Good morning, Mets fans!
David Stearns was talking with the media yet again on Wednesday, where he gave some good news regarding Mets veteran outfielder Starling Marte. Stearns said that the club is confident that Marte will not need to undergo surgery on his groin this offseason. Marte has had medical struggles with his groin since the end of the 2022 season, which included having surgery prior to the 2023 season. However, this issue popped up again this past season as he continued to struggle on the field while playing through the injury, resulting in him shutting it down for the last month or so of the season.
The 34-year-old has two more years on his four-year deal with the Mets.
Another important note from Stearns chatting with the media is the question on all Mets fans minds about the future of star first baseman Pete Alonso, “I do not anticipate him getting traded.”
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Latest Mets News
The Mets announced that lefty starting pitcher David Peterson underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip on Monday. the surgery took place at HSS in New York and the typical return timeline for the procedure is 6-7 months.
Stearns also said that he doesn’t expect any of the farm system options to start the season in the 2024 Mets rotation. He mentioned Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi, and José Butto as candidates.
Three Mets have been nominated for the All-MLB Team: Pete Alonso, Kodai Senga, and Francisco Lindor. Fans can vote for said players through November 19th.
Ozzie Virgil and Juan Alicea were inducted as the inaugural class into the Mets Latin American Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Virgil was a coach and advisor with the club from 2009-2021 and Alicea was a broadcaster for the team from 1969-2019. Virgil, 91, became the first Dominican-Born MLB player when he made his debut with the New York Giants on September 23, 1956.
Mets former third base coach Joey Cora will not be returning to the club for the 2024 season as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic announced that he will be joining the Detroit Tigers coaching staff. Cora spent the past two seasons as the Mets third base coach, coming to Queens with Buck Showalter in 2022.
Scott Boras was out and about on Wednesday with his yearly zingers, which the Mets were at the center of this time. “When it comes to the Polar Bear, we’re not in contract hibernation,” he said in regards to Pete Alonso’s impending contract talks with the Mets. When talking about the Mets’ offseason spending, Boras quipped, “When you have the bigger jet, and you say you’re going slower, you’re still going faster.”
Latest MLB News
Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated reports that a virus has led MLB to cancel the rest of the GM Meetings.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that former Detroit Tigers southpaw, and now free agent, Eduardo Rodgríguez has informed teams he has no geographic restrictions in free agency. This comes as somewhat of a surprise as Rodríguez reportedly blocked a trade from Detroit to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the past trade deadline due to how far away it would take him from his family.
In another report by Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Philadelphia Phillies are interested in free agent Sonny Gray and will be top suitors for him if they do not re-sign Aaron Nola. Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham and Sonny Gray are former college teammates and had a good rapport in Cincinnati.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post broke the news that the Los Angeles Angels would hire Ron Washington as their next manager. Washington, who beat out Buck Showalter, who was also a finalist for the job, brought the Texas Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances in his first managing gig.
Former Oakland Athletic reliever Adam Oller agreed to terms with the Cleveland Guardians on a free agent deal that includes an invite to spring training, per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston. New Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and Oller played together in Oakland, where Oller compiled 94 innings in two seasons. Oller was part of the Mets trade that netted them Chris Bassitt.
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo and the club have agreed to terms on a contract extension following their pennant-winning run in 2023. The contract extension is through 2026, which follows a one-year extension that the club gave Torey following the D-Backs hot start in June of this past season.
Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski spoke to the media, and the major bit of news that came out was that Bryce Harper is going to move to first base permanently, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. Harper, who played the first 10 seasons of his career in the outfield, played only at first base this past season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery and will now stay there.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network also reported that star Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamota’s posting window will open “soon,” meaning likely within the next week. Morosi noted that once the Orix Buffaloes formally post him, MLB clubs will have a 45-day window to negotiate with his representative and agree on a contract.
Trevor Bauer‘s agents Jon Fetterolf and Rachel Luba are meeting with teams in hopes of getting Bauer a contract with an MLB club, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The former Cy Young Award winner had a 2.76 ERA in his first season in Japan and went 9-2 with a 1.97 ERA over his final fifteen starts.
Latest on MMO
MMO News Desk went over the news that super agent Scott Boras had a meeting with Mets new president of baseball operations David Stearns.
Dilip Sridhar did a free agent profile on a familiar face for Mets fans, Justin Turner.
Greg Jones shared his new playoff format idea with MMO readers.
On This Date in Mets History
2007: David Wright and Carlos Beltrán win the Silver Slugger Awards at their respective positions, becoming the fourth pair of Mets teammates to win a Silver Slugger Award in the same season.
2005: The newly originated SportsNet New York (SNY) announced that Gary Cohen would be the play-by-play announcer for their Mets television broadcast.
2005: The Mets sign star outfielder Carlos Beltrán to a seven-year, $119 million deal, which made him the highest-paid player in team history at the time.
Birthdays: Jon Nunnally (52)
