You want to talk about a New York baseball robbery? Forget the Bronx. The real heist just went down in Queens.
The New York Mets just pulled off what Phillies reporter Jim Salisbury called "the Lufthansa heist at JFK from Goodfellas" - swooping in at the last second to sign shortstop Bo Bichette away from Philadelphia, a team that thought they had a deal locked up.
And according to Todd Zolecki, another Phillies beat reporter, the word being used in the Philadelphia front office is "livid."
Folks, that's the kind of word you use when someone doesn't just beat you - they embarrass you.
Here's what happened: The Phillies thought they were bringing Bichette to Philadelphia. They had progressed far enough in negotiations that people inside the organization believed the deal was basically done. They probably started planning where he'd hit in the lineup. Maybe someone in the front office was already designing the press release.
And then Mets owner Steve Cohen - who's got more money than some small countries - decided he wanted Bichette in Queens. And when Steve Cohen wants something, he usually gets it.
The Mets came in over the top, made an offer the Phillies either couldn't or wouldn't match, and Bichette is now headed to .
