The game started out well for the Mets, as after Corey Oswalt hurled a scoreless top of the first, Amed Rosario gave the Mets the early lead in the bottom of the frame, singling home Jeff McNeil with an opposite field hit. Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the ballgame for the New York offense.

Oswalt did his part to keep the game on track in the final start of his rookie campaign, keeping the Fish off the board for the first three, but he ran into a patch of difficulty in the fourth. After allowing a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with one out, Oswalt got the ground ball he needed from Magneuris Sierra, but unfortunately the speedy Marlins right fielder beat the return throw to first to allow the tying run to score. It became clear following that inning that Oswalt was done, and that was when the only real drama of the night unfolded.

It was already known Wright would be the first man off the bench tonight, and with Oswalt due up fifth in the bottom of the fourth inning, the stage was set. The Marlins however, delayed the moment, retiring No. 8 hitter Kevin Plawecki to end the frame and leave the captain in the on deck circle. Temporarily.

Paul Sewald entered for the Mets in the fifth and was unimpressive, surrendering two runs on three hits to the middle of Miami’s lineup, but all the crowd really cared about was the next half inning. Wright emerged from the dugout to a chorus of cheers, and the longtime face of the Mets’ franchise looked visibly nervous as he dug in. His at-bat was short lived, when he hit the first pitch he saw from José Ureña directly on the ground to third, but making an out was far from enough to wipe the smile off No. 5’s face.

After that, the rest of the night went downhill fast for the home team. Drew Gagnon entered for New York in the sixth, and while he only allowed one earned run in what  ultimately amounted to 1.2 innings of work, thanks to errors from Todd Frazier and Rosario, the Marlins were able to push five runs across against him, establishing an 8-1 lead that would be the eventual final score.

Tim Peterson pitched very well in the eighth and ninth innings to maybe provide a slimmer of a silver lining at the end, but it’s clear that everyone associated with this team began looking forward to tonight’s contest the minute Wright’s at-bat tonight concluded.

This evening, left hander Steven Matz will make his final start of 2018, but more importantly, Wright will take third base for the final start of his memorable Major League career, and it will be fascinating to see what kind of final moment he can give us.

Photo credit: Wendell Cruz – USA Today Sports

Meanwhile, the young Atlanta Braves are off to a very respectable 9-6 start while eagerly waiting for Ronald Acuna’s Triple-A batting average to improve the Super 2 deadline to pass. What the Braves roster lacks in experience they more than make up for in potential, as the farm is universally regarded as one of the premier systems in all of baseball.

Vegas isn’t buying the hot start for either team though, as the 8-9 Washington Nationals are still a big odds-on favorite at -600 to capture the division title. The Mets come in with the second-best odds at +150, or 1.5/1, but the Braves find themselves as 25/1 longshots, ahead of only the 150/1 Miami Marlins.

Let’s fast forward back to the present, Saturday, Sept. 22. The Mets are starting Corey Oswalt and his 6.31 ERA against Austin Voth and the Washington Nationals. The casual fan of either team had likely never heard of either starter until 2018, but here we are. It’s an ugly game for the Metropolitans, who manage just a single hit on the afternoon, but it’s meaningless in the grand scheme of things. That’s because the Mets have already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and, despite the 6-0 Washington victory, the Nationals succumb to the same fate when the St. Louis Cardinals officially knock off the San Francisco Giants 5-4.

Before Voth can even fire the first pitch to Amed Rosario at 4:06 p.m., Atlanta closer Arodys Vizcaino tosses a scoreless ninth against the Phillies to secure a 5-3 victory. Instead of coming out for the customary handshake line, the dugout erupts onto the field as soon as Maikel Franco’s fly ball hits Acuña’s glove. The Braves have won the division title for the first time in five years.

Nothing went as expected for the Nationals this season, winners of the division in three of the past four seasons. Ditto for the Mets, who entered the season with expectations that were completely blown out of proportion after their hot start.

The Braves were simply hoping to develop their young talent into valuable major league contributors in an effort to contend in 2019. Acuña became an immediate star, Mike Foltynewicz became an ace and Nick Markakis found the fountain of youth. Just about everything that could have gone the Braves’ way did in 2018, just like everything seemingly went wrong for the Mets this season.

The AL East-leading Red Sox were the latest team to take advantage of an inefficient Oswalt, who recorded just five outs despite throwing 61 pitches on the afternoon. Trouble found the 25-year-old immediately, as he hit Mookie Betts to lead off the game. It struck again during the very next at-bat, though Dom Smith’s throwing error was no fault of Oswalt. Betts came around to score on a Xander Bogaerts single to center two batters later, the only run charged to Oswalt, who wasn’t a factor in the decision.

Mets skipper Mickey Callaway turned to Daniel Zamora to secure the final out of the third inning against the left-handed hitting Jackie Bradley Jr., who struck out swinging. Zamora struck out the side in the fourth in what was clearly his best outing as a major leaguer thus far. He’s a prime candidate to replace Jerry Blevins as the LOOGY in the 2019 bullpen, althought that says more about the Mets than it does about Zamora.

Brandon Nimmo did Brandon Nimmo things, launching a three-run home run off Rick Porcello in the fourth, which was good for one of the Mets two hits on the day. It’s perplexing to even try and begin to construe why the Mets — I’m looking at you, Mickey Callaway — continue to bat Nimmo in the bottom of the order. There isn’t a single good reason he’s stuck behind Jay Bruce or Todd Frazier every night. Nimmo’s AVG (.267) and OBP (.392) are tops on the Metropolitans, and his 17 home runs and nine stolen bases rank him second. Please, please stop batting him sixth.

It seemed as if the Mets had things under control until mop-up man Paul Sewald entered in the home half of the fifth. The Red Sox pieced together a two-out rally to tie things at three via a Bradley Jr. two-RBI double. That would be the end of Sewald’s night but the damage wasn’t done, as Drew Smith entered and allowed another two-RBI double, this time to pinch-hitter Brock Holt. Sewald was charged with all four earned runs, raising his season ERA to 6.15 in 42 appearances. He was also charged with the loss, his sixth of the season, as neither team scored again in the ballgame.

I’d be remiss not to mention Jeff McNeil’s spectacular diving catch to rob J.D Martinez of a base hit in the sixth inning. McNeil’s finally getting an opportunity to show everyone what he’s truly capable of and let me tell you, it’s a beautiful thing to watch. That’s Jeff McNeil, 2019 starting second baseman to you, folks.

The Mets, who are suddenly good

WHAT HAPPENED, WE’VE GOT CONFORTOOOO, ON A CLOUDY DAY:

Michael Conforto is good again, and this is reason to rejoice. The lefty outfielder drove in four runs on Sunday, made some phenomenal plays on defense, and beat out a groundball to first. These are happy times — no, the best of times. To properly honor his resurgence, a song is in order. I give you ‘My Girl’ by the Temptations, but Michael Conforto.

[We’ve] got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it’s cold outside [we’ve] got the month [before] May
Well I guess you’d say
What can make [us] feel this way?
Mi-chael (Mi-chael, Mi-chael)
Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael (Mi-chael)

[He’s] got so much [talent, opposing teams] envy [us]
[There’s no] sweeter song than the [crack of his bat]

Well I guess you’d say
What can make [us] feel this way?
Mi-chael (Mi-chael, Mi-chael)
Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael (Mi-chael ooh)
Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey
Ooh yeah

[We] don’t need no [Yelich], [Harper] or [Lorenzo Cain] (well…yes we do)
[We’ve] got all the riches baby one [fanbase] can claim (oh yes [we] do)

I guess you’d say
What can make [us] feel this way?
Mi-chael (Mi-chael, Mi-chael)
Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael (Mi-chael)

[We’ve] got sunshine on a cloudy day
With Mi-chael (Mi-chael)
(Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael Mi-chael) I’ve even got the month of May
With Mi-chael (Mi-chael, woah)
[He’s] all [we] can think (Mi-chael)
(Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael Mi-chael)
Talkin’ ’bout, talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael (Mi-chael, woah)

WHAT HAPPENED, SETH LUGO (MOSTLY) SLAMS THE DOOR:

Over the past few weeks, Seth Lugo really proven that his July woes are in the rearview mirror. Coming into Sunday, Lugo hadn’t allowed a run since August 21; over that time span, we’ve seen his fastball velocity consistently improve, a pitch which he is upping the usage of. That development really played into Sunday’s action, as the righty threw 13 fastballs over two innings of work, recording a whiff on four of the seven swings he was able to garner.

We know the Statcast darling generates a healthy number of swings-and-misses, but his ability to create them with his heater increases the potency of his curveball. It’s a great sign moving forward, and is certainly an area to watch moving forward. Will Lugo touch 100 mph next season? Probably not. But his move to the bullpen gives him an ability to sit in the upper 90s far more consistently, so it’s not unthinkable to see him sit 97 mph in the near future.

As for his actual performance? Lugo was lights out. He was tasked with a two-inning close, and was able to wrap things up in seven batters. The only blemish? A solo home run to Carlos Santana with one out in the ninth. Though not ideal, it certainly is acceptable when you finish with five strikeouts en route to maintaining the lead that closes out another series win.

WHAT HAPPENED, YESTERDAY:

Michael Conforto reminded us why we can maintain just enough optimism about 2019 to keep going. A healthy outfield featuring Conforto, Brandon Nimmo and Yoenis Cespedes should not be slept on, to say the least. Seth Lugo slammed the door, and Corey Oswalt had…a start. Which, of course, is the typical Corey Oswalt start. In the end, it’s another series win for a team that now…wins all their series? It’s a wild game, this baseball.

WHAT HAPPENS, TODAY:

Barring rain, we hope to see another installment of The Jacob deGrom Show. He’ll be going on an extra day of rest, thanks to the drizzly Sunday afternoon that was the Mets-Phillies finally. I’m sure he’ll be delighted by the trade, though, as the Mets will square off against the Miami Marlins and Jeff Brigham.

Photo credit: Gregory J. Fisher – USA Today Sports

Monday night was a frustrating but still enjoyable experience, because we had the pleasure of watching Jacob deGrom. Watching the best of the Mets’ three-ish homegrown aces is a reminder of the sort of potential this team had and still has. Tuesday, we got Jason Vargas, a reminder of why that potential has been and will continue to be squandered. At least Brandon Nimmo was in the lineup – batting eighth.

Game Recap

This episode of the Jason Vargas experience got off to a pretty good start, as the left-hander was perfect through the first two innings. Because his name isn’t Jacob deGrom, the Mets offense scored for him too, with Jay Bruce hitting a two-run home run in the second, and Michael Conforto adding a two-run bomb of his own in the third. Entering the bottom of the third, the Mets had a 4-0 lead.

Then, the cracks started to appear. Vargas walked Chris Taylor leading off the inning, then allowed a two-run home run to Austin Barnes. He worked around another two singles from Rich Hill (the pitcher) and Manny Machado, but the Met lead was cut to two. A home run from David Freese leading off the bottom of the fourth cut that lead to one, and the Dodgers followed that with a single and a double to put the go-ahead run in scoring position.

At this point, the New York defense wanted to prove to deGrom that they’re not just terrible behind him, they’re terrible behind every pitcher. Todd Frazier botched a ground ball off the bat of Austin Barnes, allowing Enrique Hernandez to score and tie the game. Two batters later, Tyler Bashlor replaced Jason Vargas, and he allowed the Dodgers to take the lead with a steal of third and an RBI groundout from Brian Dozier. L.A. led 5-4.

Eric Hanhold worked around some serious traffic in the fifth in his first major league appearance, and he and Daniel Zamora combined for a perfect sixth. Corey Oswalt took over for the seventh, and the Dodgers proceeded to blow the doors off. Three doubles, a wild pitch that allowed Manny Machado to score from second and a handful of walks and singles put the Mets in an 11-4 hole. They managed to load the bases in the top of the ninth with no outs, but amphibious ambidextrous reliever Pat Venditte shut down the rally, and the Mets failed to score.

The loss drops the Mets to 62-76, snaps their three-game win streak and ends a recent string of successful starts from Jason Vargas (real shocker on that last one). Zack Wheeler takes on Hyun-Jin Ryu this evening in the series finale.

Thoughts from the Game

Austin Jackson is really, really bad. Everyone except Met management knew this when he was signed, but at this point he’s batting second everyday while Jeff McNeil and/or Brandon Nimmo bat eighth or ride the bench. It’s patently absurd, and an insult to the younger players who are clearly superior and are a core part of the team’s future. Even a barely above-average OPS+ isn’t worth forfeiting the development of players who actually need it, and there’s no justification whatsoever for his place on the team at this point, let alone his prominence on it.

Jason Vargas is also bad, but that’s less revelatory. Hopefully the Mets get creative with him next year (hoping for a cut is wishing for a miracle), perhaps as a bullpen arm or in some sort of pseudo-Rays arrangement at the back of the rotation. He’ll probably just get shoehorned into a starting spot, however, simply because he’s a veteran making real money.

Other Mets News

No major happenings for the Mets today. Still maybe committing pseudo-insurance fraud with David Wright. Still not planning to end their service time farce with Peter Alonso. So it goes.

Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – USA Today Sports

It’s tough to find the positive in a 15-0 shutout, of which 14 of the runs were scored in the final two innings, but Steven Matz was a revelation in a truly ugly Sunday. The lefty tossed seven innings of one-run ball, faltering only when Juan Soto drove in a run on a groundout following back-to-back hits by Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon.

That’s it. That’s the only good part.

The bad

Jeff McNeil, after extending his hitting streak to 11 games, left after the seventh inning with right quad tightness. He said after the game that it’s “nothing too major,” so he may just be ready for spring training.

Also, the offense has gone back to that whole we-don’t-believe-in-hits-anymore thing.

The ugly

Photo credit: Wendell Cruz – USA Today Sports

Looking at this game, what’s the hook? Why should you, the viewer, care about a bad team playing a mediocre team with two nondescript starters on the mound? These are the sort of questions I spend 15 minutes staring at a blank document debating at this point in the season.

Anyway, Steven Matz got the start against Chris Stratton. Matz is still on a pitch count after his stint on the disabled list and the Mets burned most of their bullpen Monday in their 13-inning loss, so that has the potential to be a disaster. At least it can’t get any worse then a dropped pop up that drives in the game-deciding run.

Game Recap

Matz’s evening did not get off to a stellar start. Andrew McCutchen walked to lead off the game and Evan Longoria launched a ball into the left field seats two batters later to give the Giants a quick 2-0 lead. Matz rebounded very nicely, however, setting down the next 12 Giants before allowing a one-out double to Gorkys Hernandez in the top of the fifth. Hernandez didn’t get any further, inducing a ground out and striking out Chris Stratton. It was an excellent, albeit short start, as Matz struck out five and allowed only two hits and one walk.

As has become tradition at this point, the Mets simply refused to score for their starter. Jeff McNeil and Wilmer Flores had singles in the bottom of the first, but a double play off the bat of Michael Conforto ended that threat. The Mets didn’t manage another hit until the fourth, on another McNeil single, and he was thrown out trying to steal second. Corey Oswalt, pitching in relief of Matz, didn’t get any help either, as the Mets again went down in order in the bottom of the sixth.

McNeil came through again in the seventh with another single, and this time the rest of the lineup got their act together. A double, sacrifice fly and an RBI single later, and the game was tied at two. In the eighth, McNeil struck again with an RBI double to give the Mets a 3-2 lead. After an intentional walk to Flores, Conforto lined an opposite field, three-run home run to put the game out of reach. Oswalt, who was brilliant in three innings of relief after being booted from the starting rotation, was rewarded, and Matz was off the hook.

Seth Lugo entered for the ninth and worked around singles from Evan Longoria and Austin Slater (the latter of which clanked off of Jose Bautista’s glove and should’ve been an error) to close out a 6-3 win. Fittingly, the final out was a ground ball to McNeil, who was very easily the start of the game. The win improves the Mets to 55-70 on the season, and Noah Syndergaard will take the mound tonight.

Thoughts from the Game

McNeil is incredible and should 100% be the starting second baseman for the Mets next season. He’s now batting .318/.381/.455 on the season with two home runs in 99 PA, consistently making good contact and rarely swinging and missing. I’m not the first to make this comp, but he resembles an early-career Daniel Murphy in many ways, except McNeil is an actually competent second baseman. Every time he loses a start to Jose Reyes down the stretch is an insult to the team.

We got another extended rant from GKR about the shift in this one, after Zack Wheeler complained about a shift leading to a run-scoring bloop single in last night’s game. This time around, Ron kept talking about how “feel for the game” should change the shift at certain times, while also admitting to understanding and supporting the idea of playing the percentages. It’s an impressive bit of cognitive dissonance in order to get in a “back in my day” bit.

Other Mets News

Not much happening in Met land right now. David Wright finally broke through with two hits yesterday and had another hit today as he continues to rehab in St. Lucie. Jay Bruce has three hits of his own, and is probably pretty close to a return.

Photo credit: Noah K. Murray – USA Today Sports

Game Two: Phillies 9, Mets 6

Just over two weeks after an epic drubbing by Washington — where they lost by 21 runs on July 31 — the Mets saw things from the other side of the equation as they scored the most runs in franchise history, which included a 10-run fifth inning capped off by a Jose Bautista grand slam.

The lowlight of the afternoon came when Brandon Nimmo took a ball off his hand with the bases loaded in the top of the third. It rolled into fair territory, and the ignominy of a rally-killing dribbler paled in comparison to the sight of Nimmo lying face-down in the batter’s box. This horror show came almost a year to the day after Michael Conforto ended last season on a swing that injured his shoulder. Nimmo came out of the game, and initial reports were that x-rays were negative for a fracture. Given that past reports of a player’s robust health have proven grossly exaggerated (stay off those heels, Yoenis!), Mets fans will be forgiven for still living in dread.

That existential terror aside, the offense exploded for the second game in a row, plating 24 runs on 25 hits, helped by some execrable Philadelphia defense: third baseman Maikel Franco committed two of the Phillies’ four errors. The Mets feasted on the Phillies pitching, both when facing professional pitchers and after Philadelphia skipper (and ice cream enthusiast) Gabe Kapler waved the white flag and sent out position players to toss the final three innings.

Six Mets had at least three hits; Conforto, Amed Rosario and Bautista (who replaced Nimmo in the outfield) homered. Bautista’s seven runs batted in were a franchise record for a player coming off the bench. Kevin Plawecki had another outstanding game, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three runs batted in.

Corey Oswalt went six innings for his second win of the season. Thanks to those errors, only half of his counterpart’s eight runs allowed were earned; Ranger Suarez is now 1-1 in two career starts. Jerry Blevins pitched an inning of relief and collected his first major league hit.

In the nightcap, the Ballad of Steven Matz continued its doleful tune. The Mets southpaw lasted two innings, surrendering two home runs and six runs overall (four earned). Zach Eflin pitched 6.2 innings for Philadelphia, allowing four runs and striking out five.

Rosario collected another pair of hits in the second game, and was the bright spot in an otherwise lackluster Mets offense — although, to be fair, six runs is a pretty above-average showing for this year’s Mets team, especially if you ignore the 24 runs they scored a few hours before.

Trailing from Matz’s early exit by as much as six runs over the course of the game, the Mets did mount a rally in the ninth, managing to bring the tying run to the plate to make things interesting. After six-plus hours of baseball and a combined forty-three runs scored, there was only so much interest to go around.

The series continues at Citizens Bank Park at 6:05 p.m. Friday, as Noah Syndergaard (8-2, 3.22) faces Aaron Nola (13-3, 2.28).

Photo credit: Bill Streicher – USA Today Sports

The Mets lost to a team below them in the standings? The further they can drop the better, as a couple of wins are seemingly meaningless with the team already out of playoff possibilities.

David Wright is going out on a rehab assignment! In what’s practically been an entirely lost season for the fan base, The Captain’s return to the lineup would be the premier highlight. No one –- including me — thought Wright would ever play in the big leagues again. Now he’s one step closer and on track to reaching the bigs before seasons end.

Corey Oswalt gave the Mets a quality start Saturday and added to his resume, cementing his case as a potential rotation piece in 2019. Oswalt as the team’s fifth starter would be a welcome sign, not only because he’s 11 years younger than Jason Vargas, but because he pitches better than him as well.

THE BAD

Jacob Rhame has been a disappointment so far; instead of shutting opposing teams lineups down in the latter innings, Rhame has pitched to a 7.97 ERA. The 25-year-old needs to rack up some more strikeouts while walking fewer men in his appearances.

Amed Rosario’s OPS is down to .627. No, I don’t think a stint in Triple-A is necessary at all, but Rosario needs time to develop and the Mets ought to give it to him to round out the season. Still a large part of the future of the organization, Rosario putting it together at the end of the season would instill some much-needed confidence for 2019.

THE UGLY

The Mets will reportedly keep Peter Alonso down in Triple-A for the remainder of the season. The main reason being given is so they can gain an extra year of control on Alonso in his age-30 season. The right-handed slugger should’ve been called up by now, but the Mets aren’t contending and seemingly won’t open up a spot for him.

The organizational starting pitching depth is at a supreme low point. With health in the rotation such an uncertainty, the Mets need their five starters to stay healthy in 2019. If anyone were to go down, the Mets would likely need to add a pitcher to the 40-man, such as Nabil Crismatt, who should get a long look in September regardless.

Photo credit: Steve Mitchell – USA Today Sports

Corey Oswalt got the ball for the Mets in this one and did all right for himself, giving up two earned runs on three hits over five innings, while striking out four and walking two. Even though he had only thrown 62 pitches in the fifth inning, he was pulled from the game in a questionable decision by Mickey Callaway to pinch hit Phillip Evans for him in an RBI spot, though Oswalt did apparently jam his hand while swinging the bat earlier in the game. That said, it was still a fine start for the young Oswalt, who only got the nod yesterday because of Noah Syndergaard’s virus. In fact, this was actually Oswalt’s fourth straight serviceable start. Now, keeping him in the rotation is not a total necessity, but the best argument for him to stick around is that he’s decidedly not Jason Vargas.

Anyway, the Mets were trailing 2-0 by the time the fifth inning rolled around, but that was when the offense broke out. A Kevin Plawecki RBI single got the Mets on the board, and a little later Evans drove in the tying run when he pinch-hit for Oswalt. Then — get this — the Mets executed a double steal, which feels like something we haven’t seen since Jose Reyes’s first tenure with the Mets. That set it up for Amed Rosario to drive in the two runners on a base hit to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. Jose Bautista (who I still can’t believe is actually a Met) added two more in the bottom of the sixth with a towering dinger off the second deck, the kind of prodigious home run he became famous for.

The bullpen, shockingly, handed back a couple of runs in the seventh when Tim Peterson (who I also still can’t believe is actually a Met, although for different reasons) served up a two-run homer to Freddy Galvis. Robert Gsellman came on after him and took care of business, and Anthony Swarzak handled the ninth for his second save of the season as the Mets continue to piece together the shattered remains of their Jeurys Familia-less bullpen.

As an aside, Reyes notched another single for sixth hit in last 19 at bats. If you’re scoring at home, that is a .315 batting average. Perhaps Reyes is finally rounding back into the barely-useful, tenuously rosterable bench player that he was last year instead of just the not-useful, completely unrosterable player he’s been this year. Maybe the Mets were actually right about him the whole time, and it was we, the children, who were wrong?

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

The big news finally came. After six days of the Mets stalling and waiting for multiple doctors’ opinions, they finally came to the decision yesterday for Yoenis Cespedes to undergo season-ending surgery in order to correct the bone spurs and calcification in both heels which have caused many of his leg problems over the years. The recovery is expected to be 8-10 months, which would put his return at around April or May of next year in a best-case scenario.

It sounds like the actual wait for the last six days was just so that the Mets could find out whether or not the contract was actually insured, which it is. So the Mets will indeed recoup a good amount of money that is owed to Cespedes over the rest of the season and the beginning of next year, similar to their current situation with David Wright. However, John Ricco would not say whether or not the money would be reinvested into the team.

The surgery is unfortunate for Cespedes, but necessary, and something that should have been done at least two months ago. This whole situation has been a total embarrassment for this entire organization, and it is their own fault. No reasonable person could have followed this saga for the last week — even being ignorant to the rest of the team’s mishandling of injuries and transparent dysfunction — and walk away with the belief that there is a modicum of organization within the Mets’ front office, or any accountability among their decision-makers. Under direction of the Wilpons, and without Sandy Alderson around to lead these misfits, the team appears to be about as organized as a kindergarten class. And much like kindergarteners, they like to point their fingers at other people (read: the players) when they do something bad.

Meanwhile, if the Wilpons are serious about contending next year, it is their absolute duty to reinvest the money saved back into the payroll for next season. Unfortunately, John Ricco’s non-answer to that question already probably tells you what they intend to do with it.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports