When people start talking about Vince Coleman and Bret Saberhagen in regards to the Mets, things are not good.
And that is where Mike Francesa is right now. The WFAN legend teed off Monday as the Amazins wave the white flag and give up on a season that began with great expectations.
“They have canceled. This (win) now team, this major player, this richest payroll in the history of baseball will now go down as one of the colossal jokes in the history of baseball,” Francesa said on his latest BetRivers podcast. “And [owner Steve Cohen] wants to wipe that away.”
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The Amazins are well on their way to doing just that. They have already traded away closer David Robertson (to the Marlins), co-ace Max Scherzer (Rangers) and outfielder Mark Canha (Brewers) ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline. And others may also be on their way out of Queens, most notably co-ace Justin Verlander and outfielder Tommy Pham.
The fire sale is a not a surprise. The Mets have flopped this season and Cohen made it clear he was not inclined to compound the team’s mistakes by throwing good money at bad money. Still, it is even more jarring given the signs of life they have shown of late. The Mets (50-55) just took three of four from the Nationals and have a three-game set at the lowly Royals coming up. They are also only 6.5 games back of the final NL wild card spot. But too little, too late. And now it is time to move on.
“This has become a colossal embarrassment for Cohen and the Mets,” he said. “And that’s why he doesn’t want to look at it anymore, because it has become that type of embarrassment. They’ve become a laughingstock. And now they’ve become even worse. For two months, there is not a reason to pay attention to them.”
xJames Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.