Last month, the New York Mets announced that they were bringing back their Gulf Coast League affiliate that ceased operations a year ago due to financial difficulties. Today, some more news regarding the team’s Minor League Operations… The New York Mets announced that they will directly manage the Kingsport Mets (Appalachian League) business and facilities operations at Hunter Wright Stadium. Mets Director of Florida Operations Paul Taglieri, in conjunction with Mets Vice President of Facilities Karl [...]

I’m busy working on MMO’s official Mets Top 25 Prospects list. I should start rolling it out in reverse order beginning next week. As I near the completion of all my research and start to fit in all the pieces of the puzzle as best as I can, I’m finding it so interesting to see how much things have changed from just one year ago. So many prospects have fallen out off last year’s Top 25, while [...]

Jayson Stark of ESPN is hearing from several clubs who are telling him they don’t believe that R.A. Dickey is really on the market — yet. The Mets have listened to offers on him since the GM meetings. But teams that kicked those tires came away with the impression the Mets still prefer to sign him, and are just lining up trade options in case those talks fall apart. Sounds like the Mets might have just [...]

I was reading MetsBlog’s take by Matt Cerrone on why he feels the Mets should jump on the recently released Chone Figgins. Figgins was pretty terrible last season. I’m talking Jason Bay-level terrible. He was no better in 2011. To be an upgrade for the Mets, he wouldn’t even have to be close to what he did 2009. I mean, his 2007, 2008 would be a significant upgrade, frankly. So, I expect teams to be [...]

I used to love checking out those polls they frequently conduct at MetsBlog and always enjoyed reading the results. But in the last two years, the majority vote seems to mirror the same opinions of the MetsBlog team. I find their poll results being too predictable now, and I think it’s because readers have more choices with new Mets sites sprouting up all the time. We love to visit the sites we like and mostly agree [...]

Free agent outfielder Torii Hunter agreed Wednesday to a two-year, $26-million contract with the defending American League champion Detroit Tigers. The deal is expected to be announced after he takes a physical examination Friday. Hunter, 37, batted a career-high .313 last season. He hit .350 after the All-Star break, leading the Angels’ spirited but futile bid for a playoff berth. The Angels declined to present Hunter with a qualifying offer for one year at $13 million, thus forfeiting the [...]

The Mets announced Thursday that they will again field a Gulf Coast League affiliate after a one-year hiatus, a development that will give New York nine Minor League teams. The Mets will operate their Gulf Coast League affiliate out of the team’s Minor League complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Only two other teams — Seattle and Tampa Bay — have nine Minor League affiliates. Eleven teams have eight affiliates, and 16 clubs have just [...]

Now that Jason Bay is gone, we can delve into some outfield options for the Mets. Will they make a big push to sign Melky Cabrera or Cody Ross? Will they attempt to re-sign Scott Hairston? Will they pursue a trade for Justin Upton or Shin-Soo Choo? One outfielder who probably won’t be an option is Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Red Sox will listen to [...]

After being denied a Rawlings NL Gold Glove as the league’s top defensive third baseman in 2012, David Wright can take solace in being named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for the Mets. Wright trumped Gold Glove winner Chase Headley in just about every advanced defensive metric at third base, but that didn’t stop the coaches and managers from muffing up the decision and showing just how inept and broken the voting process is. The [...]

I thought I’d take some time to examine what our opening day rotations would look like in the years to come. It’s basically an introspective on how far the Mets minor league system has come over the last two years, particularly among right-handed starting pitching which has become a strength for the Mets and the envy of many other teams. The best part is how evenly dispersed our best talent is, but that’s offset by an apparent lack of [...]

Mets catcher Mike Nickeas has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas, the team announced today. He is no longer on the 40-man roster. Nickeas, 29, batted .174 with one home run and 13 RBI and had a .471 OPS in 122 plate appearances in 2012. Pretty scary, huh? The Mets have said that improving the catching situation will be an offseason priority, but will not be adding anyone significant via free agency. They [...]