds to Clay Holmes Rotation Question As Concerns Grow
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Yankees legends criticize Boone and the 2025 team
The Yankees' annual Old Timers' Day is a celebration unlike any other in baseball. One day each summer, the winningest franchise in the sport welcomes back an esteemed group of alumni from across the generations to don the pinstripes once again, shoot the breeze with each other about the good old days, and soak up the enduring adoration of Yankees fans. There was one familiar face missing from Saturday's ceremony, a former player who regularly participates in the introductions and happened to already be in the building — Aaron Boone. The Yankees' current manager, who was listed among the old timers expected to attend in advance of the ceremony, reportedly missed the festivities because they conflicted with pre-game meetings. Given that hasn't stopped him from attending in previous years, when the ceremony also took place on a game day, it strains credulity that the real reason for his absence was anything other than a desire to avoid a showering of boos from the Yankee faithful. But Boone's absence did not keep him from being a topic of discussion throughout the day, either directly or by extension of concerns about the current Yankees squad, which has struggled mightily over the past month-plus. Some of this is par for the course, with the revelry of reliving the glory days leading to 'back in my day' gripes from some of those in attendees. 'I don't know these players very well. I don't know their personalities.' said legendary third baseman Graig Nettles, who starred on two Yankees championship teams in the '70s. 'I don't think Billy Martin would have handled it the same way (as Boone). I don't think he would have coddled the players.' The 80-year-old served up the perfect template for the type of comment I'm referencing — he admits he doesn't know the current team, criticizes the current generation for coddling players, and throws in a reference to a franchise icon of yesteryear for good measure. For all he accomplished in the game, Graig Nettles has earned the right to say whatever he wants about it. But it's hard to put too much stock in his perspective on the current team. There was a different brand of critique directed Boone's way at this year's Old Timers' Day, though. The event coincided with the 25th anniversary of the 2000 championship team, and many veterans of that squad assembled to celebrate the milestone. And several men associated with that more recent iteration of Yankees greatness — including some who were still around when Boone played for the team in 2003 and have a relationship with the Yankee manager that goes beyond the perfunctory — offered a more subtle rebuke of the current club that was a stronger indictment due to their proximity. Akin to a former head of state reticent to criticize a current one, Joe Torre was the most diplomatic of those asked about Boone's performance. 'There's plenty of games left,' said the Hall of Famer, who managed Boone in 2003, striking a similar tone to what Boone often expresses to the media. 'Boonie knows what he has here. He's gonna get a run out of these guys.' Jorge Posada took pains to show deference to Boone as well. 'It's not his fault that some guys are not playing at their potential,' he said when asked about the manager. But in a separate interview, the fiery former backstop who was teammates with Boone in '03 revealed some deeper concerns, telling SNY that the current team has 'gotta get a little angry. They need to have a chip on their shoulder. You can't be friends with everybody.' Some other legends were more direct. 'The mental mistakes are unacceptable,' said Tino Martinez, the first baseman on the 2000 team who was honored with a plaque in Monument Park in 2014, 'The physical mistakes you can accept: You're going to make errors, you're going to strike out. But the mental stuff, you can't have that. You can't give away outs, you can't make your pitchers throw extra pitches,' he continued. 'You can't do that. You can't do that in the regular season. You definitely can't do it in the postseason.' And then there was Willie Randolph, the third base coach on the '03 Yankees who famously predicted to Boone that the struggling third baseman would be the difference maker in Game 7 of that year's ALCS. 'Teams are not afraid of us anymore' was his frank assessment of the current team's lack of mojo. All these quotes deride the current team's mentality and focus without calling Boone out by name. It's worth noting that all these Yankees luminaries were spring training instructors this season and would presumably like to be invited back in future seasons, a decision that lies in part with the team's manager. While Posada, Martinez, and Randolph all have cause not to burn bridges with Boone by criticizing him directly, as Nettles did, it's hard not to see criticism of a team's drive and professionalism as a jab at the team's manager (despite Posada's protestations). These are not the first times Boone has had to confront these criticisms — they've been a steady drumbeat from media and fans alike that has only intensified in recent weeks. The skipper has grown more taciturn in kind, including his tone-deaf, steadfast defense of Anthony Volpe that culminated in Boone emphatically telling YES' Meredith Marakovits that the shortstop 'is fucking elite' as he walked out of a presser. This has extended to Boone's weekly spots with the 'Talkin' Yanks' podcast, in which he ostensibly has chosen to participate to engage more directly with the fanbase. When pressed about the team's apparent lack of urgency, Boone's response was an emotional 'I don't care what you want.' If that's how Boone feels about his hand-picked fan surrogates, it's easy to imagine what he thinks of the concerns of the rank and file. Maybe the more nuanced prodding of his fellow former Yankees will have a better chance of breaking through. If not, he runs the risk of further isolating himself in the midst of what will no doubt be a pivotal stretch for his future with the club.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Pete Alonso Is the Mets' All-Time Home Run King, And He Should Be A Met For Life
NEW YORK — Nearly six years ago, Pete Alonso stood alone in baseball history. On a warm and pleasant late September evening in New York, the Mets first baseman slammed his 53rd home run of the 2019 season and snapped a tie with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge to become the first major league rookie to reach that mark. The record-setting home run capped Alonso's captivating entrance into the big leagues. From being unsure if he would make the major-league roster out of spring training, Alonso won the Opening Day starting first-base job, earned his first All-Star appearance, won his first Home Run Derby, and held the MLB rookie record for home runs. That storied summer was just the start of a special quest, one that laid the early groundwork for Alonso to someday make franchise history. For a prolific slugger like the Polar Bear, crushing 200 more home runs was bound to happen. The moment arrived against Braves right-hander Spencer Strider in the third inning on Tuesday night at Citi Field. After flirting with the possibility for weeks, Alonso finally stood alone as the Mets' all-time home-run king when he slugged his 253rd career homer, surpassing Darryl Strawberry for the most in Mets history. The Citi Field crowd of 39,748 serenaded Alonso around the bases by chanting his name. The dugout emptied as Alonso's teammates spilled onto the field and hugged him after he crossed home plate. Alonso sported an enormous goofy grin for several minutes, including when he stepped on top of a dugout bench and tipped his helmet for the first of two curtain calls he would experience on Tuesday night. "As a kid, you don't really think that it's in the realm of possibility to be a franchise home-run leader," Alonso said after taking a break from sipping his postgame Coors Light. "You just don't. You just want to get to the big leagues and give it your best. The dream is really this opaque and unknown thing. You just want to get there and compete for a World Series and play winning baseball. But to have that opportunity, you really don't think about it. It's a wild dream, to be honest." In the sixth inning, Alonso extended his franchise home-run record by parking his 254th career homer in the left-field seats. The moonshots were contagious. Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Alvarez, and Brett Baty all homered as the Mets snapped their seven-game losing streak by pummeling the Braves in a 13-5 win. In the seventh inning, the team announced it had run out of fireworks "due to too many Mets home runs." The Polar Bear effect. "I've grown up in this organization," Alonso said. "They believed in me as a 21-year-old kid. They've consistently believed in me. Hopefully they continue to believe in me." Though Alonso seemed destined to pass No. 252 from the second he broke into the big leagues — after all, hitting the most homers in Mets franchise history is not a huge record to break, and it certainly isn't Hank Aaron passing Babe Ruth with No. 715 — he almost didn't get the opportunity to achieve it. In his contract year last season, the first baseman hit 34 home runs (a full-season career low) and recorded a .788 OPS (a career worst) in 162 games. On Sept. 22, 2024, the expectation was that Alonso's eighth-inning groundout to third base would be his final at-bat at Citi Field as a member of the Mets. Not even two weeks later, he promised many more. Alonso changed the trajectory of his Mets career with his three-run home run off Brewers closer Devin Williams in the ninth inning of the 2024 National League wild card game. He extended the Mets' season and gave them a shot at a deep playoff run that only ended by virtue of the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in Game 6 of the NLCS. The Mets' magical season was over, but Alonso's contract negotiations were just beginning. By February, Juan Soto was a Met and Alonso still hadn't signed a deal. Reports surfaced connecting Alonso to the Toronto Blue Jays and the San Francisco Giants. Mets owner Steve Cohen said the negotiations with Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras, were "exhausting," adding, "Soto was tough. This is worse." Once the situation reached rock bottom, the only place to go was up. Finally, on Feb. 6, Cohen and Alonso reached a two-year, $54 million pact (with a player opt-out after this season) that made Alonso the highest-paid first baseman in the major leagues this year. It wasn't the long-term deal Alonso was seeking, but it brought him back to the Mets. "Pete's easy to root for. He's the embodiment of the Mets and the fan base," Mets first base coach Antoun Richardson said. "You watch him play, he gives his all every single time." Ask anyone around the Mets what they admire and respect the most about Alonso, and it's the same sentiment. He works hard. He plays every day. He makes preparation a priority. He gives his all. Yet, in Alonso's case, giving the Mets his all might still not be enough to make him a lifelong Met. And as special as his franchise-record-setting home run was, it will always mean more if he stays in New York and keeps adding to that total. Alonso is expected to exercise his opt-out and once again test the Mets and the market this winter. The 30-year-old is earning $30 million this season, and he still wants to lock down that long-term contract. Whether it will come from the Mets front office, which is led by president of baseball operations David Stearns, is anyone's guess. "I have a goal to play baseball until I'm through my age-40 season," Alonso said. "And I'm going to work hard and do that. You know what, the business side, Steve and David, they gotta come through." Alonso was asked if he has an idea of what that final hone-run total could look like if he stayed a Met through his age-40 season. "There's only one way to find out," Alonso quipped. If Alonso doesn't stay in New York, he knows Soto could pass him as the all-time home-run leader. "Records are meant to be broken," Alonso said, but he still hopes his own can hold up for a while longer. Soto, who has 229 career home runs and is tied with Alonso for the team-lead this season with 28, could realistically break Alonso's record in the first half of his 15-year contract with the Mets. If Alonso stays and signs a long-term deal, it could be decades before anyone threatens to crack his home-run total, which could very well be in the 450-500 range by the time he hangs up his cleats for good. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, one of the few players on the Mets roster who has played with Alonso since his rookie season, wants the slugger to receive what he deserves on a long-term contract. But he also wants that contract to come from the Mets. "I love Pete as a player and I think he's going to do very, very well in this next market," Nimmo said. "But if I was his counselor, I would sit there, and I would tell him: From where you're sitting right now, you're really good. You're the highest-paid first baseman in the league. And if you told Pete Alonso at 18 years old, going to [University of] Florida, that he would end up being the highest-paid first baseman in Major League Baseball — more than Freddie Freeman, more than Matt Olson, more than Paul Goldschmidt. Obviously, back then, it would have been like, more than Joey Votto. He would have been like, 'Yeah! This is going to be great. Sign me up.'" Alonso has talked about wanting to remain a Met for life, and he would retire in Queens if given the opportunity. Now, he has officially put the ball in Cohen's court. Alonso is doing his part by swatting home runs and helping the Mets win games. The slugger indicated on Tuesday that the pressure is on Mets ownership and the front office to re-sign a popular and homegrown player — a face of the franchise — to a long-term contract. The Polar Bear proved he belongs in New York. What will it take for Cohen and Stearns to come through? "It meant a lot, even though he won't say it," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Alonso breaking Strawberry's record. "You watch that face and how much joy he had, especially when he stood on the bench in the dugout and tipped his helmet to the crowd, he's like a kid with a new toy. He was humble. It was hard to describe the face of Pete there. He was enjoying the whole moment. It meant a lot to him." Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
