World News

MLB analyst believes Mets left Jorge López ‘out in the cold’ after his ejection for glove throwing: ‘It left me stunned’

Join Fox News to access this content

Plus, special access to select articles and other premium content with your account, free of charge.

By entering your email and pressing Continue, you agree to the Fox News Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, including our Financial Incentive Notice.

Please enter a valid email address.

Jorge López’s wild ejection Wednesday afternoon in Queens, and subsequent comments in which he was believed to call his New York Mets the “worst team probably in the whole damn MLB,” ultimately led the organization to designate him for assignment.

Long story short, he was released after his ejection, which included throwing his glove into the stands and having a word with the Mets.

Lopez has since tried to clarify his comments to the media in the Mets clubhouse after the game, saying on his Instagram Stories that he was talking about himself as the worst teammate.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Jorge Lopez, #52 of the New York Mets, in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citizens Bank Park on May 16, 2024 in Philadelphia. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

“Whoever listened to me, I said partner and what I said about the situation was the worst partner,” López wrote, “thanks to the media for making it worse.”

The strange chain of events led to many giving their opinion on the matter, and that included former MLB catcher and current Pittsburgh Pirates analyst Michael McKenry, who criticized the Mets for how they handled the entire situation.

“That really blew me away because the way they handled that as an organization was so poor,” McKenry said on OutKick’s “Hot Mic” show Thursday. “What I mean is that you have a boy [where] Spanish is his second language and he does not have an interpreter there. So you let him dry in the sense that he’s going to follow what he knows.

RADIO HOST OFFERS APOLOGIES TO METS PITCHER AFTER FINDING OUT OF HIS SON’S CHRONIC ILLNESS

“The most I learned about Spanish was not the good stuff. So he’s going to go in a direction that he knows and is comfortable with. And he’s in an emotional state.”

Lopez, 31, is Puerto Rican and it is generally customary for Spanish-speaking players to have an interpreter with them to ensure the right things are said to the media when they are questioned.

Now, López is no stranger to this, as he debuted in the Major Leagues in 2015 and is with his sixth MLB team. While interpreters are available for players to use during interrogations, some players choose to give their answers in English.

It is unknown if the Mets gave Lopez the option of using an interpreter or if he declined one before the interview.

McKenry went on to say that while Lopez’s words may have been taken the wrong way, they do not excuse his actions, which his manager Carlos Mendoza called “unacceptable” after the game.

Jorge López throwing

Jorge Lopez, number 52 of the New York Mets, in action against the Detroit Tigers during the first game of a doubleheader at Citi Field on April 4, 2024 in New York City. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

“If you know anything about his story, it’s that he has some problems off the field. He has a son who is going through a lot of things,” McKenry explained, referring to Lopez’s son who is waiting for an organ transplant. “So, he’s dealing with more things than most people have to deal with. That’s not an excuse to throw down the gauntlet and criticize the organization you’re with; he got the DFA today.

“So, I think the reality is that someone needs to hug this kid, love him and say, ‘This isn’t right.’ And not just throw him to the wind. I feel like that’s what the Mets have been doing over and over again: just throw guys to the wind.”

The Mets have long been an organization associated with wild happenings on and off the field, to the point that the fan base expects them to happen every year.

However, the aura surrounding the team a couple of seasons ago, when Steve Cohen bought the team, was completely different. Great expectations entered Citi Field when Cohen opened his checkbook and brought in players like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and others to compete for a World Series championship.

New York would win 101 games in 2022, although they would lose to the San Diego Padres at home in the best-of-three wild card round. Still, things were looking up for the Mets.

That was until last season, when they went a surprising 75-87. As a result, Scherzer and Verlander were traded before the MLB deadline, and the Mets virtually wiped out the season despite having the highest payroll in the league.

As McKenry noted, they still have that payroll above the rest of the competition, yet the results are 11 games under .500 at 22-33.

Jorge López launches

Jorge Lopez, #52 of the New York Mets, in action against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on May 29, 2024 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

“I think they put the cart before the horse,” McKenry said of the Mets. “I think someone who loved the organization and thought he knew what was best, thought he could buy a championship with some older players. It didn’t work out and I think he had to double down, he had to trade those assets and lose his high level in All this.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Things are not going well for the Mets and the Lopez situation is just the latest example of the dysfunction occurring in Flushing.

Follow Fox News Digital sports coverage in Xand subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.




Source link

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button