One could, of course, say something similar to Caustic Kev. You know, maybe along the lines of:
"$15.7 million and you couldn't get past the second inning in two starts against Boston in the 2004 ALCS."
Or:
"$15.7 million and you couldn't win a playoff game where the Yanks scored 19 runs."
Or:
"$15.7 million and you couldn't keep yourself from slamming your hand into a wall."
No, I'm still not over it.
The Mets, of course, are just phoning in at the end of yet another, weirdly lost season. The Billion-Dollar Bumble completed a three-game sweep at the hands of the Orioles in which they were thoroughly punked. But it didn't really mean much.
The bigger questions involve the three featured stars.
Francesco Lindor has been a good shortstop and given the Mets four good-to-excellent years at the plate (out of 6). He has been injured and bad this year, though. At almost 33, he looks to be in decline—and has 5 years left on his contract. (More on that, later in Schadenfreude Week.)
Still would've been better than Volpe, though.
Bo Bichette, who is 28, got off to an awful start. He's been better in the second half, but still a poor season. (He can opt out after this season, but as he's due to make $42 M in 2027 AND 2028, he won't. More on that, later in Schadenfreude Week.)
Which leaves Juan Soto.
I know that many of you are now breathing a sigh of relief over the fact that we did NOT re-sign Soto.
He is an erratic fielder, to be sure, and he has missed a bunch of games with injuries this year. Jane Leavy, who also knows a lot about baseball, wrote in Make Me Commissioner! that she was shocked to see that much money go to a guy she expects to be a DH in a few years.
And it is a lot of money—a helluva lot of money, even by the standards of professional sports these days. At least $661 mill and maybe more still owed on his contract, over the next 13 seasons. That's a crazy commitment.
Buuuutt...
I still think the Yanks were fools to let him go.
The Yankees have plenty of guys who get injured all the time, play an erratic game in the field, and are owed too much money. (And Steve Cohen can afford it. So can ol' Food Stamps.)
Just as Aaron Judge isn't the problem with the Yankees, Juan Soto isn't the problem with the Mets.
We didn't hear much about it because the team was so lousy, but in 2025 Soto finished 3rd in the NL MVP voting, and nearly had a 40-40 season (a real one, Jazz), with 43 HRs, and a league-leading 38 stolen bases.
This year, he's only played in 101 games, but he still has 25 homers and a .907 OPS.
Think we couldn't use that? From a lefty, in the Stadium?
Erratic as he is in the field, Soto's led the league in putouts for a corner outfielder 5 times in his career, and has repeatedly been in the top 10 for assists. He has 104 stolen bases in just 134 attempts.
And yes, he IS a generational hitter.
Lifetime .945 OPS. He is an on-base machine, with a .415 OBP that is currently tops among all active players. He already has 386 home runs.
His command of the strike zone is unmatched. You can see how uneasy umps are about calling a strike when he doesn't swing.
Also—and this is not to be underrated on the current, semi-engaged Yankees—he's locked in on every at-bat, every time, even in all the useless games the Mets play.
His clutchness sparkles in October. He is a terrific postseason player, with 11 homers in 43 games, and a .927 OPS. In two World Series, he has 4 homers, a .326 BA, and a 1.147 OPS.
Cashman, in a true small-franchise move, gave up four young pitchers and Higgy to get him for just one year, hoping the Yanks could win it all, and we would wave him a fond farewell in our ecstasy.
Hey, it almost worked. But it was fraud, of course—and the Yanks should've done everything they could to keep this lefty juggernaut hitting before or after Judge for the last few, productive years of his career. Then he should see about getting another righty slugger, because Juan Soto—still jus 27—will be around for a loooong time.
Instead, we'll no doubt get the next Caustic Kev. Whoopee.
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