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The Mets' Tyrone Taylor celebrates after hitting a go ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

\n","altTag":"","byline":"Thomas A. Ferrara","organization":"Newsday","floatLeft":false,"floatRight":false,"imageSize":"","useFreeform":false},"content":{"__typename":"Article","id":"contentid/b3ca2ad3-44f8-4d75-a7a3-dc9ce60e2169","lead":"It will be up to David Stearns to make the right moves and get some deadline wins.","body":"

There’s a week left until baseball's Aug. 3 trade deadline and there’s little doubt that the Mets clubhouse will be looking very different very soon.

\n

Thanks to their woeful record, and an expanded playoff format that means more teams have a shot at the playoffs, the Mets are one of a handful of assured sellers at the deadline — and if president of baseball operations David Stearns handles his assets correctly, it means that for one of the rare times this season, they have a shot to be on the winning side of things.

\n

Here are five players who could be dealt at the deadline, along with the returns they might net.

\n

Freddy Peralta

\n

Peralta may have done the Mets no favors with his performance this season, but there’s always value in an experienced starter who’s shown so much promise in the past, and can take the ball every fifth day. “Fixing” Peralta, who says he physically feels fine, is a tantalizing prospect. If the Tigers do decide to trade Tarik Skubal, the asking price will be astronomical, meaning Peralta may be as good as many teams looking for rotational help can get.

\n

On an expiring contract, the Mets will probably be happy if Peralta can get them a top 100 prospect — it’s something, but a far cry from the two top 100 prospects the Mets dealt to get him to Flushing in the first place, even if Jett Williams has struggled this year (the other piece of the trade, Brandon Sproat, has shown promise with the Brewers after a rocky start to his season).

\n

Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter

\n

The two get lumped together for a reason: experienced, consistent lefties on expiring contracts.

\n

Raley has been one of the Mets’ best relievers since returning from Tommy John surgery last year, and went into Monday’s contest against Atlanta carrying a 2.09 ERA in 38 2/3 innings. Similarly, Minter, who missed most of last year, has a 2.45 ERA and significant playoff experience.

\n

Teams are always looking for bullpen help at the deadline, and a high-leverage middle reliever can net you a nice prospect or two.

\n

Though the market changes yearly, if we want to get a sense of what either may command, we can look at what comparable lefties went for last year — in this case, Gregory Soto, Caleb Ferguson and Steven Matz. All three were able to return an organizational top 20 prospect.

\n

Soto, who went to the Mets, netted two minor-league relievers, the first of which was the team’s 19th-ranked prospect. Ferguson cost the Mariners their No. 15 prospect Jeter Martinez, whom Baseball America said projects to be a mid-rotation starter. The Cardinals netted minor-league infielder Blaze Jordan for Matz, with Jordan making his MLB debut this year.

\n

Clay Holmes

\n

Though Holmes has been nursing a broken leg and has a player option for next year, his track record gives him plenty of leeway to decline the $12 million payday and look for something better this coming offseason. Though the Mets could extend him, Holmes said recently that the team hasn’t broached the subject — meaning he could be on his way out.

\n

Before getting hurt, Holmes was the team’s best starter, with a 2.39 ERA over nine starts. Despite last pitching on May 15, he’s second among Mets starters in fWAR, has grown into his role since emerging from the bullpen, and is very close to a return. The Guardians traded Shane Bieber under similar circumstances last deadline — he missed the first half recovering from Tommy John surgery — and got the Blue Jays’ No. 5 prospect in return.

\n

The Mets, though, could opt not to trade him or extend him, instead extending a qualifying offer that he could then reject, netting the club a compensatory draft pick in return.

\n

Tyrone Taylor

\n

Taylor is on an expiring contract and has been scorching hot since his return from the injured list, slashing .410/.477/.974 with six home runs in 19 games. He’s among the fastest players in baseball, can play all three outfield positions, and has the elite arm strength that makes him an ideal late-game defensive substitution for any contending ballclub. The return for Taylor will be modest — maybe just an organizational depth piece — but since he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent, the Mets could always just sign him again in the offseason.

\n

Other players who may be dealt: Luke Weaver, Luis Robert Jr., Sean Manaea, Luis Torrens, Huascar Brazoban.

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Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.

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The Mets' Tyrone Taylor celebrates after hitting a go ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

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Tyrone Taylor of the Mets singles during the sixth inning against Atlanta at Citi Field on Monday.

\n","altTag":"","byline":"Jim McIsaac","organization":"","floatLeft":false,"floatRight":false,"imageSize":"","useFreeform":false},"content":{"__typename":"Article","id":"contentid/46af40a0-2f23-4274-b576-28f3739c7709","lead":"A trade deadline sell-off would leave them with a skeleton-crew roster, meaning they realistically could lose 100 games for the first time since the infamous 1993 team.","body":"

As soul-crushing as this season has been for the Mets, in nearly every capacity, it’s on the verge of sinking to depths that were unimaginable before Opening Day.

\n

With Juan Soto now on the shelf indefinitely with a severe calf strain, and president of baseball operations David Stearns prepared to strip away a chunk of his valuable assets by Monday’s trade deadline, that’s going to leave a skeleton-crew roster occupying Citi Field for the final two months.

\n

It’s a scary thought. These Mets, with the sport’s second-highest payroll at $380 million, could realistically lose 100 games for the first time since the 1993 club, famously known as “The Worst Team Money Could Buy,” stumbled to 103 losses.

\n

Safe to say, Stearns’ ill-fated creation is now more deserving of that infamous moniker, due to the astronomical expense and epic failure. That ’93 team had a price tag of $38 million, which at the time ranked fifth in the majors. Adjusting for inflation, those Mets would still only be valued at roughly $87 million in today’s dollars. That’s a similar payroll to the current Marlins.

\n

Owner Steve Cohen has footed the bill for the same level of ineptitude, at nearly five times the cost, courtesy of Stearns’ suspect roster-building this past winter. That’s a catastrophic miscalculation, and the process of digging out from the Mets’ debris pile is going to get much worse before there’s any legit hope of turning things around.

\n

There was a momentary reprieve Monday night, however, as Francisco Lindor swatted a pair of home runs in a 19-hit effort to power the Mets’ 14-3 victory over Atlanta. Marcus Semien snapped a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning with a two-run homer, his second in as many games. Tyrone Taylor continued to enhance his trade value by also going deep on back-to-back days, this time with a three-run shot, as the Mets (45-62) earned their second straight win over an NL division leader after Sunday’s 8-3 victory over the Dodgers.

\n

Taylor has been the Mets’ hottest hitter since coming off the IL in late June, with a slash line of .410/.477/.974 and six home runs over his last 19 games. But that also means he’ll soon be an ex-Met, so the boost he’s provided in Flushing will be happening someplace else by next Monday.

\n

“It’s phenomenal swings right now, great at-bats,” manager Andy Green said. “Can’t imagine anybody wouldn’t love having him on their team.”

\n

The injured Soto isn’t available to pick up that slack, either. Two seasons into Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract, the Mets have only gone backward since his arrival, and now he’ll be a spectator to one of the most depressing finishes in franchise histor, although Soto did say he intends on returning before the end of the season.

\n

“It’s frustrating,” Soto said Monday afternoon. “We never expected to be in this kind of spot by now. But we’ve got to take it day by day. We’ve got to be focused on the positives on what we have in here, and what kind of players we can build a team around.”

\n

Obviously, positives are in short supply, and most of them will be headed out the door in the coming days.

\n

Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta, Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, Huascar Brazoban and Taylor are certainly goners. Luke Weaver is likely to be dealt, as the rising bids should ultimately sway Stearns, and the Mets could get lucky with Luis Robert Jr., due to an aggressive market for righty sluggers.

\n

That leaves the Mets trying to be competitive with no Soto, no bullpen bridge to their $51 million closer Devin Williams and two holes in their rotation to patch. From a standings perspective, yes the games are meaningless. But the Mets still have to field a team on a nightly basis, and Green, who managed three seasons of 90-plus losses with the Padres, again will have the unenviable task of sifting through the post-deadline wreckage for salvageable items.

\n

“Being great in the big leagues is hard for every team, to some degree,” Green said. “And we’ve got to get better at what is hard. Our team has to do hard better as time goes on.”

\n

The Mets also have MLB’s third-most difficult schedule remaining, with their opponents combining for a .524 winning percentage. Only the Reds (.533) and Cubs (.526) are looking at a tougher road to the finish line. That’s where a healthy Soto could have helped in trying to keep things somewhat respectable.

\n

Instead, Soto now deserves to be added to the growing list of concerns, as one of the sport’s most durable stars is now on the IL for the second time with another calf strain, this more serious than the injury that sidelined him in April. Before this year, Soto, who turns 28 in October, hadn’t played fewer than 157 games the three previous seasons, and now he’s stuck at 84 with his return in doubt.

\n

“It’s just weird,” Soto said. “But we just got to try to figure out what is going on, what is happening.”

\n

Maybe Soto could be seeing more DH time earlier than anticipated in this 15-year contract, and if so, that’s another consideration for Stearns as he looks to fix the ’26 mess during what will be a lockout-shortened winter.

\n

But the Mets have another two months to go before their second overhaul in as many seasons, and it’s not going to be pretty.

\n

“Regrettably,” Green said, “I’ve had some experience as a manager on the wrong side of the trade deadline.”

\n

For the Mets, that’s anyone left at Citi Field after Aug. 3.

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\n\tDavid Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.\n

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Tyrone Taylor of the Mets singles during the sixth inning against Atlanta at Citi Field on Monday.

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There’s a week left until baseball's Aug. 3 trade deadline and there’s little doubt that the Mets clubhouse will be looking very different very soon.

\n

Thanks to their woeful record, and an expanded playoff format that means more teams have a shot at the playoffs, the Mets are one of a handful of assured sellers at the deadline — and if president of baseball operations David Stearns handles his assets correctly, it means that for one of the rare times this season, they have a shot to be on the winning side of things.

\n

Here are five players who could be dealt at the deadline, along with the returns they might net.

\n

Freddy Peralta

\n

Peralta may have done the Mets no favors with his performance this season, but there’s always value in an experienced starter who’s shown so much promise in the past, and can take the ball every fifth day. “Fixing” Peralta, who says he physically feels fine, is a tantalizing prospect. If the Tigers do decide to trade Tarik Skubal, the asking price will be astronomical, meaning Peralta may be as good as many teams looking for rotational help can get.

\n

On an expiring contract, the Mets will probably be happy if Peralta can get them a top 100 prospect — it’s something, but a far cry from the two top 100 prospects the Mets dealt to get him to Flushing in the first place, even if Jett Williams has struggled this year (the other piece of the trade, Brandon Sproat, has shown promise with the Brewers after a rocky start to his season).

\n

Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter

\n

The two get lumped together for a reason: experienced, consistent lefties on expiring contracts.

\n

Raley has been one of the Mets’ best relievers since returning from Tommy John surgery last year, and went into Monday’s contest against Atlanta carrying a 2.09 ERA in 38 2/3 innings. Similarly, Minter, who missed most of last year, has a 2.45 ERA and significant playoff experience.

\n

Teams are always looking for bullpen help at the deadline, and a high-leverage middle reliever can net you a nice prospect or two.

\n

Though the market changes yearly, if we want to get a sense of what either may command, we can look at what comparable lefties went for last year — in this case, Gregory Soto, Caleb Ferguson and Steven Matz. All three were able to return an organizational top 20 prospect.

\n

Soto, who went to the Mets, netted two minor-league relievers, the first of which was the team’s 19th-ranked prospect. Ferguson cost the Mariners their No. 15 prospect Jeter Martinez, whom Baseball America said projects to be a mid-rotation starter. The Cardinals netted minor-league infielder Blaze Jordan for Matz, with Jordan making his MLB debut this year.

\n

Clay Holmes

\n

Though Holmes has been nursing a broken leg and has a player option for next year, his track record gives him plenty of leeway to decline the $12 million payday and look for something better this coming offseason. Though the Mets could extend him, Holmes said recently that the team hasn’t broached the subject — meaning he could be on his way out.

\n

Before getting hurt, Holmes was the team’s best starter, with a 2.39 ERA over nine starts. Despite last pitching on May 15, he’s second among Mets starters in fWAR, has grown into his role since emerging from the bullpen, and is very close to a return. The Guardians traded Shane Bieber under similar circumstances last deadline — he missed the first half recovering from Tommy John surgery — and got the Blue Jays’ No. 5 prospect in return.

\n

The Mets, though, could opt not to trade him or extend him, instead extending a qualifying offer that he could then reject, netting the club a compensatory draft pick in return.

\n

Tyrone Taylor

\n

Taylor is on an expiring contract and has been scorching hot since his return from the injured list, slashing .410/.477/.974 with six home runs in 19 games. He’s among the fastest players in baseball, can play all three outfield positions, and has the elite arm strength that makes him an ideal late-game defensive substitution for any contending ballclub. The return for Taylor will be modest — maybe just an organizational depth piece — but since he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent, the Mets could always just sign him again in the offseason.

\n

Other players who may be dealt: Luke Weaver, Luis Robert Jr., Sean Manaea, Luis Torrens, Huascar Brazoban.

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The Mets' Tyrone Taylor celebrates after hitting a go ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

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Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott reacts after striking out the Kansas City Royals’ Carter Jensen to end the top of the fifth inning in an MLB game at Citi Field on July 8.

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Christian Scott was just following instructions. During the winter, the righthander had a Zoom call with Mets pitching coaches about expectations for the season and what he needed to work on. That’s when adding a cutter to his arsenal was floated.

\n

Among those on board, Scott said, were pitching coach Justin Willard, vice president of pitching Eric Jagers and assistant pitching coach Dan McKinney. There was one obstacle, though.

\n

Scott had never used a cutter. So when Willard suggested how to grip it, Scott obliged and didn’t ask many questions.

\n

“I held it like that, and it started working,” Scott said. “I was like, ‘You guys are geniuses.’ ”

\n

Amid a disappointing season, president of baseball operations David Stearns said on Friday that he’s “excited” about the Mets’ young starting pitchers, who are “performing really well.” Scott, 27, who made his debut in 2024, is one of them; he has a 3.13 ERA in 14 starts.

\n

Part of that success is because of his cutter. Opposing hitters have a .100 batting average and .150 slugging percentage against the pitch.

\n

Run value — which measures the total number of runs a pitcher saves or costs his team based on the outcome of every pitch — is one metric that helps quantify the effectiveness of a pitch. Among pitchers who have thrown at least 200 cutters, Scott’s 7 run value on his cutter is tied for the fourth-best in the majors.

STORYWIDGET: spMFEAT260727_chart \n

“No, that’s awesome,” Scott said when asked if he knew his cutter ranked in the top 10 for run value. “Yeah, that’s really cool.”

\n

He also said it didn’t surprise him.

\n

Because his four-seam fastball is his most-used pitch (49.3%), Mets coaches wanted Scott to have a secondary pitch with similar velocity.

\n

While Scott still features his sweeper (22.6%) as his second-most-used pitch, he replaced his slider — which had been his third offering — with the cutter (17.3%) this year.

\n

Scott said he started throwing the pitch for better deception.

\n

“Being able to tunnel it off my fastball — and my fastball is always going to be a high-usage pitch for me — so just having something that can tunnel off of that and look similar . . . and kind of trick the hitter a little bit,” Scott said.

\n

Scott, who required Tommy John surgery in September 2024 and missed the 2025 season, said he started playing with a kick changeup during his rehab but not a cutter. He said the first time he began working on the cutter was during spring training after his Zoom call with the pitching coaches.

\n

Though it was new to his arsenal, Scott felt he picked up the pitch quickly and began throwing it in games. Beginning this season in Triple-A gave him added time to feel comfortable with the pitch. He said it took about four or five starts to feel “really comfortable with the grip” and use it consistently.

\n

When Scott was promoted to the majors in late April, then-manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters he “earned” the chance to join the Mets’ rotation. Since then, his 1.2 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs, is the second-best among Mets pitchers, trailing only Nolan McLean (1.8).

\n

“It’s legit stuff, and I’m glad that he’s on our team doing that,” outfielder A.J. Ewing said.

\n

Scott’s .288 strikeout percentage ranks 12th, and his 107 Stuff+ — a metric aiming to capture the “nastiest” pitchers — sits 24th among 151 pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched this season. His fastball and sweeper are the primary pitches that generate swings-and-misses, but the cutter has given him a new way to keep hitters off balance.

\n

Scott said he wants to focus on remaining consistent and going deeper into games.

\n

While winning a World Series is his “No. 1” goal, that probably won’t come this year. The Mets (44-62) are likely to sell numerous key players before the trade deadline on Aug. 3.

\n

But what Scott has done — and will continue to try to prove — is that he’s a valuable piece of the Mets’ future.

\n

A pitch he had never used before, one that became one of his best weapons, is a key reason why.

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Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott reacts after striking out the Kansas City Royals’ Carter Jensen to end the top of the fifth inning in an MLB game at Citi Field on July 8.

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Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta on the mound in the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

\n","altTag":"","byline":"Thomas A. Ferrara","organization":"Newsday","floatLeft":false,"floatRight":false,"imageSize":"","useFreeform":false},"content":{"__typename":"Article","id":"contentid/7c14bb5e-a01e-4d06-adb3-ca1bf3227ed5","lead":"The pitcher said he felt better on Sunday, though, as Mets hope to maximize the return in a trade.","body":"

Freddy Peralta entered the final week of his Flushing tenure with a sales pitch after Sunday’s lackluster performance in the Mets’ 8-3 victory over the Dodgers.

\n

There’s no more pretense when it comes to the Aug. 3 trade deadline. As long as Peralta is healthy — he appeared to survive Sunday’s four-inning stint intact — the pitcher acquired to be the Mets’ ace last January will be filling out a contender’s rotation in short order, albeit closer to the middle of it.

\n

The only question left is what Peralta can fetch on the trade front as a distressed asset with a 4.99 ERA who is due roughly $2.82 million for the remainder of this season before becoming a free agent. To that end, he urged his list of suitors not to be fooled by his subpar numbers.

\n

“I know that I can be way better than this,” said Peralta, who allowed six hits, two walks and three runs (two earned) in four innings. “I still believe in myself. I am born to be a winner, not a loser. And I think I have a lot in me, a lot to show, and I know that it can change, because I still have time to make a change, to make it better.”

\n

\n

Peralta seems well-liked and comes across as a solid clubhouse citizen. He’s always been great to deal with media-wise. But his season-long pledge to improve never came to fruition with the Mets, and he hasn’t done much to enhance his value as the deadline draws closer.

\n

We’ll throw out the 10-hit, 10-run clunker he had on June 20. But in the six starts since then, counting Sunday, Peralta has a 5.46 ERA, allowing 35 hits in 28 innings.

\n

Only a week ago, after stumbling against his former team in Milwaukee, he sounded lost, saying he didn’t know what was wrong.

\n

That came off as a major red flag. But to the Mets’ relief, he did a 180 after Sunday’s game despite needing 93 pitches to navigate four innings against the two-time defending World Series champions.

\n

According to Statcast, his velocity and movement were up to standard. The pesky Dodgers just wore him out by fouling off pitches and extending at-bats, as they did during the third inning with Freddie Freeman’s RBI double and Max Muncy’s run-scoring groundout.

\n

\n

When Peralta was asked if he found any answers, he nodded.

\n

“Yeah, especially how my fastball was today,” he said. “It reminds me a little bit of the best version of myself and I felt comfortable with that.”

\n

Right on cue, just what all the Mets’ trading partners needed to hear.

\n

The one sticking point? Peralta’s inability to get past those four innings, and for someone who is barely averaging five in his 22 starts, not exactly front-line material.

\n

Plus interested teams such as the Cubs and Brewers could need him to get through the Dodgers come October, and this current version of Peralta offered no signs of being that guy.

\n

What he has been is durable, and that reliability is useful for clubs grinding down the stretch for a playoff spot.

\n

Not surprisingly, Andy Green — who got bumped from farm director to be Peralta’s manager for the past month — happily endorsed the righthander as an October weapon.

\n

“I trust him because he is going to catch his rhythm and go dominate five or six innings, which is all you’re ever looking for from a starter in a postseason situation,” Green said. “So he’s a guy that has the track record, has the experience, has the stuff. It is going to continue to trend back toward what he’s always been historically.”

\n

Maybe so. But that never happened for the Mets, and Peralta’s inability to live up to expectations is a major reason why they’re deadline sellers, on pace for 95 losses this season.

\n

To his credit, Peralta has fully copped to his role in the Mets’ disaster, but he now has one eye on the exit.

\n

He’s scheduled to get one more start in a Mets uniform, likely Friday at Citi Field against the sinking Marlins, losers of 12 straight. But does president of baseball operations David Stearns want to risk injury or another blowup by sending him to the mound again?

\n

There are other names who could impact Peralta’s value, too, depending on what the Tigers decide to do with Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, for instance.

\n

While Peralta didn’t exactly dominate Sunday’s game, the Mets did benefit by showcasing a few other key trade pieces.

\n

Tyrone Taylor, who started in place of the injured Juan Soto, put the Mets ahead with a three-run homer in the sixth inning and is heating up at the perfect time.

\n

Since coming off the injured list in late June, Taylor is hitting .382 (13-for-34) in his last 17 games with four doubles, five homers and a 1.403 OPS, which is the highest in the majors from June 28 (minimum 30 plate appearances).

\n

Taylor is a pending free agent, and his recent outburst certainly will punch his ticket out of Queens.

\n

“I’m just bracing for each moment here, man,” he said when asked about the deadline. “Not thinking anything of that at all besides just being present.”

\n

He’s not going to be present with the Mets much longer. Like Peralta and a handful of other Mets, it’s just a matter of when.

\n

“It’s not easy to not think about it,” Peralta said. “But at the end of the day, it’s business, and I have to understand that.”

\n

At this point, he probably can’t wait.

","publishedDate":"2026-07-26T23:18:18.518Z","updatedDate":"2026-07-27T01:02:20.438Z","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/david-lennon/freddy-peralta-trade-deadline-lrmo7w5i","headline":"David Lennon: Mets' Freddy Peralta hasn't done much to help his value as MLB trade deadline gets closer","teaserTitle":"Lennon: Mets' Peralta hasn't done much to help his trade value","newsLabel":"none","newsLabel2":"none","subType":"column","disableDeepLink":false,"moveAd":false,"textAudio":{"id":"contentid/0179a624-c20a-465b-ae8d-f83c72c48de5","title":"AIAudio - David Lennon: Mets' Freddy Peralta hasn't done much to help his value as MLB trade deadline gets closer\n","headline":"AIAudio - David Lennon: Mets' Freddy Peralta hasn't done much to help his value as MLB trade deadline gets closer","mediaLink":null,"premiumType":"inherit","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/david-lennon/aiaudio-david-lennon-mets-freddy-peralta-didnt-help-trade-value-much-against-dodgers-mkrfrrfi","updatedDate":null,"publishedDate":null,"newsLabel":null,"audioUrl":"https://api.newsday.atexcloud.io//file-delivery-service/version/c:MDI4YWVkM2ItZTExZi00:MGI3YWExMjctOWFiNC00/audio%2Fc9cce441-91a1-4758-9b6f-ff9a9f99d7a5.mp3","tags":[],"source":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Columnists.d","title":"Columnists","path":"/sports/columnists","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Columnists.David_Lennon.d","title":"David Lennon","path":"/sports/columnists/david-lennon","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/0179a624-c20a-465b-ae8d-f83c72c48de5","title":"AIAudio - David Lennon: Mets' Freddy Peralta hasn't done much to help his value as MLB trade deadline gets closer\n","path":"/sports/columnists/david-lennon/aiaudio-david-lennon-mets-freddy-peralta-didnt-help-trade-value-much-against-dodgers-mkrfrrfi","__typename":"Audio"}],"topElement":null,"__typename":"Audio"},"gridFilter":[],"htmlBlurb":"","externalLink":"","customWidgetsTop":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Columnists.d","title":"Columnists","path":"/sports/columnists","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Columnists.David_Lennon.d","title":"David Lennon","path":"/sports/columnists/david-lennon","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/7c14bb5e-a01e-4d06-adb3-ca1bf3227ed5","title":"SPDAVE260727","path":"/sports/columnists/david-lennon/freddy-peralta-trade-deadline-lrmo7w5i","__typename":"Article"}],"authors":[{"headline":"David Lennon","name":"David Lennon","role":"Baseball Columnist","subhed":"Baseball Columnist","imageUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:ZDkwNWZhYTgtM2I5OS00:YTgtM2I5OS00NjE3MGY0/image.jpg","authorUrl":"/author/david-lennon","authorPage":"","authorBio":"

\n\tDavid Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.\n

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Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta on the mound in the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

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Tyrone Taylor hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning, Marcus Semien added a three-run drive in the seventh and the Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-3 on Sunday to prevent a season sweep.

\n

With the Dodgers leading 3-1, reliever Jack Dreyer walked rookie Carson Benge and pinch-hitter Luis Robert Jr. in the sixth. Taylor gave the Mets a 4-3 lead by hitting a 1-1 sinker from Evan Phillips (0-2) into the left-field seats.

\n

It was Taylor's eighth homer this season and fifth in 33 at-bats since returning from the injured list June 28. Eligible for free agency after this season, the backup outfielder appears likely to get traded before the Aug. 3. deadline.

\n

Freddy Peralta allowed three runs — two earned — and six hits over four innings in what could end up being his final start for the Mets. Peralta also can become a free agent following the World Series and is expected to get moved sometime within the next eight days as part of a significant selloff by the last-place Mets (44-62).

\n

A.J. Ewing scored on a passed ball by Dalton Rushing in the seventh, and Semien made it 8-3 with a drive to left off Will Klein for his second homer since returning from a strained left hip on July 16.

\n

Francisco Lindor had an RBI single in the first, when the Mets started with three straight hits.

\n

Cionel Pérez (4-3) pitched two perfect innings for the win. Luke Weaver escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by making an off-balance throw on Teoscar Hernández’s bouncer to the third base side of the mound.

\n

The Mets ended a five-game home losing streak and won for the fourth time in their last 16 games at Citi Field. The Mets finished 1-5 against the Dodgers to avoid getting swept in the season series for the second time in team history.

\n

Freddie Freeman hit an RBI double for the Dodgers, who went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position and finished 6-3 on their East Coast trip against the Yankees, Phillies and Mets.

\n

Shohei Ohtani opened the game with a double and was 1 for 4. Ohtani, dealing with left knee irritation that is keeping him off the mound, is 7 for 38 (.184) since the All-Star break.

\n

Los Angeles starter Emmet Sheehan allowed one run in five innings.

\n

Rookie Zac Thornton (1-1, 1.93 ERA) opposes Martín Pérez (6-6, 3.38) in the opener of a three-game series at home against Atlanta on Monday.

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The Mets' Tyrone Taylor celebrates with teammates Luis Robert Jr. and Carson Benge after hitting a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

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The Mets' Tyrone Taylor celebrates with teammates Luis Robert Jr. and Carson Benge after hitting a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

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Tyrone Taylor hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning, Marcus Semien added a three-run drive in the seventh and the Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-3 on Sunday to prevent a season sweep.

\n

With the Dodgers leading 3-1, reliever Jack Dreyer walked rookie Carson Benge and pinch-hitter Luis Robert Jr. in the sixth. Taylor gave the Mets a 4-3 lead by hitting a 1-1 sinker from Evan Phillips (0-2) into the left-field seats.

\n

It was Taylor's eighth homer this season and fifth in 33 at-bats since returning from the injured list June 28. Eligible for free agency after this season, the backup outfielder appears likely to get traded before the Aug. 3. deadline.

\n

Freddy Peralta allowed three runs — two earned — and six hits over four innings in what could end up being his final start for the Mets. Peralta also can become a free agent following the World Series and is expected to get moved sometime within the next eight days as part of a significant selloff by the last-place Mets (44-62).

\n

A.J. Ewing scored on a passed ball by Dalton Rushing in the seventh, and Semien made it 8-3 with a drive to left off Will Klein for his second homer since returning from a strained left hip on July 16.

\n

Francisco Lindor had an RBI single in the first, when the Mets started with three straight hits.

\n

Cionel Pérez (4-3) pitched two perfect innings for the win. Luke Weaver escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by making an off-balance throw on Teoscar Hernández’s bouncer to the third base side of the mound.

\n

The Mets ended a five-game home losing streak and won for the fourth time in their last 16 games at Citi Field. The Mets finished 1-5 against the Dodgers to avoid getting swept in the season series for the second time in team history.

\n

Freddie Freeman hit an RBI double for the Dodgers, who went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position and finished 6-3 on their East Coast trip against the Yankees, Phillies and Mets.

\n

Shohei Ohtani opened the game with a double and was 1 for 4. Ohtani, dealing with left knee irritation that is keeping him off the mound, is 7 for 38 (.184) since the All-Star break.

\n

Los Angeles starter Emmet Sheehan allowed one run in five innings.

\n

Rookie Zac Thornton (1-1, 1.93 ERA) opposes Martín Pérez (6-6, 3.38) in the opener of a three-game series at home against Atlanta on Monday.

","publishedDate":"2026-07-27T00:06:45.632Z","updatedDate":"2026-07-27T00:19:55.839Z","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/dodgers-mets-score-jc5xq52s","headline":"Tyrone Taylor, Marcus Semien each hit three-run homers as Mets beat Dodgers to avoid season sweep","teaserTitle":"Taylor, Semien each hit three-run HRs as Mets avoid sweep vs. Dodgers","newsLabel":"none","newsLabel2":"none","subType":"article","disableDeepLink":false,"moveAd":false,"textAudio":{"id":"contentid/bf9a96a0-8c1c-4042-b685-9461e1573bbb","title":"AIAudio - Tyrone Taylor, Marcus Semien each hit three-run homers as Mets beat Dodgers to avoid season sweep\n","headline":"AIAudio - Tyrone Taylor, Marcus Semien each hit three-run homers as Mets beat Dodgers to avoid season sweep","mediaLink":null,"premiumType":"inherit","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/aiaudio-tyrone-taylor-marcus-semien-each-hit-three-run-homers-as-mets-beat-dodgers-to-avoid-season-sweep-v0tl5v5l","updatedDate":null,"publishedDate":null,"newsLabel":null,"audioUrl":"https://api.newsday.atexcloud.io//file-delivery-service/version/c:YzY0N2RjMjctNzE2My00:ZDM2NTljYTctNWZiMS00/audio%2Fbfebbe9e-15ee-4b55-b5b1-b634fdeeb598.mp3","tags":[],"source":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Baseball.d","title":"Baseball","path":"/sports/baseball","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/bf9a96a0-8c1c-4042-b685-9461e1573bbb","title":"AIAudio - Tyrone Taylor, Marcus Semien each hit three-run homers as Mets beat Dodgers to avoid season sweep\n","path":"/sports/baseball/aiaudio-tyrone-taylor-marcus-semien-each-hit-three-run-homers-as-mets-beat-dodgers-to-avoid-season-sweep-v0tl5v5l","__typename":"Audio"}],"topElement":null,"__typename":"Audio"},"gridFilter":[],"htmlBlurb":"","externalLink":"","customWidgetsTop":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Baseball.d","title":"Baseball","path":"/sports/baseball","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Baseball.Mets.d","title":"New York Mets","path":"/sports/baseball/mets","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/35010681-96e1-41d1-ae4f-64026615fa85","title":"spMGAME260727","path":"/sports/baseball/mets/dodgers-mets-score-jc5xq52s","__typename":"Article"}],"authors":[],"tags":[{"name":"MLB","url":"/tag/MLB","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"New York Mets","url":"/tag/New York Mets","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"Los Angeles Dodgers","url":"/tag/Los Angeles Dodgers","__typename":"Tag"}],"topElement":{"__typename":"Image","id":"contentid/26757b34-33b4-4b2d-8e12-203667aaed9d","width":2100,"height":1372,"title":"Copy Of spmets260727","headline":"","baseUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:MWRhYzM4NDctMzdjNi00:Y2YyOTA3NTgtNDM2Mi00/copy-of-spmets260727.jpg","caption":"

The Mets' Tyrone Taylor celebrates with teammates Luis Robert Jr. and Carson Benge after hitting a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

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Freddy Peralta entered the final week of his Flushing tenure with a sales pitch after Sunday’s lackluster performance in the Mets’ 8-3 victory over the Dodgers.

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There’s no more pretense when it comes to the Aug. 3 trade deadline. As long as Peralta is healthy — he appeared to survive Sunday’s four-inning stint intact — the pitcher acquired to be the Mets’ ace last January will be filling out a contender’s rotation in short order, albeit closer to the middle of it.

\n

The only question left is what Peralta can fetch on the trade front as a distressed asset with a 4.99 ERA who is due roughly $2.82 million for the remainder of this season before becoming a free agent. To that end, he urged his list of suitors not to be fooled by his subpar numbers.

\n

“I know that I can be way better than this,” said Peralta, who allowed six hits, two walks and three runs (two earned) in four innings. “I still believe in myself. I am born to be a winner, not a loser. And I think I have a lot in me, a lot to show, and I know that it can change, because I still have time to make a change, to make it better.”

\n

\n

Peralta seems well-liked and comes across as a solid clubhouse citizen. He’s always been great to deal with media-wise. But his season-long pledge to improve never came to fruition with the Mets, and he hasn’t done much to enhance his value as the deadline draws closer.

\n

We’ll throw out the 10-hit, 10-run clunker he had on June 20. But in the six starts since then, counting Sunday, Peralta has a 5.46 ERA, allowing 35 hits in 28 innings.

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Only a week ago, after stumbling against his former team in Milwaukee, he sounded lost, saying he didn’t know what was wrong.

\n

That came off as a major red flag. But to the Mets’ relief, he did a 180 after Sunday’s game despite needing 93 pitches to navigate four innings against the two-time defending World Series champions.

\n

According to Statcast, his velocity and movement were up to standard. The pesky Dodgers just wore him out by fouling off pitches and extending at-bats, as they did during the third inning with Freddie Freeman’s RBI double and Max Muncy’s run-scoring groundout.

\n

\n

When Peralta was asked if he found any answers, he nodded.

\n

“Yeah, especially how my fastball was today,” he said. “It reminds me a little bit of the best version of myself and I felt comfortable with that.”

\n

Right on cue, just what all the Mets’ trading partners needed to hear.

\n

The one sticking point? Peralta’s inability to get past those four innings, and for someone who is barely averaging five in his 22 starts, not exactly front-line material.

\n

Plus interested teams such as the Cubs and Brewers could need him to get through the Dodgers come October, and this current version of Peralta offered no signs of being that guy.

\n

What he has been is durable, and that reliability is useful for clubs grinding down the stretch for a playoff spot.

\n

Not surprisingly, Andy Green — who got bumped from farm director to be Peralta’s manager for the past month — happily endorsed the righthander as an October weapon.

\n

“I trust him because he is going to catch his rhythm and go dominate five or six innings, which is all you’re ever looking for from a starter in a postseason situation,” Green said. “So he’s a guy that has the track record, has the experience, has the stuff. It is going to continue to trend back toward what he’s always been historically.”

\n

Maybe so. But that never happened for the Mets, and Peralta’s inability to live up to expectations is a major reason why they’re deadline sellers, on pace for 95 losses this season.

\n

To his credit, Peralta has fully copped to his role in the Mets’ disaster, but he now has one eye on the exit.

\n

He’s scheduled to get one more start in a Mets uniform, likely Friday at Citi Field against the sinking Marlins, losers of 12 straight. But does president of baseball operations David Stearns want to risk injury or another blowup by sending him to the mound again?

\n

There are other names who could impact Peralta’s value, too, depending on what the Tigers decide to do with Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, for instance.

\n

While Peralta didn’t exactly dominate Sunday’s game, the Mets did benefit by showcasing a few other key trade pieces.

\n

Tyrone Taylor, who started in place of the injured Juan Soto, put the Mets ahead with a three-run homer in the sixth inning and is heating up at the perfect time.

\n

Since coming off the injured list in late June, Taylor is hitting .382 (13-for-34) in his last 17 games with four doubles, five homers and a 1.403 OPS, which is the highest in the majors from June 28 (minimum 30 plate appearances).

\n

Taylor is a pending free agent, and his recent outburst certainly will punch his ticket out of Queens.

\n

“I’m just bracing for each moment here, man,” he said when asked about the deadline. “Not thinking anything of that at all besides just being present.”

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He’s not going to be present with the Mets much longer. Like Peralta and a handful of other Mets, it’s just a matter of when.

\n

“It’s not easy to not think about it,” Peralta said. “But at the end of the day, it’s business, and I have to understand that.”

\n

At this point, he probably can’t wait.

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Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta on the mound in the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

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From left: Don Mattingly, Bob Costas and Keith Hernandez

\n","altTag":"","byline":"AP","organization":"","floatLeft":false,"floatRight":false,"imageSize":"","useFreeform":false},"content":{"__typename":"Article","id":"contentid/70f38c6b-570b-47db-8b75-90bb00726977","lead":"Costas makes the case for Donnie and Keith in this interview with Newsday","body":"

In the fourth inning of the Yankees-Phillies game on NBC’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” Bob Costas delivered a memorable verbal essay that featured an impassioned plea relating to Don Mattingly.

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“Donnie Baseball,” Costas said, “belongs in the Hall of Fame.”

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It was hours after Sunday’s Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown welcomed Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent and Andruw Jones into the pantheon of baseball immortals that so far does not include Mattingly, the former Yankees great and current Phillies manager.

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Yankees fans don’t need to be convinced that Mattingly should be in the Hall (just as Mets fans don’t need to be sold on the candidacy of Keith Hernandez).

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So how about it, Hall of Fame veterans committee? How about you put in two of the greatest first basemen in baseball history together on a future ballot?

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Now, to be clear, that’s not Costas’ idea to put Mattingly and Hernandez in together. It’s mine.

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But Costas, in addition to being passionately in favor of Mattingly getting the nod, also feels Hernandez deserves a plaque in Cooperstown.

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Costas, in a telephone interview with Newsday on Tuesday, made the case for Mattingly, who for a five-year span in the 1980s was arguably the best player in baseball but who had to retire at age 34 because of a debilitating back condition. Mattingly never got more than 28% of the vote in his 15 years on the BBWAA ballot and also struck out four times on various veterans committee ballots.

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“One of the points that I've made for many years is you have to take into account the following,” Costas said. “Was that person ever -- not for one single season, but for a sustained period of time -- in the conversation of who is the best player in baseball? There's a five-year stretch [for Mattingly]. These are like gigantic numbers. And he was a Gold Glove first baseman, too. And he was the captain of the team and had all the leadership qualities, etc. And then he has the monumental bad luck to have to retire at 34 because of a bad back. Obviously, he wasn't as great in the '90s as he was in the '80s, but it wasn't like his last years he was terrible.”

\n

Costas pointed out that Mattingly’s entire career (1982 to 1995) coincided with a Yankees postseason drought with the exception of his final season, when the Yankees won the AL’s first-ever Wild Card.

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All Mattingly did in his one postseason series -- the Yankees’ epic five-game ALDS loss to Seattle – was hit .417 with a homer, six RBIs and a 1.148 OPS.

\n

With the exception of that one playoff series, Mattingly was “that rare, great Yankee who never was on a national stage,” Costas said. “He retired because of injury and then immediately a dynasty starts and Tino Martinez is in all the World Series.”

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The writers of the time clearly penalized Mattingly because he didn’t hang on and increase his career totals.

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But there’s something to be said for eye-popping greatness over a shorter span. Mattingly had it. It should count for more than it has so far.

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“There's some people that are in the Hall of Fame because of cumulative stats,” Costas said. “Then there are other people who -- now, it's not Sandy Koufax. Sandy Koufax is like Gale Sayers in football. We saw enough. We don't need totals. We saw brilliance in a concentrated period of time and that's good enough.”

\n

Costas, who grew up in Commack, makes a different argument for Hernandez, and not because the former Mets first baseman has become a beloved Mets announcer in his post-playing days. Hernandez never got more than 10.8% on the BBWAA ballot and was kicked off after nine years because he totaled less than 5% in 2004.

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“In the case of Hernandez, my point is a bit different,” Costas said. “He is by acclimation, not just a Gold Glove first baseman, as Mattingly was, but by acclimation, the greatest defensive first baseman in the history of the game.

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“Brooks Robinson, a corner infielder, is in, and absolutely should have been in on the first ballot as he was because he defined the position [third base]. But he didn't hit for power like Eddie Mathews or Mike Schmidt at the same position or Adrian Beltre more recently. But his glove, and a good bat, got him into the Hall of Fame, no argument. Shortstop’s a different position. Ozzie Smith is in the Hall of Fame because he defined the position.

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“People tend to downgrade first base. But Keith Hernandez wasn't just better at the same things as other first basemen. He redefined the position. The way he played the position. They had him take cutoff throws from the outfield because he had a better arm than the second baseman. The way he almost nullified sacrifices by practically being close enough to shake hands with the batter and being lefthanded being able to throw to third base. Plus, he was a team leader. And he won a batting title. He shared an MVP with Willie Stargell.”

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Costas, who is in the Hall himself as the 2018 Ford C. Frick winner, doesn’t have a vote, incredibly.

\n

But if he did? Then you’d be able to attend Hall of Fame induction ceremonies – or maybe one combined ceremony -- for a pair of New York icons. Two who should be in already.

","publishedDate":"2026-07-28T15:34:50.523Z","updatedDate":"2026-07-28T16:21:09.941Z","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/anthony-rieber/bob-costas-mattingly-hernandez-hall-of-fame-pqa536kx","headline":"Bob Costas wants Don Mattingly and Keith Hernandez in the Hall of Fame. Here's why he's right.","teaserTitle":"Rieber: Costas wants Mattingly and Hernandez in the HOF. Here's why he's right.","newsLabel":"ndOnly","newsLabel2":"none","subType":"column","disableDeepLink":false,"moveAd":false,"textAudio":{"id":"contentid/43e4afa3-188e-4716-98e7-bc6c8bf51e0b","title":"AIAudio - Bob Costas wants Don Mattingly and Keith Hernandez in the Hall of Fame. Here's why he's right.\n","headline":"AIAudio - Bob Costas wants Don Mattingly and Keith Hernandez in the Hall of Fame. Here's why he's right.","mediaLink":null,"premiumType":"inherit","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/anthony-rieber/aiaudio-bob-costas-wants-don-mattingly-and-keith-hernandez-in-the-hall-of-fame-heres-why-hes-right-rm66mwk4","updatedDate":null,"publishedDate":null,"newsLabel":null,"audioUrl":"https://api.newsday.atexcloud.io//file-delivery-service/version/c:YTIwYzRjYzEtMjg1MS00:MzVjOWIwNWQtZmFjNS00/audio%2F6946d5bf-12f9-4616-affb-8474444ef724.mp3","tags":[],"source":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Columnists.d","title":"Columnists","path":"/sports/columnists","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Columnists.Anthony_Rieber.d","title":"Anthony Rieber","path":"/sports/columnists/anthony-rieber","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/43e4afa3-188e-4716-98e7-bc6c8bf51e0b","title":"AIAudio - Bob Costas wants Don Mattingly and Keith Hernandez in the Hall of Fame. Here's why he's right.\n","path":"/sports/columnists/anthony-rieber/aiaudio-bob-costas-wants-don-mattingly-and-keith-hernandez-in-the-hall-of-fame-heres-why-hes-right-rm66mwk4","__typename":"Audio"}],"topElement":null,"__typename":"Audio"},"gridFilter":[],"htmlBlurb":"","externalLink":"","customWidgetsTop":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Columnists.d","title":"Columnists","path":"/sports/columnists","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Columnists.Anthony_Rieber.d","title":"Anthony Rieber","path":"/sports/columnists/anthony-rieber","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/70f38c6b-570b-47db-8b75-90bb00726977","title":"spRIEBER260729","path":"/sports/columnists/anthony-rieber/bob-costas-mattingly-hernandez-hall-of-fame-pqa536kx","__typename":"Article"}],"authors":[{"headline":"Anthony Rieber","name":"Anthony Rieber","role":"","subhed":"","imageUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:M2VkMjJkY2MtYjdhZi00:YTNjYmFiZWItYjk1ZC00/image.jpg","authorUrl":"/author/anthony-rieber","authorPage":"","authorBio":"

Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.

\n","deactivated":false,"twitterId":"AnthonyRieber","tikTokId":"","instagramId":"","emailAddress":"anthony.rieber@newsday.com","url":"https://www.newsday.com/anthony-rieber","__typename":"Author"}],"tags":[{"name":"New York Yankees","url":"/tag/New York Yankees","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"MLB","url":"/tag/MLB","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"Hall of Fame","url":"/tag/Hall of Fame","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"LI Athletes","url":"/tag/LI Athletes","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"Media","url":"/tag/Media","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"OIN","url":"/tag/OIN","__typename":"Tag"}],"topElement":{"__typename":"Image","id":"contentid/5bb5362e-76ba-4876-8663-0d13aae6f476","width":1600,"height":900,"title":"matik (8).png","headline":"","baseUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:MTk0MGE1MjEtMTVhMS00:NWEyMWQwZWQtNjA3NC00/matik-8-png.png","caption":"

From left: Don Mattingly, Bob Costas and Keith Hernandez

\n","altTag":"","byline":"AP","organization":"","floatLeft":false,"floatRight":false,"imageSize":"","useFreeform":false},"topMediaItem":null,"verticalMedia":null,"relatedLinks":[]}},{"id":"contentid/5786370f-1d9e-4e71-b95f-6258a817e351","__typename":"Teaser","title":"Anthony Kay's long road from LI to the first-place White Sox","teaserOvertitle":null,"text":"The 31-year-old lefthander out of Ward Melville has paid his dues with several organizations, including Japan.","longText":"","customLogo":null,"media":{"__typename":"Image","id":"contentid/c14252c2-3c57-4536-9576-b4dbdcd5b85a","width":2100,"height":1400,"title":"Copy Of White Sox Guardians Baseball","headline":"","baseUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:MjhhYjViMWEtNTlhOS00:YjA5MjllMmMtN2I4ZS00/copy-of-white-sox-guardians-baseball.jpeg","caption":"

Chicago White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay throws in the first inning of a game against the Cleveland Guardians on July 3 in Cleveland.

\n","altTag":"","byline":"Sue Ogrocki","organization":"AP","floatLeft":false,"floatRight":false,"imageSize":"","useFreeform":false},"content":{"__typename":"Article","id":"contentid/5786370f-1d9e-4e71-b95f-6258a817e351","lead":"The 31-year-old lefthander out of Ward Melville has paid his dues with several organizations, including Japan.","body":"

CHICAGO — Anthony Kay’s road to full-time major-league starter was far from linear.

\n

And it goes without saying, the journey for the lefthander, a product of Ward Melville High School who grew up a Yankees fan and will start for the White Sox on Tuesday night against Gerrit Cole, has been anything but easy.

\n

“Maybe I took it for granted the first time around,” Kay told Newsday late Monday before his White Sox started a four-game series against the Yankees. “Being drafted high in the first round, you kind of expect to be in the big leagues for a long time. And then being DFA’d [designated for assignment] a bunch and then going to Japan kind of put it in a new perspective to kind of appreciate it a little bit more, be a little bit more grateful.”

\n

Kay was a first-round pick of the Mets (taken 31st overall) in 2016 and had Tommy John surgery some four months into his professional career. He eventually made his major-league debut, at the age of 24, in 2019. But that was for the Blue Jays as he was part of the package the Mets sent to Toronto in the deal that netted them Marcus Stroman, another Long Islander, before the 2019 trade deadline.

\n

And that was only the start of the peripatetic nature of Kay’s career as, after subpar seasons with the Blue Jays, mostly as a reliever, from 2019-22, the pitcher, now a waiver-wire claim specialist, spent time in 2023 with the Cubs, the Mets (again) and A’s organizations.

\n

His options few, Kay was soon off to Japan, this time as a starter, from 2024-25. And it was there, with the Yokohama Bay Stars of the Japan Central League, where Kay began to find his footing.

\n

Kay peaked last season when he posted a 1.74 ERA, a single-season Bay Stars record. But even that failed-reliever-to-standout-starter story wasn’t linear. Kay at first struggled in his adjustment to starter in Japan, unable to go as deep into games as he, and his team, would like. Starters in Japan, typically on an every-sixth-day schedule because teams employ six-man rotations, are expected to go seven or even eight innings, with 115-120-pitch outings the norm.

\n

Kay decided to add a two-seam fastball (a sinker) to his repertoire, a pitch that helped him take advantage of hitters in Japan, where contact — rather than power, the case in majors — is stressed.

\n

Kay subsequently produced a league-leading 57.8% ground-ball rate in 2025 to go along with the sterling ERA.

\n

And that paved the way back to the big leagues for Kay, whom the White Sox last offseason signed to a two-year contract worth a guaranteed $12 million, a package that includes a $10 million mutual option for 2028 (with a $2 million buyout).

\n

Kay, now 31, is a long way from his days as a touted prospect. He is an elder statesman of sorts for a young White Sox staff that has helped key a turnaround for a club that entered 2026 with low expectations. Kay is 7-4 with a 4.21 ERA in 21 outings (19 starts) for a White Sox franchise that suffered three straight seasons of 100-plus losses from 2023-25 but came into this series leading the AL Central at 55-49.

\n

“I think he is one of the guys on our pitching staff that is setting the tone for going out there and being fearless,” White Sox second-year manager Will Venable said a day before Kay faced the Yankees back on June 17 (Kay allowed four runs and six hits over four innings in a 10-5 loss). “Going out there and attacking in any way possible. It may not always be pretty, it may not always be what they set out to do, but they’re going out and getting it done.”

\n

Something Kay, at last, is doing at the sport's highest level.

\n

“Once you’re up here, as a young guy I didn’t really have perspective of how hard it was I guess,” Kay said. “I think you feel like you belong here, you feel like you should be there no matter what. You feel like you earned it already. And then having to go back out and kind of earn it again in Japan made me realize to not take it for granted this time around.”

","publishedDate":"2026-07-28T06:00:00Z","updatedDate":"2026-07-28T00:24:17.959Z","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees-anthony-kay-ward-melville-r2njyv50","headline":"Anthony Kay's long road from Ward Melville to key member of first-place Chicago White Sox","teaserTitle":"Anthony Kay's long road from LI to the first-place White Sox","newsLabel":"none","newsLabel2":"none","subType":"article","disableDeepLink":false,"moveAd":false,"textAudio":{"id":"contentid/215aec33-de28-4524-9266-ae3d6d4f1e31","title":"AIAudio - Anthony Kay's long road from Ward Melville to key member of first-place Chicago White Sox\n","headline":"AIAudio - Anthony Kay's long road from Ward Melville to key member of first-place Chicago White Sox","mediaLink":null,"premiumType":"inherit","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/aiaudio-ward-melvilles-anthony-kay-helps-white-sox-contend-mj9wkr4a","updatedDate":null,"publishedDate":null,"newsLabel":null,"audioUrl":"https://api.newsday.atexcloud.io//file-delivery-service/version/c:MWE2NWMxZjctYTMzMi00:OGFmYjJhMDktYzJiOS00/audio%2F6604b661-a627-4e58-a6e2-70d677c264e4.mp3","tags":[],"source":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Baseball.d","title":"Baseball","path":"/sports/baseball","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/215aec33-de28-4524-9266-ae3d6d4f1e31","title":"AIAudio - Anthony Kay's long road from Ward Melville to key member of first-place Chicago White Sox\n","path":"/sports/baseball/aiaudio-ward-melvilles-anthony-kay-helps-white-sox-contend-mj9wkr4a","__typename":"Audio"}],"topElement":null,"__typename":"Audio"},"gridFilter":[],"htmlBlurb":"","externalLink":"","customWidgetsTop":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Baseball.d","title":"Baseball","path":"/sports/baseball","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/5786370f-1d9e-4e71-b95f-6258a817e351","title":"SPKAY260728","path":"/sports/baseball/yankees-anthony-kay-ward-melville-r2njyv50","__typename":"Article"}],"authors":[{"headline":"Erik Boland","name":"Erik Boland","role":"Yankees reporter","subhed":"Yankees reporter","imageUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:NjZiMzM0ZjgtYTY0Mi00:ZTFjOWUxNmQtNzZkMS00/image.jpg","authorUrl":"/author/erik-boland","authorPage":"","authorBio":"

\n\tErik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.\n

\n","deactivated":false,"twitterId":"eboland11","tikTokId":"","instagramId":"","emailAddress":"erik.boland@newsday.com","url":"https://www.newsday.com/erik-boland","__typename":"Author"}],"tags":[{"name":"MLB","url":"/tag/MLB","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"Chicago White Sox","url":"/tag/Chicago White Sox","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"New York Yankees","url":"/tag/New York Yankees","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"LI Athletes","url":"/tag/LI Athletes","__typename":"Tag"}],"topElement":{"__typename":"Image","id":"contentid/c14252c2-3c57-4536-9576-b4dbdcd5b85a","width":2100,"height":1400,"title":"Copy Of White Sox Guardians Baseball","headline":"","baseUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:MjhhYjViMWEtNTlhOS00:YjA5MjllMmMtN2I4ZS00/copy-of-white-sox-guardians-baseball.jpeg","caption":"

Chicago White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay throws in the first inning of a game against the Cleveland Guardians on July 3 in Cleveland.

\n","altTag":"","byline":"Sue Ogrocki","organization":"AP","floatLeft":false,"floatRight":false,"imageSize":"","useFreeform":false},"topMediaItem":null,"verticalMedia":null,"relatedLinks":[]}},{"id":"contentid/b3ca2ad3-44f8-4d75-a7a3-dc9ce60e2169","__typename":"Teaser","title":"5 Mets who could be moved before the Aug. 3 trade deadline","teaserOvertitle":null,"text":"It will be up to David Stearns to make the right moves and get some deadline wins.","longText":"","customLogo":null,"media":{"__typename":"Image","id":"contentid/0ad819d1-4844-4a24-b9d1-5562bbb9c328","width":2023,"height":2400,"title":"Copy Of spmets260727","headline":"","baseUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:ZTllMzkxYWMtYWUwNC00:NmM3YWFkZDQtMDAxYS00/copy-of-spmets260727.jpg","caption":"

The Mets' Tyrone Taylor celebrates after hitting a go ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

\n","altTag":"","byline":"Thomas A. Ferrara","organization":"Newsday","floatLeft":false,"floatRight":false,"imageSize":"","useFreeform":false},"content":{"__typename":"Article","id":"contentid/b3ca2ad3-44f8-4d75-a7a3-dc9ce60e2169","lead":"It will be up to David Stearns to make the right moves and get some deadline wins.","body":"

There’s a week left until baseball's Aug. 3 trade deadline and there’s little doubt that the Mets clubhouse will be looking very different very soon.

\n

Thanks to their woeful record, and an expanded playoff format that means more teams have a shot at the playoffs, the Mets are one of a handful of assured sellers at the deadline — and if president of baseball operations David Stearns handles his assets correctly, it means that for one of the rare times this season, they have a shot to be on the winning side of things.

\n

Here are five players who could be dealt at the deadline, along with the returns they might net.

\n

Freddy Peralta

\n

Peralta may have done the Mets no favors with his performance this season, but there’s always value in an experienced starter who’s shown so much promise in the past, and can take the ball every fifth day. “Fixing” Peralta, who says he physically feels fine, is a tantalizing prospect. If the Tigers do decide to trade Tarik Skubal, the asking price will be astronomical, meaning Peralta may be as good as many teams looking for rotational help can get.

\n

On an expiring contract, the Mets will probably be happy if Peralta can get them a top 100 prospect — it’s something, but a far cry from the two top 100 prospects the Mets dealt to get him to Flushing in the first place, even if Jett Williams has struggled this year (the other piece of the trade, Brandon Sproat, has shown promise with the Brewers after a rocky start to his season).

\n

Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter

\n

The two get lumped together for a reason: experienced, consistent lefties on expiring contracts.

\n

Raley has been one of the Mets’ best relievers since returning from Tommy John surgery last year, and went into Monday’s contest against Atlanta carrying a 2.09 ERA in 38 2/3 innings. Similarly, Minter, who missed most of last year, has a 2.45 ERA and significant playoff experience.

\n

Teams are always looking for bullpen help at the deadline, and a high-leverage middle reliever can net you a nice prospect or two.

\n

Though the market changes yearly, if we want to get a sense of what either may command, we can look at what comparable lefties went for last year — in this case, Gregory Soto, Caleb Ferguson and Steven Matz. All three were able to return an organizational top 20 prospect.

\n

Soto, who went to the Mets, netted two minor-league relievers, the first of which was the team’s 19th-ranked prospect. Ferguson cost the Mariners their No. 15 prospect Jeter Martinez, whom Baseball America said projects to be a mid-rotation starter. The Cardinals netted minor-league infielder Blaze Jordan for Matz, with Jordan making his MLB debut this year.

\n

Clay Holmes

\n

Though Holmes has been nursing a broken leg and has a player option for next year, his track record gives him plenty of leeway to decline the $12 million payday and look for something better this coming offseason. Though the Mets could extend him, Holmes said recently that the team hasn’t broached the subject — meaning he could be on his way out.

\n

Before getting hurt, Holmes was the team’s best starter, with a 2.39 ERA over nine starts. Despite last pitching on May 15, he’s second among Mets starters in fWAR, has grown into his role since emerging from the bullpen, and is very close to a return. The Guardians traded Shane Bieber under similar circumstances last deadline — he missed the first half recovering from Tommy John surgery — and got the Blue Jays’ No. 5 prospect in return.

\n

The Mets, though, could opt not to trade him or extend him, instead extending a qualifying offer that he could then reject, netting the club a compensatory draft pick in return.

\n

Tyrone Taylor

\n

Taylor is on an expiring contract and has been scorching hot since his return from the injured list, slashing .410/.477/.974 with six home runs in 19 games. He’s among the fastest players in baseball, can play all three outfield positions, and has the elite arm strength that makes him an ideal late-game defensive substitution for any contending ballclub. The return for Taylor will be modest — maybe just an organizational depth piece — but since he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent, the Mets could always just sign him again in the offseason.

\n

Other players who may be dealt: Luke Weaver, Luis Robert Jr., Sean Manaea, Luis Torrens, Huascar Brazoban.

","publishedDate":"2026-07-28T06:00:00Z","updatedDate":"2026-07-28T03:14:50.836Z","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/mets-baseball-trade-deadline-i35mgzmp","headline":"5 Mets who could be dealt before the Aug. 3 trade deadline","teaserTitle":"5 Mets who could be moved before the Aug. 3 trade deadline","newsLabel":"analysis","newsLabel2":"none","subType":"article","disableDeepLink":false,"moveAd":false,"textAudio":{"id":"contentid/88069df7-702c-489d-b8a4-1e5aa42b3eef","title":"AIAudio - 5 Mets who could be dealt before the Aug. 3 trade deadline\n","headline":"AIAudio - 5 Mets who could be dealt before the Aug. 3 trade deadline","mediaLink":null,"premiumType":"inherit","url":"https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/aiaudio-5-mets-who-could-be-dealt-before-the-aug-3-trade-deadline-nwdmrwnk","updatedDate":null,"publishedDate":null,"newsLabel":null,"audioUrl":"https://api.newsday.atexcloud.io//file-delivery-service/version/c:ZjMyMTU3MTgtYTMwOS00:N2VlZjQxNjUtOWQxNy00/audio%2F3a6880b9-9de1-482a-966e-c0256b91e524.mp3","tags":[],"source":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Baseball.d","title":"Baseball","path":"/sports/baseball","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Baseball.Mets.d","title":"New York Mets","path":"/sports/baseball/mets","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/88069df7-702c-489d-b8a4-1e5aa42b3eef","title":"AIAudio - 5 Mets who could be dealt before the Aug. 3 trade deadline\n","path":"/sports/baseball/mets/aiaudio-5-mets-who-could-be-dealt-before-the-aug-3-trade-deadline-nwdmrwnk","__typename":"Audio"}],"topElement":null,"__typename":"Audio"},"gridFilter":[],"htmlBlurb":"","externalLink":"","customWidgetsTop":[],"contentPath":[{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.d","title":"Sports","path":"/sports","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Baseball.d","title":"Baseball","path":"/sports/baseball","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/Newsday.Sports.Baseball.Mets.d","title":"New York Mets","path":"/sports/baseball/mets","__typename":"Section"},{"id":"contentid/b3ca2ad3-44f8-4d75-a7a3-dc9ce60e2169","title":"SPMFIVE260728","path":"/sports/baseball/mets/mets-baseball-trade-deadline-i35mgzmp","__typename":"Article"}],"authors":[{"headline":"Laura Albanese","name":"Laura Albanese","role":"Sports reporter","subhed":"Sports reporter","imageUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:NGZmNzYxZGItMDk3MS00:OTdjNDQzN2MtYmMzNS00/image.jpg","authorUrl":"/author/laura-albanese","authorPage":"","authorBio":"

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.

\n","deactivated":false,"twitterId":"@AlbaneseLaura","tikTokId":"","instagramId":"laurawritesstuff","emailAddress":"laura.albanese@newsday.com","url":"https://www.newsday.com/laura-albanese","__typename":"Author"}],"tags":[{"name":"New York Mets","url":"/tag/New York Mets","__typename":"Tag"},{"name":"splist","url":"/tag/splist","__typename":"Tag"}],"topElement":{"__typename":"Image","id":"contentid/0ad819d1-4844-4a24-b9d1-5562bbb9c328","width":2023,"height":2400,"title":"Copy Of spmets260727","headline":"","baseUrl":"https://cdn.newsday.com/image-service/version/c:ZTllMzkxYWMtYWUwNC00:NmM3YWFkZDQtMDAxYS00/copy-of-spmets260727.jpg","caption":"

The Mets' Tyrone Taylor celebrates after hitting a go ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday.

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From left, Giants cornerback Colton Hood, head coach John Harbaugh and cornerback Nic Jones during OTAs in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 3.

\n","altTag":"","byline":"Ed Murray","organization":"","floatLeft":false,"floatRight":false,"imageSize":"","useFreeform":false},"content":{"__typename":"Article","id":"contentid/fd16bc7d-3ec9-45a7-8e80-65f9f1d6c953","lead":"The John Harbaugh era begins with its first training camp Tuesday and practice starting Wednesday.","body":"

The John Harbaugh era begins with its first training camp Tuesday and  practice starting Wednesday. But for the first two weeks of camp, the Giants will be on the road at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.

\n

Why there? Partly because the Giants’ practice facility is undergoing construction for renovations. But Harbaugh also sees it as a chance for his first team to build closer bonds.

\n

“It's a simple place to be, you know,” Harbaugh said in June. “You don't have to deal with coming back and forth from a hotel. Guys aren’t going home. They're going to be with each other into the evening, stuff like that, go to dinner together. I think it's a real plus for us.

\n

After going 7-27 over the last two seasons, any changes or benefits are necessary. Here are five questions facing the Giants ahead of camp:

\n

Will Malik Nabers suit up at any point?

\n

The Giants didn’t place Nabers on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of training camp. That means there’s faint optimism he can return at some point before the season opener on Sept. 13

\n

When that point is, however, remains to be seen. Nabers is still recovering from tearing his right ACL and meniscus last September and he had a cleanup procedure in May. Harbaugh said during organized team activities that Nabers is still grinding through rehab with the goal to return in camp.

\n

His absence lingers over camp because it affects everything, including Jaxson Dart’s development and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy installing his new system. How Nabers is brought along will be the No. 1 storyline to watch through camp and the preseason.

\n

Fortunately, there’s seven weeks to watch Nabers’ recovery unfold. So it doesn’t matter what Nabers can’t do in West Virginia. It matters what he can do closer to Sept. 13 when the Giants open the season. That’s the goal and time will tell if Nabers is ready by then or not.

\n

How will John Harbaugh leave an imprint on his first training camp?

\n

Harbaugh has a reputation for tough, demanding training camps. He joked that it’s not Vince Lombardi-esque but if Lombardi was a 10 on the extreme level, a Harbaugh camp might be an 8.

\n

Starting Wednesday, the Giants are practicing 10 of the next 11 days in West Virginia. That might be a lot but it’s more about what gets accomplished than how much they sweat. Will practices be more physical? Will Harbaugh’s words lead to changes fans can see when they attend camp?

\n

It’s why his actions will be studied as much as any player. The Giants didn’t pay Harbaugh a reported $20 million a year to make speeches. They paid him to bring change that leads to more wins. If that starts with tougher practices, this trip will set the right tone.

\n

Perhaps more vigor can have the Giants ready by Sept. 13. They haven’t scored a touchdown in their last three season openers, all losses. The Harbaugh Way will be tough but camp will demonstrate if it's constructive.

\n

How much better will Jaxson Dart look in Year 2?

\n

It may be Jaxson Dart’s second year, but this is his first full year leading the Giants’ offense. How will he handle the challenge of running things but also growing as a quarterback?

\n

Dart’s growth depends on Nabers’ health. But he also has a deeper crew of receivers to work with. Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III should be more reliable veterans. Darius Slayton is expected to be healthy after a hernia surgery kept him out this spring.

\n

New tight end Isaiah Likely should form a strong 1-2 punch with returning starter Theo Johnson. Add in four returning offensive linemen and Dart has pieces to build with. It just depends how fast he can pick up offensive coordinator’s Matt Nagy’s scheme because the Giants need him to take a second-year leap.  They also need Dart to be smarter on avoiding hits when he uses his legs.

\n

“I think he does a great job of understanding his role and what that means for our football team,” quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan said of Dart in June. “But [he] also understands how to handle the pressures that come with it.”

\n

Last year, Dart had a grace period learning the league. This year, there’s less leeway even in a new system. But this is where the Giants’ faith in Dart must be validated. How they rise from the NFC East cellar depends heavily on Dart growing into the quarterback the team expects him to be.

\n

How will Giants new offense/defense take shape?

\n

It’s not just Harbaugh shaping the Giants. A new coach means a new offense and defense to teach and that means more attention on coordinators Nagy and Dennard Wilson.

\n

Nagy’s task involves getting more out of Dart but also building on a ground game that was fifth in rushing yards per game last season. He also has to develop a more explosive offense even if it’s limited by Nabers’ absence.

\n

As for Wilson, he’ll shift the Giants from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4, meaning three down linemen. He wants his defense to be unpredictable, dynamic, decisive and unapologetic. The most important thing is fixing a run defense that ranked among the NFL’s worst the last two seasons.

\n

How fast the players pick up these new systems will be critical. If the Giants want to improve, Nagy and Wilson must fix last season’s holes and create better ways for players to make plays.

\n

Can Odell Beckham Jr. earn a roster spot?

\n

It’s rare that a receiver who hasn’t played since 2024 is a focal point. But Odell Beckham Jr. is a rare player who deserves the attention.

\n

Beckham signed a one-year deal to return to the Giants. Now it’s time for him to prove this signing wasn’t about being sentimental. Both he and the Giants believe he can still produce after two major knee injuries, but a roster spot isn’t guaranteed.

\n

This isn’t the same player who electrified fans a decade ago. It’s a humbler, more Earthbound receiver who hasn’t caught a touchdown since 2023.

\n

If he can earn a spot on this team, it’ll delight Giants fans and Harbaugh, who coached him in Baltimore. It's worth watching if Beckham can prove he’s still valuable.

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Amelia Osorio, 4, of Ronkonkoma, looks at the teeth of a shortfin mako shark at the Shark Shack pop-up display Saturday at Robert Moses State Park.

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Amelia Osorio, 4, held an authentic mako shark skeleton jaw to her face and peered between the rows of sharp teeth.

\n

“Be careful with the teeth,” her mother, May Cruz, said.

\n

For children and adults alike, holding a real shark jaw presented a thrill Saturday under the blue tent at Robert Moses State Park for the pop-up event known as the Shark Shack. From authentic and replica shark teeth to fun kid activities like shark-themed coloring pages, the Shark Shack provides beachgoers a chance to learn from experts about the large fishes that can be both fascinating and terrifying.

\n

“We love Shark Week,\" Cruz, of Ronkonkoma, said in reference to the annual Discovery Channel feature that begins Sunday.

\n

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation began hosting the Shark Shack in 2023. It continues through the summer every Thursday and Saturday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., weather permitting.

\n

“Kids love this stuff, so it's really great to see that they have such a positive attitude when it comes to sharks,” said Ashley Longo, an environmental educator for the parks department.

\n

She said sharks bring out curiosity in people.

\n

“Obviously, Hollywood has dramatized sharks a lot, so there’s people that have a fear of them, but also like a fascination,” she said.

\n

The goal is to educate people about sharks and also provide tips for how to stay safe in the water, she said.

Sana Tanabe-Morris, 4, left, and her brother Ahani Tanabe-Morris, 6, of Brooklyn, at the Shark Shack pop-up Saturday. \n

One display features a monitor showing drone footage taken in recent years of shark activity in Long Island waters. Longo said it shows what lifeguards and staff members see as they search for large schools of bunker fish that are a tasty treat drawing sharks closer to the shore.

\n

Another display features a microscope where people can see up close detail of plankton that some sharks, such as basking and whale sharks, feed on. Longo said it’s a recent addition to the shack helping to focus on sharks' diets.

\n

Vincent Ambrosio, all of 2 years old, curiously pointed to a set of shark teeth and asked: “What’s those?”

\n

“This one’s a megalodon tooth,” Longo explained to him as he looked at a model tooth from the extinct species. “And this one’s a real megalodon tooth. It’s a fossil.”

\n

Vincent's mother, Courtney Ambrosio, of West Islip, said she used to love getting shark teeth when she was a kid. Now she’s passing along that enthusiasm to her children.

\n

Shark enthusiast Gail Curran, of Floral Park, excitedly looked through the displays with her friend’s daughter, Emilia Ksiazek, 9.

\n

Emilia, of Queens, said seeing the shark teeth was her favorite part of the pop-up.

\n

Curran said she collects shark teeth when she’s at her second home in Florida. Sharks, she said, are “absolutely gorgeous.\"

\n

“They just kind of remind me of prehistoric times,” she added.

\n

Her husband was an avid fisherman in Long Island water and would participate in shark tournaments, she said. One time, about a decade ago, he caught a mako shark estimated at around 250 pounds.

\n

As the struggle ensued between fisherman and shark, Curran took out her phone to document.

\n

She said she was \"so in awe\" of the spectacle that she didn't push the record button. “So we all have it in our heads. It was hilarious.”

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From a surf lesson to eating along the boardwalk, Newsday travel writer Carissa Kellman explores Rockaway Beach. 

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Travel writer Carissa Kellman surfs in Rockaway Beach.

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I was flying. Suspended between the ocean spray and the open sky facing the Rockaway shore line, I managed to stand up on a surfboard for the first time.

\n

\"Yeeeeeeehooooo!\" yelled my instructor, Kwame LaBassiere, as he watched from the water on a recent Tuesday morning.

\n

Then came the inevitable: I went under, salt burning my nose, the leash yanking the board sideways around my ankle. My hands and feet went numb in the cold Atlantic water, but I dragged myself up, pulled the board back out and went back in.

\n

LaBassiere changed how I looked at the ocean before I even caught a wave. He told me he started surfing here in Rockaway Beach two days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, trying to process the guilt of missing his scheduled workday at the Twin Towers. The ocean became his sanctuary, the place he could let go. Now he sits on the board of the International Surf Therapy Organization.

Newsday travel writer Carissa Kellman gets a surfing lesson from head surf instructor Kwame LaBassiere, of New York Surf School in Rockaway Beach. \n

Out on the water, listening to his steady cues, paddle, pop up, knees bent, my brain completely cleared. There's no choice: Commit or wipe out.

\n

By my fourth try, I was up and riding. For a few fleeting seconds, the entire world narrowed down to that one moving piece of water under my feet.

ANIMATION: animation_TRROCKAWAY \n

I was experiencing a century-old feeling. Hawaiian Olympic champion Duke Kahanamoku visited Rockaway after the 1912 Games, sparking its surfing identity. Standing on that board, wobbling, mocked by seagulls, it finally clicked for me. Whatever Kahanamoku felt, whatever Kwame felt paddling out two days after the worst day of his life, I caught a small piece of it too.

\n

You don't need to be good at surfing. You just need to get on a surfboard and into the water to understand why people keep coming back to Rockaway Beach.

\n

Learning to surf

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Rockaway is New York City's only legal surfing beach, 7 miles of oceanfront where locals, Manhattanites and visitors alike come to work the break, lounge on the sand and hit the boardwalk for live music, bars and food. It's open to beginner, intermediate and expert surfers, with dedicated zones between Beach 66th and Beach 70th streets, Beach 87th and Beach 92nd streets, and Beach 110th and Beach 111th streets. Kahanamoku's legacy is still recognized today with Beach 38th Street co-named \"Duke Kahanamoku Way.\"

Rockaway is New York City's only legal surfing beach. \n

I booked a one-hour session ($110) with New York Surf School (100 Beach 69th St.; newyorksurfschool.com; 718-916-5359), the city's longest-running. The lesson includes the surfboard and wetsuit. Just wear a bathing suit and show up.

\n

Lessons are available in one-, 1½- and two-hour blocks, though LaBassiere notes that most first-timers stand up within an hour, so don't be intimidated. Charging through the breaks is the perfect introduction to Rockaway's vibrant, resilient spirit. Plus, after burning 500 calories in the ocean, my appetite was perfectly primed for the boardwalk food scene.

STORYWIDGET: TRROCKAWAY_map \n

Walk the boardwalk and eat your way through it

\n

The boardwalk runs 5½ miles from Beach Ninth Street in Far Rockaway out to Beach 126th Street in Rockaway Park. The concessions cluster around the middle stretch between Beach 86th and Beach 106th streets, which is where the spots below are. Public restrooms are spaced out along the boardwalk near the main concession area.

There are plenty of concessions on the boardwalk near Beach 97th Street. \n

Caracas Arepa Bar

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Beach 106th Street; caracasarepabar.com

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The pabellón arepa ($15) with shredded beef, beans and plantains is a standout, and the frozen sangría ($14.50) is a staple on hot days. Live music Fridays through Sundays adds to the atmosphere.

Fill up on arepas at Caracas Arepa Bar, which also boasts live music Friday through Sunday. \n

Brothers

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Beach 106th Street; instagram.com/brothersrockaway

\n

A lighter option with organic smoothies and sandwiches. The kimchi grilled cheese ($12), smoothies ($13-14) and juices ($8-9) are a good break from heavier beach food.

\n

Rippers

\n

Beach 86th Street; eatrippers.com

Grab one of the signature burgers at Rippers. \n

A classic boardwalk hangout with double smash cheeseburgers ($12), cheese fries ($10) and beachy cocktails ($12). Picnic tables offer a spot to settle in and enjoy the live music and DJs.

\n

Tacoway Beach

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3-02 Beach 87th St.; tacowaybeach.com

\n

One of the most popular stops just off the boardwalk and inside nearby Rockaway Beach Surf Club at Beach 87th Street. Fish tacos come two per order ($13) and are topped with cabbage, guacamole and a spiced mayo. Expect a line, especially on weekends, but it moves steadily.

\n

Take a break from the sand

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Bungalow Bar

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3-77 Beach 92nd St.; bungalowbarny.com; 718-945-2100

\n

For a sit-down meal, this spot is found along Jamaica Bay with waterfront and skyline views. Seafood and American classics, including sriracha oysters ($14) and a creamy seafood pasta ($34), plus a full bar and frozen drinks ($14). Works well for a late lunch or early dinner.

Settle in for a late lunch of creamy seafood pasta and sriracha oysters at Bungalow Bar. STORYWIDGET: TRROCKAWAY_relateds \n

End the night like a local

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Connolly’s Bar

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1-55 Beach 95th St.; connollysrbny.com; 718-474-2374

\n

Off the boardwalk and cash only, Connolly's has been a neighborhood fixture for decades, no frills, filled with regulars. Get the classic piña colada. It's a good look at Rockaway beyond the beach crowd.

\n

For something more polished to close out the night, head to the rooftop at The Rockaway Hotel (108-10 Rockaway Beach Dr.; therockawayhotel.com; 718-474-1216) for sunset drinks and live music with the ocean in view. If you're looking to stay the night, rates start at $375 per night in August and $275 in September.  

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The consequences depend less on the alleged crime than on the county where police make the arrest. Newsday political reporter Bahar Ostadan has the story.

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Hadjira Allab fled Algeria in 2023 after she said she was raped and later faced death threats for rejecting Islamic rule.

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After graduating with a degree in law and political science, the 31-year-old arrived in New York on a tourist visa, obtained a U.S. work permit and set out to pursue her version of the American dream.

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But after trying to make a living for about two years — waitressing at a hookah lounge in Manhattan — her income barely allowed Allab and her boyfriend to pay the rent for a tiny bedroom in Queens.

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She sought work at a massage spa in Hempstead, where she said she faced constant threats from the spa's owner to provide illicit services.

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On Long Island, the consequences of being arrested at an illicit massage spa depend less on the alleged crime than on the county where police make the arrest. A Newsday investigation found at least 22 women arrested in Nassau massage spas were transferred to ICE under the county’s partnership with federal immigration authorities. In neighboring Suffolk, women arrested under nearly identical circumstances were released with summonses. The result is a two-tiered justice system where one arrest can result in immigration detention hundreds of miles away before a criminal case is ever resolved.

Hadjira Allab is seen in this copy of a photograph taken from her U.S. visa. \n

\"I came legally,\" Allab told Newsday in a phone interview from a U.S. immigration detention center more than 1,000 miles away in Pompano Beach, Florida, before she was deported to Algeria in June. \"I applied for asylum. I didn’t cross the border.\"

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Newsday reviewed dozens of court records detailing the arrests of the 22 women transferred to ICE by Nassau police. Reporters interviewed their attorneys, visited their apartments and monitored their stays in ICE detention across four states.

STORYWIDGET: inICESPA260719_scrolly \n

A tale of two counties

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Under a partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led by gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the fate of women like Allab comes down to an on-the-spot decision in a Long Island police precinct.

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Nassau police entered the federal partnership known as 287(g) to transfer defendants to ICE, shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term. County authorities have handed over at least 144 defendants to federal agents since then, data shows.

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Blakeman, who pursued the agreement with ICE, said handing over women to federal agents helps protect them from dangerous situations.

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\"We're concerned in Nassau County that the women are working against their will,\" Blakeman told Newsday. \"A lot of these women were brought here and are working against their will, or are working off fees that were paid to those who smuggled them in.\"

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Asked why officials transfer women to ICE custody, Blakeman said, \"They're better off going there and being safe and going back to their countries and being reunited with their families than being here under the control of somebody who has them enslaved.\"

STORYWIDGET: inICESPA260719_blakemancard \n

After an arrest, Nassau officers try to confirm a defendant’s immigration status and, in some cases, contact ICE agents, who may transfer the defendant to an out-of-state detention center.

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Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told Newsday it is not always clear to police whether someone is in the United States illegally. Detectives collect information from defendants, and from state and federal databases, he said. Last year marked the first time Nassau police transferred defendants to ICE who would otherwise be released, Ryder previously told Newsday.

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In Suffolk, police are taking a different approach.

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\"There’s a possibility that some of these women may be forced into that type of work, so we always want to make sure that we understand exactly what’s going on,\" Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina told Newsday.

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It’s a mix of investigating criminality and \"concern for the people involved,\" Catalina said.

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Some arrested spa workers are aware of the consequences of working in Nassau versus Suffolk. Sitting in a Central Islip court, one 27-year-old Venezuelan woman told Newsday she wasn’t worried about her pending criminal charges.

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\"I’m more scared of ICE than the court,\" said the woman whose name is not being used to protect her privacy.

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There are other counties in New York where one jurisdiction cooperates with ICE and the one next door does not. But those counties are much smaller than Nassau and Suffolk and have lower arrest numbers, Newsday found.

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The New York Civil Liberties Union, Latino Justice PRLDEF and the Hofstra Law Clinic are suing Nassau County, Ryder and the police department — claiming the 287(g) agreement violates state law. Blakeman has maintained the partnership is valid.

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In May, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a series of immigration bills that require counties like Nassau to terminate their 287(g) agreements, as part of a larger effort by state Democrats to regulate ICE activity in New York. Blakeman has until Aug. 25 to terminate the county's partnership. Otherwise, New York Attorney General Letitia James said she will take legal action. Blakeman, who is running to unseat Hochul as governor, has said before he will sue to defend Nassau's program.

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'Good luck to you'

W & L Day Spa on Carman Avenue in Westbury this month. \n

As women sit in immigration detention centers miles away, their Nassau criminal cases often proceed. Judges may not know where the women are and attorneys sometimes cannot locate them. Warrants are sometimes issued when they fail to appear.

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Newsday observed several cases where women’s names were called in a courtroom on Main Street in Hempstead while they were in federal detention more than 1,300 miles away.

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It took six weeks for Stuart Austin, who has represented more than 50 spa workers, to find one of his clients, who was arrested Jan. 1 at W & L Spa in Westbury.

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\"It’s crazy the hoops you have to jump through,\" Austin said in his Mineola office.

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Resolving the criminal charge can be critical to the woman’s immigration case, but arranging a remote appearance may take weeks.

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On April 29, a Chinese woman appeared on a rolling courtroom screen in an orange detention uniform. From a Louisiana detention center, she accepted a plea reducing prostitution and unlicensed massage charges to disorderly conduct and a $120 fine.

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Nassau District Court Judge Diana Hedayati told her, \"Good luck to you.\"

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As of July 21, after months in ICE detention, her name no longer appeared in federal ICE records. Austin said he did not know whether she was deported.

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From Flushing to Freeport

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A Newsday investigation analyzed the cases of 22 arrested spa workers who spent months in immigration detention sites in Pompano Beach; Monroe and Basile, Louisiana; Houston; and Newark. 

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At least 16 were from China, five were Hispanic and Allab is from Algeria. Their median age was 45. A large share of illicit massage workers in the United States are from China, research shows.

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As of mid-July, 10 women were no longer listed in ICE’s detainee locator. Four remained in ICE detention in Louisiana. Newsday could not confirm the outcome of the other cases.

STORYWIDGET: inICESPA260719_map \n

Newsday analyzed the cases of nearly 400 women arrested at Long Island’s illicit massage spas. About   a third  were charged with giving massages without a license, not prostitution.

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In New York, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to get a massage license.

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Some women work at spas to pay off debt they accrued immigrating to the U.S United States. The cost can range from $10,000 for a visa to $50,000 to cross the southern border illegally, experts told Newsday.

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\"The debt gets bought and sold between [spa] owners,\" said Ian Hassell, founder and CEO of The Network, a group that has investigated illicit massage businesses for years. \"The first storefront where a woman ends up, that owner pays off the debt to the person back in China who lent it originally.\"

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‘Pushed me to leave Islam’

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Allab said armed militants kidnapped and raped her in Algeria when she was 15, targeting her family because her father had served on an anti-terrorism police task force. Government records reviewed by Newsday show militants shot and seriously wounded her father years earlier. She said she concealed the rape until her parents attempted to arrange her marriage.

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After earning a bachelor’s degree in law and political science from the University of Algiers, Allab began to question her religious upbringing, and \"faced a lot of hostility\" for it, said Daniel Porcerelli, one of her immigration attorneys.

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Things deteriorated in September 2023, when Allab launched a live broadcast on TikTok called, \"The main reason that pushed me to leave Islam.\"

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She said she started to receive daily menacing phone calls. One day, Allab found a bloodstained shirt on her doorstep, her lawyer said.

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\"I was scared to stay in my country,\" Allab told Newsday.

STORYWIDGET: inICESPA260719_allabcard \n

In November 2023, when Allab arrived in New York, she began to look for work. A woman running a spa in Hempstead offered her a job. Allab worked long hours waxing clients until she said her boss demanded she have sex with a customer.

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Allab said her boss listed her on sex sites like Bedpage as \"Arabic. 20 minutes. $60.\"

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A woman’s ethnic background is a moneymaker for spa owners.

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More listings on Bedpage read, \"New Asian girl,\" \"exotic Caribbean caramel girl\" and \"all American redhead.\"

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Allab's deportation

Hadjira Allab's bedroom that she shared with her boyfriend in their Queens apartment. \n

On Jan. 21, Nassau undercover detectives arrested Allab and another worker on prostitution and unlicensed massage charges after an encounter at the spa, police records show. Allab disputes that she voluntarily offered sex.

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Allab applied for asylum after her tourist visa expired. Her asylum application was pending and she had federal authorization to work when Nassau police transferred her to ICE.

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Spokespeople for the Nassau police department did not respond to questions about why detectives transferred Allab to ICE custody. ICE officials initially did not respond to a request for comment. 

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After publication, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, issued a statement but refused to be quoted by name. The statement said that granting legal authorization to work does not bestow legal status in the United States, and undocumented residents who leave now retain the chance to come back legally.

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Those who use a government app to self-deport can receive a free flight to their country of origin and $2,600, the statement said.

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By the time she was due in Hempstead court on Feb. 4, Allab was already at ICE’s Broward Transitional Center in Florida.

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On March 11, Nassau police arrested Suman Kundu, the spa’s co-owner, on felony charges of managing and profiting from a prostitution business. He was released without bail and his case is ongoing.

Stacks of Hadjira Allab's personal documents left behind in Hello Kitty folders. \n

In ICE custody, Allab’s mental health deteriorated, said Mohamed Elsharnoby, one of her immigration attorneys. Sleeping in a cell with a handful of other women, barred from receiving incoming calls or emails from her boyfriend or parents, passing time before the long-anticipated day when an immigration judge would decide her fate.

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On May 19, Allab appeared in a video conference before U.S. Immigration Judge Frank T. Pimentel. Her application for asylum was denied.

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In the nearly six months she was held in federal custody, Allab worried that if she were deported, Algerian authorities would arrest her at the airport. She feared persecution from her government back home and attacks by religious extremists.

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Back at her Queens apartment, remnants of Allab's life with her boyfriend — three Trump flags and two framed Quran verses — remain.

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Allab said she came to America believing it would protect someone who spoke out against oppression.

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For Nassau police, her arrest was a routine prostitution case. For immigration authorities, it became another deportation. For Allab, whatever hopes she had in coming to America ended with a flight back to Algeria, plunging her into a life she thought she had escaped.

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In her last call with Newsday before being deported, she said, \"If I knew it would be like this, I never would have come here.”

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The former Trusted Touch Therapeutics in West Hempstead on July 13.

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NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa visits Macchiato Espresso Bar in Mattituck to learn the art of the latte.

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Stretches of forest are turning into lifeless tree trunks, known as ghost forests, as salt water intrusion destroys the soil. NewsdayTV’s Virginia Huie has more. 

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In the coastal forest at the Pine Neck Nature Sanctuary on Shinnecock Bay, oaks and pitch pines give way to red maples and tupelos closer to the open salt marsh. Beyond the shade of the trees, bright green Spartina grasses spread on the soggy ground, all the way to the shoreline. Stranded among the grasses is a grove of bleached-gray trunks, the skeletal remains of tupelo trees that thrived and then died there decades ago.

\n

At Pine Neck and other tidal wetlands up and down the Atlantic seaboard, king tides are flowing higher, storm surges are breaking deeper inland and salt water is creeping into the groundwater below. Trees that can withstand occasional flooding, such as tupelos, cannot manage chronic flooding with salt water and are slowly dying.

\n

\"This ghost forest is just an example of what's happening all over the world thanks to climate change,\" said Alison Branco, climate adaptation director at the New York branch of The Nature Conservancy, as she stood at the edge of the grove.

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\"The tree next to me probably died, I don't know, 50 or more years ago. But up at the very edge of the healthy forest, we're seeing trees that have died probably in the last 10 or 20 years. So it's been slowly marching upward.\"

\n

Sea level rise is expected to accelerate over the next several decades, inundating salt marshes and eventually the coastal forests that border them. In some places, if there’s enough undeveloped land upslope, the marsh will migrate into the woodlands, and the woodlands will retreat as well. But a lot of this inundation is happening in areas, such as much of Long Island, that are bordered by roads and neighborhoods.

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\"Eventually, we could lose a great deal of our coastal forest,\" said Kevin Munroe, Long Island preserve director at The Nature Conservancy, which owns Pine Neck. \"Because where's the forest going to go when it hits a highway or someone's backyard?\"

A ghost forest with black tupelo trees at the South Shore Nature Center in East Islip on July 9. \n

Can marsh migration keep pace with rising seas?

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Polar ice is melting at an ever-quickening pace, and warmer ocean waters expand, both of which cause sea levels to rise everywhere. But they are rising three to four times faster along the East Coast than the global average, possibly, according to some climate researchers, because ancient ocean circulation patterns are slowing, creating a swell of water. 

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By 2050, sea levels on the East Coast are expected to rise by about a foot, placing thousands of miles of coastal wetlands at risk. Already, as marshes are flooding more frequently, ground-nesting shorebirds such as rare saltmarsh sparrows, which hide their nests among the marsh grasses, are losing their nesting sites.

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Marshes also absorb rainwater and storm surges, lessening flooding further inland. And they capture and store 10 times more carbon per acre than tropical rainforests, locking it away in the boggy soil, which climate scientists say makes them a highly effective defense against further global heating. Their loss, then, would contribute to the feedback loop of accelerating climate change.

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Even as the nearshore areas are drowned, Branco said, the marsh ideally can retreat inland. Plants that thrive in the wettest and saltiest soil, like Spartina alternifolia, would spread into the high marsh, and the plants that dominate the high marsh, like Spartina patens, also would migrate inland.

\n

Farther upland, first the oaks, pines and blueberries, and then red maples, tupelos and bayberries, could succumb to the salt water; eventually, marsh grasses could thrive where tupelos now grow, and the tupelos could take over where the oaks and pines flourished.

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That, at least, is the most optimistic scenario, considering global greenhouse gas emissions haven’t been curbed.

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If the forests can’t move inland, Munroe said, \"we don't know what all the end results are going to be.\" But it’s clear the loss of trees will mean a loss of carbon sequestration, he noted, as well as poorer soil health, more erosion, less habitat and fewer food sources for wildlife.

\n

The abundant acorns in the coastal forest at Pine Neck, for example, along with the blueberries and huckleberries in the understory, are an important source of nourishment for birds that nest and raise their young there, Munroe said. \"And we're going to lose the shade,\" he said, \"which means the temperature goes up even higher.\"

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Declining salt marshes

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Elizabeth Watson, an associate professor of ecology at Stony Brook University, is studying marsh migration at six sites on Long Island’s South Shore, including Pine Neck, Ludlow's Creek in Oakdale and the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley.

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She regularly monitors the salinity of the soil and returns once a year to measure the circumference of the trees, to see if salt water is slowing their growth. Ultimately, she hopes her data will help her to \"understand how quickly the forest is retreating\" and \"whether the marshlands are moving upslope,\" she said.

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In early July, Watson followed a boardwalk at the South Shore Nature Center in East Islip to a stand of dead tupelos, most likely killed by the slow intrusion of salt water from the Great South Bay.

Elizabeth Watson, associate professor of ecology at Stony Brook University, measures a tree at the South Shore Nature Center in East Islip on July 9. \n

At this site, marsh migration could prove difficult. \"Our main finding is that the forest is retreating at a pretty constant rate,\" Watson said. But dense stands of invasive reeds have spread in the upper marsh, so that \"the more salt-tolerant plants are not moving in as quickly.\"

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The small ghost forest still serves an ecological purpose, she pointed out: It’s now \"a rookery for all kinds of birds,\" including egrets and ospreys, which use the dead trees and stumps as perches and nesting sites. As she spoke, a woodpecker ducked into a hole chiseled into a dead tupelo.

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Long Island lost roughly 2,700 acres of intertidal, high and coastal fresh marsh between the mid-1970s and the early 2000s, which Branco said is because of development, shoreline hardening, poor water quality and encroaching seas. And New York could lose more than half of its remaining coastal wetlands by the end of the century if emissions are not sharply cut, according to the research group Climate Central.

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But conserving land to allow for marsh migration could reverse those losses, the group’s models show, possibly even increasing wetlands by 20%. 

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\"We need to address climate change and try to get that problem under control before it's too late,\" Branco said.

\n

Just as crucial, she added, is the need to preserve open land at the edges of Long Island’s marshes, so that they can move and keep pace with sea level rise. \"We need to give it some space, so we can continue to have this important salt marsh habitat.\"

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NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano tries a Hyrox fitness class at Black Bear Athletics in West Babylon.

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Hyrox fever has taken a hold on Long Island. Arlene Taveras, 25, a sales representative from Copiague, is stoked that she’s caught it. On back-to-back Sundays in May and June, she trekked to Pier 76 in New York City to take part in Hyrox fitness races.

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A combination of running and eight functional workouts, including sled pushes and burpees, the high-intensity competition tests fitness mettle. Anyone can take part — young or old, elite athlete or average.

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“It’s crazy challenging,” says Taveras, who competed earlier this year in Las Vegas and Miami and has signed up and paid the entry fee (around $120-$180 for the open category) for fall races in Washington, D.C., and Boston. “After my first race, I got addicted to Hyrox.”

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She credits the workout and all that goes into it for a spike in her confidence, strength, discipline and mental focus. She’s not alone in her passion. Since last year, the New York City event has more than tripled in size, from around 13,000 to about 43,000 entrants.

Arlene Taveras does sled pushes at FRQNCY Performance's Hyrox simulation. \n

Hyrox was introduced in 2017 in Germany and premiered in New York in 2019. Long Island gym owners have observed the steady rise of Hyrox, a boost they credit to its accessibility, predictability and community aspects. They’ve integrated it into fitness programs, and their members have been showing up in force for Hyrox races.

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At Black Bear Athletics in West Babylon, Hyrox classes have drawn crowds since 2022. “What makes it popular is that it’s inclusive. It’s for everyone,” says the gym’s owner, Mike Rosa, 36, who joined the military after graduation from Oceanside High School. “You can be any age and any fitness level.”

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How it works 

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Races, typically held inside, are grouped into divisions, including individual men and women, same-sex pairs and mixed pairs. In each, participants know exactly what to expect (barring Mother Nature, if outside). Predictability is a plus.

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“Wherever the race is, it’s always the same,” says Rosa, who’s run three races across two seasons, qualifying for the world championships in 2022. “It’s an 8k run total with eight different stations, so you run a 1k, you do one station, you run a 1k, you do another station, and so on eight times.”

Allison Furey pushes a sled with weights during a class at RXFit gym in Rocky Point. \n

“It’s an endurance race,” Rosa adds. “You really feel it in your hamstrings, glutes and legs. You know how to focus and train for it.”

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At the eight exercise stations, participants must simulate skiing, push and pull a sled, do burpees, row, carry weights, do lunges and throw and catch a weighted ball. The exercises involved are elemental and basic, fitness pros concurred.

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RX Fit in Rocky Point introduced Hyrox programming in 2023. “The thing I like about Hyrox is that you don't need to have a very high skill level to participate,” says the gym’s lead coach, Matt Eschrich, 49. “Whether you do it and excel at it or you do it just for fun to complete it, everyone can do the movements.”

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The 'new half marathon'

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In contrast, CrossFit, another popular high-intensity functional fitness training program, involves moves that can be more technical or intimidating — whether it’s barbell snatches or muscle ups that combine pulls and dips into one fluid movement.

Norman Jalayer, left, Allison Furey and Jaclyn Lych, exercise on an air bike during a Hyrox class at RXFit gym in Rocky Point. \n

At FRQNCY Performance in Islip, where Tavares works out, gym owner Taylor Frisch, 33, a veteran of eight races over three seasons, believes that the social component of Hyrox accounts for some of the popularity. “It’s like running clubs, which have gotten really, really popular over the last couple of years,” he says.

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“To me, Hyrox is the new half-marathon,” Frisch adds. “It’s not a full marathon, which can take over your life to train for it. But it will be a big enough challenge to tackle that you'll feel really good about after. You can race it over and over and over, and you can always compare your times to the [previous] times.”

Josh St. Fleur, of Deer Park, does a tricep pull down during a Hyrox class at Black Bear Athletics in West Babylon. \n

Christina Nugent, 42, an RX Fit member from Shoreham who’s a mom of three and a biology teacher at William Floyd Middle School in Mastic Beach, knows that firsthand. She’s done the New York Hyrox race three years in a row in the mixed doubles category with her husband, Sean, a physical education teacher at Roosevelt Children’s Academy. Their PR — personal record — has improved with each race. This year, they shaved eight minutes off their 2025 time.

Joseline Luna, of West Babylon, left, and owner Mike Rosa train during a recent class. \n

“You can see your time when you cross,” Nugent says. “When I saw 1:16, I started looking around to see whose time it was. My husband was like, ‘That’s us.’ To be very honest, I was stunned.”

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Beyond PRs, Nugent says that the shared experience of the Hyrox race is a big part of the appeal. “Both on the course and in the gym itself, Hyrox is incredibly supportive,” she says. “It’s very communal. That actually helps keep you accountable and showing up.”

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A growing trend 

Hyrox classes have become popular at CrossFit Strong Island in Merrick. \n

CrossFit Strong Island in Merrick incorporated Hyrox into its programming two years ago, according to co-owner and head coach Brad Waltman, 36, who’s participated in two Hyrox races. Over 50 members participated in the New York City Hyrox in May and June.

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“For me personally, my focus on training is CrossFit. I’ve found Hyrox to be a nice crossover and a test of my fitness personally,” he says. “We offer Hyrox memberships. I have members that come to my gym just for Hyrox classes. Hyrox is on a trajectory upward.”

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RX Fit gym owner Sean Queller, 48, a history teacher at Forte Preparatory Academy in Queens who’s run five races across four seasons, echoed that sentiment. “Hyrox is definitely getting bigger,” he says, adding that he predicts a big spurt in sponsorship in the next couple of years. “Every sport has its culture. The culture of Hyrox is very cool and very trendy. People are really drawn to it.”

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Erica Lottman, of Babylon, does a squat with a medicine ball during a Hyrox class at Black Bear Athletics in West Babylon.

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From pizza to clams, Newsday food writer Andi Berlin visits two restaurants that are on the way to Northwell at Jones Beach Theater.

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Some of my favorite food memories have been the meals I ate after concerts, when my ears were ringing and my belly rumbling from hours of loud music. A late-night patty melt, seared on a flattop by a guy wearing a paper hat, the onions perfuming the bright room … a pair of crunchy chicken tacos in a Styrofoam box, handed through a drive-thru window after doing the shark fins to Jimmy Buffett. When I was young, there was never time to eat before the show, but, as I get older, I increasingly want a bite or a cocktail to get me ready to rock out.

Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh has been a summer mecca for music lovers since 1952. \n

At Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, you’re paying top dollar to see legendary performers by the water, and there is absolutely no need to be distracted by hunger pangs. So here are a few options for before or after the show, all within minutes of Wantagh State Parkway Bridge, Meadowbrook State Parkway Bridge, Great South Bay Bridge and the State Boat Channel Bridge (part of Robert Moses Causeway) that will take you there whether you’re coming from the west or east. 

STORYWIDGET: FDMJONES260719_map \n

THE SEAFOOD SHACK

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Bigelow's

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79 N. Long Beach Rd., Rockville Centre, 516-678-3878, bigelows-rvc.com

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Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tues.–Thurs; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri. and Sat.; noon to 8 p.m. Sun; closed Mon.

Bigelow's in Rockville Centre, virtually unchanged since its founding in 1939, is Long Island’s premier destination for fried Ipswich clams. \n

It would be wrong to have a Jones Beach food story without mentioning this O.G. clam shack, a staple of the Sunrise Highway since 1939. Co-owner Anthony Andreolas said Bigelow’s has been popular with concertgoers and musicians for decades, including the roadies from Phish at one point. The best thing about this place is you can come “as you are,” he added, because the nostalgic room is so low-key.

Dennis Callahan, left, of Freeport, and Sean Callahan, of Rockville Centre, dig into fish-and-chips and more from the fryolator at Bigelow's. \n

Take a seat at the counter and watch the cooks sifting flour for their many fried delights, which include scallops, calamari, popcorn shrimp, oysters and fish-and-chips. The thing to order here is a plate of the fried Ipswich, or whole-belly, clams (MP), which are as buttery and briny as they come. The recipe has stayed the same since the place opened, and it’s still perfect. 

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DINNER AND A SHOW

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Bayberry

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501 E. Main St., Islip, 631-210-0011, bayberryislip.com

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Open noon to 10 p.m. Wed and Thurs.; noon to 11 p.m. Fri.; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sat.; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun.; closed Mon. and Tues.

At Bayberry in Islip, you will not want to miss the chickpea fries or the poke tuna tacos. The cocktail list includes the Dragon’s Breath, which involves mezcal, lime juice, dry vermouth and dragon fruit liqueur. \n

This one is for the adults in the room who treat concerts like the theater or opera. Located on the main drag of Islip, Bayberry is a lovely gastropub like you might find in London or the tonier neighborhoods of Manhattan. There is art on the walls, and gorgeous French tile on the floor. And they have a nice happy hour deal if you sit at the bar: 50 percent off bar drinks until 7 p.m., with discounted food. This is perhaps not the vibe you want if you’re seeing Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner on August 21, but appropriate if you’re heading out to see Steve Winwood (September 12).

Comfortable booths and a beautiful tile floor draw you in at Bayberry. \n

Bayberry is also on Newsday’s 2026 list of Long Island’s best burgers for its 45-day dry-aged 1890 Burger ($27 with fries). There are also steaks, pastas and seafood dishes, but the standout item during a recent meal was a plate of chickpea fries ($12), the street food called panisse in the South of France. Never having had these before, I expected the thick little logs to taste beany, but they’re made from chickpea flour and had the texture of custard. They were awesome, and yes, they’re on the happy hour menu for $10.

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HOMESTYLE ITALIAN

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Frankie's Pizzeria & Restaurant

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1696 Merrick Rd., Merrick, 516-377-9500, frankiesmerrick.com

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Open 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun.–Wed; 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thurs.–Sat.

The pizza counter at Frankie’s Pizzeria & Restaurant in Merrick. \n

There are a lot of Frank’s and Frankie’s floating around in this part of the world. So, just to clarify, this shopping-center pizzeria is not the same as Uncle Frank’s in Wantagh, Frank’s Trattoria in Long Beach or the now-shuttered Frank’s Steaks in Rockville Centre. But this is exactly why it’s charming. Frankie’s Pizzeria is Long Island Italian food done right. Which means it’s the one of the most satisfying meals you’ll ever eat. The portions are ginormous, which is helpful if you’re about to spend several music-filled hours at the beach. Up at the front, there’s an impressive pizza case featuring slices with an artisanal crust.

Simple and stellar: the Margherita pie at Frankie’s Pizzeria & Restaurant. \n

There’s also a full-service restaurant on the other side of the wall where you can feast on pastas as well as your standard variety of meat and fish dishes. They also make a hulking Italian chopped salad ($23.92) that I finally had to force myself to stop eating, it was so well executed.

A bowl of penne alla vodka at Frankie’s. \n

But here’s a scoop: Frankie Lonigro and his son Jake also do a small selection of Neapolitan-style pizzas with a 72-hour ferment on the crust. Their Margherita pie ($22.88), crust puffed out and bubbled with black char, is a hidden gem. What a find!

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THE 24-HOUR DINER

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Lighthouse Diner

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3240 Sunrise Hwy., Wantagh, 516-826-8111, thelighthousediner.com

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Open 24 hours daily

The Lighthouse Diner in Wantagh is a beacon for the hungry no matter what time of day it is. \n

Sunrise Highway is the land of diners. Just driving between the Meadowbrook Parkway and Robert Moses to the east, you’ll pass who knows how many diners. But the Lighthouse is the only one that’s still open 24 hours, because who wants to skip out early on The Beach Boys (August 2) to go to a restaurant? The Lighthouse Diner has been owned by Peter Theodosiou since 1986 and it’s as big and blingy and American flag–themed as they come. The menu has not been cut down or streamlined like it has at many other diners, so you can still find everything from Romanian pastrami to hot Virginia ham and moussaka.

The Greek burger is loaded with sautéed spinach and onions as well as feta cheese. An order of bacon and eggs sits across the table. \n

I got a Greek burger ($14) and it had so much cooked spinach on there, I almost thought it was healthy. As with any 24-hour joint, there are little rules that are meant to keep the place from falling into pandemonium. My server said it can get really busy after a Jones Beach concert, and although there’s a no to-go cup rule for folks dining in, he nicely gave me one for the car. Now that’s Long Island hospitality.

\n

THE FUNKY LATE-NIGHT SPOT

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Mi Casa Restaurant

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177 W. Merrick Rd., Freeport, 516-442-7111, micasarestaurantfreeport.com

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Open 11 a.m. to midnight Mon.–Wed.; 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Thurs.–Sat.; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sun.

Mi Casa Restaurant in Freeport is known for its night owl-friendly hours. \n

Now it’s time for the afterparty! Let’s keep the music going with a round of bachata. Not too far from the Meadowbrook Parkway, the town of Freeport has its fair share of Dominican restaurants. But Mi Casa stands out for its accommodating hours. This place, tucked into a shopping center with ample free parking, is part of an enclosed minimall with a laundromat, beauty supply store and notary public. Walk through the little hallway/vestibule and into the lively restaurant, which has sort of a sports bar–wedding venue vibe with lots of comfy booths.

The picadera tipica, or fried appetizer platter, at Mi Casa Restaurant is equal parts soulful and indulgent. You won’t regret one crunchy bite. \n

The menu is extensive, with all manner of mariscos (seafood dishes), over-the-top mofongo (green plantain) platters with pork, chicken, beef, shrimp or calamari, and Dominican specialties such as goat and oxtail stews.

A lush rendition of mofongo at Mi Casa Restaurant. \n

But the biggest win of the evening was the picadera tipica, or Dominican fried appetizer platter. Twenty bucks and change will get you a plentiful assortment of fried cheese blocks, fried shrimp, plantains, chicken tenders, beef and flavorful logs of sausage.

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Fill up with grub before you attend a show at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater.

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Not long ago, Kevin Mahoney was pitching for Miller Place. Now, he’s a Mets’ batting practice pitcher. NewsdayTV’s Carissa Kellman reports.

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Kevin Mahoney’s baseball odyssey began in Miller Place, where he starred for the Panthers in high school and made frequent trips to Shea Stadium, fostering a love for the pastime that he decided to turn into his life.

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Now, that journey has brought him home — sort of.

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Mahoney returned to New York this season, his first with the Mets as a batting practice pitcher and de facto coaching assistant, a behind-the-scenes role that offers a window into how a modern major-league club operates.

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Twenty years after leaving Long Island for Buffalo, where he played third base at Canisius, Mahoney is not only back, but in the major leagues.

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“It’s unreal. It really is,” Mahoney, 37, said in a recent interview at Citi Field. “I never made it to the major leagues as a player — or a coach at the time. So when a big-league position came open [over the offseason], it was a dream come true. I was nervous for that to actually happen, or to miss out on that opportunity. I’m grateful that it came through.”

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Mahoney’s path has been winding. How does a 2005 Newsday All-Long Island shortstop end up in Queens as a batting practice pitcher? The story includes bit roles from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

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After setting records at Canisius, Mahoney was drafted by the Yankees in 2009, the start of his dozen years with the organization. In Mahoney’s first full professional season, one of his coaches was Carlos Mendoza. Mendoza and Mahoney remained colleagues for about a decade, first when Mahoney was a minor-league infielder, then after he transitioned to being a minor-league coach.

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This past winter, when the Mets wanted to make a hire, Mendoza, the manager, thought of Mahoney — for a bunch of reasons, foremost among them his ability to throw top-notch BP.

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That is no small thing. Grooving practice pitches to big-leaguers is an actual skill, one Mendoza knew Mahoney had. When Mahoney was a young coach, he became a Tampa-based go-to thrower for the likes of Jeter, Rodriguez and other injured Yankees who were rehabbing at the spring training complex. Mendoza remembered that.

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“That matters, especially at this level,” Mets hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said. “You got Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso and these guys. If you’re not good at that or that’s not your forte, it’s a thing. He’s been great — figuring out what guys want, how they want it. And his personality is great. He’s very warm, very engaging.”

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Another reason Mendoza called Mahoney to gauge interest: his diverse skill set and background.

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The Mets didn’t want a guy who would merely throw BP. They sought someone who could aid Barnes and fellow hitting coach Eric Chavez in making sure the hitting department runs smoothly.

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Since Mahoney was a former player with coaching experience — and managerial experience, with the Johnson City Doughboys, a summer collegiate team — his resume looked great. Along with coaching assistant Rafael Fernandez, who is the Spanish-speaking and lefthanded version of Mahoney, Mahoney speaks the language of present-day baseball, knowledgeable about the data, video and other forms of information hitters use to prepare.

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“It was a pretty good match for a position that is basically BP thrower but coaching assistant too,” Mendoza said. “He can help a lot of people.”

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Mahoney spends much of any given game down the tunnel in the batting cage.

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“We’re out here during the game, but there’s a whole world going on in the cage,” Barnes said.

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If a player has a day off, he might spend time inside working on his swing, with Mahoney throwing to him and talking it through. If a player is getting ready to come off the bench for what Mendoza sometimes calls the biggest at-bat of the game, Mahoney is helping him warm up his body (with throws) and mind (with scouting reports on the pitcher he might face).

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As Mahoney put it, his job is to assist in “making sure that everyone is getting what they need to have success.”

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“It helps spread [responsibility] out across the board, and to have people that you trust, who know what they’re talking about and continuing the message and making sure that the message is unified is huge,” Barnes said. “And he throws great BP.”

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Making it to the majors has been “everything I thought it would be and then some,” Mahoney said, even if returning home means being away from family. His “All-Star wife,” Kimberly, and their two kids, Kaiden and Kensington, mostly stay back in the Tampa Bay area, which is hard, he said.

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But being in New York has its perks, including living near one brother in Manhattan and another in Rocky Point. He has made a couple of trips back to Miller Place to visit childhood best friends, now with families of their own. Catching glimpses of Mahoney in the Mets’ dugout on the broadcasts is mind-blowing for all involved.

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“Not in a million years” did Mahoney think he’d end up here, he said. And he isn’t sure what will come next in his baseball career, but he’ll figure it out once he gets there. That is how he has gotten this far, all the way from Miller Place.

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“I’m living proof that if you just work hard and be a good person, good things are going to happen,” Mahoney said. “Because you never know what’s going to happen. You just never know.”

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Kevin Mahoney, a Miller Place native, throws a pitch during batting practice for the Mets at Citi Field on April 30, 2025.

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