Morning Briefing: Steve Cohen Supporting Edwin Díaz With 'Personal Touch'

Good morning, Mets fans!

Per Marc Craig of The Athletic, Edwin Díaz returned home to Port St. Lucie on Saturday after having surgery on Thursday. He was greeted by a trainer, nutritionist and a personal chef, courtesy of Steve Cohen and the Mets. According to a phone call between Cohen and Díaz, Cohen told him, “We’re going to do everything we can to get you better and take care of you.”

This is just one of the latest efforts Cohen is trying to implement to connect with players. “It’s important to have a personal touch. I think that matters, it shows you care,” he said earlier this spring.

The United States defeated Venezuela on Saturday night 9-7 to advance to the semifinal round against Cuba on Sunday.

Meanwhile, just a little ways up north in West Palm Beach, the Mets defeated the Astros 2-0. The Mets were led by seven scoreless innings from ace Max Scherzer, who struck out eight. Mets pitching combined for 13 strikeouts on Saturday against Houston.

WBC Scores

USA 9, Venezuela 7

Pete Alonso: 1-for-1
Adam Ottavino: 1 IP, 0 ER, 2 K

Latest Mets News

According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, former Met Todd Frazier is joining YES Network to do studio work. Frazier played for the Mets and five other teams in his 11-year career.

Prior to their game on Saturday against the Astros, the Mets made a number of roster cuts:

Outfielders Abraham Almonte and Jaylin Davis were reassigned to minor league camp.
Infielder Ronny Mauricio was optioned to Triple-A.
Left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi was optioned to Triple-A.

During their game against the Astros, the Mets made a few more roster cuts as well:

Right-handed pitcher William Woods was reassigned to minor league camp.
Catcher Hayden Senger was reassigned to minor league camp.
Outfielder Lorenzo Cedrola was assigned to minor league camp.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets have a scheduled team-bonding event on Sunday after their home game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The event: a crawfish boil organized by Max Scherzer.

Latest MLB News

Jose Altuve left Saturday night’s World Baseball Classic game between the United States and Venezuela with an apparent hand injury. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the initial concern with Altuve is a broken right thumb. No reports have been confirmed and the Astros are expected to provide more information on Sunday.

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Dilip Sridhar discusses how the Mets can replace the injured Edwin Diaz.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki talks about the important role Luis Guillorme will play for the Mets throughout the 2023 season.

Andrew Steele-Davis recaps Carlos Carrasco’s strong outing from Friday, March 17 and discusses the importance of that outing for Carrasco and the Mets.

Andrew Steele-Davis talks about the latest on Brandon Nimmo and his status of being week-to-week with a low grade sprain of his right knee and ankle.

Andrew Steele-Davis recaps some of the roster moves made by the Mets, including Ronny Mauricio being optioned to Triple-A.

Alexis Farinacci recaps the Mets’ 2-0 win over the Astros on Saturday night that featured seven scoreless innings and eight strikeouts by Max Scherzer.