For Mets, fans Frank the Tank Fleming has been a saving grace this year. Through a mix of dark humor and exagerated emotion, the Barstool commentator garners thousands of views on his online takes.
With a record 50-57, the New York Mets aren’t going anywhere this season. Although most fans in Queens had known that for awhile, the team’s moves in the leadup to the August 1 all but confirmed that the team had thrown in the towel.
Within the last two seasons, the Mets signed Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer to deals that would see Verlander make $86 million over two seasons, and Scherzer net $129 million over three. The deals tied each other for the most lucrative contracts in history, a sign of the big-spending attitude ushered in by billionaire hedge fund kingpin Steve Cohen when he became the team’s majority owner in 2020.
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Despite high expectations for Scherzer and Verlander, both in their late thirties, things have not worked out. Injuries foreshadowed Verlander’s season, while Scherzer’s 4.01 ERA is his worst in a decade. The Mets, confident that they would miss the postseason, moved both, Scherzer was sent to the Rangers while Verlander ended up with the Houston Astros, where he won the AL Cy Young as well as the World Series last season.
“Depressing” – Frank the Tank
In his video, Frank the Tank used the team’s 4-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday as an inspiration for his diatribe. The Mets have now lost the first two of a three-game set to the AL’s second-worst team.
Frank the Tank claimed that “Steve Cohen lied, and the Mets died.” Fleming was of course referring to the failed promise of the team’s two aged pitchers, now traded. Additionally, New York Mets GM Bill Eppler has come under significant fire from the fanbase. Upon his departure, Max Scherzer told The Athletic that Eppler had conveyed the sentiment that the Mets are not expecting to be competitve until 2026.
“Steve Cohen was asked if he has the final word on baseball decisions: “I can turn it down if I want. I own the club, right? Don’t forget that.”” – SNY
Frank the Tank is essential for calling out the waste seen by Mets management
With a net worth around $16 billion, money has never presented a challenge for Cohen. When he first took the reigns of the club, he spent like a kid in a candy shop.
Now, with nearly nothing to show for compiling the fattest payroll in MLB history, Cohen needs to pursue other strategies. Thankfully, Frank the Tank and his hilarious cuts are here to keep things as light as they can be, under the circumstances.
