MLB approved two rule changes that will take effect this season, creating a harsher penalty for a team that violates the shift rule and allowing replay officials to determine if a runner “abandoned” a base, according to a report Thursday by The Athletic. The shift rule bars teams from positioning more than two infielders on either side of second base before the pitch is thrown. If an...
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At some point between arriving at the trade deadline, hitting a memorable walk-off home run in August and smoking cigars after winning a couple of playoff rounds in October, Jesse Winker got hooked on the Mets. “Honestly, everything,” the outfielder said Wednesday at his introductory news conference when asked what he liked most about his time in Queens. “The overall experience...
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Jett Williams, Brandon Sproat, Jesus Baez and Nolan McLean cracked Baseball America’s annual list of the top 100 prospects released Wednesday. Williams, ranked at 58, battled injuries last season while slashing .215/.358/.298 across three minor league levels (as high as Triple-A Syracuse) with no home runs and five steals in 148 plate appearances. The 21-year-old shortstop/center fielder...
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Billy Wagner has gotten the call to Cooperstown. Wagner, eighth on the all-time saves list with 422 and sixth in Mets history with 101, earned 82.5% of the vote in his 10th and final chance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, it was announced Tuesday. Players need 75 percent of the vote to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Carlos Beltrán, unfortunately, will have to...
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It’s not too late to build a great bullpen. With the bullpen market starting to heat up after Tanner Scott signing with the Dodgers, it’s time to reevaluate where things stand. The Mets have made notable moves with the addition of A.J. Minter and Griffin Canning, but they can use another reliable late-inning arm out of the pen. Plenty of quality free agent options are available just...
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