CARLSBAD, Calif. — First things first. That is if either New York team has a first.
Do the Mets and Yankees possess multiple first-base options or none?
Symbolically, Brodie Van Wagenen’s initial road excursion as Mets GM was to the Arizona Fall League to have a one-on-one dinner with Peter Alonso. Van Wagenen then used his opening media scrum at the GM meetings to state that Alonso would be invited to spring training, receive plenty of at-bats and have a chance to win the first-base job from the outset.
Is he ready? Does he have competition?