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Shohei Ohtani will defer $68 million of his contract each season, meaning he will make just $2 million annually over his 10-year contract. Ohtani will be paid without interest each year between 2034-2043. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported Monday that the deferrals were Ohtani’s idea to allow the Dodgers to maintain some payroll flexibility.
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Latest Mets News
Francisco Álvarez participated in the Venezuelan Home Run Derby on Monday, cranking eight homers in the contest. Five of those home runs were hit after a conversation with Miguel Cabrera during a timeout. However, Álvarez was eliminated by Jose Rondon in the first round.
Ronny Mauricio is headed to New York after he suffered a knee injury in a Dominican Winter League on Sunday. The severity of the injury is unknown.
The Mets signed infielder Rylan Bannon to a minor league contract. Bannon spent 2023 in the Astros organization, batting .241/.360/.449 with 18 homers in 408 plate appearances for Triple-A Sugar Land. Bannon is 2-for-20 in his major league career.
The Mets are hiring for four open positions in their Performance Technology Department – Sports Scientist (Major League), Field Engineer (Scouting), Sports Science Associate (MiLB), and Biomechanics Associate. Ben Hansen (@hansenbasebiomech) posted the application links on his Twitter account.
The Mets will host their annual Kids Holiday Party at Citi Field on Wednesday. 125 students from five Title 1 schools in Queens will be there. Carlos Mendoza, José Quintana, Mark Vientos, and Mr. and Mrs. Met will hand out presents and participate in the festivities.
On the Future of Flushing podcast, Trey Mcloughlin discussed how he learned to throw his splitter. Mcloughlin credited Kyle Driscoll for teaching him how to throw the pitch in Port St. Lucie.
Francisco Lindor recently joined his wife at a cleanup event for Wilderness Beach in Puerto Rico. Over 100 volunteers showed up for the event, including about 50 from the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy.
Latest MLB News
The Giants reportedly met with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sunday, Buster Olney of ESPN reported. The Yankees met with the Japanese star on Monday.
The Royals are showing interest in former Mets starter Marcus Stroman. The 32-year-old made his second All-Star Game in 2023, though he had an ugly 8.63 ERA in the second half of the season. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com also mentioned Kansas City has had discussions with Lucas Giolito, Jack Flaherty, and Michael Wacha.
The Braves announced they added Matt Tuiasosopo, Tom Goodwin, and Erick Abreu to their major league coaching staff. Tuiasosopo will serve as the team’s third base coach, Goodwin will be the first base coach, and Abreu will be the bullpen coach.
The Yankees have traded Trey Sweeney to the Dodgers in exchange for left-hander Victor Gonzalez and infielder Jorbit Vivas. Sweeney batted .252/.367/.411 with 13 homers and 20 steals over 472 plate appearances for Double-A Somerset this year. González made 34 plate appearances for the Dodgers in 2023, posting a 4.01 ERA/3.40 FIP with 30 strikeouts against 10 walks in 33 2/3 innings. Vivas split time between Double-A and Triple-A, batting a cumulative .269/381/.407 with 13 homers and 25 steals over 612 plate appearances.
The Pirates have signed righty Ryder Ryan to a minor league contract. A former Mets prospect, Ryan made his major league debut with the Mariners in 2023. He spent most of the season in Triple-A Tacoma, posting a 3.76 ERA over 55 innings.
The Dodgers’ season-opening series against the Padres in Seoul will be broadcast on ESPN, MLB announced. The games will be the first major league games played in South Korea.
Latest on MMO
Allison Waxman profiles free agent outfielder Michael A. Taylor.
On This Date in Mets History
1969: The Mets acquire hurler Ray Sadecki and outfielder Dave Marshall from the Giants in exchange for outfielder Jim Gosger and infielder Bob Heise. Sadecki pitched to a 4.23 ERA in the 1969 season, though he had a 2.91 mark in 1968.
1975: The Mets swing a blockbuster trade with the Tigers, sending Rusty Staub and Bill Laxton to Detroit in exchange for three-time All-Star Mickey Lolich and outfielder Billy Baldwin. Lolich had a 3.78 ERA over 240 2/3 innings this past season.
1986: The Mets send Kevin Mitchell, Stan Jefferson, and Shawn Abner to the Padres for Kevin McReynolds, Gene Walter, and Adam Ging. McReynolds is coming off the best season of his career, hitting 26 homers with an .862 OPS over 641 plate appearances.
