I came across some coverage of late (could've even been here on da Box) that mentioned that Andres Gimenez was told in the offseason that he was the team's starting shortstop on Opening Day regardless of whether Bo Bichette returned or not (implying that the plan was to transition Bo to either 2B or 3B if he was to be re-signed, which it seems that the front office didn't pursue seriously at the Mets' pricetag).

Kind of some interesting retconning in the light of Gimenez playing & remaining at SS for the World Series after Bo got hurt last fall and returned hobbled to play 2B.

In terms of Leo Jimenez and the 26th man/utility IF spot, the biggest thing working against him is the lack of options. Even if replacements like Fitzgerald & now Sosa may be similarly out of options (I believe Tyler may still retain one), there's a big mental difference between having one of "your guys" that came up through your system for years being lost to waivers vs a similar guy that you picked up from another org.

It's simply easier to get rid of an outside player when the time comes in a 26th man/utility IF spot that inevitably requires flexibility. Or for lack of performance. Or simply for a numbers game with roster crunches, injuries, veterans returning from the IL, etc.

I recall Matt Antonelli on YT, who was a star 1st round pick with the Padres awhile back but only played briefly in the bigs, talking about the vibe shift that a player experiences as soon as they leave their 1st org. It really sounds like a player really learns quickly that baseball is a business and they are simply a replaceable cog as soon as you leave your bonus baby origin story behind with your first organization.

It was technically a 2 run lead, 2 to tie, 3 to lose.

I had the end of the game on in the background. Romano hadn't given up a hit yet in 2026 coming into this Yankees meltdown. The YES crew was noting that Jordan's velocity is down from his Jays days, now sitting 95 instead of trending up towards the upper 90s.

They also talked about how he's still a two pitch pitcher. And how it's easier for hitters to sit on one with the reduced velocity & more trouble with his slider.

Trent Grisham crushed a slider to tie the game. Romano then gave up a 2B to Jose Caballero & allowed him to steal 3rd uncontested, forcing the Angels to have to play the IF in with no outs & the tying run 90 feet away.

The game ended on a wild pitch ball 4 to a struggling Ryan McMahon with two on & Aaron Judge on deck.

Romano was struggling with his control & gave up a lot of hard contact.

Lopes was the poor man's Joe Morgan, by which I mean exactly zero disrespect. A small guy, high percentage player, added way more value than the metrics of the day would make obvious. Garvey was getting MVP votes while Lopes was at least as valuable.