David Lennon

Once they turned their attention to Juan Soto, you could sense it was only a matter of time before the perennial MVP candidate would be fitted for pinstripes.

Even with Mets' owner Steve Cohen lurking, the Yankees GM has approached the sweepstakes for Japan's biggest star with an air of confidence.

The Japanese righthander is the Mets' top choice, but president of operations David Stearns must have backup plans.

For starters, big-name pitchers will be the talk of Nashville the next few days.

Yes, he may hit free-agency next winter. But the Yankees can't afford to let that get in the way of acquiring a young superstar who is tailor-made for the Bronx.

Aside from all the help Willie Randolph could provide and the relationship he has with Carlos Mendoza, it would put a better spin on how the Mets treated him 15 years ago.

Surrounding Cole with a roster capable of making some headway on Hal Steinbrenner's 2019 pledge for the next Yankees' dynasty.

The Mets' new manager didn't mention his former employer much during his news conference Tuesday, but his familiarity dealing with New York should prove helpful.

There was plenty of drama and some surprising hirings.

The Yankees shortstop has recently become Exhibit A when criticizing the organization's front-office failures. That's tremendously unfair.

The superagent doesn't believe Mets owner Steve Cohen is closing his wallet, and has many clients who fit the Mets' most serious needs entering 2024.

The Yankees' owner provided little evidence any changes are in place following a failed 2023 season, then the general manager said - loudly - that not much needed to change anyway.

Instead of Craig Counsell, new GM David Stearns brings in Yankees coach Carlos Mendoza.

Jacob deGrom bought what Chris Young was selling, and boy, did things work out for both. 

Scherzer thought he'd be a World Series champion when he reported to spring training — just not wearing a Rangers uniform.

"I think we had to deal with more (adversity) this year than any year I've ever had to manage," said Bruce Bochy.

With injured Adolis Garcia out, Jankowski doing Stony Brook proud with play for Rangers.

He admits he can't just blow it past hitters any longer, but he can rely on his 16 years of experience.

Jordan Montgomery, exiled by the Yankees, has blossomed into an elite postseason performer. 

Only in baseball, at its marquee event, does everyone get wrapped up in a discussion about how MLB is doing this whole playoff thing wrong. But the Rangers and Diamondbacks gave us a great Game 1.

The former Mets outfielder expands upon his comments last month that the Mets had "the least-hardest working group of position players I've ever played with."

Kyle Schwarber went deep twice and Trea Turner added another blast in Tuesday night's 10-0 rout of Arizona.

Owner John Middleton and president Dave Dombrowski have spent a big budget wisely and they're off to a strong start in the NLCS.

The Phillies ace, who left the Mets as a free agent after the 2019 season, will start Game 1 of the NLCS for Philadelphia on Monday.

A 104-win Atlanta team was left bewildered. Did its regular-season success and the ensuing bye prove costly? 

The Phillies bounced back from what looked like a series-shifting loss in Game 2 and looked as dominant as ever in their Game 3 and Game 4 wins. It's all part of this team's DNA.

Without a World Series appearance since 2009 and narrowly having avoided their first losing season since 1992, the Yankees need changes...and it seems their boss - while not "The Boss" - has recognized this as well.

A source of further irritation for Mets' loyalists, who got to see a pair of old friends once again turn in dazzling performances on the October stage.

Newsday baseball columnist David Lennon gives his picks for the end-of-season prizes.

The end of the now former Mets general manager's two-year stint brings to a close a tumultuous five-year stretch in Flushing that owner Steve Cohen hopes will bring the stability he's long sought for the franchise.

Franchise's first president of baseball operations has long been on owner's wish list; now it's time to see if it was worth the wait. 

A year removed from a playoff berth and his fourth Manager of the Year award, Buck Showalter took the fall — in somewhat awkward fashion — for a situation that was largely out of his control.

We'll find out soon if Buck Showalter will return for 2024 season; the next roster will have to wait a little while.

It's true, they had plenty of key injuries, but they need to figure out why they underperformed in so many ways.

Both stars had huge years, but it's hard to enjoy it when team didn't live up to expectations.

How did a team that spent so much money and had so many big names fail to make the playoffs? (Sound familiar?)

In other words, will Aaron Judge also wind up with great statistics and no World Series rings?

During their history, having the best pitcher in the American League typically meant the Yankees were the best team, too.

Volpe is diligently working his way up the learning curve and excelled in other areas, probably surpassing what the Yankees anticipated when they first handed him the job.

The Red Sox fired Chaim Bloom after a disappointing season, while the Yankees appear to be running it back next season with Brian Cashman.

The upcoming free-agent market just isn't there to restock with future Hall of Famers again.

With Brett Baty and Mark Vientos seeming to have squandered their opportunities to be the third baseman of the future for the Mets, Mauricio needs to get a look at the position over the final 18 games.

The plan since he purchased the team in 2019, Mets owner Steve Cohen now has a president of baseball operations whom he feels can make the team a perennial contender.

The Yankees and their fans will have to be patient as Jasson Dominguez comes back from his UCL tear, perhaps not until June.

A team in the 'best in MLB history' conversation is honored by . . .  um, an organization considerably less than that these days.

Despite his agent's optimism, there are plenty of unknowns about Shohei Ohtani's pitching future.

Since 2018, he's appeared in just 54.9% of the team's total games, not counting the playoffs, trending downward along the way.

The Yankees insist Dominguez can handle everything that's being thrown at him, and so far, they seem correct in that assessment.

Bringing up their top prospects has injected life into miserable seasons.

The slugger is a proven star and at 28 is a great asset to the team.