Good morning, Mets fans!
The free agency saga of Shohei Ohtani took many turns on Friday. It was first reported Friday morning by Jon Morosi of the New York Post that Ohtani’s free agency decision was “imminent.” J.P. Hoornstra of Dodgers Nation then reported that Ohtani made his decision and was signing with the Blue Jays. Morosi then claimed that Ohtani was en route to Toronto which prompted the entire baseball world to think that Ohtani was going to be a Blue Jay. However, these reports were debunked by several reporters, including Bob Nightengale and Jon Heyman, who claimed that Ohtani was not going to Toronto, but was rather home in southern California. He may or may not wind up a Blue Jay, but the reports by Hoornstra and Morosi appeared to be a bit premature. For MMO’s live reporting of this series of events, click here.
Morosi later apologized to the baseball community for reporting false information.
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Latest Mets News
On Friday, the Mets announced that they signed outfielder Taylor Kohlwey to a minor league deal. The 28-year-old Kohlwey was a career minor leaguer before making his major league debut this past season with the Padres, though he only saw 13 at-bats. He is a career .296/.387/.444 hitter at the Triple-A level.
MMO’s own Mike Mayer reported on a few coaching changes in the Mets’ minor league system. According to Mayer, A.J. Sager will be the pitching coach for Triple-A Syracuse. Sager spent last season as the pitching coach for Double-A Binghamton, and will be replacing Kyle Driscoll who has accepted a job as pitching coordinator in the Diamondbacks organization. Mayer also reported that Gilbert Gomez, a former Mets prospect, will manage High-A Brooklyn this year. He most recently served as the manager for Low-A St. Lucie.
Latest MLB News
The Cardinals announced that they traded outfielder Tyler O’Neill to the Red Sox in exchange for pitchers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was the first to report O’Neill being sent to Boston. O’Neill had a huge year in 2021 when he recorded a .912 OPS, but has struggled the past two seasons. He replaces Alex Verdugo in the Boston outfield and will hope a change of scenery can allow him to return to his 2021 form.
Jon Heyman also reported that the Giants signed Yoshi Tsutsugo, who spent part of the 2023 season in their minor league system.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Braves acquired infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi from the Angels in exchange for infielder Evan White and pitcher Tyler Thomas.
The Tigers signed catcher Anthony Bemboom to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Bemboom spent 2023 in the Orioles’ system and received 11 at-bats at the big league level.
Latest on MMO
Brian Wright makes the case for Bobby Abreu to make the Hall of Fame. Abreu was a longtime Phillie but ended his playing career with the Mets.
The latest preview in MMO’s Mets Madness series features the 2016 Mets matched up against the 1988 Mets.
On This Date in Mets History
2000: Mike Hampton signed an eight-year, $121 million deal with the Colorado Rockies, just two months after helping the Mets reach the World Series. It was the largest contract in major league history at the time.
Birthdays: Geoff Hartlieb (30), Adam Wilk (36), Buddy Baumann (36), Fred Lewis (43), Jeff Duncan (45), Tony Tarasco (53), Mike Fyhrie (54), Juan Samuel (63), Bruce Boisclair (71), Doc Medich (75), Jerry Cram (76), Del Unser (79)
