Good morning, Mets fans!

In his free agency update on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote that Japanese left-hander Shōta Imanaga could receive a contract of at least $100 million. The deadline for teams to negotiate with the Imanaga is on Jan. 11.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com predicts that Imanaga will ultimately sign with the New York Mets.

Latest Mets News 

The Mets announced that on Tuesday, Ronny Mauricio underwent right knee reconstruction ACL surgery performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. A typical return-to-play timeline from this procedure is 8-12 months; Mauricio suffered this injury while trying to steal second base during a Dominican Winter League game on December 10.

The Mets have reportedly shown interest in two free-agent left-handed starting pitchers, Hyun-jin Ryu and Sean Manaea. Click here to see more on the report from Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online!

Mets prospect Jeremy Rodriguez was mentioned as one of the six most impressive debuts from the 2023 international class in an article from Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com. Rodriguez was acquired from the Diamondbacks in return for Tommy Pham at the 2023 trade deadline.

The Mets are expected to give out two of the top 50 international free agency bonuses when the class officially starts on January 15th, per Ben Badler of Baseball America. This includes the top catcher Yovanny Rodriguez (fifth-highest) and outfielder Edward Lantigua (43rd-highest).To learn more about the Mets international free agency class click here!

Latest MLB News

Wander Franco‘s legal troubles continue to trudge on, as on Wednesday, prosecutors in the Dominican Republic accused him of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering following allegations of a relationship with a minor, per The AP. The story alleges that Franco paid off the mother of the underage girl he was in a relationship with. 

The Dodgers and Brewers completed a trade on Wednesday as Los Angeles acquired minor league left-handed pitcher Justin Chambers and a player to be named later or cash and, in return, sent Milwaukee left-handed pitcher Bryan Hudson, per Dodgers Insider. While only being a 20th round pick in the 2023 draft, Chambers received a bonus that is usually slotted to a fourth round selection; he still received that having undergone Tommy John surgery. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks added some infield depth as they agreed to a deal with veteran shortstop Kevin Newman, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. 

Korean relief pitcher Woo-Suk Go and the San Diego Padres agreed to a two-year, $4.5 million deal, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Go is expected to be the Padres opening day closer.

The Boston Red Sox officially announced their signing of starting pitcher Lucas Giolito to a one-year deal worth $19 million, with a player option for 2025; in a corresponding move, DFA’d right-handed pitcher Mauricio Llovera. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com noted that there is a conditional option for 2026: if Giolito throws more than 140 innings in 2025, then there is a $14 million club option. If he throws less than 140 innings in 2025, then there is a $19 million mutual option.

Cincinnati Reds outfield prospect Héctor Rodríguez was named LIDOM (Dominican Professional Baseball League) Rookie of the Year. The 19-year-old put up a slash line of .309/.344/.487 with 17 extra-base hits and led the league with four triples.

After eyeing Jordan Montgomery for most of the off-season, the Yankees are reportedly also considering reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell after missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. 

Latest on MMO

Read up on Mike Mayer’s report on the Mets interest in Sean Manaea and Hyun-jin Ryu. 

The 1988 Mets beat the 2016 Mets in the first round of Mets Madness.

Check out the Mets impending international free agency class!

On This Date in Mets History

2006: The New York Mets trade Jae Weong Seo and Tim Hamulack to the Los Angeles Dodgers and, in return, receive pitchers Steve Schmoll and Duaner Sánchez. Sánchez had an impressive start to the 2006 season, posting a 2.60 ERA in 55 innings pitched before a taxi accident ended his season. 

Birthdays: Kevin Pillar (35), Daryl Boston (61), Paul Gibson (64), Bart Shirley (84)