Good morning, Mets fans!

On Friday, Major League Baseball announced that they would be investigating the allegations surrounding Shohei Ohtani and his recently fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara was alleged to have defrauded Ohtani out of millions of dollars to cover illegal gambling debts, though stories released to the public didn’t seem to add up. Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers and will now be the subject of an investigation with Ohtani that could have massive implications depending on the findings.

For more on this story, Trisha Thomson of ESPN provides a timeline of what we know so far.

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Latest Mets News

The Mets fell to the Yankees 5-3 in Friday’s spring training matchup. For more on the game, check out our recap here.

Michael Kay of YES Network said on the Michael Kay Show that he hears the Mets have considered signing free agent pitcher Jordan Montgomery. According to Kay, they are waiting for the price to drop before making any move.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, new Met J.D. Martinez is likely to start the season in the minor leagues, a decision made mutually by Martinez and the Mets. This would give Martinez time to build up at-bats before joining the Mets’ lineup. This is expected to be a period of about 10 days.

Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reported from Mets camp on the infusion of young pitching prospects expected to join the Mets in the next year or few years. Dykstra also wrote about Jeremy Rodriguez, Jett Williams, and Kevin Parada.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com wrote about Mets prospect Matt Allan and his long recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Latest MLB News

There was a lot of news surrounding former Mets on Friday, including:

  • The Guardians announced that Carlos Carrasco has made the team’s Opening Day roster. Carrasco didn’t live up to expectations in his three years in New York but is a beloved figure in Cleveland, having spent the first 11 years of his career there.
  • Trevor Gott has a fully torn UCL in his right elbow and will undergo Tommy John surgery, which will sideline him for the 2024 season.
  • Dominic Smith opted out of his minor league contract with the Cubs, making him a free agent.
  • Eduardo Escobar was released by the Blue Jays after he was told he wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster.
  • Kevin Pillar was released from the White Sox.

According to Zack Meisel of The Athletic, Myles Straw‘s roster spot with the Guardians is not guaranteed. He is on waivers and also has a minor league option.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy announced that Wyatt Langford, one of the top prospects in baseball, has made the team’s Opening Day roster.

Unlike Langford, Jackson Holliday, the no. 1 prospect in baseball, was assigned to minor league camp despite his strong spring training, per Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol told reporters that Sonny Gray and Lars Nootbaar will start the season on the injured list.

Latest on MMO

Alexis Farinacci writes about the controversially strict enforcement of the obstruction rule that Francisco Lindor was a victim of in Thursday’s spring game.

In an MMO Roundtable, some of our staff members gave their predictions for the Mets’ Opening Day lineup.

Michael Famulari highlights Brett Baty‘s strong finish to spring training.

Chris Bello breaks down some of the Mets’ new fan experiences that will be coming to Citi Field this year.

On This Date in Mets History

1978: The late Bud Harrelson was traded to the Phillies for infielder Fred Andrews and $50,000. The trade ended Harrelson’s Mets tenure that spanned 13 seasons.

Birthdays: Dellin Betances (36), Mike Remlinger (58)