David Lennon columns

Aside from a few isolated moments, the players David Stearns brought in to replace fan favorites haven't performed.

"If anything, I thought it took too long," Bo Bichette said of the fans letting loose on him. "But I get it. I thought my at-bats were terrible, too."

Bo Bichette at third base and Jorge Polanco at first still are works in progress.

Through Friday's games, there had been a total of 60 challenges, with 58% of the calls overturned (35).

Benge became only the second Met to homer in his major-league debut on Opening Day. He drew a curtain call.

Stearns took a wrecking ball to the core and reimagined the lineup. On Opening Day, the vision becomes reality. The real question? Will they win?

Many fear a nuclear winter that stretches into the summer, too.

The overall experience itself was meaningful to the Team USA clubhouse.

The U.S. players again headed back to their spring training camps empty-handed.

The Mets rookie righty is embracing the challenge, saying "I think you're crazy if you don't want to do this, honestly."

Aaron Judge had a hit, made a great throw, nearly hit a home run . . . and helped Team USA move into the WBC final. Juan Soto went 0-for-4 and saw his Dominican Republic team eliminated.

From fun dugout celebrations, outstanding performances, the Tokyo Dome ice cream sandwich and much more.

"I want to be around the game," Carlos Beltran told Newsday. "I do feel, in my heart, that I have a lot to contribute."

Ten years after her passing, she remains an inspiration to younger generations playing at Shannon Dalton Forde Memorial Field in Little Ferry, New Jersey.

With players leaving for the World Baseball Classic, Keys is getting more of an opportunity to play in spring training games with Toronto.

"They asked the question — I just gave the honest answer," Isiah Kiner-Falefa said. "It is what it is. I love the guys over there."

Diaz, pitching for Puerto Rico in the WBC, even left the door open for a Flushing return when his contract expires in three years.

Early on, this is a rotation largely built on potential, best-case scenarios and the dream of reaching those high ceilings.

Prospects Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr. offer a pleasant glimpse of the future for Yankees.

This year's qualifying offer was more than four times greater than Grisham's highest-ever salary ($5.5 million in 2024).

The Yankees shortstop details what it felt like at the beginning of his rehab following shoulder surgery.

Last season, Bednar had a 31.1% whiff rate — which ranked in MLB's 89th percentile — and the splitter came in at 36.2%.

The former Yankees reliever thrived in a starting role with the Mets last season and said he feels no ill effects from the increased innings.

The 26-year-old infielder could compete to be the starting first baseman.

Giving Aaron Judge the captaincy has worked out great for the Yankees, but Mets owner Steve Cohen strongly dislikes the concept.

"Gerrit looked great," said Aaron Judge, who faced Cole during a live batting practice session on Friday. " . . . The stuff is still electric."

As much as Schlittler's loyalty to the Yankees trumps all, he still hears rumblings about his Boston roots from the New York crowd.

"For me, there's no need to think about the what-ifs and the hypotheticals because I'm so appreciated here [in Baltimore]," Alonso told Newsday.

Steve Cohen put the issue to rest, saying the Mets will never have a captain while he's the owner.

The Mets' new infield will need time to work together once Francisco Lindor returns from his injury.

Each team receives two challenges per game, and the challenge is retained if correct. Still, some players said they are reluctant to use them.

Most would venture to say his rehab was a chance for him to actually improve more than simply recover.

Jorge Polanco, at age 32, still has the athleticism and skills to handle the physical rigors of a corner infield spot.

The Mets manager needs to make this all work, and quickly.

The move is a fortuitous bounce attributed to him currently working out at that position for the Dominican Republic squad in the WBC.

As much as "run prevention" was the oft-repeated mantra for David Stearns entering this winter, it now feels more like a dressed-up code for blowing the whole dang thing up.

The Yankees had made Cody Bellinger their priority since the start of the offseason, but didn't enter these negotiations with a blank check.

Andy Pettitte made a huge leap to 48.5% this time around — up from 27.9% the previous year — with only two chances remaining.

The Orioles, Blue Jays, Dodgers and Atlanta have all added free agents while Yankees and Mets have not made a splash.

There's a lot of offseason left, and plenty of time for David Stearns to pick a few new faces of his own to introduce at Citi Field.

If he can't retool the club to win more than last season's 83 games, David Stearns should no longer be running Flushing's baseball operation.

Even if the Mets choose to extend their boundaries for Pete Alonso, they have to be worried about him leaving anyway.

Any momentum from the seismic Juan Soto deal, as well as the magical October run that preceded the signing, is so far gone that it almost feels like fiction.

Power-hitting second baseman Jeff Kent was the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Era Committee.

With the potential labor strife on the horizon, we could see increased trade activity at this week's winter meetings.

At the very least, the agreement with Devin Williams gives the Mets more leverage in their negotiations with Edwin Diaz.

Don't be surprised if other popular Mets don't return.

Cody Bellinger, Kyle Tucker and Tarik Skubal are among the stars both teams could fight for to get on their roster.

Based on the timing, there should be plenty more changes to come, as dealing Nimmo was as much about future moves as improving the roster.

The suspicion that Aaron Boone isn't calling the shots between the lines has bothered the manager for years, and having an army of metrics-mavens upstairs only fuels such speculation.