Mets fans, meet your team’s newest rivals.
During the abbreviated 2020 MLB season, each team will play 40 games against divisional foes and 20 interleague contests.
That means the Mets will be playing a third of their games against teams from the American League East. We know how the Mets have fared against the Yankees in the past, but how do the Amazin’s stack up against the rest of that division?
Here’s a look at the AL East clubs the Mets will square off against this year.
Yankees
Back in March, before Spring Training was halted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Yankees were a bit of a mess. The injury bug had bitten the Yanks once again: Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a fractured rib in early March, just weeks after James Paxton had undergone back surgery and Luis Severino had undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Center fielder Aaron Hicks was also on the mend from Tommy John, with an anticipated return date of June at the earliest. Former MVP Giancarlo Stanton was yet another Yankee expected to miss Opening Day, as the result of a right calf strain.
The delayed start to the season will benefit the Yankees, as it has given their injured stars added time to mend. Now that Opening Day is four months later than expected, Judge, Paxton, Hicks, and Stanton may start the season on the active roster after all. Even if these players aren’t fully healthy, the Yankees have enough depth to put together a lethal lineup on an everyday basis. The loss of Severino is mitigated by the arrival of 2019 AL Cy Young runner-up Gerrit Cole, who inked a record nine-year, $324 million deal this past winter.
The Yankees will be good, but the Mets are no pushovers either. While the Mets lack the bullpen depth that makes the Yankees such formidable foes, Luis Rojas’s club should have no issue going toe-to-toe with the Pinstripers. Keep this in mind: the Yankees hit 306 home runs in 2019, just one shy of the major league record. But in their final three games against the Mets, they managed to hit just three home runs in total.
If Mets pitchers continue to keep the Yankees in the ballpark, the Kings of Queens will triumph over the Boys from the Bronx.
Red Sox
The Red Sox endured a tumultuous offseason that saw them become embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal, leading to the dismissal of manager Alex Cora. The team, now run by former Rays executive Chaim Bloom, also traded away beloved superstar Mookie Betts to the Dodgers. Boston’s outlook for 2020 got even bleaker when it was announced that ace Chris Sale would undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire season.
The Sox still boast some of the most electric position players in the American League in Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez. The loss of Sale is a cataclysmic one, however. Boston’s projected rotation now consists of reliable lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, the oft-injured Nathan Eovaldi (career-worst 5.99 ERA in 2019), journeyman Martin Perez (career ERA+ of 96), and several question marks. Ryan Weber, who has all of eleven major league starts to his credit, may also break into the rotation.
To say that the team’s starting pitching is lackluster is perhaps too charitable an evaluation.
So, will the Mets party like it’s 1986 when they play the BoSox this year? The answer is likely yes. The Sox essentially gave up on the season when they traded Mookie Betts and failed to bring in anyone of note to strengthen the pitching staff. Expect them to score plenty of runs, only for their woeful pitching to limit them to also-ran status.
Rays
The Rays are one of the only teams that lacks a true face of the franchise. In fact, the casual baseball fan would have difficulty naming anyone on the roster besides Blake Snell. A ballclub does not need stars to win games, however, something the Rays have proven time and time again.
In 2019, the Rays had just one hitter eclipse the 30-home run mark (Austin Meadows) and one pitcher make at least 30 starts (Charlie Morton). They still finished thirty games over .500 at 96-66, a record that — had it not been for the Yankees’ 103 wins — would have earned them an AL East title. Kevin Cash’s club settled for a Wild Card berth instead and nearly got past the Astros in the ALDS.
The reason for the Rays’ success is simple: they possess an endless supply of power arms. Tampa pioneered the use of the “opener,” a bullpen arm who starts the game before giving way to another pitcher in the middle innings. It’s been an effective strategy for the Rays, allowing them to mix and match their pitchers depending on which part of the opposing lineup is coming to bat.
The sheer number of hard-throwers on the Rays will make them a challenge for the Mets. Teams rarely complete multi-run comebacks against their bullpen, so the Mets will need to score early rather than relying on late-inning rallies.
Blue Jays
Unlike the Rays, the Blue Jays boast a plethora of recognizable names. Of course, that’s partly because so many of Toronto’s players have fathers who were big league stars.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Cavan Biggio will form Toronto’s nucleus for years to come. Although Guerrero underperformed expectations in 2019, Bichette and Biggio emerged as franchise cornerstones. Bichette was particularly impressive; less than two weeks after his debut, he set the major league record for consecutive games with a double.
The most obvious difference between this year’s Blue Jays and the 2019 club that won just 67 games is the addition of 2019 NL ERA champion Hyun-Jin Ryu. The left-hander has dominated the Mets through the years, posting a 1.20 ERA over eight career starts against the orange and blue. Fortunately for the Mets, Ryu is by far the best pitcher on the staff. Despite the acquisitions of righty starters Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson, the Blue Jays will be on the outside looking in when the postseason rolls around.
Orioles
Rather than expounding upon the Orioles’ many weaknesses, I’ll cut right to the chase. This team was horrendous last year, and there’s little reason to believe they’ll be much better in 2020. Baltimore is in the midst of a rebuild, so the next few seasons will be focused on developing young talent rather than contending.
Here’s what Mets fans need to know about the birds: in 2019, the O’s gave up 305 home runs, the most ever allowed in a single season. No doubt Pete Alonso and the rest of the Mets lineup are already salivating at the chance to face this pitching staff.
Searle’s Final Say
Make no mistake, the Mets’ path to the 2020 postseason is not an easy one. With only 60 games in the schedule, there’s little room for error for first-time manager Luis Rojas. Nevertheless, the Mets figure to be in the postseason mix come October. This is a talented club, one that should hold its own no matter the opponent.