Good morning, Mets fans!

A day after reports surfaced that Yoshinobu Yamamoto received offers north of $300 million from the Red Sox and Giants, the sought-after pitcher has met with the Mets for a second time. Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Yamamoto was the one to request another meeting with the Mets. The meeting, a dinner, took place at owner Steve Cohen’s home in Connecticut.

Cohen and Yamamoto were joined by a Mets contingent: Cohen’s wife, Alex, president of baseball operations David Stearns, new manager Carlos Mendoza and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. The meeting was said to go well, and while there was no formal offer yet, Cohen wanted to put a “personal touch” on it all.

The saga doesn’t end there. After meeting with the Mets, Yamamoto “hastily arranged” another meeting with the Yankees, Andy Martino of SNY reports. It’s unknown if the Yankees made a formal offer.

As Yamamoto’s posting window closes on January 4, things should pick up in the next couple of weeks.

Now, onto the morning briefing!

Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

Latest MLB News

The Diamondbacks stay busy. According to reports, Arizona will re-sign outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to a three-year contract, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The contract is worth $42 million, and there is a club option for a fourth year.

Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays are interested in Japanese pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa. The right-hander’s 45-day posting window expires January 11. Previous reports stated the Angels, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Reds and Royals all had scouts at one of Uwasawa’s NPB starts this past season.

The Blue Jays are expected to be major players for Cody Bellinger after missing out on Shohei Ohtani. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Blue Jays are in search of a left-handed bat, and after missing out on both Ohtani and Juan Soto, they’re changing course to Bellinger. The Cubs are still players for the lefty as well.

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Jorge Eckardt profiles free agent pitcher Shōta Imanaga and discusses the contract he might procure.

James Villani dissects the top remaining free agent outfielders the Mets should target this offseason.

On This Date in Mets History

2021: The Mets announce Buck Showalter will be the Mets’ 23rd manager. Showalter leads the 2022 team to the club’s first postseason birth in six years after going 101-61. He then earned his fourth Manager of the Year Award.

Birthdays: Grant Hartwig (27), Adonis Medina (27), Willie Blair (58)