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JJ: “New Year’s Resolutions – Four Mistakes NY Teams Need to Learn From in 2026”

BQE Admin on December 31, 2025

New York New York

By John Jastremski

Last week, I looked back on the year in New York Sports for 2025, a year unfulfilled for a majority of our teams in town. The calendar is over and done with and now 2026 awaits.

Look, we all may have some resolutions we want to tackle for 2026. Some of them may be more realistic than others, but in the spirit of the new year, I figured I would offer some advice to our teams.

David Stearns must change approach when it comes to handling starting pitchers.

Mets GM David Stearns hit the lottery in 2024 with the way he built his pitching staff. His buy low guys panned out brilliantly. A year later, Stearns did not come anywhere close to the same success.

The Mets collapse in 2025 in many ways was triggered by atrocious starting pitching. Yes, Stearns is right to be confident in youngster Nolan McLean as a major part of the puzzle.

However, he needs to be aggressive in targeting a legitimate front of the line arm to help McLean.

Will Stearns properly pivot?

Will Yankees Adjust Approach For October success?

The Yankees properly pivoted last offseason after losing Juan Soto to the Mets.

Max Fried & Cody Bellinger were a big part of the success of the 2025 regular season.

However, in the postseason, the result remained the same. Another year without a World Series title.

Will Brian Cashman acknowledge the need for balance and an a contact approach up and down the lineup? Or will it be a lineup with automatic outs at the bottom like we saw a year ago in the ALDS?

Will Giants ownership learn from past mistakes in Head Coach Hiring Process?

The Giants once again will be in the market for a head coach in January. 

It’s a franchise that hasn’t gotten it right with their head man since the days of Tom Coughlin.

Can they find the proper leader equipped to handle the battleground that is New York?

Don’t make the same mistake of years past. Try to find a leader with experience as a head coach who can go and hit the ground running.

Will Aaron Glenn learn from his mistakes from his nightmarish first season?

It’s tough to have a more miserable first season than Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn.

From non competitive football to dust ups with the media, it’s been as bad as it gets.

Will Glenn acknowledge the mistakes of year 1 on and off the field and grow from them?

Or will he join a long list of failed Jets head coaches…

Hopefully 2025 will bring a lot of reflection and learning for the power brokers of NY Sports and 2026 will be a year of upward mobility!

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network every Sunday/Thursday on Spotify/Apple Podcasts. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sportsnite at 11 PM on SNY. 

JJ: “The Year in NY Sports for 2025. Not Good Enough…”

BQE Admin on December 25, 2025

New York New York

By John Jastremski

Believe it or not, next week is the final full week of 2025. 

In NY Sports, I think many of us went into the calendar year with high hopes for our teams and prospects for success. 

Looking back on the year, it’s hard to not have a feeling of disappointment. 

I think the best way to look at NY Sports in 2025 is to say the year wasn’t good enough. 

Our baseball teams were fresh off a trip to the World Series and the NLCS a year ago at this time. 

Life was good for Mets fans, Juan Soto was the new conquering hero and the sky was the limit… Until it wasn’t. 

The Mets inexplicably missed the playoffs in 2025 and it was no fluke. 

They were a terrible baseball team for the final 4 months of the season and the ramifications of that poor play is the wholesale change we are witnessing within the team heading into 2026. 

In Yankees land, it was another year of coming up short in October. 

Yes, the Yankees pivoted brilliantly away from Juan Soto. 

Yes, they tied the Blue Jays for the most wins in the American League, but another year slips through the hourglass of Aaron Judge’s career without a ring. 

The pressure continues to mount and yet the team continues to be content with where they stand. 

Good enough to be in the dance, sure they have a chance, but it hasn’t been good enough to win. 

The football teams. Par for the course. And not in a good way. A collective 5 wins by 2 teams is a special sort of ineptitude. 

One would argue the New York Knicks would buck this trend of not being good enough. 

And compared to the other teams in town, it makes perfect sense. 

The Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 25 seasons. 

They had an epic 2nd round series win against the Boston Celtics. 

Yet, they can join the club of disappointment. Why? The Game 1 collapse against the Indiana Pacers will be a game that lives forever in infamy. 

It flat out cost the Knicks the series and will haunt this team until of course they reach the NBA Finals. 

2025 was eventful. There were some monster moments, promising debuts & plenty of interesting subplots. 

At the end of the day, it wasn’t good enough for our fair city. Let’s hope 2026 can be better…

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York every Sunday & Thursday on The Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite at 11 PM on SNY.

JJ: “David Stearns Legacy Offseason… Loading…”

BQE Admin on December 19, 2025

New York New York

By John Jastremski

What a crazy few weeks to start the offseason for the New York Mets.
Of course after the way the 2025 season ended up, you had to imagine the status quo was not going to be accepted by ownership and GM David Stearns.
The Mets were going to have a much different team going into 2026, sure.
However, who could have possibly imagined that before Christmas, the Mets have said goodbye to three of the most popular players the team has had over the past seven or so years.
It started with Brandon Nimmo and then last week the Mets saw Edwin Diaz sign with the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers and franchise home run leader Pete Alonso take his talents to the Baltimore Orioles.
Unlike the Diaz sweepstakes, the Mets had no interest in bringing Alonso back to Queens.
The Mets will point to the amount of years the Orioles gave Pete Alonso and suggest it was a length of contract they did not feel comfortable with.
There is some truth in that, but it digs even deeper.
David Stearns did not want Pete Alonso back. He didn’t want to resign him last year and simply has a different vision for building and reshaping the ballclub.
Look, if I was in David Stearns shoes. I would want Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz back on my baseball team.
Diaz is one of the best closers in baseball and Pete Alonso is one of the best slugging right handed hitters in the sport.
However, I’m not running the Mets.
David Stearns has put his reputation on the line this offseason.
Remember, Stearns grew up a Mets fan on the Upper East side as a kid.
He probably wants nothing more than returning his boyhood team to glory with a trip down the Canyon of Heroes.
Stearns clearly has a plan for what he envisions this Mets roster to be in 2026 and beyond.
At the moment, he’s not exactly the most popular person in town.
The Mets said goodbye to three players the fan base absolutely adored.
Mets fans are not exactly going to show a ton of patience with the team’s GM if the team doesn’t win and win in a big way next season.
He knows that.
David Stearns acted with serious backbone and conviction in charting the current course for the team.
He has a plan, the pieces are not officially all in place quite yet.
Will Stearns offseason be a story of vindication or of massive regret.
The plot thickens indeed…
You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts every Sunday & Thursday. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite at 11 PM on SNY. 

A $340 Million Mishap as Mets Miss Postseason

BQE Admin on October 2, 2025

Young arms, Minor League championships turn heads towards future

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

With the second-highest payroll in the Majors, the New York Mets missed the postseason in what can only be considered an abject failure. Despite a roster ripe with talent and the team’s red hot start that saw them lead the National League at multiple points, the season came to a close with a 4-0 loss in Miami.

The Mets finished level with Cincinnati, both holding 83-79 records, but the Reds earned the tiebreaker with a 4-2 record against New York to clinch the final Wild Card spot in the NL. As Francisco Lindor grounded into a season-ending double play, Mets players shared looks of dismay, disbelief, and shock that their 2025 campaign had come to a premature halt.

As any division rival should, the Marlins clearly took pride in playing spoiler. Miami played New York very well all season long, winning the season series 7-6. They were victorious in 5 of the 7 games played against New York in the back half of the season, only finishing 4 games behind the Mets with a payroll roughly one fifth the size.

“Mets fans everywhere. I owe you an apology. You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part,” said owner Steve Cohen in a somber statement. “We are all feeling raw emotions today. I know how much time and effort you have put into this team. The result was unacceptable. Your emotions tell me how much you care and continues to motivate the organization to do better.”

A notable point in the Mets downfall was the lack of improvement following the trade deadline. While the acquisitions of Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers gave New York one of the best bullpens in MLB on paper, Helsley panned out as one of the club’s worst ever deadline pickups, with Rogers failing to find consistency.

Additionally, Cedric Mullins provided little improvement in CF despite an injury to Tyrone Taylor. He struggled to make an impact despite providing adequate defense in the outfield.

New Mets star Juan Soto acknowledged this season’s failure but remained optimistic about the future. He put together his first ever 30/30 season, leading the National League in stolen bases with 38 (tied with Oneil Cruz). He finished just two stolen bases shy of a 40/40 campaign, setting a new career high with 42 homers in 2025.

Another bright spot this year was the young pitching. Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat showed tremendous potential for the future, as pitching depth was a clear weakness all season long. Whether all three begin the 2026 season in the Majors remains to be seen, but all were up for the challenge as they tried to push New York into October baseball.

Mets Minor League affiliates also celebrated success this year. In the past few weeks, both the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies claimed league championships. Despite the MLB team coming up short, there is a good deal of talent awaiting their chance to prove themselves at the game’s highest level.

Yankees to Host Mets on 25th Anniversary of 9/11

BQE Admin on September 9, 2025

Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

The Mets and Yankees will meet in the Bronx on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 next season, five years after doing so for the first timez.

With the 2026 MLB schedule released at the end of August, the 9/11 memorial game is one of the most eyecatching matchups of the year. The two New York teams will face off in a high-intensity series that will take place during the final stretch of next season’s playoff race.

The 2021 meeting was the first time both took the field together in New York. It was an emotional affair featuring hundreds of FDNY, NYPD, EMT, and Department of Sanitation workers, survivors of the attacks, and of course the first responder baseball caps worn every year by both the Mets and Yankees on the anniversary of the attacks. Both teams stepped onto the field to shake hands and exchange pleasantries before the first pitch.

The game itself was an electric one, featuring an early 5-0 Yankee lead, a daring Mets comeback, and late lead changes. Two 8th inning runs gave the Yankees a 8-7 win, an important victory as they went on to claim the final Wild Card spot in the AL.

Next year’s matchup will be the first in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. The Citi Field edition of the Subway Series will take place from May 15 to the 17.

Mets Rookies Handed Trio of Losses

BQE Admin on September 9, 2025

By Noah Zimmerman

Three Mets rookie pitchers faced consecutive defeats over the weekend as New York dropped the last two games in Cincinnati and the opener in Philadelphia. Still, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Nolan McLean all showed prowess and potential in strong starts.

Tong only surrendered three hits in his second career game. Unfortunately all three were sent over the wall as the Reds scored four runs in the first four frames. The rest of the outing went smoothly for Tong, finishing with six strikeouts in six innings of work. He was handed the loss as the Mets fell 6-3.

The next day, Mets #5 prospect Brandon Sproat stepped onto the big league mound for the first time. Like McLean and Tong, the young righty made a strong impression in his debut. 

The 24-year-old threw five innings of no-hit baseball, only allowing one run via sacrifice fly. In the 6th Cincinnati finally got to Sproat, with three consecutive hits to go up 3-1. Sproat struck out the next two Reds batters to end his night with seven K’s, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the loss.

Nolan McLean dazzled in Detroit but was finally handed his first loss of the year in Philadelphia. In 5.1 innings, McLean only gave up one run on seven hits with five strike outs. He displayed more masterful control of the breaking ball and the composure to survive busy basepaths.

Unfortunately the Mets were blanked by Aaron Nola and the Phillies bullpen. McLean was tagged with the decision in a 1-0 loss. It was New York’s sixth loss in their last nine games, a troubling trend as the Wild Card race continues to tighten up.

The Kids are Alright!

BQE Admin on September 2, 2025

A Clean Start for Nolan McLean, Tong Terrific Takes Over Queens

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

A pair of Mets youngsters took the mound at Citi Field last week, injecting some life into a struggling rotation. Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, two of the most highly touted arms in the Mets system, made their MLB debuts in August. Most notably, both earned big wins in a pair of important division games at Citi Field last week.

McLean, a right-handed spin savant, took the mound in front of the Queens crowd for the first time against the Seattle Mariners earlier in the month. He delivered one of the greatest pitcher debuts in club history, striking out 8 and only surrendering 2 hits in 5.1 innings of scoreless ball.

In his next two starts, McLean continued to impress, becoming the first in franchise history to win each of his first three games. He punched out 6 in 7 innings in Atlanta before getting another 5 against the Phillies at home.

McLean became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in the 80’s to win their first three games while pitching 20+ innings, striking out 20+, and holding opponents to a sub-.200 batting average. More importantly he displayed an ability to go deep into ballgames, something sorely missing from the Mets pitching staff.

The rookie’s 8 innings of work against Philadelphia were some of the most masterful from the Mets pitching staff all season. Only David Peterson has gone deeper in a game this year, throwing a complete game shutout against the Nationals in June.

On Friday night, another young Met arm was welcomed to Citi Field for the first time. Jonah Tong, carried youthful energy onto the mound just over a month past his 22nd birthday but kept nerves contained in front of a nearly sold out crowd. Tong didn’t have to worry about run support in his first Major League game as he was handed 12 runs to work with over the first two innings.

The youngster was just barely able to qualify for a win, throwing nearly 100 pitches over 5 frames. A pair of errors nearly cost Tong a chance at a decision, but he finished with just one earned run.

The 19-9 win set a record for the most runs scored at home as New York desperately tried to shake a groggy August. Despite their sweep of the Phillies, the Mets struggled last month with a 11-17 record even with impressive offensive numbers. With pitching struggles, it’s time to see what the new kids can offer in the season’s final stretch.

Nolan McLean’s 4th start was scheduled for Tuesday in Detroit. Tong is slated for a Friday night appearance in Cincinnati as the Mets look to earn some separation in the Wild Card race.

JJ: “Panic & Stress Is Contagious For NY Baseball in 2025”

BQE Admin on August 12, 2025

By John Jastremski

I think it’s fair to say for a month plus, the narrative around NY Baseball and panic has been front and center around the New York Yankees. Totally fair, totally justified might I add… 

However, over the past month. The New York Mets have basically said to their crosstown rivals, “Hold my beer.”

The Mets were a team that at one point in the season was 20 plus games over .500 and basically found themselves in a dead heat with the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East. 

The past month around the Mets has changed that narrative quite significantly. The Mets have fallen on some very hard times as a team. They have lost 7 consecutive games entering Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. 

After the sweep at the hands of the Brewers, the Mets have stunningly lost 11 of their last 12 games and now cling to the 3rd Wild Card spot in the NL Playoff Picture and find themselves 6 games back of Philadelphia for first place in the NL East. 

The pressing question is how in the world has this happened? A couple of different reasons. 

The Mets cannot get any length out of their starting pitchers. For the past two months, their starters have averaged less than 5 innings a start. I don’t care if it’s the modern day game in 2025, that is 100 percent unacceptable. 

The Mets inability to get length out of their rotation has compromised their bullpen dramatically. 

The Mets also have seen their stars struggle mightily. Francisco Lindor was the conquering hero of the 2024 team. He has been dreadful for the past two months, where you have to wonder if indeed he is 100 percent right? 

Juan Soto falls under that microscope too. Yes, his numbers on the surface look solid, but much of the damage Soto has done was during a red hot month of June.

In the biggest of spots so far in 2025, Juan Soto has come up too small. Soto was the king of the moment a year ago for the Yankees. The Mets need him to meet the moment over the final two months of the season. 

The Mets schedule is very tricky after the next two weeks. It is imperative for the Mets to beat up on the Atlanta Braves, and yes I realize how weird it was typing that exact sentence. 

Yes, the Braves have been a thorn in the Mets side for years. However, the Braves are a hot mess in 2025. 

They are well under .500 and it’s been a lost season. Time to punish a team that wants to be put out of their misery. 

The Mets have time to get their season back on track, but if the stars don’t play like stars and the rotation doesn’t find a way to give them some length, the problems and the misery will continue.

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts every Tuesday & Friday. You can watch me on Honda Sports Nite following Mets postgame on SNY. 

Alonso Passes Strawberry as Mets All-Time Home Run Leader

BQE Admin on August 12, 2025

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

There’s finally company atop the New York Mets all-time HR leaderboard. On Sunday, Pete Alonso launched home run #252 in orange and blue to draw level with the great Darryl Strawberry.

Straw’s swatted 335 homers over his career, with the first 252 as a Met. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1983 and made the All-Star Game in each of his next 7 seasons in Queens.

“The Polar Bear” had a similar start to his career, winning the 2019 NL ROY with a MLB record 53 homers as a first-year player. Alonso cleared the 40-HR mark in three different seasons, something Strawberry never did in his 17-year career (Strawberry hit 39 in 1988 and finished 2nd in MVP voting). Alonso was also recently named an All-Star for the 5th time in his career, coming up with a clutch 3-run homer in Atlanta last month.

Since Alonso first made the big league roster in 2019, he has led MLB with 679 RBI. Only Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber have hit more homers in that span, with 269 and 254 respectively.

As a consistent power and RBI threat, Alonso has cemented himself as a vital piece of the Mets lineup and will have rightfully earned the title of club HR leader the next time he clears the outfield wall.

Unfortunately the current season has taken a turn and Alonso’s next contract is still looming. Pete and the Mets agreed to a 2-year/$54M contract after lengthy negotiations last offseason, but it’s expected that Alonso will utilize his player option to test Free Agency once more.

Under his current contract, only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is earning more at first base. Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, and Freddie Freeman are all earning between $25M and $27M a year on long-term deals, painting a picture for Alonso’s contract hopes for his age 31 season and beyond.

Whether or not Alonso will be a Met for life is yet to be seen, but regardless he’s etched his name into New York baseball lore. 

Perhaps someday Alonso’s #20 will hang near #18 above the left field stands at Citi Field. For now, Alonso will look to help turn the current Mets season around as they hunt another playoff run.

Editor’s Note: This article was published on Tuesday afternoon before the Mets vs Braves game. Pete Alonso would go on to hit HR #253 and #254 to become the standalone franchise leader.

JJ: “New York Baseball Midseason Report Cards”

BQE Admin on July 18, 2025

By John Jastremski

We have officially reached the midway point of the 2025 NY Baseball season. All things considered, it’s a good thing that if the season were to end today, the Mets and the Yankees would both be a part of the postseason.  The bad news is that both would be lined up to play in the Best of 3 Wild Card Round. 

So at the halfway point of the season, step into the grading room of Professor Jastremski of the Newhouse School. He knew plenty about getting A’s in broadcasting and history classes. Math and Science classes, eh not so much. Let’s give some grades for both teams, shall we? 

Pete Alonso: A

Pete’s first half has been arguably the best half of his big league career. He’s gotten a ton of big hits and it appears he’s bet on himself in a much better way than he did in 2024. 

Max Fried: A

I’ve always had an appreciation of Fried from a distance watching him with the Atlanta Braves, but he’s been even better than advertised in his first year pitching in pinstripes. His significance and importance to the 2025 Yankees went up exponentially after Gerrit Cole was lost for the season. Fried has been every bit the ace the Yankees have needed. 

Clay Holmes: B+ 

The Mets have dealt with a whole lot of adversity in their rotation throughout the first half of this season. One of the major questions in the rotation has been anything but for the first half of this year. Clay Holmes transitioned into being a starter for the first time in his big league career and I had serious reservations about whether or not he was up for the challenge. Holmes has done a very nice job taking the ball every 5th day. The only reason he didn’t earn himself an A is due to his inability to go deep into games. 

Paul Goldschmidt: B 

The Yankees found themselves in a spot in 2024 where first base was an absolute black hole. Paul Goldschmidt has provided much needed stability both offensively and defensively to 1st base. He’s been an absolute pro’s pro. 

Mark Vientos: D 

I had high hopes for the Mets breakout star from 2024. There is no way to sugar coat it, Vientos first half has been an absolute flop. He’s lost playing time, he’s been injured and he hasn’t performed both at the plate and in the field. Perhaps the past few games in Kansas City will be the turning point of getting his season and full season grade back on track. 

Anthony Volpe: D 

The most disappointing Yankees performer by a significant margin, If you take out Volpe’s March/April stats, the numbers of futility are even more alarming. He seems to have no plan at the plate, his confidence is shot and now his defense at shortstop which was supposed to be a strength has become a massive liability. 

The Yankees have a shortstop problem until I see reasons otherwise… 

New York Mets: A-

The Mets have weathered a whole lot of storms especially from a pitching standpoint so far this first half. They are a half game out of first place and will be a major player at the trade deadline. The team is exactly on track to where I thought they’d be preseason. 

New York Yankees: B+ 

The only reason the Yankees didn’t earn themselves an A grade for the first half is due to what happened over the final 4 weeks of June and into July where a massive division lead turned into a minor deficit. The Yankees lineup has exceeded my expectations in the absence of Juan Soto, but can they upgrade a few key spots over the next few weeks to win a very congested AL East…

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