New York City is home to eight major professional sports franchises. Yet it’s been more than a decade since there was a championship parade through the streets of the city, with the last being in 2012 after the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
In that same amount of time, Boston has had six and Los Angeles has had seven. What is wrong in New York and can either of its baseball teams bring the celebration back to New York this season?
The Yankees
The New York Yankees are the premier franchise in professional sports and are perceived as the standard for sports organizations across the country. But what have the Yankees done since 2009 besides disappoint?
They have been right there in the American League (AL) pennant race virtually every year, but the collapse has been inevitable throughout the 2010s and now into the 2020s.
Where do the Yankees stand right now?
With the lockout in the MLB prolonging, the Yankees do not seem to be much of an improved team going into 2022.
The Yankees superstar core remains with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole. However, they complement a lineup and pitching staff that has been widely inconsistent during their time in New York.
Most of their starters returned from last year’s 92-70 campaign, which fell to the hands of the Boston Red Sox in their Wild Card matchup. But the AL East will likely improve in 2022.
Four teams, including New York, won over 90 games last year.
The expectation is for the Toronto Blue Jays to improve even more this year. The Red Sox are also returning their core. And then there’s the Tampa Bay Rays, who are only a season removed from an AL Championship.
The race for the division alone, which (should) include 57 games against their AL East rivals, is going to be a testament to the Yankees and where the organization currently stands.
The Bronx Bombers finished 25-32 in games against those opponents last season, this number needs to be above .500 if the Yankees want any chance of making a pennant push.
The Mets
Before the MLB offseason was put on hold due to the lockout, the New York Mets made splashes in the early part of free agency.
They signed future Hall of Famer, three-time Cy Young award winner, eight-time all-star and 2019 World Series champion, Max Scherzer.
In pairing Scherzer with, what is considered to be the MLB’s best pitcher, Jacob deGrom, you’ll have to go back in history and find a more powerful pitching duo in league history than these two are expected to be.
They also signed former all-stars Starling Marte and Eduardo Escobar, as well as Mark Canha. The Mets loaded up early in free agency but where do they stand now in the National League (NL)?
The New York Mets finished second in the league in total games missed by players with 2,264 games in 2021, which included their ace, Jacob deGrom.
First things first for the Mets in 2022 is they have to stay healthy. Plugging players in and out of the lineup daily is what led to a disappointing 77-85 season last year.
Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso are the faces of the Mets lineup. Now complemented by the three talented bats they acquired in free agency, this means the Mets will have a statistically improved lineup going into 2022.
The NL East also shapes up easier for the Mets than the AL east does for the Yankees.
While the Atlanta Braves look to defend their World Series title, they are expected to take a step back in 2022. While the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins look to improve, the Mets look to be a better team on paper going into the season. The Washington Nationals are not far removed from their World Series Championship, but last year’s trade deadline proves that they’re in a rebuilding year.
The Mets were 39-37 in their division last season. With this expected roster in 2022, the Mets should near 45 division wins in 2022.
Can Either Return to Baseball Royalty?
As the MLB lockout continues, rosters are not set in stone for 2022. But as of right now, neither the Mets or Yankees are slated to be the best teams in their league.
Everything that has gone wrong for both clubs, with injuries and postseason collapses, needs to be fixed this season if either wants to have a chance at the World Series. Both teams are suited for playoff contention, but what they do from there is uncertain.
Hopefully one of the two most recognized franchises in all of sports can return baseball royalty back to the city that never sleeps.
For comments/questions about this story tweet @TheWhitSports.
