Trouble at the Bronx- Are New York Mets Now at a Better Height than the Yankees?

The New York Mets are turning into noisy neighbors for their city counterparts. With an emergent roster and ownership that finally seems ready to invest in a winning squad, the New York Mets look set to mount a challenge come 2022. With their headline acquisitions in offense and defense boasting Max Scherzer on the mound and Lindor as their slugger in chief, they seem only a few puzzle pieces away from a roster worth challenging. All this without even mentioning the acquisition of Buck Showalter in the front office.

Compare that to the New York Yankees, whose most recent title came in 2009 and, while having featured in a few World Series since have failed at the final hurdle. The Yankees, too, have been amidst what has been classified as the build to a championship but have underperformed so far. Despite the emergence of Aaron Judge and the acquisition of Gerrit Cole, the might of the Bronx seems to be waning.

And the timing is all the more curious when you juxtapose it with the rise of the New York Mets. Could we be in for an era of borough rivalry in major league baseball to mirror that of the 80s? Can the Subway Series return to its glory days? More importantly, how is it that the tremendous financial might of the New York Yankees has gone so long without the pennant?

Are the Mets emerging?

In a recent roundtable discussion, NJ Advance Media baseball writers, Brendan Kuty, Randy Miller, and Bob Klapisch took to discussing the two teams. Especially with respect to how they were to fare in the coming years. And while consensus was hard to get to, the general opinion seemed to be that as of today, the New York Mets seem better placed to dole out a performance before the Yankees can return to the top of the hill.

Brendan Kuty went as far as to say that the Mets could be the team to take over the New York fan base in recent times. “I think if you were to ask anyone, especially short term, they’d tell you that the Mets have as good a chance at a World Series win as the Yankees do at this point,” he added.

Going into the history of the two teams, Klapisch even harkened to a time when New York was a Mets town. With the mound featuring possibly the top rotation in baseball, he added, “There is nobody who can match that.”

Speaking about what that can do for the city of New York, he added that this could grow into something more. “So I think there are going to be a lot of nights when the Mets are the story in New York, and that’s what I mean in terms of capturing New York’s attention, enthusiasm and curiosity.”

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Some New York fans, however, seemed reasonably assured that the Yankees faced no threat. That their way of functioning was perfectly alright, and that it was only a matter of luck more than skill that the Yankees had faltered.

The Subway Series: New York Yankees vs New York Mets

The Subway series is what fans call the faceoff between the two teams based in New York boroughs. And with Queens set to take on the Bronx head-on, the writers also discussed the possibility of an emergent rivalry to define the next few years in baseball.

Pointing out that the Mets and Yankees have only qualified to the playoff together in 4 seasons, 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2015. And while they haven’t faced off in recent history, the two are historic rivals. Reportedly, the two took each other on 7 times in 10 years in between 1947 and 1956. A feat that has not been repeated since. But with new ownership in Queens, the prospect is seeming ever more exciting.

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Said Randy Miller, “There’s a realistic chance of a Subway Series every year. This could be a best era of New York baseball since.” 

The new rivalry has the city fired up on all cylinders, but who are you backing to go all the way? The incumbent powerhouse in the Yankees, or the upstart Mets?