Morning Briefing: A's and Mariners Open Regular Season Action

Good morning Mets fans! Yesterday the Mets were scheduled to face off against the Marlins in Jupiter, but the game was canceled due to rain in Jupiter. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com notes that the rainout will not impact the Mets’ scheduled pitching rotation. Zack Wheeler, who was scheduled to pitch against the Marlins, will pitch in a minor league scrimmage today.

The Mets are off today. New York will compete in a pair of split-squad exhibition games on Thursday.

Today is opening day for the Oakland A’s and the Seattle Mariners. Oakland and Seattle kicked off the 2019 season in Tokyo this morning at 5:35 a.m. Eastern Time. The Mariners and A’s will finish their two-game series on Thursday before returning to the United States.

Latest Mets News

Jay Jaffe of Fangraphs ranks projected first base production, and the Mets come in at No. 13. Fangraphs projects Pete Alonso to post 1.5 WAR in 2019.

Craig Edwards of Fangraphs ranks projected second base production, and the Mets check in at No. 3 in Major League Baseball, trailing only Houston and Atlanta. Fangraphs projects Robinson Cano to post 2.8 WAR at second base in 2019.

Rian Watt of Fangraphs posts third base positional rankings for 2019. The Mets appear at No. 21, just ahead of the Angels and the White Sox. Fangraphs projects Jed Lowrie to post 1.6 WAR in 2019, a steep drop from his 4.9 fWAR in 2018.

Darren Rovell of Action Network reports that the Mets will add several food options to Citi Field. New selections include ice cream churro sandwiches and Champs Sliders with bacon and cheddar fondue.

Long Island Ducks general manager Michael Pfaff announced that the Ducks have signed former Met Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Nieuwenhuis, who spent parts of four seasons with the Mets, drilled three home runs in a July game against Arizona in 2015.

Nathalie Alonso of MLB.com writes about Omar Minaya and the influence that the executive has held in the Mets front office.

DiComo writes that Mickey Callaway and the Mets organization will prioritize bunting and situational hitting, especially to beat defensive shifts.

Latest MLB News

Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Los Angeles Angels are signing superstar center fielder Mike Trout to a 12-year contract valued at more than $430 million. The contract is the largest ever in major American sports.

Mark Berman of FOX 26 reported late last night that the Astros and Alex Bregman agreed to an extension while Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported that the deal was for five years and $100 million.

Rovell of reports that Astros third baseman Alex Bregman also has signed an apparel contract with Adidas.

The Astros, meanwhile, also agreed to an extension with Ryan Pressley for two years and $17.5 million as reported by Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Bill Bavasi will run the Arizona Fall League. Nightengale notes that league play will begin in September, moving up from its traditional October start.

Latest NL East News

Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes that Julio Teheran will lead Major League Baseball’s active streak of opening day starts when he opens the Braves’ season against the Phillies. Teheran will make his sixth consecutive opening day start on March 28.

Andre Fernandez of The Athletic writes that the Marlins young rotation is set to break out in 2019.

Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post writes that the Nationals are still deciding on a role for pitcher Joe Ross.

Latest on MMO

John Sheridan writes why the Nationals will not win the National League East in 2019.

Logan Barer ranks his top five National League Rookie of the Year candidates. Barer lists Mets first baseman Pete Alonso as his favorite for the honor.

Tim Ryder writes that Michael Conforto is hitting his stride as the regular season draws near. Conforto has slugged three home runs in his last three exhibition games.