Good morning Mets fans! Tuesday marks the third official day of the 2019 MLB Winter Meetings. While nothing groundbreaking usually happens on the first day (Sunday) since players, executives, agents and media typically just get settled in, the second day (Monday) was expectedly busy in terms of news and rumors.
Latest Mets News
Brodie Van Wagenen addressed the media on Monday night and answered various questions about the New York Mets, their offseason plans and 2020 expectations.
Van Wagenen indicated that OF Yoenis Cespedes has been swinging a bat for weeks and has been running too.
Van Wagenen also deflected any questions regarding Steve Cohen potentially becoming a majority owner of the Mets.
The Mets will receive the 74th overall pick in 2020 MLB Draft as compensation for losing RHP Zack Wheeler in free agency to the Philadelphia Phillies.
ESPN announced their first 16 Sunday Night Baseball games and the Mets will appear on their broadcast three of those first 16 times (Apr. 19, Apr. 26 and May 31).
2B Robinson Cano‘s agency, Roc Nation Sports, shared a picture of Cano reunited with a boy who received open heart surgery 11 years ago, which was paid for by Cano.
Former Met RHP Drew Gagnon signed with the KIA Tigers of the KBO for $650,000 and a $200,000 signing bonus as announced by the team and translated by Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net.
The Mets and Venezuelan C David Rodriguez agreed to a minor league deal per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Rodriguez spent the last seven seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Latest MLB News
Pete Frates, co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with Pat Quinn and former Boston College outfielder, passed away on Monday after battling ALS for over seven years. Frates’ fight against ALS was supported by MLB and along his journey he signed an honorary contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2015, had the bucket from his own Ice Bucket Challenge displayed in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017 and received a custom 2018 Red Sox World Series ring in 2019.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post expects RHP Gerrit Cole to receive a deal over $300 million. He suggested that a nine-year, $324 million contract could be realistic for Cole.
The MLB Draft will move from New Jersey to Omaha in 2020 according to Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com. The draft will occur from Jun. 10 through Jun. 12.
RHP Dellin Betances is likely going to sign a one-year contract to increase his value after a lost 2019 campaign, per Jack Curry of YES Network.
In a new agreement on opioids being negotiated between MLB and the players’ union, marijuana will be removed from the list of banned substances for minor leaguers according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Major leaguers on the other hand, have not been subject to testing for marijuana.
The Texas Rangers and LHP Joely Rodriguez agreed to a two-year, $5.5 million contract, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Rodriguez will return from Japan after playing for the Chunichi Dragons since 2018.
Latest NL East News
The Washington Nationals re-signed RHP Stephen Strasburg to a seven-year, $245 million contract. The deal set records for most money committed to a pitcher ($217 million) and average annual value for a pitcher ($34.4 million).
Latest on MMO/MMN
Michael Mayer wrote about what the Mets need to do at the Winter Meetings.
Mayer also listed five takeaways from Van Wagenen’s Monday night presser at the Winter Meetings.
Brian Devine discussed whether Van Wagenen will make a big splash or not at the Winter Meetings.
John Sheridan wrote about the Mets’ managerial vacancies in Double-A and Triple-A.
Sheridan also wrote about how the Mets may lose INF Shervyen Newton in the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.
This Day in Mets History
1971: The Mets traded RHP Nolan Ryan, C Frank Estrada, RHP Don Rose and OF Leroy Stanton to the California Angels in exchange for six-time All-Star 3B Jim Fregosi. Ryan went on to set the all-time MLB strikeout record (5,714 strikeouts) and become a member of the Hall of Fame, while Fregosi hit .233/.319/.328 with five home runs and 43 RBIs in 146 games during his two years in Queens.
1982: The Mets traded RHP Mike Scott to the Houston Astros in exchange for OF/1B Danny Heep.
1984: The Mets traded C Mike Fitzgerald, OF Herm Winningham, 3B Hubie Brooks, and RHP Floyd Youmans to the Montreal Expos in exchange for C Gary Carter. Carter, a Hall of Famer, 11-time All-Star and 1986 World Champion, hit .249/.319/.412 with 89 home runs and 349 RBIs in 600 games during his five seasons with the Mets.
2008: The Mets were involved in a three-team, 12-player trade. The Mets sent OF Endy Chavez, OF/1B Mike Carp, OF Ezequiel Carrera, RHP Maikel Cleto, RHP Aaron Heilman and LHP Jason Vargas to the Seattle Mariners and RHP Joe Smith to the Cleveland Indians. The Mariners sent RHP Sean Green, RHP J.J. Putz and OF Jeremy Reed to the Mets and INF Luis Valbuena to the Indians. The Indians sent OF Franklin Gutierrez to the Mariners.
2008: The Mets completed a three-year, $37 million contract with RHP Francisco Rodriguez. The new Mets closer came off a 2008 campaign in which he saved an MLB-record 62 games for the Los Angeles Angels.
Birthdays: OF Victor Diaz turns 38, RHP Dan Wheeler turns 42, RHP Mel Rojas turns 53, RHP Doug Henry turns 56 and INF Ted Martinez turns 72.
