Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Good morning, Mets fans!

Katie Hughes Martin of ESPN reports that the Mets vs. Cardinals game on Monday afternoon was its most watched spring training broadcast since a primetime Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants game in 2016, with an average of 423,000 viewers and 475,000 at its peak. The game was ESPN’s first spring training broadcast since 2021, and viewership on Monday was up 44% compared to then.

Now, it is time for the morning briefing.

Latest Mets News

Tim Healey of Newsday reports that there was a Mets fan behind the Mets’ dugout Monday in Jupiter who was relentlessly cheering them on all afternoon, often the only voice emerging from the crowd. You could hear him from anywhere in the stands. Buck Showalter gave him a lineup card after the game and said “he deserved it” in his postgame interview.

David Laurilla of FanGraphs interviewed Mets prospect Grant Hartwig.

Francisco Lindor‘s hair will look different multiple times this month for the WBC and then for Opening Day. Lindor went further during an interview with SNY and said, “If I ever go bald, I’m going to maximize the hell out of my hair.”

Abbey Mastracco of New York Daily News reports that Bear, a black lab training with K9s for Warriors named after “Polar Bear” Pete Alonso, was on hand to help shag balls as the Mets took batting practice ahead of their Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros.

Latest MLB News

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that Padres have agreed to a deal with Rougned Odor. It’s a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training.

Michael Clair of MLB.com covers the captivating nature of Czech Republic’s WBC team in his latest article.

Latest on MMO

Dan Quiñones recaps the Mets’ 8-4 win against the Marlins yesterday.

John Sheridan talks about Baseball America ranking the Mets as the fifth best farm system.

Brian Wright writes about Mets legends in other uniforms that people may have forgotten about.

Colby Morris reports on Jose Butto‘s new cutter.

On This Date in Mets History

2013: Johan Santana faced MLB hitters for the first time after anterior capsule surgery in September 2010. Santana threw forty pitches against David Wright, Daniel Murphy, and Ike Davis. Afterwards, he concluded (along with the medical staff) that he would be ready for opening day.

Birthdays: Michael Conforto (30), Ramon Castro (47), Tony Castillo (60)