This song reminds me of February 15, ‘13. I listened to it over&over&over&over again on my Black&Red Beats by Dre the whole bus ride from Pearl River High School up to Peekskill. The team was in shirt&tie and everybody had their earphones in. I was playing this song on maximum volume for the whole 45-minute trip. I scribbled some things down using a Pen and was holding a Paper. In my pocket, I had a mini plastic bottle the size of something you’d leave a post-it message in with one marble in it. This’ll make more sense if you read me out later next month.
Meek Mill came from a very rough part of Philadelphia. When he was younger he thought his only option was selling dope. Now he sells “dope” meaning good music.
While in the past Meek Mill may have turned to violence, now he’s calculated and uses his mind through music to display aggression.
I had to include this when I saw @RapGenius used Darrelle Revis as the CB example.
This is a Rick Ross piggybacking off of Meek Mill’s opening line. He’s referencing the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” artist as “white girl” or cocaine.
Okay, that’s a bit of an extreme way to look at love, but Wale is implying to be careful who you let in. Love you, Mom!
Another way of saying, “speak softly and carry a big stick.”
The Yankees Play Baseball Today
In the lead-up weeks to Opening Day Sports&Life will provide @YouTheReader a quick guide to 30 players on each of the Yankees and Mets this upcoming season. Relax I’m not going to unveil all 30 players from each team today. I’ll do 5 of each and I’ll add to the living document as we go so for instance next week you’ll have to scroll through this week’s guide. The goal will be to have both teams’ rosters and then some prospects. New York is a baseball town.
New York Baseball 30&30
(The Positional order will be as sporadic as my Spotify Shuffle.)
Prospect #2
Yankees: Jasson Domínguez
Born in Esperanza, Dominican Republic, Jasson Domínguez was actually named after former Yankee first baseman Jason Giambi. (Source: NJ.com) Domínguez has yet to play a game in the big leagues, but then again he only just turned 20 years old on February 7th. The Centerfield prospect has been training to be a professional baseball player since he was 8 years old. At 16 years old, he had already gone viral on the internet quite a few times and he was referred to as “El Marciano”, which is Spanish for “the Martian” because his talent at that age was seen as otherworldly. The Yankees thought signed the Martian at 16 years old to a franchise record $5.1 million signing bonus back in ‘19. Every year in the MLB, teams are given a salary cap for international signings for the year. In ‘19 the total was $5.4, so the Yankees essentially used up over 94% of their international signing cash that year on him. He was compared to Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout as a teenager. That is never an easy thing to live up to but comes with the territory when you’re a phenom. He is currently with the Yankees in spring training with the big league team and according to him, “My goal is really to take everything in and pay close attention to the guys around me – the things they do, their routines. This is a learning opportunity for me and I want to make the most of it” which is exactly what you want to hear. Hopefully, Domínguez absorbs as much from the vets as possible, flashes a bit in spring training, plays well to start the year, and is in Pinstripes by the summer.
Mets: Brett Baty
Born in Round Rock, Texas, Brett Baty was the Gatorade Texas Baseball Player of the Year. He committed to the University of Texas before being drafted by the Mets with the 12th pick in ‘19. Baty is the 5th Met ever to homer in his 1st career at-bat (seen above). Spent off-season training with Troy Tulowitzki. David Wright will also be instructing him. He can play the OF as well as the hot corner at 3rd. Baty will have to overtake Eduardo Escobar for the starting spot, something the Mets will likely hope for in whispers. Do the Vets on the team want Baty to succeed? Will there be clubhouse issues if he does?
7th Inning Set Up
Yankees: Michael King
Born in Rochester, New York, U.S., Michael King attended high school in Rhode Island. He was the ‘13 Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Rhode Island and he parlayed that into playing college baseball for Boston College. The Miami Marlins drafted King in the 12th round of the ‘16 draft. Marlins trade King and international signing bonus money to the Yankees for Caleb Smith and Garrett Cooper. Had a cup of coffee in ‘19, struggled mightily in ‘20, and then reinvented his slider in ‘21. Michael King credits playing and learning from Corey Kluber as a big part of how he found the pitch. Former Yankee, Kluber said, “He’s the one that had to put in the work and figure stuff out.” (Source: NY Post) The new King would become a reliable arm out of the bullpen in ‘21 and followed up in ‘22 with what was set to be his best season in the Bigs (2.29 ERA & 11.6 strikeouts per 9 innings). Unfortunately, King fractured his elbow this past July. King going down left a huge void in the Yankees’ bullpen, one that he is set to refill in ‘23. Reports are that he is throwing well in spring training. Michael King is under team control until the conclusion of ‘25, so you can get used to him painting the corners for a bit.
Mets: David Robertson
D-Rob was born in Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. David Robertson played for ‘Bama (Roll Tide) before he was drafted by the Yankees in the 17th Round of the ‘06 draft. He made his debut with the Yanks back in ‘08 and won a ring in the Bronx in ‘09. His only All-Star appearance came in ‘11 when he pitched to an absurd 1.08 ERA (came in 11th in CY Young & 22nd in MVP) out of the Bronx bullpen. From ‘08 to ‘14 with the Yanks, he pitched to a 2.81 ERA and even closed out 39 games in ‘14. He then became a free agent and signed with the Chicago White Sox to be their closer where he’d close out 84 games from ‘15 to ‘17. He was traded back to the NY Yankees in ‘17 as part of the deal that got himself, Todd Frazier (he’s from Tom’s River and took a picture with Jeets), and Tommy Kahnle for Tyler Clippard & Blake Rutherford. Robertson has been known to get out of jams which gave him the nickname “The Houdini” while with the Yankees, I guess, Mets fans can claim that nickname now, I guess. Everybody, please be nice to David because he was a good Yankee. Uncle Stevie Cohen seduced him into signing a 1 year $10 million deal with the Mets, can you really blame the man?
Backup OF
Yankees: Aaron Hicks
Born in Los Angeles, California, U.S., Aaron Hicks grew up in Compton, California where he was an attendee to MLB’s Urban Youth Academy designed to promote baseball in urban areas. Hicks was a star prospect that was drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the 14th Pick in the 1st Round of the ‘08 Draft. He officially signed with the Twins at the Urban Youth Academy he once played at. (Source: MLB UYA) Right off the bat, Hicks was named the Twins’ top prospect of the organization and he was included in the ‘08 Baseball America Rookie All-Star. Hicks was a Top 100 prospect in Baseball America 4 times before he became a big-leaguer. In ‘13 Minnesota announced he would be the starting CF and Hicks chose to wear Dave Winfield’s #32. From ‘13 to ‘15, Hicks would struggle with the Twins when he was on the field and dealt with some injuries. The Yankees, loving the tools that Hicks possessed, dealt John Ryan Murphy for him at the conclusion of the ‘15 season. In his first year with the Yankees, Aaron Hicks still struggled at the plate but played gold glove-level defense at all 3 defensive OF positions. In ‘17, Hicks dealt with injuries but something clicked for him at the plate when he was on the field. He always had a good eye, but his .372 On Base % (OBP) & 15 homers with great defense in 88 games made Hicks an effective starting CF. He backed up ‘17 with an ‘18 season that has been the best of his career. He played in 137 games, hit 27 home runs, scored 90 runs, and walked 90 times (all of which are career highs). The Yankees rewarded Hicks after the ‘18 season with a 7-year $70 million contract and simply put, he’s been lousy. He has dealt with injuries during this time, but from ‘19 to ‘22 he has only played in 275 games, hit 30 home runs, and scored 136 runs. His defense has also fallen off as he is no longer the team’s starting CF. Entering this season Hicks has spent most of the offseason working on his new batting stance. “My hands were really low the last couple years. All my success, my hands have been higher.” (Source: NY Post) Hopefully, the adjustment works. Hicks is also a very good golfer and resides in Scottsdale, Arizona during the offseason.
Mets: Tommy Pham
Tommy Pham was born a twin in Las Vegas, Nevada to parents who weren’t 20 years of age. His father was imprisoned at the time of his birth and his mother worked as a server & a busser. Tommy and his sister Brittany spent a good chunk of their childhood with their grandparents while their mother worked. Between two and three years, Tommy had to wear leg braces, as doctors suspected contracted rickets. When the twins were five, Tawana married an electrician. Tommy had issues with the stepfather. (Source: 24 Celebs) Thus, Tommy did not have a father figure to have a catch with growing up. “I'm proud of myself, to be honest with you. I remember throwing a ball against the wall, playing catch with myself and throwing a ball up, hitting it, you know, throwing batting practice to myself. Do you know what I mean? I believed in myself from a young age." After a very difficult upbringing, Pham worked hard enough to get drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 16th Round of the ‘06 Draft. From ‘07 to ‘13, Tommy Pham played in the minor leagues. He didn’t have a St. Louis cup of coffee in the MLB until ‘14. He was 27 years old in his rookie season with the Cardinals and his breakout season didn’t come until he was 29 in ‘17. That year he came in 11th in the NL MVP, hitting .306 with a .406 OBP and 23 homers. He was then dealt to the Rays during the trade deadline of ‘18 and before then being traded to the Padres in ‘20. In ‘22 he signed with the Reds and ended the season with the Red Sox. He admitted that he didn’t have a ton of options this past offseason as to where to sign his 1 year $6 million deal and that the Mets gave him the best chance to win a World Series in ‘22. Last year it went viral when he slapped Joc Pederson over a fantasy football dispute, he is a high roller in casinos in his hometown of Vegas, thus I will not be insinuating that he will cause any issues in the locker room because I do not want to get my ass kicked.
Bench Bat
Yankees: Josh Donaldson
Born in Pensacola, Florida, Josh Donaldson moved to Alabama to play at Faith Academy in Mobile. He was a 3 sport athlete who won the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. In football, Donaldson had 11 INTs as a senior, a school record. (Source: Faith Academy Facebook) He chose to play for Auburn University where he was a catcher and third baseman. Donaldson was drafted in the 1st Round Pick 48 by the Chicago Cubs in ‘07. The Cubs traded Donaldson as part of a package that landed them Rich Harden in ‘08. Josh Donaldson would make his MLB debut with Oakland in ‘10, only having a cup of coffee though. He spent ‘11 in the minor leagues as a catcher before converting to third base full-time in ‘12. His ‘13 season was his break-out year where he finished 4th in MVP as a 28-year-old. He followed up his ‘13 season with his first All-Star appearance in ‘14. His encore for that accomplishment was an MVP season with the Toronto Blue Jays in ‘15 where he hit 41 homers, led the AL in RBIs with 123, and led the MLB in runs scored with 122. From ‘13 to ‘17, Donaldson batted .282, got on base .377 of the time, and averaged 107 runs scored, 36 home runs, & 107 RBIs while playing superb defense at the hot corner. He had a massive year in ‘19 with the Braves, hitting 37 bombs, missed half of the COVID year in ‘20, and started to show signs of slippage with the Twins in ‘21. The Yankees traded away Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela for Donaldson and what is left of his 4 years $92 million contract. Last year he had his moments of brilliance combined with many moments of embarrassment. On multiple occasions, Donaldson hit a ball to the warning track or off the wall and would find himself either out at 2nd base or standing on 1st because of showboating. Donaldson has always been a gamer that has played with swagger, but at 37 years old, I think it might be time for him to start legging out his hits. He is a former MVP, so it’s not like the younger guys on the team won’t take notice. This will likely be Donaldson’s last year with the Yankees as his contract in ‘24 has a mutual option where both the club & player must agree to lock into the 1 year & $23 million dollar salary attached.
Mets: Darin Ruf
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Darin Ruf won the Nebraska high school baseball state championship as a sophomore. Ruf played 4 years of college baseball at Creighton University, where he studied finance and his career ambition was to be a successful businessman. (Source: Creighton) Darin Ruf was drafted in the 20th Round of the ‘09 Draft by the Phillies. He made his MLB debut at 25 years old in ‘12 and played sparingly in Philadephia from then until ‘16. In ‘17, Ruf made a change of scenery by going to play baseball overseas. He played in the KBO League in South Korea where he was a perennial star until he decided to come back to the U.S. in ‘20 with the San Francisco Giants. The Mets traded J.D. Davis for Ruf last trade deadline so that they could add a veteran right-handed bat. He struggled in NY last season and his contract with the Mets only has 1 year & $3 million on it, so Uncle Stevie may have no problem eating that money if they needed to let Ruf go. A successful season for Ruf in ‘23 would be a role as a DH and pinch hitter off the bench.
Utility (Plays Multiple Spots)
Yankees: Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Born in Waipahu, Hawaii, Isiah Kiner-Falefa (IKF), attended Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was drafted out of high school by the Texas Rangers in the 4th Round of the ‘13 Draft. He made his MLB debut for Texas in ‘18 playing all over the field - catcher, third base, shortstop, and second base. IKF won a gold glove with the Rangers at third base in ‘20. He was a part of the trade that included Josh Donaldson, Gio Urshela, and Gary Sanchez. After a decent season at SS with the Yankees, he struggled in the postseason and was replaced in the lineup on multiple occasions. I would expect IKF to start the season on the bench this year and he could be a useful tool as a backup infielder that can play solid defense. IKF is a contact hitter who doesn’t have much power but is a nice change of pace in a lineup that has a ton of swing &miss potential. He is set to become a free agent after the ‘23 season and with the number of talented kids the Yankees have in their farm system, this will likely be his final year in the Bronx.
Mets: Luis Guillorme
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Luis Guillorme’s a ‘94. His grandparents immigrated from Spain and he held dual Spanish and Venezuelan citizenship. As a child, he modeled his game after native Caracas infielder Omar Vizquel. In ‘07, his family relocated to Davie, Florida. (Source: OSBD) Guillorme was drafted by the Mets in the 10th Round of the ‘13 Draft. He made his MLB debut with the team in ‘18. Not know for his bat, but he does have some good bat-to-ball skills and doesn’t strike out much. Guillorme is a plus on defense all over the infield and will likely be a late-inning defensive replacement at 2nd or 3rd base. He’ll be under team control until the conclusion of the ‘25 season.
Everything below here was on Last Saturday’s 30&30, except the YouTube Rabbithole if you want to scroll for tomorrow’s preview….
Centerfield
Yankees: Harrison Bader
Bronxville born and raised, Harrison Bader attended college at the University of Flordia before being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. A fellow born in ‘94, he played for Horace Mann School in Riverdale before heading south. With the Cardinals, Bader was named to Baseball America and Topps All-Star Rookie Teams in ‘18, won a Gold Glove in Centerfield in ‘21, and was traded to the Yankees last year for Jordan Montogomery. Harrison Bader is a gamer. He’ll run down balls in the outfield that should drop for hits and hustle out of the box every time, with the exception when he absolutely cranks one to some Bronx cheers like the GIF above. Bader was only put on the Pinstripes for a few months, but his postseason play had him moving up in the batting order and the Bronx fans took notice, he’s already a fan favorite. He’s said his lifelong dream was to play CF for the New York Yankees and he’s living out his own Fairytale in NY. He’ll be playing this year on his contract year and is set to his free agency at the conclusion of the ‘23 season. One of the Yankee fan insiders said they should make him a Yankee for life and I concur.
Mets: Brandon Nimmo
Born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Brandon Nimmo grew up a Rockies fan. He went to Cheyenne East High School and became the highest-drafted Wyomingite in the history of the Major League Baseball Draft when the Mets selected him with the 13th overall pick in ‘11. Nimmo led the National League in triples in ‘22 with 7. He has a really good eye for the strike zone, will work counts, and draw walks. His patience at the plate and bat-to-ball skills make him a very solid lead-off hitter. A signature part of his game that is unique is that he will sprint to first base after walking at the dish. The Mets owner, Uncle Stevie, signed Nimmo to an 8-year $162 million dollar contract this offseason, so he’s set to be patrolling an outfield spot in Citi Field until ‘30.
Backup Catcher
Yankees: Kyle Higashioka
Born in Huntington Beach, California, Kyle Higashioka played for Edison High School in his hometown and was set to attend the University of California, Berkeley for college baseball before the Yankees drafted him in the 7th round of the ‘08 MLB Draft. He was a member of the NY Yankees organization from the time he was fresh out of high school but didn’t make his debut on the MLB level until ‘17 as a 27-year-old. His perseverance to stick with baseball even when he may have felt stuck in the minor leagues should be applauded. In the big leagues as a part-time player, Higashioka has done some cool feats like hitting 3 home runs in a game in ‘20 (becoming only the 24th Yankee to do so and was first to do so while batting 9th) and also caught Corey Kluber’s no-hitter in ‘21 (first Yankee no-hitter since David Cone’s perfect game in 1999). Like most backup catchers, Higashioka is known for his solid defensive work behind the plate he also adds above-average pop when he’s standing there with a bat too. This will be Higashioka’s first contract year as a member of the NY Yankees major league team, it would be nice to have him back.
Mets: Tomás Nido
Another fellow ‘94, Tomás Nido was born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. At only the age of 11, his mother competed as a swimmer for the Puerto Rican team in the 1968 Olympics, and his father won a medal in tennis during the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games. He played for Puerto Rico’s High School Baseball Academy before moving to Flordia and attending Flordia State University. The Mets drafted Tomás Nido in the 8th round of the ‘12 MLB Draft. Like the Yankees’ backup catcher, Nido did not make his MLB debut until the ‘17 season with the Mets and is known for his defense first&foremost. Nido is a below-average hitter with little pop, but he’s a team player who led the MLB in sacrifice bunts in ‘22 with 12 of them. It was very mean of the Mets players to not celebrate Nido’s first home run of the season as shown in the GIF above. Are there locker room issues heading into the season?
2nd Base
Yankees: Gleyber Torres
Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Gleyber Torres found baseball as an escape from civil unrest in Venezuela. His fellow countryman, Omar Vizquel, was his favorite player growing up so he played shortstop. (Source: NJ.com) He signed as an international free agent in ‘14 with the Chicago Cubs. He never made an MLB debut with Chicago because they traded him to the NY Yankees for Aroldis Chapman the year they snapped the Curse of the Billy Goat. At 21 years old, Gleyber Torres made his Bronx Pinstripes debut. He immediately provided the team with a jolt of youthful energy which included his walk-off home run in ‘18 shown in the GIF above. In ‘18 & ‘19, Torres was an MLB All-Star as a second baseman, turning double plays with Didi Gregorius at short while he hit 62 homers combined in those two All-Star seasons. By ‘20, the Yankees decided it was time to move Gleyber Torres back to his original position of SS and let Didi walk. Gleyber struggled with the transition back to his old position as he was just settling in at 2B. This may have had an effect on Gleyber’s hitting as his home run totals have significantly declined to only a combined 36 in the past 3 seasons. Last year he started to look like his old self for a bit as he was moved back to 2B full-time, but in my opinion, the home run totals for him should be thrown out the window. He is far too good of a natural hitter to be swinging for the fences, he should be spraying the ball all over the field like he was doing in ‘18 & ’19 and the home runs will come. ‘23 is a big year for Gleyber Torres as the Yankees still have another year of team control so he will enter arbitration in ‘24 before being set to become a free agent in ‘25. The Yankees also have a plethora of young kids who can play middle field, so Torres will have plenty of competition, but if he plays like he did when he was the kid on the team, he’ll have nothing to worry about.
Mets: Jeff McNeil
Born in Santa Barbara, California, Jeff “Flying Squirrel” McNeil, was a golfer growing up. He didn’t start playing baseball in high school until his senior year. After just one season of baseball in high school, Long Beach State offered him a scholarship before the Metds drafted McNeil in the 12th round of the MLB draft of ‘13. He made his MLB debut with the Mets in ‘18 but didn’t really break out on the NY scene until he made the NL All-Star team in ‘19 when he hit 23 home runs with a .318 batting average. A below-average fielder, McNeil didn’t really have much of a home in the field until settling into more full-time as 2B with Cano getting cut. In an era of baseball where everybody seems to be trying to hit home runs, Jeff McNeil is a bit of a joy to watch hit. He sprays the ball all over the field and hits for a high batting average. He even led the MLB in batting average last year (.326) and has hit over .300 in 4 of his 5 MLB seasons. McNeil has versatility on defense and can play the outfield in a pinch, but Buck would really only be deploying him in spots outside of 2B just because he wants his bat in the lineup. Uncle Stevie just gave Jeff McNeil 4 years and $50 million so, hopefully, he has tough enough skin for me to say the nickname is weird man.
#3 Starting Pitcher
Yankees: Luis Severino
Born in Sabana de la Mar, Dominican Republic, Luis Severino in another fellow ‘94. He signed with the Yankees as an international free agent while still in high school and made his debut as a 21-year-old in the Bronx. In ‘15 as a rookie, Sevy pitched to a 2.89 ERA (the average runs he would give up every 9 innings he pitched) and had 56 strikeouts in 62.1 innings pitched. Thus in ‘16, Severino had a ton of expectations put on a 22-year-old’s right shoulder and he struggled as a starter out of the gate. The Yankees moved him to the bullpen that year and he became an effective relief pitcher. In ‘17, Sevy was determined to become the Yankees ace and he did so by pitching to a 2.98 ERA with 19 wins. He made the All-Star team and came in 3rd place in the AL CY Young that year. In ‘18 he followed up with another great year on the mound before dealing with arm injuries in ‘19 that have lingered to today. That said, in ‘22, Sevy did make 19 starts, pitched to a 3.18 ERA, and averaged over a strikeout an inning. ‘23 will be a massive year for Luis Severino as this is his contract year with the team he signed with back in ‘11, hopefully, he can stay healthy and get a nice contract from the Steinbrenner family.
Mets: Kodai Senga
Born in Gamagōri, Aichi, Japan, Kodai Senga started playing baseball with a rubber ball in middle school (according to Wikipedia, hopefully, someone credible wrote that tidbit but we’re running with it on Week to Week Notes). He made his professional debut in ‘12 in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan (the NPB is Japan’s equivalent to the MLB in the United States). Senga was a 3-time NPB All-Star, making the team in ‘13, ‘17, and ‘19. He also led the league in strikeouts in ‘19 & ‘20 and won the Japanese Series Championship 5 times in ‘15 & ‘17-’20 with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He is coming off a ‘22 season with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks where he pitched to a 1.89 ERA with 9.7 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. Uncle Stevie gave Kodai Senga a 5-year $75 million contract to play in Queens. According to the Rising Apple, Senga has a 99mph fastball, a true 12-6 curveball, and has developed his own “ghost forkball.” A different baseball is used over in Japan, so there may be an adjustment period, but by all accounts, Kodai Senga is adjusting well to the United States. @kodai_senga_ if you want to try out some Guinness in the new city you call home, I’ve done over 60 reviews and counting!
Middle Reliever (Bullpen Pitcher)
Yankees: Wandy Peralta
Born in San Francisco de Macorís, Duarte, Dominican Republic, Wandy Peralta is a southpaw relief pitcher with moxie. He became a professional when he signed as an amateur free agent in May ‘10 with the Cincinnati Reds. He didn’t make his MLB debut with the Reds until ‘16 when he pitched to an 8.59 ERA in 10 appearances. From ‘17 to ‘19 with Cincinnati, Peralta continued to struggle as a Red (5.00 ERA) before being traded to the San Francisco Giants. As a Giant in ‘19 and ‘20, Peralta started to figure things out on the mound pitching to a 3.70 ERA. Then he was traded to the NY Yankees in exchange for Mike “The Sockman” Tauchman and he has thrived in NY ever since, pitching to a 2.82 ERA with the Yanks. I really Peralta out of the ‘pen because he pitches fearless despite not having overwhelming stuff. He uses his change-up (slow pitch) more often than most in the MLB and he combines that with a sinker with movement as you see in the GIF above. This is a huge year for the Peralta as he is set to become a free agent after the season and I would love for the Steinbrenner family to retain his services.
Mets: Brooks Raley
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Brooks Raley is a southpaw with a slider. Raley attended Uvalde High School in Uvalde, Texas, and then Texas A&M University. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the ‘09 MLB draft and made his debut with the Cubbies in ‘12 and then had trouble sticking with Chicago in ‘13. His baseball career has been all over the map since. From ‘14 to ‘19, he ended up playing overseas in the KBO League (South Korea’s MLB). He ended up back in the U.S. when he got an invitation to Cincinnati Reds’ spring training in ‘20. He made the Reds’ Opening Day roster before being traded to the Houston Astros that summer. After pitching with the Astros in middle relief for 2 years, he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in ‘22 and had his best season in the MLB pitching to a 2.68 ERA. Uncle Stevie liked what he saw and traded for Raley this past off-season. The Mets have a club option on Brooks Raley’s contract in ‘24, meaning they can decide to part ways or exercise that he stays with the team at the $6.5 million that was negotiated when he signed a 2-year deal (with the club option for a 3rd year) with the Rays in ‘22.