Good morning, Mets fans!
The New York State Supreme Court has awarded veteran umpire Joe West $500,000 plus interest in a defamation lawsuit against former Met Paul Lo Duca, per USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale.
West launched the lawsuit in 2019 after Lo Duca claimed on his podcast that former Mets reliever Billy Wagner bribed West into giving him a larger strike zone in exchange for letting the veteran umpire use his 1957 Chevrolet.
West was only the home-plate umpire once in a game where Lo Duca and Wagner played together in New York in 2006-07. However, Wagner never pitched in that game.
The plaintiff said that Lo Duca’s claim harmed West’s character, integrity and threatened to damage his chances at a Hall of Fame bid.
In other news, after rain delayed Monday night’s game against the Phillies, the Mets will hope to have Mother Nature on their side on Tuesday afternoon as the NL East rivals are set for a double header. Righty Taijuan Walker will take the mound for game one for New York and righty Marcus Stroman will get the start for game two.
Walker was originally slated as the Tuesday starter and Stroman will take the mound earlier than expected as he only threw nine pitches in Sunday’s suspended game against the Marlins.
The seven-inning games are scheduled for 4:10 p.m. and approximately 30 minutes after game one, but no earlier than 7:10 p.m. Both games will be broadcasted on SNY and WQBU 92.7.
Let’s get into the briefing.
Latest Mets News
Some more specifics of Francisco Lindor‘s contract came out Monday, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. The four-time All-Star’s contract has a net value of $332,394,479 and a signing bonus of $21 million.
Lindor will be granted a $50,000 bonus for every All-Star appearance, Golden Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award. The shortstop will also receive a $50,000 bonus for coming first in MVP voting, $25,000 for second and $10,000 for third.
Additionally, Lindor will get $100,000 for every World Series MVP and $50,000 for every NLCS MVP.
New York manager Luis Rojas said in a presser Monday afternoon that pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who is rehabbing from a strained hamstring, is progressing well and in a good position, according to Metsmerized Online‘s John Flanigan. Rojas said Carrasco’s next step is to throw five innings and the Mets think he will soon report to the alternate site.
Former Met Ty Kelly made the Israeli baseball preliminary roster for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo, per Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. Kelly will be joined by at least six other players with MLB experience, including Josh Zeid who spent time in New York’s minor league system in 2016.
The Mets have signed a pair of international players to minor league deals in pitchers Jorge De Leon and Krisspy Valdez, according to MiLB Transactions.
Matt Searle of Searle Baseball writes on catcher Tomás Nido‘s family’s “Puerto Rican athletic royalty.”
Latest MLB News
Monday night’s game between the Twins and Red Sox was postponed due to potential protests in Minneapolis, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. This was due to the police shooting of Daunte Wright in the area on Sunday night. Other Minneapolis-based teams such as the NBA’s Timberwolves and the NHL’s Wild also postponed their games.
Cubs bullpen coach Chris Young has tested positive for COVID-19, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The remainder of the team has tested negative for the virus.
Veteran pitcher Iván Nova reached an agreement with the Colorado Rockies on Monday, according to Fansided‘s Robert Murray. The right-handed pitcher spent the 2020 season with the Tigers where he posted an 8.53 ERA with a 1-1 record. He most notably pitched for the Yankees between 2010 and 2015.
The injury bug has hit the Angels this week as the team has placed third baseman Anthony Rendon on the 10-day injured list on Monday due to a strained groin, per Ben Nightengale of USA Today. This comes a day after Los Angeles lost outfielder Dexter Fowler for the season with a torn ACL.
According to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, the Nationals continue to make roster moves after COVID-19 troubled the team at the beginning of the season. Washington has taken Josh Bell, Josh Harrison and Kyle Schwarber off the injured list, DFA’d Jonathan Lucroy and optioned Yadiel Hernandez and Luis García.
Left-handed pitcher Chris Rusin is back with the Rockies organization as the two parties reached a minor league deal on Monday, per The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal. Rusin spent last season with the Braves after a five-year stint in Colorado where he pitched in five playoff games for the Rockies.
Per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, right fielder Josh Reddick agreed to a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks on Monday. Reddick batted for a .245 batting average last season with the Astros along with hitting for homers in 56 games. The 12-year veteran will receive $750,000 if he reaches the majors.
Managers for the upcoming MLB Draft League were announced on Monday, per the league’s Twitter account. Managers will include former MLB players such as Coco Crisp, Jeff Manto and Jedd Gyorko,
Closer Liam Hendriks of the White Sox said his tarot card reader has had a great positive influence on him and his concept of good and bad outcomes, according to Bruce Levine of WSCR in Chicago. The tarot card reader, named Ruby, predicted that Hendriks will receive a 3-year, $50+ million contract for the righty.
Latest on MMO
Patrick Glynn analyzes the Mets’ split series with the Marlins this past weekend.
Rich Sparago previews New York’s upcoming series with Philadelphia.
Sal Manzo does a Q&A with Mets lefty David Peterson.
Matt Musico looks at the “normal” and “weird” aspects of outfielder Brandon Nimmo‘s start.
Pat Ragazzo recaps Monday’s injury updates from Rojas.
MMO Digital
Empire State of Mind: In episode three, host Zachary Grady talks about what’s wrong with the Mets offense this season, and why the boys in blue and orange can’t score any runs when Jacob deGrom is on the bump.
Grady is also joined by Mets beat writer Justin Toscano to break down the opening week of the 2021 season. Finally we meet Dan Aronson in the debut of “Five Fan Minutes” on the Empire State of Mind Podcast.
Locked On Mets: On today’s episode of Locked On Mets, host Ryan Finkelstein talks about the importance of winning today’s double-header against the Phillies, as the Mets pitching staff is going to have their work cut out for them the rest of the week.
He is also joined by Rob Piersall to discuss his Real Mets Legends account on Twitter, it’s accompanied podcast, and also to share his thoughts on the early struggles of the Mets this season.
On This Date in Mets History
1962: The Mets played their first-ever home game in front of a crowd of 12,000 at Polo Grounds. The Pirates won on two decisive runs via a pair of wild pitches thrown in the eighth inning by Ray Diavault, giving Pittsburgh the 4-3 edge.
Birthdays: Ricardo Rincón (51) and John Stephenson (80).
Let’s go Mets!
