Mets' World Series layoff might not be a bad thing

Yes, only one of the seven teams that has swept its respective league championship series has gone on to win the World Series. But according to the manager of one of those losing teams, while the odds haven't been good, there's more to the story than that.

"I don’t see where there’s too many cons," Royals manager Ned Yost told the New York Post. "They are going to the World Series, they are excited. Their workouts are going to be fun and spirited. But once the games start again, the postseason is so much different than the regular season. They will be ready to go."

Yost also said that while the Mets will likely to be "anxious to go," they'll be able to relax for a few days and refocus.

The 2014 Kansas City Royals took care of business against the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS and took the San Francisco Giants to the seventh game of the World Series. In the deciding Game 7, the Royals were held scoreless by Madison Bumgarner, who allowed two hits in five innings of shutout baseball in relief. The World Series MVP held the Royals to one run and nine hits in 21 innings over three games. Still, the Royals were just 90 feet away from tying the game in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.

The manager of the one team that bucked the trend also said the layoff would help the Mets. Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox, who rode Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz to the 1995 World Series title, told MLB.com that the layoff will allow the young arms to "perk up a bit," even though the hitters would like to keep playing. He also added this amusing anecdote:

I remember when [Greg] Maddux was going to have more than a week off heading into the first game of the 1995 World Series. I asked him if he wanted to throw somewhere or play an intra-squad game. He said, 'Bobby, do you really think I 'm going to forget how to pitch?'

Cox also said the "loose and relaxed" atmosphere makes the long layoff "some of the most enjoyable days you will ever experience."