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The New York Mets entered their April 25 game against the Washington Nationals with an 18-7 record, which was the best in all of baseball.
It's no secret that the pitching staff has carried them to this point. New York's starting rotation has been the tops in all of MLB by a wide margin, and the bullpen has also been elite (despite the ongoing struggles of closer Edwin Diaz).
But what's perhaps the most impressive about the Mets right now is that while several hitters have been fantastic (namely Pete Alonso), several other hitters haven't come close to reaching their potential. Among these are Mark Vientos, Brandon Nimmo, and especially Juan Soto.
Juan Soto reaches second after Nathaniel Lowe commits two errors.
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 25, 2025
Soto collided with Cole Irvin's glove hand on the play, but Irvin is staying in the game after being looked at by a trainer pic.twitter.com/KOoaeDGT5u
Once these players catch fire, this already imposing team's lineup will be terrifying. And this sentiment is what Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez shared in an April 25 article in the New York Post, where he is quoted as saying, “We’re not even close to hitting on all cylinders, and guys are still kind of feeling their way through April."
Chavez later added, “I’m really looking forward to the summer," suggesting that that's when he believes this offense will finally find its stride.
Mets still far from ‘hitting on all cylinders’ despite MLB-best record https://t.co/2iJcf7h7td pic.twitter.com/HFoLFPBHoV
— New York Post (@nypost) April 25, 2025
The return of Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez from injury on Friday adds depth to the Mets' offense, and even forced Brett Baty (who had been hitting great over the past week) down to the minors.
Eventually, one would have to imagine that the Mets pitchers are going to come back to earth. But if the club's hitters can reach their potential by the time they do, the team's hot start should continue well into the summer.
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Five biggest winners from the MLB trade deadline
The dust has settled from the MLB trade deadline, with approximately 50 trades taking place since Wednesday morning. Contending teams looked to fortify their playoff chances, rebuilding teams hope they have building blocks for the future and other teams straddled the line between buying and selling. We've already gone over the biggest losers. Let's take a look at five teams that improved their situation the most coming out of the July 31 trade deadline. Athletics overhaul farm system with eye toward Las Vegas Trading a closer for one of the top three prospects in baseball is enough to make any team a winner at the deadline. The A's managed to get far more than that for pitchers Mason Miller and JP Sears, adding baseball's third overall prospect in Leo De Vries. The A's also landed the Padres' third-, 13th- and 17th-best prospects in a deal that could be felt for years to come and acquired pitching prospect Kenya Huggins in a deal for outfielder Miguel Andujar just before the deadline. Having a top closer on a rebuilding team is an unnecessary luxury, especially as the A's have several options who could take Miller's place. Adding a possible cornerstone player in De Vries will help the A's have their core in place when they head to Las Vegas in 2028. Seattle Mariners land impact bats they needed The Mariners had been held back for years by their lack of offensive firepower. A trade with the Diamondbacks to land first baseman Josh Naylor a week before the deadline helped solve one sore spot in the lineup. The Mariners returned to the Diamondbacks' well, reuniting with third baseman Eugenio Suarez, then added reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Pirates before the deadline. In exchange, the Mariners traded just one of their top-10 prospects in Tyler Locklear. The Mariners made themselves much more dangerous without breaking the prospect bank. New York Yankees have the best bullpen in the AL The Yankees had several holes as the deadline approached. While Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario are not going to win a World Series on their own, the Yankees managed to cobble together something resembling a third baseman. The Yankees focused on the bullpen on Thursday, adding closers Camilo Doval and David Bednar. Reliever Jake Bird was acquired in a second trade with the Rockies. All three relievers are under team control beyond this season. Meanwhile, the Yankees held on to all of their top prospects while completely revamping the bullpen. Philadelphia Phillies finally find relief The ninth inning has been the Phillies' Achilles' heel for years. Their long search for an answer is finally over as they acquired closer Jhoan Duran from the Twins. Although the Twins received an impressive haul of prospects in return, the Phillies kept their top three prospects while potentially finding the missing piece for a championship. Philadelphia made another minor trade ahead of the deadline, adding outfielder Harrison Bader. Although he is likely a free agent after this season (he has a $10 million mutual option for 2026), Bader has solid power and speed, improving the biggest hole in the Phillies lineup without blocking prospect Justin Crawford. New York Mets build bullpen buzzsaw while fixing hole in lineup The Mets and Phillies had similar concerns with the bullpen and center field. Both teams solved those problems at the deadline. The Mets completely overhauled their bullpen, acquiring relievers Ryan Helsley, Taylor Rogers and Gregory Soto. The Mets then added a center fielder, acquiring Cedric Mullins from the Orioles for a trio of prospects. Although the Mets had been scuffling, the front office threw down the gauntlet, aggressively strengthening their weaknesses. The Mets will be a tough out in the postseason and may have the pieces for a memorable October.
Dolphins' Tyreek Hill stirs up drama, calls for teammate to be benched in certain situations
Tyreek Hill was just trying to be a good teammate, but his Miami Dolphins colleague didn't care for the message. On Friday, Hill gave a meaty performance during his media availability, broaching subjects from his mastery of the offense this year to saying he agreed with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that he needed to be a better leader on the Dolphins for the upcoming season. Then he took a shot at running back De'Von Achane. He suggested the Dolphins keep the 5-foot-9, 191-pound back off the field in third-and-short situations. "Take (Achane) out on 3rd-down," Hills told reporters, via the Dolphins. "What? That's my honest opinion. If it's third-and-short, he's not a power back. I've been telling him that in the locker room... I love De'Von, but If I'm being honest, that's why you got Jaylen Wright, that's why you got Ollie Gordon." Achane responded to Hill giving his opinion to the media. "That's how you feel," Achane wrote with a laughing emoji. Achane rushed for 907 yards and six touchdowns on 203 carries last season. That's an average of 4.5 yards per rush. The Dolphins' backfield as a whole struggled in the run game last season, averaging a pedestrian 105.6 rushing yards per contest. Achane certainly didn't thrive on third-and-short, but Hill's comments feel unnecessary. Last season, Hill caught 81 passes for 959 yards and six touchdowns — his worst production since 2019, when he missed four games due to injury. Is Hill ready to admit that he's washed? Miami's offense was bad, and it didn't help that Tagovailoa missed time due to a concussion. Defenses took advantage of the Dolphins' limited and discombobulated offense last season. Miami's training-camp news conferences are becoming a concern. Hopefully for the team, Achane won't take the slight from Hill too personally.
Top Micah Parsons landing spots as Cowboys' contract talks deteriorate
The relationship between superstar pass-rusher Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys doesn't appear to be improving. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported earlier in the week that the two sides were moving backward in their contract negotiations. On Friday, Parsons posted on his social media that he had requested a trade out of Dallas. However, The Athletic's Dianna Russini claimed the Cowboys have "no intention" of trading him. Given this information, let's take a look at three landing spots that make the most sense for Parsons. Denver Broncos The Broncos allowed the third-fewest amount of points in 2024-25 (311 points), per ESPN stats, and already have one of the best defensive units in football. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga and cornerback Jahdae Barron were added to the group this offseason, so why not continue to bolster? Denver owns all of its upcoming draft picks over the next three years, which could be used in a package to acquire Parsons. They are also set to have a ton of cap space available for 2026 and 2027, enabling them to put forth the contract offer that Parsons is seeking. With three more seasons of quarterback Bo Nix on a rookie deal, the Broncos could take advantage and go all in on the superstar pass-rusher, making a potent front seven that much more dangerous. Los Angeles Chargers The team that allowed even fewer points than the Broncos last season? The Chargers (301 points). Head coach Jim Harbaugh immediately righted the ship defensively upon his arrival, but there remain holes to fill. They've shed plenty of money in recent years, which included a former third-overall pick from 2016 in DE Joey Bosa. It's now time to use that cap space to bring in a difference maker on defense. Like Denver, Los Angeles holds all of its own draft picks from 2026 through 2028 and is capable of putting the pieces together to pry Parsons out of Dallas. Not only could the Chargers compensate the 26-year-old, but it's likely he would be fine with calling Los Angeles home. New England Patriots The Patriots currently have the most cap space in the NFL and are in a prime position to strike at any moment. It's been a difficult last few seasons in Foxborough, but the vibe has changed with new head coach Mike Vrabel taking over. The Patriots culture is back, and it's now up to the front office to provide Vrabel with more talent on both sides of the ball. New England is in desperate need of a game-breaking player. Parsons fits the mold perfectly. The Pats had a league-worst 28 sacks last season, per ESPN stats, so the pass rush could use some help. General manager Eliot Wolf is well-equipped with draft capital to feel comfortable making such a move.
'I see a clear role for him' — Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell speaks highly of new defender who's having a great training camp
The cornerback position for the Minnesota Vikings has seen a lot of questions over the last few months. Arguably the biggest one is whether or not the Vikings added enough talent to really make the Super Bowl run. Through the first week and a half of training camp, it looks to be the right decision by the Vikings. Their depth at cornerback has been really impressive, leaving a lot more confidence in the cornerback group than we had previously. The biggest standout has been Jeff Okudah, which was a fascinating addition in real time. During his press conference on Friday, head coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about Okudah's performance in training camp, and he also raved about him. "You guys probably felt it. I mean, when he gets up and presses, you know, at that line of scrimmage and wins that early fight in the down, you don't see him lose very much, you know, when he gets his hands on people. I think I've been probably surprised. I actually got a chance to spend some time with him many years ago, at Ohio State, went for the pro day. A friend of mine, who happens to be the coordinator up in Green Bay now, was the coordinator there, and I got to spend some time with Jeff. And just remember thinking to myself, This guy is going to be a top-five pick. I mean, felt like he was as tall as I was, you know, big, strong, fast, and then he was and we're very fortunate to have him. I see a clear role for him. Not all corners in our defense play the same spots, play the same roles, so to think that we're going to have him in a role we feel pretty strongly about, it's great to see him take it and run with it early on, because I think he's had a phenomenal camp. And I hope you know that'd be a good question for Flo [Brian Flores]. You probably asked him already, but I know flow in my dialog about Jeff has been really positive early on." The line from O'Connell talking about how they see a clear role for him resonates hard here. The Vikings have done a good job in putting players in position to be successful. Okudah's role is likely going to be similar to what Shaquill Griffin's was last year. The biggest difference between Okudah and Griffin? The former can run with really fast wide receivers. Will Okudah end up being a quality starter for the Vikings? That remains to be seen, but it's certainly possible, especially with how well the coaching staff is talking about him.
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