Bill Madden: Darryl Strawberry a big fan of what Mets are building

Bill Madden, New York Daily News on Mar 16, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — We were sitting in the dugout at Clover Park watching the Mets hitters, in particular Juan Soto, taking their pre-game rips and Darryl Strawberry, a not-so-impassive observer, was asked if he’d had “the talk” with the Mets’ $765 million dollar man.

“Not really,” said Straw who’s in Mets camp for just a couple of days before returning home to St. Louis to resume his ministry work in the local prisons. “You mean about his responsibilities here? He knows what’s expected of him. But he’s already done it, and done it in New York.”

“But doesn’t the big contract automatically create a leadership role for him?” I asked him.

Darryl laughed.

“Leadership? He leads by example,” he said. “By that I mean he plays every day. Players notice that. He already has the presence. For me, that would’ve been the No. 1 reason to give him all that money — that and the fact he’s only 26. He plays every day and you got to give credit for that. Baseball’s for the younger players now.”

That Soto has played 150 or more games in all of the last six full seasons undoubtedly factored into what became a four-team bidding war all over $700 million, in Darryl’s opinion even more than the career high 41 homers he hit batting in front of Aaron Judge with the Yankees last year. “For me the most important stat of all is games played,” Straw said. “Look back through the years, the best players are the ones who play every day and are most consistent. I think of most consistent and I think of Barry Bonds. Soto too.”

I mentioned to him that Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso also post up every day.

“That’s why I really like this team,” Straw said. “They got the three big guys who lead by example just like we had Keith [Hernandez], Gary [Carter] and me in 1986.”

It is a credit to Steve Cohen that he has seen fit to bring back the most distinguished Mets alumni, Strawberry, Doc Gooden, David Wright in particular, and make them part of the organization. The Mets have always had a rich history (if limited) but never fully embraced it under the previous ownership. I remember walking into Citi Field with Tom Seaver the first time as he gazed around the rotunda in dismay at all the Jackie Robinson tributes and commented: “I loved and respected Jackie Robinson as a player and pioneer in baseball. I just don’t ever remember him being a Met.”

“I am grateful to Steve for bringing me back in the fold,” Darryl said. “That’s one of things Soto will learn going from the Yankees to over here.

“The Yankees have tradition going back 80 years with many World Series and many championships whereas the Mets have just a couple. But he’s got a 12-year contract and with Steve as the owner providing the resources he [has a] chance to catch up a lot on the Yankees. I really like the way David Stearns is going about building this team. Very methodical.”

It was a little over a year ago that Strawberry suffered a massive near-fatal heart attack in which doctors described his recovery “a miracle.” I joked with him how he seems to have nine lives, having previously survived bouts with colon cancer, not to mention years of drug and alcohol abuse. During his recovery from the heart attack, his friends attributed it to overwork in his ministry, seemingly never turning down requests to preach the good word in schools, churches and prisons.

“Are you at least taking it a little more easy now?” I asked him.

“Aw, not so much,” Straw said, smiling. “You know me. The way I look at it, I’m gonna die anyway. It’s a whole lot better going out this way than my other life.”