Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning, Mets fans!
A day after it was reported the Giants were pursuing righty Chris Bassitt, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the team is in fact not going after the 33-year-old. Bassitt pitched for San Francisco’s Bay Area rivals, the A’s, for six years before getting shipped to the Mets this past spring. Bassitt threw a career-high 181 2/3 innings this year, turning in a 3.42 ERA/3.66 FIP with a 1.145 WHIP and 167 strikeouts.
Speaking of Giants pitching, late Sunday night Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that they’re signing Sean Manaea for two years and $25 million, likely confirming that they’re completely out on Bassitt.
Latest MLB News
The Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO have re-signed former big leaguers Eric Jokisch and Addison Russell. Jokisch has spent the last four seasons with the Heroes and pitched very well, turning in a 2.72 ERA and a 1.124 WHIP with 536 strikeouts in 701 2/3 innings. Russell played for the Heroes in 2020 and posted an underwhelming .653 OPS, but he tore up the Mexican League to the tune of a .319/.412/.599 batting line with 25 homers in 400 plate appearances.
In other news out of the KBO, the LG Twins have walked away from their contract with outfielder Abraham Almonte. The Twins had an agreement with Almonte on a one-year deal but an issue arose with his physical.
Frank Schwindel is signing with the reigning NPB champion Orix Buffaloes. After a very impressive rookie season that netted him a sixth-place finish in the Rookie of the Year balloting, Schwinder struggled mightily with the Cubs in 2022. He hit just .229/.227/.358 with just eight homers and had an alarming 47.4-percent ground-ball rate.
Latest on MMO
James Villani projects how the Mets’ rotation will look after signing Kodai Senga.
Andrew Steele-Davis explains why the Mets need to add power to their lineup. He also examines some cost-effective power options for the team.
Brian Wright looks back at Curtis Granderson’s deal with the Mets, which ranks as the fifth-best signing in team history.
On This Date in Mets History
1969: The Mets acquire veteran starter Ray Sadecki and outfielder Dave Marshall from the Giants in exchange for infielder Bob Heise and outfielder Jim Gosger. Sadecki won a World Series with the Cardinals in 1964 and had a 3.52 ERA in a little over three seasons in San Francisco.
1986: In a bit of a blockbuster, the Mets send young outfielder Kevin Mitchell along with prospects Shawn Abner, Stan Jefferson, Kevin Armstrong, and Kevin Brown to the Padres in exchange for outfielder Kevin McReynolds, lefty reliever Gene Walter, and minor league infielder Adam Ging. Mitchell scored the game-tying run in the 10th of game 6 of the World Series that year. McReynolds meanwhile is coming off a career year in which he posted an .862 OPS with a career-high 26 homers and 96 RBIs.
