Mets owner Steven Cohen attends a news conference at Citi Field in Flushing, Queens. February 10, 2021. © REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
(Queens, NY) – There is no joy in Metsville. Throughout the halls of 77 WABC this past week, Mets fans were spotted with blank faces, and eyes giving long stares. Pete Alonso, the franchise’s all-time leader in home runs, nicknamed the Polar Bear — migrated south to Baltimore, Maryland. Edwin Diaz, the closer who had special trumpet music when he entered the game, left for LA. And that’s weeks after Brandon Nimmo was traded in a one-for-one swap, bringing in Texas second baseman Marcus Semien.
But is it all just to rip out the hearts of Mets fans? Is there no logic behind the moves? Long-suffering Mets fan Joe Benigno — who hosted for years on WFAN — joined Sid Rosenberg to explain the depths of his misery.
Alonso picked up a five-year, $150 million deal from Baltimore. Diaz is under contract for the next three years as a Dodgers reliever — on a three-year, $70 million pact. It would seem those numbers, perhaps most especially in terms of the years, were not acceptable to the Mets. Or there’s more to it, and Mets owner Steve Cohen wanted a change. In other words, team chemistry may have been bad last year. Rumors shared by agents have suggested as much. Joel Sherman reported that this week.
The loss of Diaz, and then Alonso, was a hot topic of discussion in the halls of 77 WABC. We had some fun messing with each other on social media, and people noticed — with some of the videos racking up over 1 million views.
@77wabc Pete Alonso has signed with the Orioles 😂😂
♬ Like a Prayer (Choir Version From “Deadpool & Wolverine”) – I’ll Take You There Choir
Mets team president David Stearns is also making the team “in his own image” — namely, in a bid to improve defense. He couches it as “run prevention” — so the team’s pitching will need to improve as well. This opinion piece I penned lays out why it might not be such a crazy idea.
But Mets fans are largely apoplectic at the fact their beloved Alonso is gone. Diaz was also a painful one, while it seems more fans were willing to move on from Nimmo — despite him being a fan favorite. Cohen has said “it’s a long offseason” and indicates the team’s not done. Stearns said the team is in a tremendous position, alluding to how the minor league system has improved.
Will there be something under the tree for Mets fans by Christmas? For now it’s just coal in the stocking, and Cohen — as well as Stearns — on the Mets’ fan naughty list.
@77wabc Mets fans can’t have anything nice
♬ Like a Prayer (Choir Version From “Deadpool & Wolverine”) – I’ll Take You There Choir
