Jeff McNeil returned for his first game in New York on Tuesday since his December trade to the A’s, but instead of this series against the Yankees, he’s got the next one circled on his calendar.
“When I got traded over to the A’s, I saw this [trip] pretty early on the schedule, it was pretty cool to get back to New York early in the season,’’ McNeil said before Tuesday night’s 5-3 loss to the Yankees in The Bronx. “These three games are kind of like normal road games for me, but when we go to Citi Field, it will be a little bit different. There will be a little bit more emotion there.”
That comes Friday, as the A’s spend nearly a full week in New York.
And McNeil knows that while there will be plenty of familiar faces when he gets to Queens, there will be several that — like him — ended up elsewhere this offseason.
In addition to McNeil, the Mets also traded Brandon Nimmo to Texas in exchange for Marcus Semien and let Pete Alonso go to Baltimore in free agency after bringing him back a year ago.
Edwin Díaz being lost to the Dodgers as a free agent was another part of the Mets offseason makeover, although the Mets did try to retain the closer, who chose to go to Los Angeles instead.
“There’s a bunch of new faces over there,’’ McNeil said. “That’s the way the organization wanted to go. There’s a lot of us that were there a long time that are no longer there. It was a little crazy to see, but it is what it is. I’m happy to be an A now.”
McNeil said the transition has “been crazy.”
“Just getting traded [after] spending seven years with the Mets,’’ McNeil said. “It took me by surprise a little bit. I think I’ve been in trade talks every year of my career. You’re not sure what’s gonna happen, but it finally happened … I enjoyed my time over there. I have nothing but great things to say about the organization. I got traded. I love it over here [with the A’s]. It’s a great group of guys and we’re having a lot of fun.”
Not surprisingly, though, the A’s have gotten off to a rough start in their second season playing in a minor league ballpark in Sacramento while they wait for a planned move to Las Vegas.
McNeil and his new team lost their first four games of the season — and five of their first six — but then took a series against the Astros.
And McNeil started the season just 1-for-13 with six strikeouts, but had hits in four straight games after going 2-for-3 with a run scored, although he was still looking for his first extra-base hit after putting up 20-plus doubles and double-digit homers each of the previous three seasons.
There’s also one noticeable difference he’s experienced from having played in New York.
“It’s a minor league ballpark,” McNeil said of the biggest adjustment to his new home. “They did a tremendous job with the locker room and have great amenities. It just doesn’t quite seat as many people.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
