Morning Briefing: Pitchers And Catchers Report to Spring Training Today

Photo by Alexis Farinacci, MMO

Good morning, Mets fans!

It is officially the start of the 2021 season.

Mets’ pitchers and catchers must report to spring training by today. Position players have started to trickle in, as well, but don’t officially have to report until February 22.

On the first official day of camp, manager Luis Rojas will address the media at 1:30 p.m.

Now let’s get into the morning briefing.

Latest Mets News

Brad Brach was officially released by the Mets as a result of the Mets’ 40-man roster upheaval.

Corey Oswalt, who was designated for assignment around when brach was, cleared waivers and was optioned to Triple A. He will be in the Mets’ major-league camp to start spring training.

As one of the first Mets to report to camp, James McCann spoke to the media about the additions to the Mets roster since he joined (primarily Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco), catching Jacob deGrom, and his excitement for the upcoming season.

Mike Montgomery‘s contract details were revealed by Bob Nightengale. The former Cubs pitcher will make $2.25 million when on the major-league roster with $750,000 worth of incentives. He has opt-outs in his contract for March 28 and June 1 if he isn’t on the Mets’ major-league roster by that time, and he’ll be able to find a job elsewhere.

Cubs team president Jed Hoyer says they haven’t been involved in trade talks. This is Mets news because recent reports said that the Mets had renewed interest in the Cubs’ Kris Bryant, though no deal was reported to be close in any fashion. Hoyer, of course, didn’t single out a trade rumor but said that some reports “were just completely inaccurate.” We’ll see if Bryant remains with the team throughout the spring.

The Mets have an 81 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Fangraphs’ latest projections.

The Mets are the most bet-on team to win the World Series, according to BetMGM. In an article on The Athletic, Nando Di Fino says that about 24 percent off all World Series bets are on the Mets, and their odds have dropped from +2500 in January to +1200 this month.

Keith Law outlined his top 20 prospects in the Mets’ system for The Athletic, highlighted by Francisco Alvarez (No. 19 overall in baseball, in his eyes), Ronny Mauricio (No. 32), Matt Allan (No. 90) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (No. 94) taking the top four spots. Newly acquired outfield prospect Khalil Lee ranks 7th in the system in Law’s eyes.

Former Oregon duck and current favorite for and end-of-the-rotation spot David Peterson sat down with Oregon Duck Baseball to talk about his time at the school and his journey to the big leagues.

Latest MLB News

Lefty pitcher Tyler Anderson agreed to a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to Ken Rosenthal.

Nick Tropeano, who the Mets claimed off waivers earlier in the winter, signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants, according to Red Sox beat writer Chris Cotillo.

Robert Murray says the Milwaukee Brewers are “in serious talks” with their former third baseman Travis Shaw, and Jon Heyman says a deal “appears likely.”

Latest on MMO

Alexis Farinacci helps Mets fan get to know new outfielder Kevin Pillar.

The Mets have gotten crafty in assembling their bullpen this offseason, writes Dilip Sridhar.

Ryan Finkelstein says the Mets should platoon Luis Guillorme and J.D. Davis at third base.

MMO Digital

On today’s episode of Locked On Mets, host Ryan Finkelstein is joined by Jack Oliver, creator of the Jolly Olive YouTube channel. As previously announced on our Twitter, Jolly Olive is going to be a contributor to our new MMO Video Content Department, which will soon be featured here as part of ‘MMO Digital’.

On the podcast, Ryan and Jack talk about the Jolly Olive YouTube channel, reminisce on obscure moments from Mets history and discuss the upcoming season.