Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, Los Angeles traded infielder Gavin Lux on Monday to Cincinnati for a Competitive Balance Round A pick (projected by ESPN to be in the top 40) and outfield prospect Mike Sirota.

Following the signing of Hyeseong Kim, a free agent from the KBO, to a three-year contract last Friday, Lux, 27, who slashed .251/.320/.383/.703 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 2024, became expendable to the Dodgers. Kim will ostensibly replace Lux as the Los Angeles starting second baseman for the 2025 season.

After trading their previous starting second baseman, Jonathan India, to Kansas City on November 22, the Reds desired a replacement under team control. Lux will not be a free agent until after the 2026 season.

Sirota was Cincinnati’s 14th-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers in 2021 but elected to play collegiately at Northeastern University. He was selected in the third round (87th overall) by the Reds in the 2024 draft. 

The Dodgers, arguably the Mets’ chief challenger for the National League pennant heading into the 2025 season, finally acquire a prospect they have long been interested in while simultaneously creating playing time for their latest international free agent. 

In other baseball news, Jeff Passan also reports RHP Michael Lorenzen will return to the Kansas City Royals on a one-year, $7 million contract. The deal has a second-year mutual option worth $12 million.

Lorenzen, 33, was 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA in seven games (six starts) after being acquired from Texas on July 29.

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Young, 29, split the 2024 season between the Memphis Redbirds (the St. Louis Cardinals Triple-A affiliate) and Doosan of the KBO.  Young belted 10 home runs and posted a 1.080 OPS in Korea while hitting 11 home runs with a .917 OPS with Memphis.

For Memphis and Doosan, Young, who bats left and throws right, played first base, third base, right field and left field.  The Mets currently do not have a starting first baseman with Alonso still a free agent, and the possibility exists that Mark Vientos may move to first if Alonso does not re-sign, which, ostensibly, would create a vacancy at third base.  Either way, Young likely serves as depth in any scenario.

Furthermore, Young can fill the void as a fifth outfielder behind Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, and Jose Siri. DJ Stewart filled a similar role in 2024, but Jesse Winker ultimately took his spot after being acquired from Washington at the trade deadline.

Drafted in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft by the Cubs out of Old Dominion University, Young last played in the major leagues in 2023.  In 16 games for the Cubs that season Young slashed .186/.255/.465/.720.  He has a lifetime career line of .210/.290/.436/.745 in 22 major league games.

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After battling for the services of perennial All-Star Juan Soto, both New York baseball teams have set their sights on White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic.

Crochet, a 25-year-old southpaw, went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts over 146 innings in 2024. He earned his first All-Star team selection and has two more seasons of team control. The former reliever became a full-time starter in 2024 and has a lifetime 3.29 ERA across 219 innings pitched. He missed the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Mets starting rotation currently consists of Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes, and Paul Blackburn. All five have endured injuries during their careers, so the Mets, despite the addition of Soto, must improve their pitching to overtake the Dodgers in the National League in 2025.

Coming off a historically horrific 41-121 campaign in 2024, with only one more win than the 1962 Mets, the White Sox are eager to build their roster with young, cost-controlled, major league-ready talent. Rosenthal and Sammon list Luisangel Acuña, Brett Baty and Jett Williams as a few names that may spark intrigue for Chicago.

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Sources tell own own Mike Mayer that the New York Yankees have signed Marcus Stroman. The former Mets right-hander opted out of his deal with the Cubs after being an All-Star in 2023. 

It’s expected to be a two-year deal worth $18.5 million per year and has an option for a third year. 

Original Post – Jan. 10 at 9:40 AM

The Mets are not the only team in town looking to solidify their starting pitching prior to the start of spring training.

The Yankees, similar to the Mets, seeking to rebound after a failed attempt to land Yoshinobu Yamamoto, have emerged as the favorite to sign free agent pitcher Marcus Stroman, MLB Network reported on Wednesday.

In 2023, Stroman was an All-Star for the second time (2019 was his previous honor) for the Cubs, posting a record of 10-9 with a 3.95 ERA in 136.2 innings over 27 games (25 starts).

Overall, in eight full MLB seasons, he is 77-76 with a 3.65 ERA.

A native of Medford, New York and graduate of Patchogue-Medford High School, Stroman was drafted by Toronto 22nd overall in the 2012 MLB Draft.

The Mets acquired Stroman from the Blue Jays on July 28, 2019, for Anthony Kay, their 2016 first-round pick, and Simeon Woods-Richardson, their 2018 second-round pick. Brodie Van Wagenen, the Mets general manager at the time, viewed Stroman as a hedge if Zack Wheeler left the team as a free agent following the conclusion of the 2019 season, which ended up occurring.

Stroman reportedly was not initially pleased with his trade to the Mets, hoping to land with the Yankees or another contender. But Stroman settled down, settled in, and performed well for the Mets in 2019 (4-2. 3.77 ERA, 11 starts, 59.2 innings) and 2021 (10-13, 3.02 ERA, 33 starts, 179 innings). He exercised his COVID-19 opt-out for the 2020 season.

Stroman signed as a free agent with the Cubs following the 2021 season.

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Addressing the media on Wednesday to officially introduce the free agent signings of center fielder Harrison Bader and starting pitcher Luis Severino, Stearns acknowledged that further improving the Mets’ bullpen is currently his primary focus.

“(We) would like to add to our reliever mix,” Stearns said. “We want to put together the best unit that we possibly can as of Opening Day, but we also recognize that there are going to be opportunities to change the index and potentially improve as we go through a full season.”

The Mets, who reportedly have approximately $10 million left to spend in their off-season budget, have been recently linked to free agent relievers Wandy Peralta, Brent Suter and John Brebbia.

Peralta, 32, was 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in 54 innings for the Yankees in 2023. Overall, he is 19-18 with a 3.88 ERA in eight full major league seasons.

Suter, 34, was 4-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 69.1 innings for Colorado in 2023. He pitched for Stearns and the Brewers from 2016-2022.  Overall, he is 40-22 with a 3.39 ERA, also in eight full major league seasons.

Brebbia, 33, was 3-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 38.1 innings for San Francisco in 2023. Overall, he is 15-15 with a 3.42 ERA in six full major league seasons.

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The New York Post reported on Thursday that the Mets have informed clubs that they are willing to trade the catcher and 2021 All-Star.

Narváez, 31, signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Mets on Dec. 15, 2022, that included a $7 million player option for 2024.

After slashing .211/.283/.297/.580 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 49 games in 2023, Narváez exercised his player option for the 2024 season on Nov. 3.

The Mets initially viewed the left-handed hitting Narváez as a viable platoon option with the right-handed hitting Tomás Nido for the 2023 season. But the struggles/injuries of Narváez, the emergence of Francisco Alvarez, and the struggles of Nido changed the dynamic of the Mets catching position in 2023.

Last month, the Mets claimed catcher Tyler Heineman off waivers and got Cooper Hummel as well. Hummel plays a variety of different positions, including 18 of his 43 big league games at catcher. 

An eight-year major league veteran, Narvaez has a career slash line of .255/.339/.380/.719 with 53 home runs and 198 RBIs with the Chicago White Sox (2016-18), Seattle (2019), Milwaukee (2020-22) and the Mets (2023).

His 2021 All-Star appearance was with Milwaukee and David Stearns, when he slashed .266/.342/.402/.743 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs.

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“I think the whole organization tried our hardest, and someone was going to win and someone was going to lose and that is the way it goes,” Cohen said to The Post from the Caribbean, where he is currently vacationing. “I feel good about our efforts and I left it all on the field. Life goes on.”

Cohen’s efforts included a trip to Japan with president of baseball operations David Stearns to meet with Yamamoto and his family, and a hosted dinner party at his Connecticut residence, which included his wife, Alex, Stearns, new manager Carlos Mendoza, and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

According to the Post, Cohen, who declined to offer specifics about the negotiations, was never offered an opportunity by Yamamoto and his representatives to increase the bid. The Mets’ offer for Yamamoto was reportedly the same as the Dodgers (12 years, $325 million). If the Mets were provided an opportunity to increase their offer, would Yamamoto have given them additional consideration, or were the Dodgers his coveted destination all along?

Either way, Cohen, knowing that free agent starting pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are still available, says he is ready to move forward pragmatically.

“We’re going to be thoughtful and not impulsive and thinking about sustainability over the intermediate long-term, but not focused on winning the headlines over the next week,” Cohen said. “Last I looked, there’s never one player that is going to make or break your team. We’ll build it. It will happen. Slowly and surely you will see changes and improvements. We have got the right management in place with a shared vision.”

The vision includes, despite current disappointment, life going on for the Mets.

The post Steve Cohen on Yamamoto Pursuit: ‘I Left It All On the Field’ appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets announced on Monday that they acquired right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramirez from the White Sox for cash considerations.

Ramirez, 28, was designated for assignment by the White Sox on December 13. He posted a 4.23 ERA in a combined 38 1/3 innings for Chicago and the Pirates in 2023.

Originally signed by Houston as an international free agent in 2016, for a modest $15,000 signing bonus, Ramirez features a sinker that reaches the mid-90s.

Yohan Ramirez, Frisbee Sweeper. 🥏 pic.twitter.com/VWiFFNbn4T

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 27, 2023

After being selected by Seattle in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft from Houston, Ramirez commenced his major league career in promising fashion with the Mariners as he posted, in 2020, a 2.61 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 20.2 innings and, in 2021, a 3.90 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.

But Ramirez was designated for assignment by Seattle in May 2022, following a challenging start to the season (7.56 ERA in 8 1/3 innings) and again by Cleveland on July 3 (4.50 ERA in two innings) before settling in with Pittsburgh (3.67 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 27 innings).

Despite once again posting a 3.67 ERA in 2023 for the Pirates, along with 31 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings, Ramirez was designated for assignment on September 1.

After joining the White Sox this past September, he posted a 9.00 ERA in four innings.

The Mets hope that Ramirez can, at least, revert to his performance in Pittsburgh, all for a minimal cost. They look to save their high spending for Yamamoto.

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Today marks the 24th anniversary of the December 13, 1999 trade agreement between the Mets and Seattle that would have brought Griffey Jr. to Flushing in exchange for relief pitchers Armando Benítez and Octavio Dotel and outfielder Roger Cedeño.

The Mets, coming off an appearance in the 1999 National League Championship Series, where they lost in six games to the Braves, following a 96-66 regular season record, believed the addition of Griffey Jr. to an already strong lineup of Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Robin Ventura would provide the offensive firepower required to contend with Atlanta’s dominant starting pitching at the time of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz.

During the 1999 season, Griffey Jr. slashed .285/.384/.576/.960 with 48 home runs, 134 RBIs, and 123 runs scored in 160 games, won his 10th consecutive Gold Glove as a center fielder, and was named to his 10th consecutive All-Star Game. With the possible exception of Barry Bonds, Griffey Jr. was viewed as the best positional player in the sport during this time.

So when contract discussions between Seattle and Griffey Jr. reached an impasse, Mets general manager Steve Phillips engaged the Mariners in trade discussions, before Griffey Jr. could leave as a free agent following the 2000 season (this is similar to the Juan Soto/Yankees/Padres situation from this current offseason).

However, the trade agreement was never finalized because Griffey Jr., leery of entering the New York media spotlight, exercised his 10-5 (10 years of major league service time, 5 consecutive years with the same team) veto power to nix the trade.

But all was not lost for the Mets because Phillips quickly pivoted. Ten days later, on December 23, 1999, the Mets acquired star left-handed starting pitcher Mike Hampton and outfielder Derek Bell from Houston for Dotel, Cedeno, and minor league pitcher Kyle Kessel.

Hampton pitched well for the Mets in the 2000 regular season, posting a 15-10 record with a 3.14 ERA in 217 2/3 innings pitched. The Mets finished 94-68 during the 2000 regular season and advanced to the National League Championship series once again, where Hampton was dominant (2-0 and 16 shutout innings in two starts, winning the NLCS MVP). The Mets advanced to the Subway Series against the Yankees, losing 4 games to 1.

And although Hampton left the Mets as a free agent following that 2000 season, declaring that the school system was much better in Colorado, where he signed an eight-year, $121 million contract, the Mets used their compensatory free agent-loss draft selection the following Summer on…David Wright.

Griffey Jr. was eventually traded to the Reds in February of 2000. He grew up a Reds fan, largely because his father, Ken Griffey Sr., played there from 1973 to 1981 and again from 1988 to 1990. Griffey Jr., who attended Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati before being selected first overall in the 1987 MLB Draft by the Mariners, signed a new nine-year, $112.5 million contract with the Reds, with deferred payments from 2009 to 2024.

In 2000, Griffey Jr. slashed .271/.387/.556/.942 with 40 home runs, 118 RBIs, and 100 runs scored in 145 games, qualifying for his 11th consecutive All-Star Game. However, his career tailed off after that season; Griffey Jr. only had two more All-Star appearances (2004, 2007), and he never reached the 40 homer or 100 RBI plateaus again. He returned to Seattle following the conclusion of his Cincinnati contract and played his final two seasons (2009 and 2010) with the Mariners.

Griffey Jr. finished his 22-year career as a 13-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, and seven-time Silver Slugger.

In 2016, Griffey Jr. was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving a record 99.32% of the vote. 

Would the Mets have been better off with Griffey Jr. or Hampton and Wright?

Are the Mets better off with Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell?

The more things change, the more interesting debates, historically and presently, always surround the Mets.

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After selecting right-hander Justin Slaten from the Texas organization, the Mets immediately shipped Slaten to the Red Sox for left-hander Ryan Ammons and cash considerations. 

Drafted by Boston in the 10th round of the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft out of Clemson University, Ammons, 22, during his four-year collegiate career, posted a 4.35 ERA over 51 2/3 innings with 75 strikeouts. Ammons did not pitch last season after getting drafted by the Red Sox. 

Slaten, 26, posted a combined 2.87 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings with Texas’ Double-A affiliate, the Frisco RoughRiders, and Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express. His fastball has been clocked at 98 miles per hour.

Slaten has yet to pitch in the major leagues. He was originally drafted by the Rangers in the third round of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft from the University of New Mexico.

Slaten must remain on the Red Sox major league roster for the entire 2024 regular season. Otherwise, he must be offered back to the Rangers for a cost of $50,000.

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Since Ammons was not an official Rule 5 selection, this provision does not apply to him, thus affording the Mets organizational flexibility and roster options.

The Mets did not lose a player in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. There was speculation about losing Coleman Crow, the right-handed pitcher they acquired on June 23 from the Angels, along with Landon Marceaux, for Eduardo Escobar.

The organizational roster did, however, endure a net loss during the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft, acquiring two players, but losing five. There are no roster requirements for players taken in the minor league portion. 

Donovan Antonia, 20, was selected by the Mets from Cincinnati. The versatile Antonia, who has played second base in addition to all three outfield positions, slashed .288/.409/.466/.875 in 33 games during 2023 between rookie ball and Low-A for the Reds organization.

The Mets also added right-handed pitcher Alan Perdomo. The 22-year-old had a 5.71 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 34 2/3 innings for the Rockies in rookie ball. 

The Mets lost RHP Brendan Hardy, OF Yeral Martinez, LHP Tyler Thomas, RHP Benito Garcia, and RHP Daison Acosta.

Hardy and Garcia may be the most intriguing losses.

Hardy, 23, was selected by the Rockies. In 2023, he combined for a 1.80 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 35 innings for Low-A St. Lucie, High-A Brooklyn, and Double-A Binghamton.

Garcia, 23, was drafted by the Cardinals. In 2023, he had a 2.20 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings combined also for St. Lucie, Brooklyn, and Binghamton.

Martinez, 21, was selected by the Marlins. In 2023, he slashed .239/.328/.399/.727 with nine home runs and 12 stolen bases for St. Lucie.

Thomas, 27, was drafted by the Braves. He posted a combined 2.86 ERA in 34 2/3 relief innings with Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse in 2023.

Acosta, 25, was drafted by the Nationals. In 2023, he had a 4.54 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings with St. Lucie and Binghamton.

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