In a flurry, the New York teams — notably the Mets — unleashed a series of moves in late January to stop so much of the noisy criticism surrounding the clubs.

It is easy to forget how long the offseason is and how over the past decade, in particular, organizations and agents have been unconcerned about dragging negotiations into the new year to see whether the ticking clock provides leverage.

There was just no way that Steve Cohen and David Stearns were not going to eventually exert their finances, prospect base and ambitions to restock the Mets roster. The Yankees internally believed that patience ultimately would lead to retaining Cody Bellinger.

Despite all the yelling, the New York clubs will enter spring training projected as two of the best. This week began with BetMGM having this top five for over/under win totals for 2026: 1. Dodgers, 103.5; 2. Yankees, 91.5; 3. Mets/Mariners/Phillies, 90.5.