As I write this, the Mets and their new ownership are reportedly close to signing James McCann to be the team’s catcher next season and are said to be the favorites to land George Springer as its future center fielder.

I’m on board, but I want to go further.

Trevor Bauer is the top free agent pitcher in free agency and will command big dollars whenever and wherever he signs. While I recognize the need for starting pitching and Bauer’s talent, I’d rather invest the money elsewhere. If I ran the Mets, I’d continue to build the team up the middle. That means adding one of the premier players in the game at perhaps the most important position. By means of trade, not free agency.

Francisco Lindor trade talks are heating up and I want the Mets to be at the forefront. No, the Mets do not have much in the way of talented prospects right now, but they do have something the Indians need: a couple of young offensive players to step into their lineup right now and produce.

Here’s my offer: Dominic Smith, Juan Rosario and any minor leaguer not named Francisco Alvarez, their19-year-old catcher of the future, for Lindor. Of course, you don’t make this deal without the ability to sign Lindor to a mega-deal. That’s why I assign those “Bauer dollars” to Lindor, a 27-year-old star who many consider a top-5 player in the game.

Make the trade and continue to bolster the club up the middle. Move Andres Gimenez to second base and leave him there, making him Lindor’s double-play partner for years to come.

Dom Smith’s value may never be greater than it is today, or he may yet blossom into one of the game’s top first basemen given the opportunity to play every day. That’s a chance you have to take if you want to add someone of Lindor’s talents. I’ve always liked Rosario, too, and believe he can produce as an everyday shortstop. Fortunately, or unfortunately for them, each player has someone standing in their way in Queens. But both players can hit, something that is desperately needed in pitching-rich Cleveland.

The Indians won’t be able to re-sign Lindor, that’s why he’s available. They will need a partner who has the means to sign the shortstop to a mega-deal or it’s never going to happen. And, for the first time in my lifetime, the Mets’ new ownership has the resources.

Don’t be conservative now. In this pandemic world where the Mets’ Steve Cohen was the only owner not to lose millions of dollars last year, the Mets have an opportunity of a lifetime to make up for many wasted years. Get Lindor in the fold, then add a couple more Trevor May-type relievers and finally fix the bullpen in an offseason that is flooded with strong arms with nowhere to go.

Anyway, that’s how I’d play it if I was in Steve Cohen’s shoes and had his wallet.

Eight baseball playoff games today, all on TV. Eight games, 16 teams! It bears noting: Prior to 1969, the team with the best record in the American League would meet the team with the best record in the National League in the World Series. There were no playoffs, just the World Series. Two teams.

I’m not sure how I feel about the watering down of October baseball, especially when two of the fortunate 16 lost more games than they won in this shortened season, but October baseball always inspired my friends and I to get outside for a game of punchball, stickball, hardball or softball when I was growing up in the East Village. Nothing wrong with that.

Prior to today’s festivities, I ran an errand and came across a spacious, empty concrete lot that had some weeds and not much else. “The Walk of Life” by Dire Straits was playing on the radio when my mind drifted back to a long ago era and I was surprised to find that something in my chest stirred. I won’t say my heart skipped a beat, but there was something there. Definitely.

Let me explain:

When we were kids, the Spaldeen was king and we played ball wherever we could. Open space was always a rarity and green fields were practically nonexistent. We played in a small concrete “park” where you had to hit the ball past the second floor of the neighboring apartment building to be credited with a home run. We played in the courtyard of the public school, where outfielders played with their backs to the batter to turn “home runs” into outs when someone caught a would-be homer off the building and before it could hit the ground. Other times we played in the street, where home runs came down to how many sewer covers the ball traveled in the air.

I can’t overstate how much fun we would have had playing in an empty lot where we could hit the ball as far as we could and there was still enough concrete for us to grow into that lot. It’s like when I was coaching travel ball or umpiring and I would arrive at a pristine grass field, complete with reachable fences to signal home runs.

This feeling has come and gone through the years whenever I pass an open field. In my heart, I know that my days of punchball, stickball and the rest are over, but there’s still enough of the little kid in me that protests.

One more swing, I think, as Dire Straits winds down: “You do the walk, yeah, you do the walk of life. Hmm, you do the walk of life.”

Predictions for the 60-game shortened MLB season:

Order of finish:

AL EAST

N.Y. Yankees
Tampa Bay
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore

AL CENTRAL

Minnesota
Cleveland
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City
Detroit

AL WEST

Oakland
Houston
L.A. Angels
Seattle
Texas

WILD CARDS: Houston over Tampa Bay
ALDS: N.Y. Yankees over Houston, Oakland over Minnesota
ALCS: N.Y. Yankees over Oakland

*or:

Playoff seeds: N.Y. Yankees, Oakland, Houston, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Boston, L.A. Angels
Quarterfinals: N.Y. Yankees over L.A. Angels, Oakland over Boston, Houston over Cleveland, Minnesota over Tampa Bay
Semifinals: N.Y. Yankees over Minnesota, Oakland over Houston
ALCS: N.Y. Yankees over Oakland

NL EAST

Philadelphia
Atlanta
Washington
N.Y. Mets
Miami

NL CENTRAL

Cincinnati
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Chicago Cubs
Pittsburgh

NL WEST

L.A. Dodgers
Colorado
San Diego
Arizona
San Francisco

WILD CARDS: Atlanta over St. Louis
NLDS: L.A. Dodgers over Atlanta, Philadelphia over Cincinnati
NLCS: L.A. Dodgers over Philadelphia

*or:

Playoff seeds: L.A. Dodgers, Cincinnati, Atlanta, St. Louis, Colorado, Milwaukee, Washington
Quarterfinals: L.A. Dodgers vs. Colorado, Washington over Cincinnati, Philadelphia over Milwaukee, St. Louis over Atlanta
Semifinals: L.A. Dodgers over St. Louis, Philadelphia over Washington
NLCS: L.A. Dodgers over Philadelphia

WORLD SERIES: N.Y. Yankees over L.A. Dodgers

AL MVP: Matt Chapman
NL MVP: Mookie Betts
AL CY YOUNG: Gerrit Cole
NL CY YOUNG: Walker Buehler

One note: I would have liked Toronto to contend for a Wild Card berth except that as of today the Blue Jays do not have a home ballpark. They may play at a minor league park that they clearly do not feel is up to major league standards, or they may play the entire season on the road. All in the middle of a global pandemic. Not good.

* New playoff format still being decided hours before Opening Day deadline and publication date.

“I never went down, Ray. You never got me down, Ray.” — Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta in “Raging Bull”

Predictions for the 2019 MLB season:

Order of finish:

AL EAST

N.Y. Yankees
Boston
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Baltimore

AL CENTRAL

Cleveland
Minnesota
Kansas City
Chicago White Sox
Detroit

AL WEST

Houston
Oakland
L.A. Angels
Seattle
Texas

WILD CARDS: Boston over Oakland
ALDS: Houston over Boston, N.Y. Yankees over Cleveland

ALCS: N.Y. Yankees over Houston

NL EAST

Philadelphia
N.Y. Mets
Washington
Atlanta
Miami

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh

NL WEST

L.A. Dodgers
Colorado
Arizona
San Francisco
San Diego

WILD CARDS: St. Louis over N.Y. Mets
NLDS: St. Louis over L.A. Dodgers, Chicago Cubs over Philadelphia

NLCS: St. Louis over Chicago Cubs

WORLD SERIES: N.Y. Yankees over St. Louis

AL MVP: Aaron Judge
NL MVP: Anthony Rizzo
AL CY YOUNG: Gerrit Cole
NL CY YOUNG: Jacob deGrom

Frank Robinson died today and another piece of my youth slipped away.

Second basemen and shortstops knew they were in for it whenever Robinson came barreling into second base to break up a double play. At bat, he would always crowd the plate, so pitchers would try to back him up by pitching inside. Some even tried to intimidate him by throwing at his head and knocking him down.

They didn’t know Frank Robinson.

This baseball legend would dust himself off, get back into the box without giving an inch, and oftentimes line the next pitch into the left-field corner for extra bases. There was no thought of running out to the mound, no pointing at the opposition, no beating of the chest. It was a different era.

My love for baseball came to me as a kid in the East Village. My friends and I looked up to the older guys in the neighborhood. We hung out together at the park, played hardball, softball, stick ball, stoop ball, punch ball and every variation of baseball we could think of. When we weren’t playing we were listening to stories about the exploits of Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and the New York Yankees, the greatest show on earth. So we grew up giving our heart and soul to the Yankees, although Maris was traded in 1967, Mantle retired after the 1968 season and the Yankees had not won anything since 1964.

We didn’t know Frank Robinson.

The first World Series I remember was in 1966: the Orioles of Frank and Brooks Robinson vs. the Dodgers of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. It was no contest. Baltimore swept the Series in four games. Frank Robinson had my attention.

The Orioles were back in the World Series in 1969, 1970 and 1971, an era when I realized that the best team in baseball didn’t play in New York but in Baltimore. Frank Robinson led the way, of course. The best player on the best team … the way Mantle was. Before my time.

I went to my first game at Yankee Stadium in 1967. Two things I remember about that day: How green the grass was (we had black & white TV and played our games on cement or asphalt) and watching Mickey Mantle up close for the first time. By the time the early 1970s came around, my friends and I would take the bus from Elizabeth, New Jersey, into the city and get on the subway for the ride to the Bronx. We always made sure we were early, especially when the Orioles were in town. Getting to see the Orioles up close while they warmed up was worth the $4.50 price of a field box ticket all by itself. Mantle was gone, but Frank Robinson was still there. He stood 6-foot-1 and weighed about 185 pounds, but to me he was a giant. Just like the stories I heard about Mantle but never really got to see for myself.

We finally knew Frank Robinson. And it was our pleasure.

It’s been five years since the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, enough time to take a look back and wonder what if … and what the hell?

I’ll get right to it. There were two future superstars selected in the first round that year: Kris Bryant and Aaron Judge. Bryant, I get. The Cubs took him with the second pick overall. Judge is harder to figure out, if only because of all the swings and misses before him. The Yankees took Judge with the 32nd pick. That means a whole lot of teams had their opportunity to take the giant of an outfielder from Fresno State University.

A couple of other names selected in the first round of the 2013 draft are Jon Gray of the Rockies (3rd) and Clint Frazier of the Yankees, acquired from the Indians who took him 5th overall. Other players to make it to the majors without a ton of success yet include Austin Meadows, taken by the Pirates (9th); Hunter Renfroe of the Padres (13th), J.P. Crawford, taken 16th by the Phillies; Tim Anderson of the White Sox (17th); and Marco Gonzales, taken by the Cardinals (19th). Only Gray, Renfroe and Anderson are with their original team.

The first pick in 2013? Mark Appel, by the Astros. Appel played his last minor league game in 2017. He never played a day in the major leagues.

Bryant was considered a can’t-miss prospect and has lived up to expectations, winning Rookie of the Year and MVP awards. Appel was considered a big arm, someone who probably would have gone No. 1 overall in the 2012 draft if not for the concerns that he might not sign. Those concerns proved to be well-founded because Appel, who was picked No. 8 by the Pirates that year, did not sign and re-entered the draft in 2013.

The Astros decided to go with the stud pitcher a year later rather than the stud third baseman, a decision they lived to regret but understandable considering the shortage of top-flight starting pitchers coming out of college.

What is not understandable is the amount of teams who passed on Judge. What’s not to like? His size? He is an absolute physical specimen without peer in professional baseball at 6-foot-7 and 282 pounds. His mental makeup? Anyone who did their homework on this young man had to know they were getting something special within the first five minutes of speaking to him. There’s a reason this guy is compared to Derek Jeter, and it’s not overblown.

It had to be the curveball, I guess, or rather his inability to hit the curve ball. I remember he struck out a lot when he first came up with the Yankees (42 times in his 84 bats in 2016), but I also remember that he went on to hit 52 home runs and drive in 114 runs in 2017, his first full season. Rookie of the Year. Finished second to Jose Altuve in the MVP voting. Yes, he strikes out too much for my tastes, but his ability to get on base — especially for a top-of-the-line slugger — and hit the ball out of the park anytime he gets his bat on the ball covers up a lot of sins.

The Yankees saw the potential in this giant of a man, someone who carries an outstanding mental makeup along with his big bat and rocket of an arm, and took a chance that somewhere along the line Aaron Judge would figure it out.

The Mets picked 11th overall in 2013. Bryant was long gone, but they could have had Judge just by calling out his name. Instead, they went with first baseman Dominic Smith. They must have seen something in Dominic Smith that I have yet to see in his short tenure with the ball club. Physically, Smith has been out of shape for most of his career. Mentally, he showed up late for a team meeting and was benched for the first preseason game of 2018. This came after he lost 35 pounds in the off-season and was given an opportunity to win the starting job in spring training. He didn’t win that job and his standing with the 2019 Mets is shaky at best. But the Mets didn’t know that in 2013, of course. It turns out that there’s a whole lot the Mets haven’t known in recent years, and that’s at least part of the reason they have a new general manager.

And any Yankee fan who likes to brag about his team’s ability to sniff out a great talent like Judge while other teams can only dream of including him in their outfield, I have two words for you: Eric Jagielo.

You see, the Yankees had another first-round pick in 2013. At No. 26, six picks before they drafted Judge, the Yankees selected Jagielo, a corner infielder who has yet to play in the major leagues and is now on his third organization, the Miami Marlins.

Pro sports can analyze data and statistics for nearly everything these days, but when it comes to scouting it still is a crapshoot.

Let me know when they come up with analytics that can measure an athlete’s heart, what drives one player to overcome any and all obstacles to succeed and drives another out of the sport altogether. Then you would really have something.

I know it’s way too early, but there’s a consensus building that the Colts will select North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb with the third pick in this year’s NFL draft.

I just don’t see it. Don’t get me wrong, I know that the Colts are desperately in need of an elite pass rusher, it’s just that I think it may be a down year for pass rushers in this draft. The Colts are in need of a lot of help, and I believe they can ill afford to take Chubb at No. 3 and forfeit a chance to pick up a package of draft picks.

At this point, I think the Colts can safely move down in the draft and still pick up a position of need, probably even Chubb himself. If not, there should be elite talent at safety, inside linebacker and guard available, all positions of need.

Now, I didn’t mention Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. He’s the key to this draft, as far as the Colts are concerned. If the Browns think that they can grab a QB at No. 1 and take Barkley at No. 4 because the Giants need a QB and the Colts have to have Chubb, they will be disappointed.

Barkley is the only guy in the draft that should give GM Chris Ballard any pause at what to do with the No. 3 pick. Actually, there shouldn’t be any pause. If Barkley is there at No. 3, make him a Colt. If not, fall back and grab the best available player and as many picks as you can.

If I’m running the Browns, I take Barkley No. 1 overall and grab the best available QB at No. 4. Barkley looks like a once-in-a-generation talent, while it doesn’t appear to be that much separating the top four quarterbacks in this draft.

Seems logical to me, but this is the Browns we’re talking about and that should give Colts fans hope

The Rays are placing screens across the infield to encourage their hitters to improve their launch angle this spring. Hit the ball over the screens, they say. Fly balls are in. Ground balls and even line drives are out. That seems to be the direction baseball is heading these days, as the astronomical increase in strikeouts suggests. Free agent J.D. Martinez and the Dodgers’ Chris Taylor are the poster boys for this brand of baseball as a new generation of general managers tries to reinvent the wheel. I say congratz to Martinez and Taylor, but be very careful. Everyone is not the same.

Give me someone who can consistently bring home a runner from third base with less than two outs. Yes, I’ll take a deep fly ball, but in more cases than not I’ll get a pop up or a strikeout. Instead of getting everyone’s launch angle perfected, how about working on putting the bat on the ball consistently. A ground ball to the right side will do the trick. Just don’t strike out, but that’s what they’re teaching these days. Home run or strikeout, don’t sweat the little stuff.

Don’t like the shift? Why wouldn’t clubs work on situational hitting, taking the ball the other way in order to get on base. Not every time, but enough times that defenses would think twice about using a shift against you. Hey, some analytics are great, especially the ones that emphasize reaching base and scoring runs. Why would you reduce your odds by altering your launch angle to a point where you are an all or nothing hitter? Some players, especially those who clog up the bases, are built in a way that a change in launch angle could improve what they do best. Just don’t have everyone in your lineup swinging for the fences every time.

The commissioner is worried about the pace of play when at-bats where nothing at all happens are increasing. Hit a home run, strike out or walk. I can only hope that baseball comes to its senses soon. At bat, put the ball in play, run the bases hard and keep the pressure on the defense. In the field, have your pitchers throw strikes and have your fielders make all the plays. It’s not rocket science. It’s baseball.