Morning Briefing: Mattingly to Become Blue Jays' New Bench Coach

Good morning, Mets fans!

Former Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly and the Toronto Blue Jays are in serious talks on a deal that would make the him the club’s newest bench coach, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Mattingly began managing the Marlins back in 2016 and led the National East team to one playoff appearance in his tenure with the team. The lone postseason appearance came in the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season where Miami claimed a Wild Card spot and finished second in their division. Prior to his time in Miami, Mattingly was the manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011-15 seasons with three playoff appearances, all of which came in his final three years with the team.

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Mike Puma of the New York Post is reporting that Craig Bjornson will not return as the Mets bullpen coach next season. Team officials and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner will be leading the interviewing process staring this week. The role would also include the assistant pitching coach position.

Latest MLB News

The Cincinnati Reds announced a slew of coaching staff changes, including the hiring of former New York Mets minor league hitting coordinator Tim LaMonte as their assistant hitting and integrated performance coach. Former Mets outfielder Collin Cowgill will also join the Reds coaching staff as the team’s first base coach after managing the Seattle Mariners’ Double-A affiliate team.

The Dodgers and free-agent right-hander Shelby Miller have reached an agreement, pending a physical, that would bring the pitcher to Los Angeles, according to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal. Miller signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees last year and pitched for their Triple-A team before being released by the team in late May. The San Francisco Giants then signed him to a minor league deal where he pitched for their Triple-A team. He made four relief appearances with a 0-1 record with the Giants, holding a 6.43 ERA and striking out 14 batters over seven innings.

The Washington Nationals and outfielder Stone Garrett agreed on a deal to bring him to the nation’s capital, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Garrett bounced in between appearances with the Arizona Diamondbacks and their Triple-A team, playing in 27 games and hitting for a .276 average in that span. The Nats also signed former Detroit Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario to a one-year, $5 million contract, according to Evan Petzold of Detroit Free Press. Candelario played for Detroit for the last five seasons and holding a .243 batting average over that span.

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane says he doesn’t expect to hire a general manager before January, but will have one before spring training, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright and Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes are joining the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Wainwright was 11-12 this season with a 3.71 ERA and Cortes was 12-4 this season with a 2.44 ERA.

Variety is reporting Disney now owns 100% of BAMTech Streaming Division, the streaming services group that powers Disney+ and the media company’s other direct-to-consumer services, after buying out MLB’s remaining 15% for $900 million. Disney originally invested $1 billion into BAMTech back in 2016 for 33% stake in the company before buying out the rest of it a year later for over $1.5 billion. Disney also bought out the NHL’s remain stake in the company in August of last year.

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Mathew Brownstein sat down with former Mets pitcher and 1986 World Series Champ Bobby Ojeda to discuss his time with the team and pitching in the league.