Mets, Baseball, Carlos Correa discussed on Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney
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The left side of their infield is great for baseball is great for the mets. I'm with you. Like Billy Beane has obviously lived in that one lane wildly successfully for years and years and years. But if we're talking about baseball globally baseball, big picture, the ethos of baseball, what is happening right now in New York is the best thing that possibly could. Make no mistake about it. How much better does gray make the mets in your estimation? Way better. Cool as Correa might be the best shortstop in baseball. He's now playing third base for the mets. The mets have a real chance, a real chance to be an all time great regular season team. Buster, I truly mean that. We saw the Dodgers do it last year, and obviously means nothing in the postseason, but an awful lot went wrong for the mets last year to get to 101 wins, right? They're pitching staff, especially their starting rotation, is going to be considerably better. They have two potential Hall of Fame shortstops on the left side of their infield, which is historically unprecedented. I've come across and I picked up a few names in terms of comparison, but there's not much there. I'm thinking back to Ernie Benson, Ron Santo, Louis aparicio, and Brooks Robinson, Robin yacht and Paul molitor, of course, Jeter and a rod, this is a really, really short list. And let's not forget to mention, buck showalter is a manager who has a decades long, a durable track record of eking out the most value out of his teams. They regularly exceed their run differential in terms of expectation. And not to mention, yes, the national yeast is going to be loaded. But they've changed the schedule. They've balanced the schedule this upcoming season. So you're not playing the brave 19 times. You're playing them 14 times. You're not playing the Phillies 19 times. You're playing them 14 times. I think we're living in a world in which if the mets hit, like if the mets really hit in the way in which people stay healthy. And they can avoid any sort of unforeseen stuff, which has happened to the mets over the years. I don't think winning a 110, a 115 or even a 120 games is off the table. They are absolutely loaded at every position. Their utility guides could make the all star team in Milwaukee or Pittsburgh. They have guys at the back end of the rotation that would be the ace for a third of the teams in the league. They got the best closer in the sport. There's nothing that this team does not have. Nothing at all. And Carlos Correa right now, who knows what his back will look like in 12 years from now. But Carlos Correa right now is going to slide over to third base and effectively be Manny Machado, playing alongside Francisco Lindor. With an outfield that includes Brandon nimmo and starling Marte. This is an all star team. They have two first ballot Hall of Fame pitchers atop the rotation who are still in the back end of their prime. I don't think you can say enough about how good this theme is likely to be. Anything short of the World Series. I think would be an epic collapse. Now, obviously, baseball's postseason is fickle. For this team is good enough to be favored in any series they play for sure. We just spoke with David Ross, who acknowledged that, you know, from the cubs perspective, his perspective, the quickest way to competitive relevance is through improved defense and pitching, how much better does dansby Swanson make the cubs? Considerably. The cubs are going to win more games than they lose. Next season. The cubs are going to jump over the brewers next season. I really like the addition of Dan's response and for them specifically with Jameson tying the new edition with Kyle Hendricks with Marcus stroman. This is a pitching staff that's going to live on the ground. And with dansby Swanson playing shortstop with Niko Horner playing second base, especially now that you've eliminated the ship, up the middle defense is at a premium. And the cubs are going to play it better than any team in baseball. You can make up a lot of ground by being good in that area. It's not just that they have good defenders in the middle of the diamond. It's that they're marrying it with their pitching staff. There's a clear organizational philosophy again there in Chicago. It did not have the previous few seasons, even when the Baez is and the Rizzo's and the Brian's and the Contreras is we're still there. It's sort of became disheveled by the end. It really did. What they have now is a very clear philosophy. We're going to win this way. And the buy in is going to make a huge difference. I think the cubs are going to allow 50 fewer runs than they allowed last year. I think they're probably going to score 50 more runs than they allowed last year because Swanson could hit a little bit. And they got a really nice young collection of hitters in that lineup too. And if you can find a way to get a hundred runs better, you're going to be way better. It just goes without saying. That's going to be that's going to equal something like ten wins. I think they passed the brewers and finished second in the national league central. I think it's going to happen as soon as next season. All right, in light of all the money that's been spent this winter, I want to be in the agent for Rafael Devers because I can't remember the last time a player had this kind of leverage in the way that Deborah's has with the Red Sox ownership, which is under siege, fan base is furious about this. Bets left Bogart's left and here comes Rafael Devers, who's going to be 26 years old at the end of next season, 20 going to turn 27 the Anna next season. And he's going to hit the open market in what is generally speaking besides Shohei Ohtani underneath Shohei Ohtani, a thin market. Oh my God, like the Red Sox either better come in with a white flag and say what is it going to take and that offer needs to start with the number four or I think ambo, like he's gone. What do you think? I think there's a 0% chance that Rafael Devers is a member of the Red Sox in 2024 if they don't sign him before opening day of 2023.