2021 New York Baseball Preview
As fans gear up for Opening Day, we break down what fans need to know about the upcoming season and expectations for both New York squads.
New York Mets
Mets fans have a lot to look forward to this season. After some splashy moves in the offseason, this is one of the most balanced teams that fans have anticipated in quite some time. They’ll be competing in a top-heavy NL race with their main competition for the division being the Atlanta Braves. They are a solid +1000 to win the World Series ($100 bet gets your $1000 back) and expectations are higher than they’ve been in quite some time. Citi Field will open at 20% (8,492 fans) with tickets for games 05/06 through 09/30 currently on sale. Fans will have to either be vaccinated or have a negative test result to attend a game.
The prize of the offseason was landing Francisco Lindor. If you haven’t heard of him yet, you soon will; as his last name suggests, he’s the sweetest shortstop in the league and gives the Mets an enthusiastic face to their franchise. Over the offseason, they also added pitchers Carlos Carrasco (who should return to action in late April) and Taijuan Walker as well as a solid catcher in James McCann.
Jacob DeGrom enters the 2021 season as the best pitcher in baseball and headlines a loaded rotation. With Carrasco and Walker being added, there is still Marcus Stroman, David Peterson, plus Noah Syndergaard should be returning over the summer from Tommy John surgery. If this rotation stays healthy, this could be one of the best rotations in the league by the end of the season.
This will be the first season with Steve Cohen as the official owner of the New York Mets. His aggressiveness in the offseason was noticeable and can give fans hope that if there is a move to be made, he will look to do it. Even though he didn’t use twitter to the best of its ability during the GameStop revolution, fans can overlook a thing or two if he’s willing to spend big and bring a championship to the team for the first time in over 30 years.
New York Yankees
Yankees fans, per usual, are heading into the season with championship or bust expectations. This team has had a window since 2017 where they have gotten fans excited with their potential, but come the playoffs they fizzle out in similar fashion. Can the team stay healthy and put it together? Fans will be waiting to see if they can finish the job. They are +600 to win the World Series ($100 bet gets your $600 back) coming in second behind the Dodgers. Yankee Stadium will open at 20% (9,300 fans). Fans will have to either be vaccinated or have a negative test result to attend a game.
The biggest move this offseason was retaining the most valuable player to the team in DJ LeMahieu. Yankees fans were rightfully a bit nervous with all of the posturing back and forth but ultimately, one of the best bats and most versatile fielders in the game is back where he belongs: in pinstripes
The few new additions to the team mainly involve the pitching staff. The Yankees said goodbye to fan favorite Masahiro Tanaka who will be pitching in Japan and added veterans Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon. They’ll hope that these two and the rest of the staff can stay healthy, otherwise they will be relying heavily on their offense and bullpen to carry them throughout the season. The biggest question will become which pitchers outside of Gerrit Cole can Yankees fans trust in the biggest moments.
As with many coaches in the New York sports world, Manager Aaron Boone has some strong supporters and some strong doubters. The window that the Yankees are currently in, plus the lack of a clear favorite in the American League, puts some added pressure on Boone as the expectations at least make the World Series if not win it all have not been met. The Yankees are essentially running it back with a few added pieces in the hope that continuity, health, and a heightened focus on their goals can will them towards their chase for 28.