Good Morning,
The Braves got their asses kicked last night, which is the first time I have led off this newsletter with a curse word and what feels like the first time Atlanta has played a game in June that they had no chance of winning. The 2021 champions didn’t just end the month with a 21–6 record, they lost three of those games in close fashion: once, 1–0; and twice in their opponent’s final at-bat.
Philadelphia’s 14–4 drubbing of the Braves preserves the Mets’ three-game lead in the National League East. Since 1996, 100 of the 150 eventual division champions held at least a share of that division lead on July 1, per MLB. Obviously, the 2021 Mets were one of the teams that bucked that trend. They had a 2.5-game lead at this point of the calendar.
New York will look to build on their lead this weekend against the Texas Rangers. However, the most important event might come on Sunday in St. Lucie, with the Mets reportedly discussing a minor league rehab start for Jacob deGrom.
🗣 Let’s start with some hot stove talk. SNY’s Andy Martino offered this on Thursday:
According to team sources, Mets officials from the baseball operations department all the way up to owner Steve Cohen are against moving Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty or their few other high-end prospects in order to fill holes on the major league club. They would strongly prefer to use their financial advantage to improve the team.
🔻 WHAT THIS MEANS: This should come as no surprise to Mets fans. Steve Cohen arrived in New York with a vision to essentially turn this franchise into Dodgers East, an organization that consistently produces division titles and wins championships. You can’t do that without a farm system. And we know the the Mets’ farm system is about as deep as Fred Wilpon’s pockets.
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