Instead of watching Aaron Judge and the Yankees looking to avenge last year’s ALCS ouster or the Mets hoping to give owner Steve Cohen his money’s worth for his record-setting payroll, both teams got a head start on planning for 2024.
Hopefully next year’s blueprints don’t include selling — or being idle — at the trade deadline, only to see former players making an impact elsewhere in the playoffs, which is what this October looks like.
From Aaron Hicks (Orioles) and Josh Donaldson (Brewers), both given away by the Yankees after ugly ends in The Bronx, to Jordan Montgomery (Rangers) — traded to St. Louis at last year’s deadline in exchange for Harrison Bader, now another former Yankee — the Yankees are seeing their past mistakes still playing meaningful baseball.
And in Queens, the Mets knew many of their trade-deadline departures would still be going, but the original plan was not to sign Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer only to see them pitch elsewhere in the playoffs (though Scherzer’s status for the remainder of the postseason remains uncertain due to a strained teres major, the same injury that sidelined Verlander early this season with the Mets).
Montgomery, who the Yankees believed was not good enough to start for them in the playoffs, was on the mound for the Rangers in Game 1 of their wild-card series against the Rays and tossed seven scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay.
The 30-year-old lefty has pitched to a sub-4.00 ERA in each of the past three seasons, and has been even better after being acquired from the Cardinals at this year’s deadline, putting up a 2.79 ERA in 11 regular-season starts for the Rangers.
On Tuesday, Montgomery was replaced by Aroldis Chapman, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning against the top of the Rays’ lineup (a few people even saw it in person).
Chapman had given up series-clinching homers against Houston in 2019 and Tampa Bay in 2020 in his previous two postseason appearances, and was left off the Yankees’ postseason roster last season after skipping a mandatory workout prior to the ALDS.
Bader, meanwhile, was hurt for much of the second half of 2022 before turning in a standout performance in the playoffs. He battled injuries and ineffectiveness again this season.
The Yankees chose not to move Bader at the deadline, and he was instead claimed off waivers at the end of August by the Reds, who made a failed push to get to the playoffs.
Before putting Bader on waivers, the Yankees also designated Hicks and Donaldson for assignment.
Hicks, released in the middle of a miserable season with two-plus years left on a seven-year, $70 million extension, has flourished in Baltimore. He had a .524 OPS in 28 games with the Yankees before breaking out with an .806 OPS in 65 games with the Orioles, who await the winner of the Tampa Bay-Texas series.
Donaldson missed much of his final season in The Bronx due to a calf strain, and the Yankees cut him loose in late August after he rehabbed his injury.
Donaldson hit well early with the Brewers, but finished the regular season in a 1-for-19 skid with 10 strikeouts.
He started at third base Tuesday night and went 2-for-4 in Milwaukee’s Game 1 loss to Arizona, playing alongside former Mets outfielder Mark Canha (0-for-4 as the DH and cleanup hitter) — and for manager Craig Counsell.
Plenty of eyes will be on Counsell, who is set to be a free agent following the postseason and could end up in the Mets’ dugout working for new president of baseball operations David Stearns. Counsell and Stearns were paired together with the Brewers.
And Tommy Pham (0-for-4) was in the middle of the Diamondbacks lineup, while former Mets closer David Robertson, a disappointment since going to Miami, will look to redeem himself in a wild-card series against the Phillies (who took Game 1 behind Zack Wheeler).
Mets fans didn’t get to see much of Verlander, who made just 16 starts for the team after signing a two-year, $86.66 million deal to join Scherzer at the top of the rotation at Citi Field.
Now they can watch the right-hander attempt to duplicate the postseason success he had in Houston once again. The AL West champion Astros will face the winner of the Twins-Blue Jays series.
Carlos Correa can irritate both Yankees and Mets fans this postseason. He nearly signed in Queens before health concerns from the Mets scuttled those plans and had a disappointing first season with the Twins — including missing the final two weeks of the regular season with plantar fasciitis.
But he returned to the Twins lineup on Tuesday as they broke their infamous playoff losing streak.
Minnesota had lost a record 18 playoff games in a row until knocking off Toronto, 3-1.
The last time they had won a postseason game was when Johan Santana beat Mike Mussina and the Yankees on Oct. 5, 2004, in Game 1 of the ALDS.
Another sophomore slump
Ever since the Giants dumped Tom Coughlin in favor of Ben McAdoo following the 2015 season, their head coaches have struggled in their second years at the helm.
And none of the three who preceded Brian Daboll survived for a third season.
Coughlin, who went 6-10 after taking over as Giants head coach in 2005, led the team to the NFC East title the following season with an 11-5 record before going on to win a pair of Super Bowl titles.
McAdoo took over and had immediate success with an 11-5 record and an appearance in the playoffs — where they lost to the Packers. But they fell apart in 2017 under McAdoo, with a 2-10 record before he was fired midway through the season.
Then came Pat Shurmur, who followed a 5-11 season with a 4-12 year in 2019 that cost him his job. Joe Judge went 6-10 and 4-13 prior to Daboll’s arrival in 2022.
Now it’s Daboll, who was the toast of the town courtesy of a surprising 9-7-1 debut with the Giants that also included a playoff win in Minnesota last season, finding difficult times in his second season.
The Giants fell to 1-3 with a brutal flop at MetLife Stadium against the Seahawks on Monday night during which Daboll appeared to be at odds with quarterback Daniel Jones.
And with the Giants owning the third-toughest remaining schedule in the league, per Tankathon, Daboll will have to overcome plenty of challenges to come back for Year 3.
Today’s back page
You can’t always go home again
Patrick Ewing, fired by his alma mater Georgetown following another disappointing season in the Big East last season, is back in coaching.
It was reported Tuesday the Hall of Famer will return to the Charlotte Hornets to work as a coaching consultant with head coach Steve Clifford.
It’s Ewing’s second stint on Charlotte’s staff. He was previously an assistant to Clifford from 2013-17.
Ewing has also worked for the Wizards, Rockets and Magic in addition to his lone head coaching opportunity with the Hoyas.
But has not been asked to be on the bench at Madison Square Garden, where the center starred for the Knicks from 1985-2000.
What we’re reading
⚾ The Yankees should hire Buck Showalter — but not to manage, writes The Post’s Joel Sherman.
🏀 Julius Randle said he is trying to channel Bruce Lee. The Post’s Stefan Bondy reports from Charleston on the Knicks power forward and his new tattoo.
🏀 Also at Knicks camp, The Post’s Mike Vaccaro has a column on Jalen Brunson that will have you counting down to opening night.
🏒 The Rangers are embracing new head coach Peter Laviolette’s aggressive style of defense.
🏀 St. John’s got its first dose of bad news in a while.
📱 Join the Inside St. John’s text-message conversation to keep up with all the behind-the-scenes buzz around Rick Pitino’s Red Storm and to get your Johnnies questions answered by reporter Zach Braziller.
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