David Lennon columns

After losing reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil and with Giancarlo Stanton's status uncertain, the loss of their ace may have doomed the Yankees' 2025 campaign.

The season opens in about 2 1/2 weeks and there are training camp injuries to the Mets' Francisco Alvarez and the Yankees' Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton, among others.

It's almost insurmountable to expect to lose the ace of the staff, especially after losing Luis Gil a few days ago.

The Stanton/LeMaheiu dynamic, however, is considerably more troubling because of the thinning options behind them.

Lombard, a 19-year-old shortstop prodigy, certainly looks like A-Rod 2.0. He's tall (6-2), hails from Miami and carries himself with the cool confidence, both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Remember last year, when Gerrit Cole was hurt to start the season? They found a way.

The objective, according to Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez, is to prevent Francisco Alvarez's hips from flying open too soon, a glitch that made him more vulnerable to off-speed pitches in the past.

Blade Tidwell tossed an immaculate inning on Saturday against many of the Rays' everyday players.

The former Mets first baseman is working in the outfield and wearing Juan Soto's old No. 22.

The Yankees immediately had their Soto pivot ready, but outside of L.A., throwing more cash at a pricey rotation was an unusual strategy these days.

Sean Manaea joins Frankie Montas as sidelined starters, so let's see what Mets' boss has planned this year. 

The second baseman and shortstop are spending as much time together as possible.

For the Yankees, what's the point of so-called tradition if it was going to make a valued employee unhappy coming to work?

The Yankees no longer have the luxury of beard bans. Not when they haven't won a World Series since 2009.

As successful as Aaron Boone has been, his personal championship drought is becoming a King Kong-sized monkey on his back.

"I feel pretty good about it," Dominguez said. "If that's where my team needs me, I'll do that."

The Mets are what he does for fun, and being the richest man in baseball definitely helps in the pursuit of that happiness.

After an uncomfortable negotiation, the Polar Bear is back in orange and blue  but will play a second consecutive season with a big payday on the line.

Superstar slugger can say he will approach this season like every other one, but we certainly won't. 

He's checked all the boxes, even without officially wearing the C on his jersey.

Brandon Nimmo still is rehabbing the plantar fasciitis condition he suffered last October. "I'm at like 91% now," the outfielder said. 

Mark Vientos has shown that he not only swings a potent bat but that he can handle adversity.

Cohen was driving the bus in the Pete Alonso talks, but the contract had Stearns' fingerprints all over it.

They don't have the luxury of underperforming at start this time around, especially after owner Steve Cohen just spent $765 million on Juan Soto this winter.

Right now on paper, it certainly doesn't sound like a World Series rotation. But in mid-February, it doesn't have to be just yet.

And for Mets fans, things could not have worked out any better.

On Saturday, Steve Cohen and David Stearns were not shy about going on the record about the popular Met.

Ichiro wasn't unanimous and Billy Wagner probably got in later than he should have, but all three are deserving of their place in Cooperstown. 

And the way things are looking in Queens, this could just be the start as baseball's richest owner and a smart front office keep building the team.

The Yankees may not score as many runs, but they've taken great strides to avoid allowing them.

There's only room for one team atop New York City's throne, and Steve Cohen's signing of Juan Soto has the Mets in that seat.

Soto went with a Mets' offer that was $5 million better than the Yankees in total guaranteed payout, featured a $51 million AAV ($3.5M higher) and a $75 million signing bonus ($15M greater). It's not complicated.

Purchasing another starting pitcher was not really at the top of the Yankees' most pressing offseason needs.

Nine months with the Yankees, a World Series appearance and a monster pairing with Aaron Judge -- and $760 million -- weren't enough to keep Juan Soto from bolting across town.

In landing Juan Soto, Steve Cohen already has achieved something no one really thought was possible for the folks in Flushing: Make the Yankees the little brother.

Thanks to bidding war, ''generational talent'' is poised to eclipse Shohei Ohtani's record deal.

Maybe the Mets' pitching lab can fix Frankie Montas, too.

Shohei Ohtani  became the first full-time DH to take home the trophy, but Francisco Lindor's all-around excellence made him a solid contender.

"It doesn't mean in any given year I can't do what I want to do," Steinbrenner said. "We've got the ability to sign any player we want to sign."

An in-person pitch is pointless when the superstar spent the last seven months knocking pitches out of Yankee Stadium. The only thing Hal Steinbrenner & Co. have to do is pony up the money. 

The Yankees can offer quite a bit in terms of familiarity and Aaron Judge as protection, but what about Steve Cohen's checkbook?

Making World Series for first time since 2009 is nothing to write off, but the team's lack of accountability and poor fundamentals need to be fixed.

No agent is better at manipulating teams into paying through the nose for top-shelf talent.

He kept his cool this time at the GM meetings, fielding questions more successfully than Gleyber Torres ever did with his glove.

Score this one a big W for Brian Cashman and the Yankees.

With roughly $180 million in payroll coming off the Mets' books this winter and a certain outfielder named Juan Soto becoming a free agent, you can easily envision Steve Cohen being in the mood to have a chat with Scott Boras.

He's been an all-time regular-season great, but until the Yankees break their 15-year title drought, it'll be hard for Judge to shake the misplay that opened the floodgates to a disastrous fifth inning in Game 5 of the Fall Classic. 

5-0 lead in fifth disappears after pair of errors, costly brain freeze leads to five unearned Dodgers runs.

While the Yankees were playing for their World Series survival, Cole's pinstriped legacy was on the line Wednesday

New Jersey Yankees fan growing up, he gets to hear Stadium chanting his name.