SIN BLITZERS PREVIEW : WEEK 13

Bengals vs Steelers : Preview

Following a bye after a close  34-27 loss to the  Los Angles Chargers , The Bengals now take on AFC North Rival Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers coming off of a 24-19  loss against the Cleveland Browns. In their game against Los Angles , Joe Burrow  threw 28-50 for 356 yds and three touchdowns. Two touchdowns were caught by Ja’Marr Chase and one by Tee Higgins .

Keys To The Game 

Bengals 

Offense –  Joe Burrow +  Ja’Marr Chase 

Joe Burrow currently has 27 touchdown passes , tied for most in the league  with Lamar Jackson and he also has 275 yds per game. Another danger to  this strong Pittsburgh defense is Burrow’s number one weapon  Ja’marr Chase. Chase leads the league with 1,056 yds and 12 touchdowns.  This lethal combination of Burrow and Chase is gonna be a threat to the Steelers secondary , even though last week they gave up 85 yards to Jerry Jeudy .

Defense – Trey Hendrickson

The Bengals are going to have a challenge on their  hands as they face a unexpectedly  rejuvenated Russel Wilson . The Bengals are going to have to use  their top Defensive edge Trey Hendrickson who currently 24 solo tackles, leads the league in sacks with 11.5 and has one forced fumble on the season .  Hendrickson can also take advantage of  the Pittsburgh O-line which has allowed  three or more sacks in the last four straight  games. 

Steelers 

Offense-  Passing game

Last Week , Russell Wilson threw for 270 yds and a touchdown and on the season he has seven touchdowns and two interceptions.  He is going to have to take advantage of the Bengals mediocre pass game that is 95.1 pass rate ranked 19th , and 225 ypg which is ranked 23rd in the league .  Wilson is going to have hit target such as Calvin Austin ( three targets , three receptions  and 78 yds one touchdown last week), George Pickens (seven targets ,four receptions and 48 yards)  and Pat Freimuth (four targets four receptions and 59 yds). The Bengals secondary is banged up as well, so Russ might be able to take advantage. 

Defense – Rush Defense 

This season , the Steelers rush defense  has held running backs to 3.9 Yards per carry which is seventh in the league. Last week they held Nick Chubb 3.0 yards per carry , but he scored two touchdowns.  This week , the defense has to contain Chase Brown  who has 55.2 yards per game and two touchdowns this season so far. 

Prediction 

Steelers 24  Bengals 21 

CARDINALS AT VIKINGS : Two teams with their eyes on the NFC Playoffs meet up in Minnesota on Sunday. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals have been a pleasant surprise this season, and even though they lost to the Seahawks last week, but this explosive offense takes on a Viking team that has responded all season. I’m interested to see how Brian Flores gameplans against Kyler and how the Cardinals defend the Vikings high powered offense. This one has a chance to be a shootout. 

EAGLES AT RAVENS :  The showdown of the season, two elite dual threat quarterbacks, two elite running backs (who Jerry Jones should’ve signed) and two really good defenses will get together when the Eagles and Ravens play Sunday. The Eagles have won six straight and the Saquon/Hurts duo has been sensational this season. But this might be an AJ Brown game against the 32nd ranked pass defense. As for Baltimore they’re coming off a win in the Harbaugh Bowl. The Lamar Jackson/ Derrick Henry duo is just as solid as Saquon/Hurts. So this game might come down to which defense can make a stop. 
49ERS AT BILLS : The banged up Niners go to Buffalo to play the Bills. The Niners will be without Nick Bosa, Aaron Banks, Dre Greenlaw, Deommodore Lenoir and potentially Brock Purdy. With their season on the line, the Niners are going to need the guys they do have and their coach to have their best week of the season. The Bills have been a force this season. Josh Allen is playing the best football of his career in my opinion, and the team has been on a mission. How will the Niners defense defend Allen? Whoever is playing quarterback for the Niners, the Bills defense will be aggressive against their banged up O line.

Searching For Answers

By Mike Rifkin

Monday was a very interesting day for the New York Rangers. The Rangers had a game Monday night against the St.Louis Blues where they lost 5-2 after giving up three third period goals. The Rangers have lost three in a row and have not scored more than two goals in any of the three games. Head Coach Peter Laviolette sounded off in his post game press conference saying “ We need to be better. Everyone needs to be better inside the room. It’s not good enough what we’re doing. We’re playing to a level and a standard that’s not us”. Even though the Rangers are 12-7-1 at the moment, a lot of that has to do with the outstanding play of their goaltending. Laviolette continued and said “We’re not going to win giving up 40-50 shots”. 

The day started with a tweet from NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman who said “In the aftermath of their 6-2 loss in Edmonton on Saturday, the Rangers have made it very clear they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster. Among the names indicated are Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, although other options will be considered.” Kreider didn’t play on Monday due to an upper body injury Trouba was a -2 in 17:59 minutes of ice time. 

The Trouba news shouldn’t come as a surprise as throughout the summer it was heavily discussed that the Rangers trade their captain. Trouba, who makes eight million dollars per year through 2026-27 season has six assists on the season. Kreider, the Rangers first round pick in 2009, has had a lot of massive moments throughout his career. Ranking in the top 10 in goals, points, power play goals, plus/minus and game winning goals. Kreider is signed through 2026-27 as well and also has a no trade clause. 

Now trading Trouba, Kreider or any other veteran can send a few different messages. One is that this group needs to realize a change can come at any point. Another could be an ushering of the next era of Rangers hockey. And if that’s the case we’re starting to see that begin. The leap taken by 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere last season has continued, Will Cuylle has taken a step to start this season, as has Kaappo Kakko. On the backend Braden Schneider and Zac Jones are also progressing nicely. While ushering in a new era is an interesting thought, let’s not forget that this current core has been to the Eastern Conference Final two of the last three seasons, and have earned a bit of the benefit to turn things around. But if they don’t do it soon something will change and the cherry on top of this major question is what happens with Igor Shesterking and his upcoming free agency? Only time will tell.

SIN BLITZERS : WEEK 12 PREVIEW

BY SIN BLITZERS

PATRIOTS AT DOLPHINS : These two AFC East rivals will collide for the second time this season. The Dolphins beat the Patriots 15-10 in week five. The only touchdown the Dolphins scored was a three yard run by Alec Ingold late in the fourth quarter. This game will not feature the same starting quarterbacks. Tua Tagovailoa will start and put his perfect record against the Patriots on the line. Tua is 6-0 lifetime against New England with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Drake Maye will start against the Dolphins for the first time. The Dolphins will look to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

COWBOYS AT COMMANDERS : The Cowboys travel to Washington to play the Commanders for the first time this season. There’s good news and bad news for Dallas this week, the good they get to reunite with Dan Quinn, the bad is he’s not coaching their defense. Expect Washington’s three headed monster of Robinson/Ekeler/Daniels to run the ball well against this Dallas defense and propel Washington to end their mini skid. 

49ers AT PACKERS : The 49ers and Packers played last year in the Divisional Round in what was a great game. This one will look different the Niners are so banged up, Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa will miss this game with injury, if the Niners want to win this game Kyle Shannahan will have to go deep into his bag of tricks. For the Packers, they’ll look to keep pace in the NFC North and will have to utilize Josh Jacobs and their young receivers, and defensively shutdown McCaffrey. 

CARDS AT SEAHAWKS : First place in the NFC West is on the line in this one. The Cardinals have been a surprise this season, and we have seen maturity in Kyler Murray that we haven’t seen before. This game might come down to which QB makes the bigger mistake, but this has the potential to be a shootout. 

RAVENS AT CHARGERS : THE HARBAUGH BOWL in primetime man. Lamar Jackson vs Justin Herbert, JK Dobbins revenge game. This has the potential to be a lot of fun and has a lot of playoff implications. Both teams vying in the wild card situation. After what he did last week, can Herbert light up this Ravens’ secondary? Lamar and the Ravens will look to bounce back after that tough game against the Steelers.

BLITZER RECAP WEEK 11

Bengals vs Chargers: 

By Bill Murphy 

One  of the best Sunday night games of the year , the Bengals lose to the Chargers 34-27. The Bengals put in a valiant effort , being down 24-6 at the half and Joe Burrow looking very shaky in the first half. The team turned a big 180 in the second half. What cost the Bengals the game,  was Evan McPherson  missing two field goals . The Bengals lost on a last minute touchdown by JK Dobbins. The Bengals had a Hail Mary chance, but the Chargers were able to knock it down. 

Stars of the Game 

Bengals 

  • Joe Burrow-  While Burrow had a rocky first half, he came out  in the second half and attempted to mount the biggest comeback in franchise history.  Burrow was 28-50 for 356 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 28 yards.  The  three touchdown passes were two to Ja’marr Chase and one to Tee Higgins .
  • Tee Higgins – After being out for three games due to a quad injury , Higgins had a very solid return to the field. Higgins had nine receptions for 148 yards and scored a 42 yard touchdown. 
  • Ja’marr Chase –  Ja’marr  Chase reiterating why he is Joe Burrows number one receiver and maybe the best in the game.  Chase had seven receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns, one was a four yard pass and the other one was a  eight yd pass . This was Chase’s fourth multi  touchdown game of the year .

Chargers

  • Justin Herbert –   Herbert threw 17-36 for 297 yards and two touchdowns and ran five times and 65 yds . The two touchdown passes were a  29 yard pass to Will Dissly and a 26 yard pass to Quentin Johnson .  Herbert also came through in clutch situations hitting two crucial passes to Ladd McConkey which helped move the ball.
  • JK Dobbins – JK Dobbins had 11 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Dobbins two touchdown were a one yard touchdown run in the second  quarter and a  29 yard touchdown run in the second half that won the game with 18 seconds left. 
  • The Chargers Defense- The Chargers defense  had a solid outing in the first half holding the Bengals to only six points. While giving up 21 points in the second  half , the defense really came through at the end such as sacking Burrow three times . The Bengals only converted on third down ,five times  and at the end of the game they forced three consecutive incomplete passes.  

Next week 

  • Bengals have a bye week next week and then take on the Steelers 
  • Chargers have a Monday night game against the Ravens 

RAIDERS AT DOLPHINS: Don’t look now but the Dolphins are one game out of a playoff spot after beating the Raiders 34-19. Tua Tagovailoa had another fantastic day throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns ( Jonnu Smith 2x, Tyreek Hill). For Hill he now has touchdowns in back to back games. For the Raiders Gardner Minshew threw for 282 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Rookie Brock Bowers had another great day having 13 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. 

TEXANS AT COWBOYS : Another 20 point deficit for the Cowboys at home, this time to their in state rival. Joe Mixon had 109 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. The bright spot for the Cowboys was a 64 yard touchdown catch by KaVontae Turpin, outside of that this was another tough loss.

Dumpster Fire

By Mike Rifkin

Even on the bye week, the New York Jets are making headlines. On Tuesday, the Jets announced the firing of General Manager Joe Douglas after five plus seasons. Douglas was 30-64 during his tenure with the Jets, but it begs the question : Why now? There’s six weeks left in the season, which has completely blown up in the Jets face, so why not let it play out? Also Douglas’s contract expires after the season, so you can just not renew his deal. 

The biggest reason Douglas was fired was because he couldn’t solve the quarterback position. The woes at the most important position on the field, led them to acquiring Aaron Rodgers and that has blown up in their face. But here’s the thing while Robert Saleh and Douglas were deservedly let go, the problem wasn’t them. If you watch the games, this team has played worse since Saleh was dismissed. So what’s the problem?

This team has an ego it doesn’t deserve, they have the longest playoff drought in the sport. They blow games that they have no business blowing, but now the two biggest scapegoats are gone. So for the rest of this season, no matter how it turns out the sole focus has to be on two people : Woody Johnson and Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers wants to keep playing after this season it shouldn’t be for the Jets and the owner who begged and pleaded for him to come has to recognize that, if he doesn’t can this situation get worse?

SIN WEEK 11 PREVIEWS

BY SIN BLITZERS

Bengals VS Chargers : By Bill Murphy 

The Bengals are looking to get back on track after their last minute 35-34 loss against division rival Baltimore Ravens, last week.  Last week Joe Burrow was 34/56 for  428 yards and four touchdowns . Three out of those four touchdown passes were to Ja’marr Chase and the other was to Tanner Hudson. Chase Brown added a rushing touchdown. This week the Bengals will be facing of against the Los Angeles Chargers who are coming off a 27-17 win against the Titans and are currently on a three game win streak. The Bengals need to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Keys To the Game 

Bengals : 

Offense : Chase Brown and the run game 

This season so far Chase Brown has been a good replacement Joe Mixon. With Zach Moss out, Brown has a massive opportunity.  Last week , Brown ran for 13 carries , 42 yards and one touchdown and added nine catches for 52 yards. Relying on the run game and less on the passing game would not give any strength to the powerful Chargers secondary  and pass rush. That would benefit Joe Burrow, who looks like he may have Tee Higgins back. 

Defense : Defensive Tackle 

I believe the Bengals two defensive tackles  BJ Hill and Sheldon Rankings are going to be a key in this game. BJ Hill has 13 tackles on the season so far, while Sheldon Rankins has 10 solo tackles and one sack .  The Bengals defense has held three of their last four opponents to less than 100 yards , now they are having to handle this tough Chargers offense, where JK Dobbins has been fantastic.

Chargers :

Offense 

Justin Herbert:  

The Chargers  offense has been super strong lately in which they have three straight games where they have scored 26 points or more.  A big part of that strong  offense has been QB Justin Herbert who last week  had passed for 164 yards  and one touchdown and ran for 9 carries , 32 yards and one touchdown. With a 123.1 rate , he has three straight game with 110 rate or higher. He also has the target of Quentin Johnson who has touchdown catches in consecutive games. Rookie Ladd McConkey has been fantastic this season as well. This could take advantage of a weak Bengals Secondary and pass defense which  gave up four touchdowns to Lamar Jackson last week.

Defense 

The Chargers defense has been absolutely stellar this league. It has gone from worst to first in scoring defense.  One thing to definitely look out for  is the pass defense which is ranked ninth in the league. The pass rush  last week had seven sacks last week against the Titans and they have 31 sacks which is tied for fourth in the league. This defense is second in turnover differential at +9. A player in the pass rush to really look out for is outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu who recorded two of the seven sacks last week and had a second consecutive game with the sack . 

Prediction 

Chargers 24 Bengals 20 

RAIDERS AT DOLPHINS :  The Dolphins look to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Raiders. The Dolphins are coming off a 23-15 win over the Rams on Monday night. The key was the Dolphins defense came to play. They held the Rams without a touchdown, they sacked Matt Stafford four times and held the Rams to 3-12 on third downs, now they play a Raiders offense that has struggled immensely. Brock Bowers has had a great rookie season, but after moving Davante Adams, the Raiders have struggled offensively. Last week against the Rams, Tyreek Hill found the endzone for the first time since week one, well now he gets a chance to do it against a team he has done plenty of damage to. Hill has 10 touchdowns in 12 games against the Raiders.

TEXANS AT COWBOYS : Two teams desperate for a win collide on Monday and state bragging rights are on the line. The Texans are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Lions. But they are getting Nico Collins back for this one and that is someone CJ Stroud is looking forward to having back. The Texans are looking to right the ship, while the Cowboys need to find a ship. The Cowboys have lost four in a row and they have trailed by 20 or more points in five straight home games, which is an NFL record. Dallas is turning back to to Cooper Rush, and after five turnovers against the Eagles last week, what happens if the Cowboys are embarrassed again on National television.

WEEK 10 RECAP

BY SIN BLITZERS

BENGALS AT RAVENS : Week 10 started with a bang in the AFC North as the Ravens defeated the Bengals 35-34. Both quarterbacks were sensational as Lamar Jackson was 25-33 for 290 yards and four touchdowns and Joe Burrow was 34-56 for 428 yards and four touchdowns as well. Ja’marr Chase had 11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns. This game came down to the wire and after the Bengals scored a touchdown with 38 seconds left, Zac Taylor decided to go for a two point conversion, which was unsuccessful. But on the play Mike Gesicki was held and Joe Burrow got hit in the head, both of which was missed by the refs. Now that didn’t cost the Bengals the game, but it dampens what was a fantastic game and moves the Bengals to 4-6 and the Ravens to 7-3. Next week the Bengals will travel to LA to play the Chargers and the Ravens head to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers for first place. 

EAGLES AT COWBOYS : Another Sunday at AT&T Stadium, and another Cowboys blowout loss. For the fifth straight home game the Cowboys trailed by 20 or more points (NFL Record) in a 34-6 loss to the rival Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys had 146 yards of total offense and five turnovers. There is no bright side for Cowboy fans, it might be time for Jerry to put the fans out of their misery and after Micah Parsons’s postgame comments, the roof has caved on Dallas. Jalen Hurts has found his game for Philly, he accounted for four touchdowns ( two rush, two pass) in Philly’s dominating win. Next week : The Eagles will host the Commanders on Thursday, and the Cowboys will host the Texans on Monday Night. 

LIONS AT TEXANS : The Lions defense shut the Texans out in the second half, overcoming five Jared Goff interceptions to win 26-23. Goff was 15-30 for 240 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions. The Lions when healthy might have the best group of weapons in the league. In the absence of Aidan Hutchinson this defense has really stepped up. They sacked CJ Stroud four times and had two interceptions. For Houston this is their second consecutive loss and third in four games. Next Week : Lions host the Jags and the Texans will play the Cowboys.

DOLPHINS AT RAMS: The Dolphins snapped their three game losing streak with a 23-15 win over the Rams on Monday night. The win also puts Miami 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. Story of this game was the Dolphins defense, that forced two turnovers and sacked Stafford four times but were in his face all game long. It was only the second time since joining the Rams, that Stafford led the offense to a touchdown. For the Dolphins, rookie Malik Washington got two touches, and ran an 18 yard touchdown, the first of his career. Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t great, but his touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill was the difference in the game. Next week the Dolphins will host the Raiders, while the Rams play the Patriots.

Rock Bottom

By Mike Rifkin

The Jets lost to the Cardinals 31-6 on Sunday, dropping the Jets to 3-7 on the season. When the Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers, they believed that they were destined to end their playoff drought and potentially win the franchise’s first Super Bowl since 1969. Well both those ships look like they’re sailing away. 

Last year the organization could say just wait until Aaron returns and then we’ll be back on track. Well this season they still can’t get on track, and all the scapegoats are gone. Robert Saleh was fired a few weeks ago and Mike Williams, who Rodgers threw under the bus multiple times was traded to the Steelers at the trade deadline. The Jets even acquired Rodgers’ best friend in Davante Adams, but that hasn’t helped things change much. Now, is this all Rodgers’ fault? 

No, this supposed elite defense, which cornerback DJ Reed compared to the ‘85 Bears in training camp last season has been abysmal at times this season. They made the Cardinals’ offense look like the greatest show on turf. They gave up over 400 yards to the Cardinals, and the Cardinals averaged seven yards per play. The play that summed up this game, and the Jets season overall took place in the second quarter where Kyler Murray hit Tight End Trey Mcbride for a catch and McBride just threw Sauce Gardener off of him for a gain of 17 yards. 

Interim Coach Jeff Ulbrich said the team was “not prepared to play”. This team had 10 days to prepare for the game, and they weren’t ready? Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams said the team lacked energy. This team lacks a lot of things and it has shown in 2024, even though they thought they were a Quarterback away from contention a lot has gone wrong over the last year plus. So here’s my question for Jet fans and this organization: what comes next? But for a lot of parties they better hope Sunday was rock bottom.

SIN BLITZERS WEEK 10 PREVIEW

BY SIN BLITZERS

EAGLES AT COWBOYS : Two longtime rivals play for the first time as the Eagles head to Jerry World to play the Cowboys. The Eagles have regained their identity, which is run the ball down team’s throats. They’ve won four straight games and their ability to run the ball has been a big part of it. Jalen Hurts’ running ability in particular, he’s rushed for 159 yards during the winning streak. Hurts along with Saquon Barkley in the backfield, along with AJ Brown and Devonta Smith on the outside is exactly what Eagles’ fans thought it was going to be when Barkley signed. One issue for Philly is Nick Siriani’s in game decisions, even in last week’s win over the Jags, Siriani kept the Jags in the game with his fascination of going for two point conversions, or going for it on fourth down. On the other side we have the Dallas Cowboys, who have are in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Cowboys have lost three in a row, and now they will be without Dak Prescott, who is out with a hamstring injury. The Cowboys should have linebacker Micah Parsons back this week. The key to this game can Dallas win on the line of scrimmage? Their defense gives up 148 rushing yards a game and Philly is the second best team running the football at 175 yards per game. On the other side Philly gives up 101 yards on the ground, but Dallas is 31st in the league averaging 82 yards per game on the ground, they’re going to have to help Cooper Rush otherwise it will be a long day. 

STEELERS AT COMMANDERS : Two first place teams will battle as the Steelers travel to DC to play the Commanders. The Steelers are coming off the bye, but before that they beat both New York teams in prime time. Even though I disagreed with the decision, Russell Wilson has been really good since being named the starter. Washington is coming off a win against the Giants as well. Jayden Daniels has been better than advertised for the Commanders. The Commanders do have two major injuries coming into this, Running Back Brian Robinson will miss his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury and newly acquired Cornerback Marshon Lattimore will also miss the game with a hamstring. Will the Commanders’ offensive line be able to stop TJ Watt and company? 

LIONS AT TEXANS : Two of the best teams in Football square off on Sunday Night. The Lions are coming off a huge win at Lambeau Field last week. Jared Goff has been sensational this season, and the Lions have the best running back duo in the league with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The Texans are facing a little adversity, most of that is due to injury, and might be getting back receiver Nico Collins. Two great teams, two great, young coaches, we can be in for an old fashioned Texas shootout. 
DOLPHINS AT RAMS : The Rams are rolling and healthy. Getting Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back has totally rejuvenated this team, and if they get into the playoffs nobody is going to want to play them. Matthew Stafford has found his game and this young defense has been solid. The Dolphins are 0-2 since Tua Tagovailoa returned, losing two games via the walk off field goal. The Dolphins offense has looked fantastic since Tua returned, one of the biggest beneficiaries has been De’von Achane, who has looked solid running the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield. It’ll be a return for Dolphins’ corner Jalen Ramsey and receiver Odell Beckham Jr., both of whom helped the Rams win the Super Bowl a few seasons ago.

The Fallback

By Mike Rifkin

It’s officially free agency in Major League Baseball, and unlike other sports fans usually have to wait until some of the marquee guys sign. Last offseason Shohei Ohtani, a generational talent, was the big star. This offseason another generational talent is the top guy on the market Juan Soto. Soto was traded by the Padres to the Yankees last winter and Soto had his best offensive season ever. Soto had a career high 41 homers, 109 RBI’S (which is one shy of his career high) and had a slash line of .288/.419/.569. Soto then had a great postseason with four homers including the game winning three run shot in game five of the ALCS, nine RBI’S and a slash line of .327/.469/.633. Soto, is the premier guy on the market and said after the Yankees lost the World Series that he’d be open to all 30 teams talking to him, there are only a select few that can pay him what he wants. One of those teams is the New York Mets, who were 11 games under .500 in May, and wound up two wins away from representing the National League in the World Series. The Mets have not won the Fall Classic since 1986, and owner Steve Cohen did say in his introductory press conference that his goal was to win one in his first five seasons. The Mets have a lot of money off their books now and should go hard after Soto, a year after they really didn’t go hard on Ohtani. But what should the fallback look like if Soto signs elsewhere. 

The Mets extended three qualifying offers on Monday to First baseman Pete Alonso and Starting Pitchers Sean Manea and Luis Severino. The only one who might take it is Severino, but for this exercise I am going to say all three decline the qualifying offer.  

If Soto were to sign elsewhere, the Mets top priority should be bringing back Alonso. Even in a “down” season he still hit 34 homers and had some massive hits in the postseason. Steve Cohen has always ingrained himself with the history of the franchise. If he brings back Alonso, Alonso will own every power record in the franchise’s history and could be considered the greatest homegrown Met of all time. 

Whether the Mets bring in Soto or not, they’ll have to add to the rotation. Right now the only rotation pieces for next season are Kodai Senga, who threw a grand total of five innings in the regular season and David Peterson, who had the best season of his career. Personally I like the idea of Tylor Megill and Jose Butto coming out of the bullpen. So of the big three free agent starters the Mets have, the only one I would bring back is Sean Manaea. As well as Severino and Quintana pitched I just wouldn’t bring them back. Severino, because he hadn’t had a healthy season since 2018, is going to look for a multi year deal, which is something I wouldn’t do. As for Quintana, if Manaea is back and Peterson is there, do they need three lefties in the rotation? Even cheap I don’t think I’d bring back Quintana. So, if guys leave, who comes in? Everyone is going to talk about Corbin Burnes, who has a history with David Stearns from their days in Milwaukee. Burnes, will finish in the top five of the CY Young voting again this year, but the Mets will face stiff competition for the stud pitcher. Two guys who I’d have my eye on and both have had big postseason success, Nathan Eovaldi of the Rangers and Walker Buehler of the Dodgers. I wouldn’t go anywhere over three years on either, but this could be something creative Stearns likes to do. There’s also the trade market that can help the Mets pitching staff. One thing is for sure, whatever pitchers the Mets have, they’ll need to cut down on the walks, which were a detrimental factor throughout the season. And they reared their ugly head during the NLCS.

Two guys who I think could be the odd men out are Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil. With the emergence of Mark Vientos at third base, the call up of Luis Angel Acuna, and the impending return of Ronny Mauricio, all of a sudden the Mets have a plethora of middle infielders. That plan also could include bringing back Jose Iglesias, who had a nice season in his return to the Majors. As much as it would hurt to move Baty, a former first round pick, Mark Vientos has earned playing third base.  Jeff McNeil won the batting title in 2022. McNeil this season really struggled in the first half of the season, but wound up with 12 homers and 44 RBI’S with a slash line of .238/.308/.384. McNeil did break his wrist late in the season, he did appear in the NLCS and hit a few sac flies, but that was it. 

So how I would approach the offseason if Juan Soto doesn’t sign with the Mets. ( All numbers are guesses)

  1. Re-sign Pete Alonso – 5 yrs/180 mill (option for a sixth if needed)
  2. Re-sign Sean Manaea – 3 yrs 66 million dollars
  3. Sign Nathan Eovaldi – 3 yrs 60 million dollars
  4. Sign either Walker Buehler or Shane Bieber ( 2yrs 36 mil – third yr option)
  5. Re-sign Jesse Winker (1 yr 4 mill +incentives)/ Jose Iglesias (1 yr 2 mill+incentives_
  6. Trade Jeff McNeil/ Brett Baty for another SP/CF ( teams to watch: Mariners, Rays, Blue Jays)
  7. Sign Brooks Raley (1 yr 2 mill), AJ Minter (1 yr 3.6 mill), Jose Leclerc or Scott Barlow (1 yr 2.4 mill

Everything changes if Soto signs with the Mets, but while Soto would be great. The Mets can use Steve Cohen’s money in other ways to compete in 2025.