Jerry Koosman, the left-hander who became the face of the biggest moment in Mets history, has died at 83.
Steve and Alex Cohen issued a statement on behalf of the entire Mets organization after Koosman’s passing. His place in franchise lore is impossible to miss: without him, there are no 1969 Mets and no World Series ring.
That’s not hyperbole. That’s the weight of what he meant to this team.
The Mets also have a fresh piece of hardware to celebrate. For the first time since Juan Lagares in 2014, the club has a Gold Glove winner, and it belongs to Nolan McLean.
That award came as part of a wider Gold Glove night across the league, with MLB announcing the 2026 winners at 8:30 on a Sunday night on ESPN. The Braves had two winners of their own, with Mauricio Dubon taking utility and Matt Olson winning at first base.
Elsewhere in the division, the Nationals are expecting more from Connolly Early in 2027 after acquiring him in a trade that produced just one game of production for both sides. And with free agency approaching fast, it’s only natural to start drawing up Mets projections.
The larger baseball picture is already tilting toward the offseason’s next big question: there are two ways this can go before the lockout begins on December 1. It could turn into an insane 2021-style fire sale, or it could drag into an alarmingly glacial slog to the deadline.
Around the sport, a quartet of players from the KBO and NPB were officially posted by their teams. Wandy Peralta also chose to opt into his 2027 option with the Padres, locking in $4.45 million for next season.
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Mets Mourn A Franchise Icon From Their First Golden Era
Jerry Koosman, one of the defining figures from the Mets first golden era, has died at 83, closing the book on a career that helped shape the franchises identity. A Hall of Famer in team history and a cornerstone of the 1969 World Series champions, Koosman spent 12 seasons in New York and left behind the kind of rsum that still carries weight whenever the Mets talk about their roots.
His place in club lore was already secure long before the team retired his No. 36 in 2021, making him just the third player in franchise history to receive that honor. Koosmans 140 wins and 3.07 ERA speak to the consistency he brought over a long run in Queens, and his passing is a reminder of how much of the Mets earliest success was built on players whose impact still echoes through the organization. [Read more 🡒]