The Put it in the Books Show

The Mets won a series. Alert the authorities.

This week on The Put it in the Books Show, Farace, Rodriguez, and Producer Joe break down the Mets finally taking 2 of 3 from the Royals, which would feel a lot better if the season wasn’t already sitting in the corner wearing a neck brace.

The .500 by the All-Star break goal is officially cooked, burned, buried, and probably traded to the Cubs for cash considerations. So now the conversation shifts from “can they save the season?” to “what the hell is the plan at the trade deadline?”

Do the Mets sell and add talent throughout the system, or do they try to buy pieces at different levels and pretend this thing is still one hot streak away from mattering? Selling has pros: restock the farm, move short-term pieces, and stop lying to yourself. The cons? You’re punting another expensive season and admitting the whole thing face-planted before August. Buying has pros too: you still have Soto, Lindor, and enough money to bully people. The cons? Buddy, have you watched this team?

There is some good news. Juan Soto is an All-Star, because even in the middle of Mets chaos, superstar talent still shows up. Soto gets the nod, the kids keep making noise, and Nolan McLean continues to give Mets fans dangerous ace thoughts that Rodriguez will immediately try to ruin with math and sadness.

We’ll also talk about the offense waking up a little, Sean Manaea finally giving them length, Christian Scott flashing, A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge forcing the “play the kids” conversation, and Brett Baty picking a very interesting time to remind everyone he still exists.

And yes, Farace will absolutely remind everyone that the Knicks won the 2026 NBA Championship, because New York joy is New York joy — and unlike the Mets, the Knicks actually figured out how to finish something without turning it into a federal investigation.

Of course, because these are the Mets, even a series win comes with a bill. Mark Vientos gets hurt, trade deadline panic is still hanging over everything, and Andy Green is trying to manage a team that feels like it was assembled during a fire drill.

Plus, we remember Phil Regan, “The Vulture,” who passed away at 89. Former pitcher, longtime coach, former Mets pitching coach, and a baseball lifer. Rest in peace to The Vulture.

The goal is no longer .500. The goal is to look alive, figure out the keepers, and maybe not make Farace question every decision that led to owning microphones.

Baseball. Sarcasm. Soto as an All-Star. Kids giving hope. Deadline pros and cons. Knicks championship joy. Trade panic. RIP Phil Regan. And Producer Joe probably wondering why he didn’t fake a power outage.

LGM.

Happy Bobby Bonilla Day, Mets fans.

Because of course the annual Bobby Bo check arrives right as the 2026 Mets fully turn into a circus with cleats.

This week on The Put it in the Books Show – S9 E11, Farace, Rodriguez, and Producer Joe break down a Mets team that has gone from “consistently inconsistent” to “somebody please grab a helmet.”

Carlos Mendoza is out after the Mets dropped to 34-47 and got swept by the Cubs in an ugly, error-filled mess. Andy Green takes over as interim manager, while Steve Cohen says David Stearns is safe through 2028. So the dugout took the hit, but the front office is still holding the clipboard. Interesting.

The sell-mode talk is getting louder too. David Peterson has already been traded to the Cubs, Lindor is back from the IL, Ronny Mauricio has been reinstated but sent to Triple-A, Luis Robert Jr. has started his rehab assignment, and Clay Holmes is moving toward a bullpen session. Help is coming. Maybe. Eventually. Probably with paperwork.

The losing didn’t slow down in Toronto either. The Mets dropped today’s game to lose 2 of 3 to the Blue Jays, because apparently one series loss wasn’t enough — they needed to make sure the sadness cleared customs too.

On the bright side, Nolan McLean keeps giving Mets fans dangerous ace thoughts, while Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing keep pushing the “play the kids” agenda. Just don’t Gregg Jefferies everybody before Labor Day.

Next up: 3 in Atlanta against the Braves, then back home for 3 against the Royals and 3 against the Red Sox before the All-Star break. And that Put it in the Books Show goal of getting back to .500 by the break? Yeah… they are falling well short unless they suddenly turn into the ’86 Mets overnight.

Baseball. Sarcasm. Bobby Bo checks. Manager firings. Stearns heat. Sell-mode panic. McLean hope. Knicks championship joy. Another Mets July group therapy session.

LGM.

Celebrities keep getting courtside seats at Madison Square Garden, but somehow the PopCulturePros invite got lost in the mail. Very strange. Very suspicious. Then Rodriguez says Producer Joe urinates on everything, and honestly… maybe the Knicks made the right call.

New York Mets New York Knicks 🏀 Steve Farace Esteban De Jesus Rodriguez Joe Mulvihill

Farace says Carson Benge can do it all. Rodriguez agrees. Producer Joe immediately says Farace just Gregg Jefferies’d him. Mets fans know exactly what that means… and now we’re all terrified.

New York Mets Steve Farace Esteban De Jesus Rodriguez Joe Mulvihill

The Mets needed a front-line starter. Farace says they should’ve signed one. Stearns doesn’t typically pay long-term for pitching, and now Rodriguez is wondering if McLean can become the answer. No pressure, kid.

New York Mets Steve Farace Esteban De Jesus Rodriguez Joe Mulvihill

The Mets returned home to Citi Field and immediately got smacked around by the Cardinals, because apparently feeling decent about this team for more than 48 hours is illegal. They did manage to salvage the finale this afternoon with a 5-4 win, so congratulations, everybody — the parade route has been downgraded from “season is over” to “still annoying, but technically breathing.”

This week on The Put it in the Books Show – S9 E10, Farace, Rodriguez, and Producer Joe break down a Mets team that continues to scream one thing louder than anything else: the strategy needs a serious revamp.

Let’s start with David Peterson. He’s been bad. Not “maybe unlucky” bad. Not “let’s look at the peripherals” bad. Just bad. Farace is ready to DFA him yesterday, Rodriguez is probably going to try to explain why that’s extreme, and Producer Joe may just hit the soundboard until the segment ends. At some point, enough is enough. This team is trying to climb back into relevance, not host open auditions for batting practice pitchers.

The injury updates are a mixed bag, because of course they are. Kodai Senga had another setback, although it appears minor. Lindor seems close, but there’s still no clean finish line. Polanco and Luis Robert Jr.? Not close. Robert is just now starting to play catch, which is great if this were March. It is not March.

But hey, Francisco Alvarez is back way earlier than expected from a torn meniscus and already homered, because apparently catchers are now healing faster than Mets relievers can find the strike zone. That’s huge. This lineup needs attitude, power, and somebody who actually looks like he enjoys big moments.

And then there’s Carson Benge, who keeps showing off the full toolbox — power, glove, arm, speed, confidence, the whole thing. The kid looks like he belongs. So here’s a wild thought: play the rookies. Build the second-half team around the young guys who are actually healthy, hungry, and giving this team a pulse. Shut down the injured players who clearly aren’t right. Stop trying to force a broken roster to act like it’s whole.

This Mets team is built more like a small-ball, pressure, speed, defense, chaos team — so maybe stop pretending it’s a lineup full of monsters waiting to hit five-run homers. Play the game your roster is built for. Build a .500 team with the kids, then sprinkle in the big names like Lindor, Soto, and Bichette when they’re actually right and ready to help.

The Braves come to town next, which is always peaceful and relaxing and never triggers Mets fans at all. After that, the Mets hit the road for Cincinnati and Philadelphia, because apparently the schedule looked at this team and said, “You know what they need? More stress.” And yes, before anyone asks, Farace is still finding a way to squeeze in a Let’s Go Knicks because the Knicks are one win from a championship and he is absolutely not emotionally stable enough to separate sports right now.

And let’s not forget the Put it in the Books Show goal: get back to .500 by the All-Star break. Right now, the Mets are still 8 games under, so there’s work to do. A lot of work. Like “stop losing series to teams you should beat” work. The goal is still possible, but it’s getting harder every time this team plays like it’s allergic to momentum.

Baseball. Sarcasm. Roster rage. Rookie optimism. Peterson slander. Braves hate. A random Let’s Go Knicks. And one very simple message:

Play the kids. Get healthy. Get to .500. Stop making us insane.

LGM.