Meaning had a solid season overall, and that's about what can be expected next year. His ERA and WHIP for 2025 were spot on his career averages, but his innings were a new high -- and the Mets need innings.Why trade a guy like that, even if you don't intend to extend him or sign him for big bucks after the season? Yes you'd "lose him for nothing," but you'd get another year of pitching -- from a guy who could be asked to piggyback out of the bullpen if needed -- with no long term commitment. Then you could replace him with another young starter, or resign him if an amenable deal could be had.Would another team really give the Mets back something more valuable than that? I always say when prospect trades come up that the Mets hope to contend after 2026 too. But in this case I say the Mets hope to contend in 2026 too. Quoting Davy Johnson with regard to the talented but imperfect players he brought with him to the big leagues, let's stop talking about what he can't do and focus on what he can do.

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I wonder if the market for college-educated workers is evolving into something like the market for baseball players? Unless you are a star (someone who can sell people things they don't need and get them to spend money they don't have) they'd rather have a new employee than one with several years knowledge and experience (who is more expensive). After all, the hitting/pitching lab (AI) means that the cheap new Gen Zer is almost as good as the now knowledgable Millennial.https://www.globest.com/2025/11/26/job-market-turns-on-college-educated-workers/"Of the nation’s 7.6 million unemployed Americans, 1.9 million — or 25.3% — held at least a bachelor’s degree. When those with some college or an associate’s degree are included, the total rises to 3.18 million, or 41.8% of the unemployed. In September 2024, those with at least a bachelor’s degree accounted for 22.0% of the unemployed, compared with just 20.7% in September 2019, before the pandemic. Bloomberg reported that this year’s figure is the highest share since at least 1992.""The widening presence of college-educated workers among the jobless reflects shifting dynamics in the U.S. labor market. The unemployment rate for degree holders ages 20 to 24 stood at 9.5% in September, compared with an overall rate of 4.4%. Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co., noted in a report that the rising number of jobless college graduates “should further fuel AI-related job loss fears,” according to Bloomberg. High-profile layoffs at companies including Amazon, Target, Starbucks and Verizon have only amplified those concerns."I bring this up because a lot of those AAOPs were pretty cold, showing what happens when fans are hit with a $ constraint and the need to win in the marketplace."The underlying BLS data also shows that U.S. job growth this year has depended almost entirely on two sectors — healthcare and social assistance, and leisure and hospitality — which together added 690,000 positions. Without those gains, total national employment would be down by about 6,000."Fortunately, most college-educated Millennials have post-graduate experience as baristas. Of course the question arises -- who are all the labor cost saving businesses going to sell to? At least today's retirees and $billionaires have plenty of money -- until the government goes broke and there is a crash in the stock market bubble.

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