Last summer’s New York Mets were one of the most surprising, enjoyable stories in sports. Suddenly the oft-beleaguered other New York baseball team was the talk of the town, winning over the casual fan the way a winner always does in a big city. Already rolling, the Mets added Yoenis Cespedes to the roster in August, and the move paid immediate dividends. Cespedes went on a tear. Even Mets fan and comedian Jerry Seinfeld rejoiced about the Cespedes acquisition, channeling a famous episode of his show (“festivus”) to claim the Mets had created a “Cespedes for the rest of us.”
[Yoenis Cespedes Gets Jerry Seinfeld Festivus Welcome]
Now the Mets have done it again, adding 3-time All-Star slugger Jay Bruce to the lineup. If the Bruce acquisition works anything like the Cespedes move, there’s a chance people will be taking the subway to the World Series again this year. The Mets have ground to make up this time around, but Bruce currently leads the NL in RBIs. He’s hit 25 homers too so far this year for the Reds, where he has spent his entire 9-year career. The Mets are 54-51 and in third place in the NL East. Last year they finished 90-72 and went all the way to the World Series before losing to Kansas City.
