For most of their star-crossed history, the Mets have signed free agents brimming with optimism who wound up being on the back-side of their career.
Players like Bobby Bonilla, George Foster, Vince Coleman, Jason Bay, Justin Verlander, Kaz Matsui, and others, came to Queens with high hopes that eventually disintegrated.
Unless his past is a mirage, the same won’t be said about Juan Soto. He has the most upside of any free agent the Mets have signed. When Mets billionaire boss Steve Cohen decided to ink Soto, 26, to a 15-year deal worth $765 million, he also hoped to be eliminating the word “bust” from his vocabulary.
That doesn’t mean Mets broadcasters, both on SportsNet New York (Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Gary Cohen) and the Mets Radio Network (Howie Rose, Keith Raad) don’t have to be careful what words they use to describe Soto, especially when embracing him.
That’s a trap door for the voices. Every trip to the plate can’t be presented as evidence Soto belongs in the Hall of Fame. Every early-season Soto home run can’t produce the kind of emotion usually reserved for a clutch postseason dinger.
Pushing the pedal to the floor on every Soto at-bat will become tedious. It could also, and correctly, be mistaken for cheerleading. Or making Soto critique proof. That’s what happened in the YES booth last season, when the Yankees organization — the entire organization — was doing all it could to lure Soto to the Bronx.
Now, if Mets voices constantly “remind” viewers about the greatness we are watching it will eventually dry up the drama. No single moment will seem special. There’s history here. Like when the Mets TV booth (especially Cohen), at times, over-gaga-ed Jacob deGrom.
If the greatness of Soto is emphasized whenever he appears on camera, the game might seem more like a series of Juan Soto advertisements than a Mets tilt.
If the broadcasts are even perceived that way, the already high expectations Soto comes to Citi with will rise significantly. While Soto has already proven he can handle the pressure, this will be different. If only for the notion that historically pessimistic Mets fans have Soto’s mega contract numbers stuck in their brain.
Nonetheless, part of that contract accounts for Soto’s value as a ratings attraction. So, the bigger his star grows, the more valuable Soto is to the Mets as a TV product. SNY currently pays the Mets a “friendly” $85 million per year on a contract that reportedly expires in 2035.
That should cover plenty of Soto at-bats, which are very entertaining. But if the “unthinkable” happens, and Soto gets off slow, the voices will not have much choice of what words to use.
BASEBALL ON TV TAKING A HIT
Baseball broadcasting does have its challenges. And they don’t seem to be going away.
In 2025, Yankee games will air on YES, Prime, TBS, ESPN, Fox, FS1, Roku and Apple+. Good luck finding anything.
The Mets open the season at Houston, play the Dodgers in May and are in Philadelphia in June. SNY will carry one of the nine games in these blockbuster showdowns.
Many local teams are seeing significant reduction in license fees with Bally Sports having imploded.
ESPN, in a stunning development, is walking away from the sport after this season. Considering how little baseball was covered on ESPN, maybe it’s not so stunning.
And think about this: Out of the three great baseball play-by-play voices in history (Joe Buck, Al Michaels and Bob Costas), only Buck will call a game, Brewers-Yankees Opening Day on ESPN. It’s the first national baseball broadcast Buck’s worked since 2021.
STILL GOT THE JUDGE
If the Yankees limp into the 2025 season, so does YES.
Losing a top ratings magnet, Gerrit Cole, for the season, hurts viewership numbers on the days he was supposed to pitch. Unless Max Fried comes out of the gate smoking, there is no other Bombers pitcher who can lure as many eyeballs to the TV as Cole.
And with a must-see at bat, Giancarlo Stanton, out indefinitely, the ratings could sink deeper. Not so fast: There’s still Aaron Judge around to provide his usual drama. That takes some of the sting out of YES losing top Bombers attractions.
And that’s one of the reasons Hal Steinbrenner opened his wallet to take care of Judge.
STAY STRONG, KENDRICK
On ESPN, two of Kendrick Perkins’ best TV attributes are his outspoken manner and his never hesitating to go against the grain.
Recently, he has been verbally pounded by Charles Barkley, who among other things, called Perkins a “fool,” and portrayed as a dullard by Kenan Thompson on Saturday Night Live.
The SNL sketch was funny, but let’s just say it made Perkins look foolish/dopey. So, we hope Barkley’s blasts and the SNL “tribute,” do not send Perkins into a shell, which would take the soul out of his analysis.
Yet, me thinks The Big Man has thick skin.
AROUND THE DIAL
Jalen Rose, former ESPN NBA analyst, will join CBS/TNT Sports’ March Madness coverage. Rose will work as a game analyst for the first two rounds and a studio analyst for the First Four and Final Four. … This contentious “exchange” between Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James, offered further evidence there is more drama off the court than on the hardwood in the NBA. The leagues TV ratings would be better if Adam Silver could bottle all this alleged friction. … Ian (The Bird) Eagle and Bill Raftery have pumped up the comedy level working recent CBS college hoops telecasts. Could you imagine how high they would fly if not weighed down by Mr. Third Wheel — Grant Hill? … With those whiskers he’s trying to grow, Christopher (Mad Dog) Russo appears to be going for the Gabby Hayes look……The seventh episode of “Pitino: Red Storm Rising,” will air Thursday, April 3 (10 p.m.) on Vice TV. … It’s the little things that count. So, thank goodness new Yankees radiocaster Dave Sims is letting it be known to friend and foe alike he will not be in the business of impersonating John (Pa Pinstripe) Sterling.
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DUDE OF THE WEEK: JARED GREENBERG
TNT’S NBA sideline reporter, out of Hofstra University, has evolved into a solid broadcaster, delivering insightful questions and then giving the players/coaches plenty of space to respond.
DWEEB OF THE WEEK: KIM MULKEY
The LSU coach acted rudely from the post-game podium, calling out a few reporters not assigned to her game who were quietly eating lunch in the back of the room.
DOUBLE TALK
What Aaron Boone said: “We missed him [Gerrit Cole] for the first couple of months last year this time of year and it created opportunities that guys stepped up in.”
What Aaron Boone meant to say: “When there’s nothing you can really say, I always opt for something with the words ‘step [or stepped] up’.”