There is still a glimmer of hope for the Yankees and Mets that they can make the postseason as wildcard entries.
Three spots are for the taking in both the American League and the National League. Going into yesterday’s Major League Baseball schedule, the Tampa Bay Rays (69-46), Houston Astros (65-49) and Toronto Blue Jays (64-51) held the AL wildcard positions in order.
The San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies were first and second in the NL race, while the Chicago Cubs (59-55) and Cincinnati Reds (60-56) were tied for third.
The Yankees (59-55) were 4.5 games out of the third wildcard position and the Mets (51-62) 7.5. Adversity and damaging inconsistency has come to define both New York clubs. Over the past nine days, the Yankeees’ pitching staff and by extension the team has been beset by starter Domingo German entering an in-patient treatment center for alcohol abuse and Carlos Rodon, who didn’t make his 2023 debut until July 7 recovering from back and elbow issues.
The pair is emblematic of the Yankees’ underperforming and disappointing season.
Over his seven-year MLB career, the 31-year-old German has been a paradox, battling internal demons while simultaneously displaying tantalizing talent, the latter evidenced by his perfect game—only the 24th in MLB history–-authored this past June 28 in Oakland against the A’s.
He was suspended in 2020 for 81 games for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy and another 10 this past May for violating MLB’s foreign substance policy. In 20 appearances this season, German was 5-7 with a 4.56 ERA.
“Hopefully the steps that are being taken today will benefit him for the remaining part of his life,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman on August 2 in revealing German’s status.
The 30-year-old Rodon, who the Yankees signed as a free-agent last December to a six-year, $162 million deal, was placed on the injured list on Monday due to hamstring issues. His first season with the team has been a debacle. He has only six starts and is 1-4 with a 7.33 ERA.
Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, the Mets’ home stadium, are separated by only 9.7 miles. Their breakdowns this season are even closer in similarity. The Mets message was implicit in the days before the August 1 MLB trade deadline when they dealt their top two starters, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, to the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros respectively:
This season is a wrap.
Owner Steve Cohen followed up the trades with an explicit missive to season ticket holders via email last Friday.
“We do not take your support or loyalty for granted. It is your passion that makes Citi Field such a special place,” it read. “When we purchased the team in 2020, we said that we were doing it for the fans, our community. It was true then, and it remains true today.
“When our players arrived in Port St. Lucie for Spring Training, you had high expectations for the club and so did we. We added several key pieces to our team, but things have not turned out how we planned. You are rightfully disappointed and so are we.”
Although the Mets remain in wildcard contention, they have for all intents and purposes pivoted towards next season and beyond. An abjectly frustrating outcome for fans who had plausible belief in the team being a World Series contender back on March 30, Opening Day.
The Yankees will be on the road until next Wednesday beginning tomorrow, facing the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves for three games each. The Mets are hosting the Braves for four games this weekend in Queens, including a double-header on Saturday.