The Mets are becoming the Yankees' “dropping redemption tour,” mocks the New York sports legend

“The Mets are starting to look a lot like the Yankees in 2023,” New York Giants legend Tiki Barber joked on Thursday.

After learning that the Mets had signed Harrison Bader, who joins former Yankees Luis Severino and manager Carlos Mendoza in Queens, the former Pro Bowl running back wondered who was next.

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“Do you want Joey Gallo? How about Aaron Hicks?” Barber said on WFAN about Audacy. “First it's Luis Severino, then it's Harrison Bader. It's like you're the farewell tour for former Yankee players. Injured former players who didn’t really do much for the Yankees when they needed them.”

Bader signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Mets, apparently following President of Baseball Operations David Stearns' plan to sign short-term deals with players who have something to prove. They signed Severino, who is looking to regain his elite status, to a one-year deal and did the same with infielder Joey Wendle, who is two years away from an All-Star nod.

With Bader, the Mets get an elite defender in center field. Since 2018, when he first became an everyday player, Bader has the most outs above average (66) of any MLB outfielder with at least 4,000 innings pitched. The second-best outfielder, Kevin Kiermaier, has 55 outs above average in that span.

Severino hasn't played a full season since 2018. Since then, he has appeared in 45 games (40 starts) and compiled a 13-12 record with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. In 2023, Severino posted career-worst results in ERA (6.65), WHIP (1.65), and strikeouts per nine (8.0), among others.

That leaves Barber wondering if the Mets can realistically expect anything different from these players.

“They're going to the Mets, and you think they're going to be a perfect fit for the Mets after being rejected by the Yankees,” Barber added. “They're trying to make these Yankee outcasts a gourmet meal…this feels like a Yankees reunion happening here.”

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Manuel Gomez can be reached at [email protected].