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Jorge Soler will reportedly sign a three-year deal the San Francisco Giants, according to the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Susan Slusser. There’s no word on the money attached to Soler yet, though Slusser says the “annual average value is likely to be in the $12-17 million range based on recent signings.”
With Soler’s signing, J.D. Martinez remains the primary designated hitter left on the market as spring training gets underway.
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David Stearns gave his first press conference of spring training on Monday. When asked about watching Starling Marte play this winter, Stearns’ biggest takeaway is that the former All-Star looked healthy. Marte endured the worst season of his career after undergoing double groin surgery before the 2023 season.
“It was clear watching him play that he was healthy,” Stearns said. “It looked like Starling Marte moving in the outfield.”
Edwin Díaz is also back to full health. He told reporters that he could have pitched at the end of the 2023 season if the Mets were still in contention.
“I was ready, I was feeling great, but the team wasn’t playing good baseball and we couldn’t make the playoffs, so we backed it off a little bit more,” Díaz said. “That was good for me, I had a whole year to get ready for 2024.”
Stearns also said Pete Alonso hitting free agency is the “most likely outcome” with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
“Look, when you have a really talented player, who’s really good, and who’s entering the final year of club control who happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up in free agency,” Stearns said. “We understand that. This is an organization that has dealt with that before with really good players and it’s ended up in a perfectly fine spot.”
Stearns also noted that Kyle Crick has a calf strain and could miss all of spring training. Crick was expected to contend for a bullpen spot as a non-roster invitee.
The Mets signed outfielder Ben Gamel to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. Gamel took just 15 at-bats with the Padres in 2023, but he posted a .900 OPS in 332 plate appearances in Triple-A.
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Shohei Ohtani was cleared to begin hitting and took batting practice Monday for the first time since having elbow surgery. Ohtani put on a show in his first hitting session, sending 10 balls over the fence.
The Padres have inked utilityman Jurickson Profar to a one-year contract. Profar struggled in 2023, hitting just .243/.321/.689 in 521 plate appearances between the Rockies and Padres.
The Marlins announced three additions to their baseball operations department. Sam Mondry-Cohen will serve as the Vice President of Player Personnel, Sara Goodrum will be the Director of Special Projects, and Brandon Mann will serve as a pitching strategist.
Minor league umpire Jen Pawol has become the first female umpire to get promoted to Triple-A. Pawol will also become the third woman to call spring training games and will be a crew chief this MiLB season. In an interview with Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, Pawol said she’s received a lot of support from fans on her journey.
The Rangers have officially secured their TV deal with Diamond Sports. Dave Raymond will return as the lead play-by-play voice, with Jared Sandler serving as his backup. David Murphy, Mike Bacsik, and Dave Valle will serve as color analysts.
Astros general manager Dana Brown told MLB Network Radio that the team could get pitchers Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis García back in the second half of the season. Both hurlers are recovering from undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The Nationals have signed outfielder Jesse Winker to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. The former All-Sar struggled mightily with the Brewers in 2023, batting just .199/.320/.247 with one homer in 197 plate appearances.
The Giants have signed lefty reliever Amir Garrett to a minor league contract. He can make $1.35 million if he makes the majors. Garrett pitched to a 3.33 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings for the Royals in 2023, though he also issued 20 walks.
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Ed Delany snapped photos of Mets players on day one of spring training.
On This Date in Mets History
2003: The Mets sign David Cone out of retirement to a minor league contract. The 40-year-old had an excellent stretch with the Mets from 1987-92 and is hoping to win the final spot in the team’s rotation.
Birthdays: Howie Rose (70), Brian Rose (48), Mike Nickeas (41)
