NEW YORK (AP) — The resurgent New York Mets strengthened their lineup for a postseason run, obtaining outfielder Jesse Winker from the Washington Nationals for a minor league pitcher in a trade that was finalized Sunday.
Washington acquired 6-foot-9 right-hander Tyler Stuart, who was 3-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 17 starts for Double-A Binghamton this season. The 24-year-old Stuart was selected by New York in the sixth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Southern Mississippi.
Winker adds a dangerous left-handed bat to a Mets offense that’s been one of the best in baseball over the past two months.
“I can’t say enough amazing things about this team,” he said. “I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Winker figures to start in the outfield against right-handers, giving New York even more punch with right fielder Starling Marte on the injured list since late June because of a bone bruise in his right knee.
“Big move,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s going to get a lot of opportunities, especially against right-handed pitching.”
To make room for Winker on the roster, outfielder DJ Stewart was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse before Sunday’s 9-2 loss to Atlanta. New York (55-50) fell 1 1/2 games behind the Braves for second place in the NL East, but the Mets still hold the league’s final wild card.
Since dropping 10 games behind the Braves on June 2, the Mets are 31-15. Atlanta snapped New York’s five-game winning streak Saturday behind a dominant pitching performance from rookie Spencer Schwellenbach in a 4-0 victory.
“You want to be a part of a playoff race and winning baseball games,” Winker said.
Winker hit .257 with 11 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .793 OPS in 101 games for Washington. He also had 14 stolen bases, 13 more than his previous career high, and ranked eighth in the National League with a .374 on-base percentage.
He learned of the trade Saturday night during the Nationals’ 14-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals — although the teams didn’t announce the deal until Sunday morning.
“It was shortly after my third at-bat,” Winker said. “Once I found out I was coming (to New York), I was extremely excited.”
Winker, who turns 31 next month, was an All-Star for Cincinnati in 2021 before a down year with Seattle in 2022 and an injury-wrecked one with Milwaukee in 2023.
He revived his career with the Nationals after signing a minor league contract in February that included an invitation to spring training. He is earning a $2 million salary this season and can become a free agent again after the World Series.
Winker was born in Buffalo, New York, and he’s enjoyed a playful back-and-forth with Mets fans at Citi Field over the years, drawing boos for waving at them following big home runs and a sliding catch to end a game. He moved to Orlando, Florida, at age 7 and played travel baseball with current Mets slugger Pete Alonso and against new teammate Francisco Lindor.
“It was fun,” Winker said of his relationship with the New York fan base. “I think my first couple of full seasons I was maybe a little on the immature side and I had some fun. Obviously, it’s a passionate fan base and I’m excited to play hard for them.”
Winker, who took a 7:30 a.m. flight from St. Louis, was not in the lineup Sunday. He received a nice ovation from the Citi Field crowd before striking out as a pinch hitter in the eighth.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Mets acquire outfielder Jesse Winker from Nationals for Double-A pitcher Tyler Stuart
Washington Nationals' Jesse Winker hits an RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, July 27, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Mets acquire outfielder Jesse Winker from Nationals for Double-A pitcher Tyler Stuart
The path for the NFL's Washington Commanders to return to the nation’s capital is clear after an on-again, off-again saga in Congress ended early Saturday with a postmidnight reprieve.
The U.S. Senate passed a resolution to transfer the land including old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia. The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act passed by voice vote at roughly 1:15 a.m. after more than a year of lobbying and support from Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., district Mayor Muriel Bowser, Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“We are extremely grateful that our elected officials have come together on a bipartisan basis to give Washington, D.C., the opportunity to decide on the future of the RFK Stadium site," Harris said. "This bill will create an equal playing field so that all potential future locations for the home of the Washington Commanders can be fairly considered and give our franchise the opportunity to provide the best experience for all of our fans.”
The RFK Stadium land provision was part of Congress’ initial short-term spending bill Tuesday before it was torpedoed by President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of whom amplified misinformation about the site on his social media platform X. Two versions of the House's slimmed-down bill, including the one that passed Friday night to avoid a government shutdown, did not include it.
Giving the local government control of the land for the next 99 years allows for the decaying husk of the old stadium to be torn down and the site redeveloped for any number of things. One of the possibilities is a football stadium and surrounding entertainment options at the franchise's former home.
Bowser called it “a win for D.C., for our region and for America.”
“Everybody loves a good comeback story — and that’s D.C.’s story,” she said.
All that awaits is President Joe Biden's signature to become law. Comer went as far as saying that Senate passage of the bill is “a historic moment for our nation's capital.”
“If Congress failed to act today, this decaying land in Washington would continue to cost taxpayers a fortune to maintain,” he said. “Revitalizing this RFK Memorial Stadium site has been a top economic priority for the city, and I am proud to have partnered with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to get this bill across the finish line and to the president’s desk. This bipartisan success is a testament to the House Oversight Committee’s unwavering effort to protect taxpayers and our full commitment to ensuring a capital that is prosperous for residents and visitors for generations to come.”
Playing in Washington again is no sure thing. The Commanders are considering places in the district, Maryland and Virginia to build a stadium in the coming years.
Their lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs through 2027. Harris called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a new stadium.
The team played at RFK Stadium 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the Capitol from 1961-96 before moving to Maryland. Harris and several co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington football fans during that era, which included the glory days of three Super Bowl championships from 1982-91.
Part of the way the provision got into the bill initially involved an agreement between the team and Maryland to tear down the current stadium in a timely fashion and redevelop the site with a project of equal economic impact, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press earlier this week on condition of anonymity because the deal was not being publicized.
After the Senate greenlit the RFK Stadium land transfer, Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, both Democrats, said they continued to believe their state's partnership with the team should continue long into the future.
“After working to level the financial playing field, and receiving assurances that should the team move they will redevelop the existing site in a manner that meets the needs of the community, tonight we supported the proposed land transfer legislation,” Cardin and Van Hollen said. "We have always supported the District’s effort to control its own land, and through regional discussions and cooperation, our concerns with this proposal have been addressed.”
The team has played games in Maryland since 1997 and practices in Ashburn, Virginia, not far from Dulles International Airport.
A return to the district would be another victory for Bowser, who on Thursday celebrated the start of an $800 million downtown arena renovation that is keeping the NBA's Wizards and NHL's Capitals in town. At that news conference, she took aim at Musk for sharing incorrect information on X, formerly Twitter, about taxpayers footing the bill for a new stadium.
“It was stated that the (continuing resolution) contains $3 billion for a stadium,” Bowser said. "All wrong. There are no federal dollars related to the transfer of RFK, and in fact the legislation does not require or link at all to a stadium. We’re talking about how the District can invest in removing blight.”
Musk reshared an inaccurate post saying: “Buried in the 1,547-page omnibus bill is a provision to facilitate a $3 billion NFL stadium in Washington, D.C." with the message, “This should not be funded by your tax dollars!”
The bill specifically prohibits the use of federal funds for a stadium on the site, “including training facilities, offices, and other structures necessary to support a stadium.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - A vehicle pushes up pikes of snow after trucks dump their loads of snow in the parking lots of RFK Stadium in Washington, Monday, Jan. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
