Good morning, Mets fans! Happy Saturday!
The buzz around free agent Maikel Franco is heating up, and a decision seems to be looming. There was much more news around the baseball world and across MMO on Friday, however, so let’s dive into it.
Latest Mets News
Mets’ catcher Tomas Nido was scratched from his start during Friday’s game due to a left foot contusion. X-rays came back negative and he is considered day-to-day.
The Mets tweeted out photos of newly acquired shortstop Francisco Lindor on the cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine.
Mets color commentator Keith Hernandez announced that he has received the first COVID-19 vaccine shot earlier this week, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Latest MLB News
The Atlanta Braves are one of multiple teams in on free agent Maikel Franco, who is reportedly likely to decide today, according to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman. The Orioles and the Mets are two other teams interested.
Former Major League shortstop and third baseman Alex Rodriguez and his longtime fiance Jennifer Lopez announced their separation, according to this New York Post article.
The Atlanta Braves announced today on their Twitter that they will be allowing a 33% limited capacity of fans into Truist Park in this upcoming season.
Similarly, Oriole Park at Camden Yards will operate at 25% capacity, good for roughly 11,000 fans per game, according to Joe Trezza of MLB.com.
A recent article in The Athletic, and a subsequent follow up in the New York Post, discussed likely-to-remain free agent Yasiel Puig, and allegations of sexual assault against him resulting from an incident that occured in 2018 at the Staples Center.
The Athletic released a new article where catchers retell fun stories about working with Zack Greinke. Jayson Jenks of The Athletic highlighted the article in this tweet.
Latest on MMO
The MMO team released their newest roundtable, highlighting their favorite catcher in Mets’ history.
Michael Mayer wrote about the health of Tomas Nido.
MMO Digital
Locked On Mets: On today’s episode, host Ryan Finkelstein is joined by Ty Wilkes to introduce our newest podcast as part of MMO Digital, Mets Maniacs!
Along with discussing the show, Ryan and Ty talk about the Mets strengths and weaknesses as we approach Opening Day and try to set realistic expectations for where New York will finish this season.
Mets Maniacs: Today’s episode is the first of many for The Maniacs’ fan outreach segment, which looks to hear from the most important Mets cohort: the fans themselves!
This episode features long-time fan Joe Occhiogrosso, who walks through his take on the Mets offseason.
Guided by hosts Ty Wilkes and Mike Breznak (Uncle Mike), Joe expresses his gratitude for their increased emphasis on analytics, his excitement for Lindor, and his defense of the Mets decision to acquire James McCann. The Maniacs also touch on a few of Joe’s worst memories as a fan (no shortages there!) along with some of his favorite moments.
On This Date in Mets History
March 12 is the birthday of former Mets’ pitcher Johan Santana, who came to New York prior to the 2008 season, and threw the first no-hitter in New York Mets franchise history in 2012.
Birthdays: Johan Santana (43), Jorge Fabregas (52), Terry Leach (68), Luis Aguayo (63)
Let’s go Mets!
