The American League Championship Series (ALCS) begins Sunday night. The Seattle Mariners will take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto, who finished the season 94-68, has the home-field advantage in the series, as Seattle finished the year 90-72.

Toronto defeated the New York Yankees in four games in the American League Division Series (ALDS) to advance to their first ALCS since 2016. They lost in the ALCS in both 2015 and 2016. They have not made a World Series since 1993, the last time they captured a title.

Seattle needed five games to defeat the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS. They last appeared in an ALCS in 2001. This was the first season Seattle won their division since that 2001 season as well. The Mariners are one of a handful of franchise without a World Series title.

Blue Jays Lineup

1. George Springer, DH
2. Nathan Lukes, RF
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
4. Addison Barger, 3B
5. Alejandro Kirk, C
6. Daulton Varsho, CF
7. Ernie Clement, 2B
8. Anthony Santander, LF
9. Andres Giménez, SA

The Toronto lineup will get a look at right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller. Miller had his season interrupted by injury, but in all posted a 5.68 ERA and 5.32 xERA across 90 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old had a breakout season in 2024, tossing 180 1/3 innings with a 2.94 ERA.

Miller has thrown 4 1/3 innings this postseason allowing four hits and two runs while striking out two. He faced Toronto once this season, as he allowed eight hits and seven runs over five innings on May 11.

Mariners Lineup 

1. Randy Arozarena, LF
2. Cal Raleigh, C
3. Julio Rodriguez, CF
4. Jorge Polanco, 2B
5. Josh Naylor, 1B
6. Eugenio Suarez, 3B
7. Dominic Canzone, DH
8. Victor Robles, RF
9. J.P. Crawford, SS

Seattle’s bats will face veteran Kevin Gausman. Gausman threw a career-high 193 innings this season as a 34 year old. In doing so, he posted a 3.59 ERA and 3.70 xERA.

Gausman made one start in the ALDS against the Yankees where he threw 5 2/3 innings and allowed four hits and one run. Gausman faced Seattle back on May 9 and allowed seven hits and three runs over 5 1/3 innings.

The post ALCS Game Chat: Mariners vs. Blue Jays, 8:03 P.M. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Game 1 of each National League and American League Division Series will take place today. In the AL, the Rangers and Orioles will get underway at 1:00 p.m. ET before the Twins and Astros start their matchup at 4:45 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast on FS1.

The NL will feature a pair of divisional matchups, with the Phillies and Braves playing at 6:00 p.m. ET before the Diamondbacks and Dodgers get things started at 9:20 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast on TBS. Major League Baseball announced the umpire assignments for each of these series on Friday.

Latest Mets News

An article in the New York Times on Friday suggested that as part of the MLB investigation into Billy Eppler’s misuse of the injured list, the investigation would also look into Mets’ owner Steve Cohen. Abbey Mastracco of New York Daily News debunked this by stating that MLB has informed the Mets that Steve Cohen is not a target of the investigation.

Latest MLB News

With Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola still recovering from their appearances in the Wild Card round, Ranger Suárez is expected to start today’s Game 1 matchup against the Braves, going up against Spencer Strider.

Major League Baseball announced the nominees for the 25th annual Hank Aaron Award. The list is as follows:

• American League
  • Yordan Álvarez (HOU)
  • Kyle Tucker (HOU)
  • Shohei Ohtani (LAA)
  • Aaron Judge (NYY)
  • Julio Rodríguez (SEA)
  • Yandy Díaz (TB)
  • Adolis García (TEX)
  • Corey Seager (TEX)
  • Marcus Semien (TEX)
• National League
  • Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL)
  • Matt Olson (ATL)
  • Corbin Carroll (ARI)
  • Cody Bellinger (CHC)
  • Mookie Betts (LAD)
  • Freddie Freeman (LAD)
  • Luis Arráez (MIA)
  • Bryce Harper (PHI)
  • Juan Soto (SD)

Marlins’ ace Sandy Alcántara underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday and will miss the 2024 season.

While on the Dan Patrick Show, Joey Votto said that he wants to play baseball again, for at least one more year. Votto also mentioned that he would like to be back with the Reds, but would consider playing elsewhere if he has to.

Per Alden González of ESPN, the Angels parted ways with assistant general manager Alex Tamin, who served as general manager Perry Minasian’s right-hand man.

Latest on MMO

Jorge Eckardt writes about Cuban reliever Yariel Rodríguez, who is expected to become a major league free agent after a fantastic year in Japan.

John Sheridan highlights Mets prospect Ronald Hernández, who was named a 2023 All-Star in the Florida Complex League.

Sean Kenny looks at what the next step is for David Stearns in hiring a new general manager.

Michael Mayer breaks down the salary projections for the Mets’ 16 arbitration-eligible players.

Chris Bello grades the season of Mets’ ace Kodai Senga.

On This Date in Mets History

2006: The Mets took Game 3 of the NLDS from the Dodgers with a 9-5 victory. The win ensured a series sweep and a trip to the NLCS.

Birthdays: José Cardenal (80)

The post Morning Briefing: League Division Series Games Begin Today appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

MLB announced its 2022 Comeback Players of the Year Tuesday. Albert Pujols won in the NL after his magical career-ending season in his return to St. Louis, and Astros ace Justin Verlander won in the AL.

Latest Mets News

ESPN released its salary projections, and all seven writers predicted Jacob deGrom would leave the Mets. Most thought it would be for the Rangers.

Latest MLB News

The Angels acquired outfielder Hunter Renfroe from the Brewers in exchange for Janson Junk, Elvis Peguero and Adam Seminaris. Mark Feinsand of MLB was the first to report the news.

The Houston Astros players are getting the largest share of playoff money in baseball history with over $500,000 each. The total playoff pool is $107.5 million, up $17 million from 2021. Don’t let the owners tell you they’re struggling financially.

The Phillies signed team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to a three-year extension, attaching him to the team through 2027.

Former Marlins first baseman Lewin Diaz was claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates on waivers, per Craig Mish. The 25-year-old has a great glove, but he’s struggled to hit at all in nearly 350 MLB plate appearances (.567 OPS, 55 OPS+).

Guillermo Heredia signed with the SSG Landers, per Francys Romero of MLB.

Latest on MMO

Rich Sparago looked at what the potential rule changes could do to baseball action in 2023.

Nick Rucco recapped Ronny Maurcio’s continued rampage of the Dominican Winter League.

With free agency still looking to rev up, Brian Wright analyzed the Mets’ signing of R.A. Dickey, naming it the ninth-best free agent signing in team history.

Mathew Brownstein interviewed Eric Jagers, the Mets’ new director of pitching development.

On This Date in Mets History

1964: The Mets purchased Warren Spahn‘s contract from the Milwaukee Brewers. He won four games in 20 starts for the Mets, they put him on waivers, and his arm fell off about two hours later.

Birthdays: Justin Turner (38), Ryan McGuire (51), Rich Sauveur (59), Tom Hall (75)

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It helps to be in the right places at the right time. It also helps be a very good pitcher. Al Leiter was both. Those circumstances helped him achieve a feat that, at the time, was unique only to him.

The left-hander went seven strong innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Bank One Ballpark, only allowing one unearned run. Thanks to the Mets offense quickly building a significant lead, Leiter was the winning pitcher in a 10-1 New York victory and became the first pitcher to beat all 30 active major league teams.

Leiter had the full backing of his hitters right away. New York put up all 10 runs in the first three innings. Most of the production, not surprisingly, came from Mike Piazza. Leiter’s batterymate slugged a homer in each of his first two at-bats. A third-inning RBI groundout was the sixth run Piazza drove in on the night.

That was plenty for Leiter, who was pretty much on cruise control from there. His only real slip-up came in the bottom of the third when he hit two consecutive batters. That led to an error by first baseman Mo Vaughn which allowed Arizona’s lone run to score.

By the time Leiter departed after the seventh, the last victory over a new team was all but assured.

His wait to go from team 29 to 30 was actually rather lengthy. He had checked off all but one franchise once he defeated his old club, the Florida Marlins, in June 1998. That was the 69th victory of his career. There were 50 additional victories in between his win over the Diamondbacks.

Several factors allowed Leiter to be able to notch a ‘W’ versus every club. Playing in both leagues as well as being in his prime during the advent of interleague play when four new franchises (Rockies, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Devil Rays) came into the fold were certainly added benefits. Success and longevity are also important, too. They almost always go hand-in-hand, and this was true in Leiter’s case.

He was primarily a starter as early as 1988 but it became a habit by 1994. And for the next nine years, Leiter averaged 13 victories. Twice he was an All-Star and twice he finished in the top-10 in Cy Young Award voting.

His career began with the New York Yankees and the first team he defeated was the Milwaukee Brewers on September 15, 1987.

After two-plus seasons in the Bronx, he moved on to Toronto in 1989 and later to Florida from 1996 through 1998 before landing with the Mets via free agency. In between, he was a significant piece for multiple World Series champions which frequently provided him numerous opportunities to come out ahead.

With expanded interleague play, the Astros changing leagues in 2013, and no additional franchises since 1998, there have been more opportunities for pitchers to beat all active clubs — in spite of wins being in shorter supply for starters.

In fact, since Leiter, 18 more pitchers have achieved this feat. One of those is Bartolo Colon. He completed the 30-team circuit in 2017 as a Minnesota Twin. The team he beat to do it? The Arizona Diamondbacks.

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The New York Mets returned to action last night after a five-day layoff which began when two members of their traveling party tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Looking around the league nearly every team has had their schedule impacted by the Coronavirus in some capacity, as positive tests continue to pop up.

In hopes of avoided those types of scheduling and competitive complications during the most important time of the year, Major League Baseball is looking to implement a postseason plan at “controlled sites”.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the American League would potentially be based in Southern California, while the National League would be based in Texas. Rosenthal notes that no plan is close to being finalized, but the league is talking through scenarios with the union now. The final plan would of course have to be approved by the owners.

Potential sites for playoff games in Southern California could include Dodgers Stadium, Angel Stadium of Anaheim and Petco Park (Padres). On the National League side, Minute Maid Park (Astros) and Globe Life Field (Rangers) could be two sites in Texas.

The Rangers new ballpark has been tabbed as the likely site of the World Series if this plan was approved.

Looking around sports, it is clear that implementing a bubble atmosphere is the best way to keep COVID-19 from impacted these leagues. The NBA and the NHL are in the midst of their respective playoffs and are having great success.

In all of the recent rounds of testing, the NBA has come back with no positive tests in their bubble in Orlando. The same goes for the NHL in their Canadian hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton.

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When Brodie Van Wagenen spoke with the media on Monday, he alluded to a quiet trade deadline for the Mets this year. BVW pointed to the uncertainty due to COVID, the expanded playoff field and the shortened season as reasons why most teams (including the Mets) would be hesitant to make a move at the August 31st deadline.

Yet according to a recent article by the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Mets might not be so quiet at the deadline after all. In fact the article (which was roundup of Rosenthal’s reporting from around the league), started off as follows:

“A rival executive predicts the Mets will be a “surprising player” at the trade deadline, reasoning the team gained financial flexibility when right-hander Marcus Stroman and outfielder Yoenis Céspedes opted out of the 2020 season.”

With the opt-outs of impending free agents Marcus Stroman and Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets saved $6.5 million of their 2020 allocated payroll. The article also notes that Cespedes was on track to earn an additional $6.67 million in plate appearances tied to incentives. If a team was looking to dump salary in this anomaly of a season, the Mets could theoretically take on that expenditure.

“Other executives expect Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen to be aggressive as he tries to save his job with the sale of the team nearing completion. And still others believe the Wilpon ownership will endorse one last postseason push before they yield control of the club.” Rosenthal’s article continued.

The later part of that statement is interesting, as the Wilpons have to be looking at this season as their last chance at an elusive World Series championship. Would it be outside the realm of possibility to imagine them instructing Van Wagenen to make a deal to bolster their chances?

Unless he was simply bluffing, Van Wagenen’s statements on Monday contradict the assumptions being made by rival executives to Rosenthal. Van Wagenen spoke about looking out for the future of the organization and indicated that the return of David Peterson, Michael Wacha and Jake Marisnick off the injured list could all be categorized as their “deadline acquisitions”.

Also with the sale of the Mets being on the forefront of everyone’s minds, there is a chance that a blockbuster trade could anger potential buyers, who don’t want decisions being made that would impact the future of the franchise.

If the Mets were to make a trade, Rosenthal notes that their need is clearly starting pitching, but the market is rather thin when it comes to acquiring some. Of the expiring contracts of note, Trevor Baeur may be the only real difference-maker, with Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray, Brett Anderson and Taijuan Walker all being mentioned as other names on the market.

Outside of his reporting on the Mets, Rosenthal also wrote about Texas Rangers starting pitcher Lance Lynn and their debate on whether or not to deal him at the deadline.

Lynn, 33, is 4-0 through seven starts this year and has thrown 100 or more pitches in 31 straight appearances. Lynn’s 1.59 ERA is currently the second-best mark in the American League.

Unlike the other pitchers mentioned, Lynn is under contract for 2021, on a team-friendly $8 million deal. If the Mets were in fact aggressive at the deadline, it is likely they would prefer a pitcher like Lynn who is under team control past this season.

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Violeta Pietronico selects:

In favor of the universal DH!

From the Mets’ perspective, a universal DH would be a gift. A very fortunate gift given to a team who had yet to sort out a pretty big roster issue.

Before the season was shelved indefinitely, the Mets’ 2020 roster was overflowing with great bats and not-so-great gloves. The plan was to toss out a small rotation of players – mostly in left field – and hope that said players would be able to skate by on defense while making up for any blunders with their offense (foolproof strategy in my eyes).

With the universal DH, the Mets would be given a reprieve. Yoenis Cespedes, recovering from an ankle injury that would probably take his defense down another notch, can take as many huge hacks in the box as he’d like without having to worry about chasing down a fly ball. Dominic Smith can showcase all the talents we know he has, but just hasn’t been on display as much due to lack of play. J.D. Davis can continue to rake without a platoon situation looming over his head.

Now from MLB’s – or really, the NL’s – perspective, the benefits of a universal DH would be twofold: roster flexibility and player protection.

I’m not going to get too much into the former benefit, as it’s already been highlighted by the Mets’ current situation. The only other point I’d add would be that the NL would now be given the chance to focus on pitching (a strong suit of theirs) as a result of not having to worry about removing or switching out pitchers in favor of a better bat in scoring situations.

As for the latter, it’s only natural for player – namely, pitcher – injuries to drop once they’re no longer required to step to the plate, chop at 98 mph fastballs, and run (jog) to first. The risk of countless hit-by-pitches and resulting injuries would decrease exponentially. Running the bases would be off the table, as would having to see a team’s ace round second in the rain.

From a fan’s (i.e., my own) perspective, the universal DH would be a breath of fresh air.

It kind of goes without saying that fans’ stress over roster construction, platoon situations, and player injuries would decrease tenfold. Additionally, fans would be treated on a daily basis to a wider range of talent, and said fans would probably be more inclined to pay money to see their team. I’m sure MLB would also find that little tidbit appealing.

However, what is most enticing to us fans – and I know I speak for many – is the possibility of never having to see another pitcher attempt a sacrifice bunt ever again.

Mojo Hill selects:

Against the universal DH!

I’ll start this off by saying and agreeing that the Mets would absolutely benefit from a universal DH as much as or possibly more than any other team in baseball.

However, this is a moot point and quite honestly an irrelevant, trivial fact in the greater scheme of what Rob Manfred is trying to do the game. Baseball was already riding a slippery slope before the pandemic, and the extra tensions that the major delay to the season has put upon the owners and the players has only accelerated baseball’s plunge into obscurity.

While the overall trend of unnecessary rule changes, also known as the slow decay and ruination of the game we love, is a topic for another article, the DH rule change that’s been looming for several years now is at the forefront of this movement. It may sound cliché, but pitchers batting is and always has been part of the game, and adds an extra element of strategy that is completely invisible from the American League’s current method of play.

Now, I am 100% aware and in favor of the fact that the game is always changing and adapting. I am a huge proponent of analytics and advanced stats and learning as much as we can about the players to judge them as accurately as possible. The game absolutely should adapt, but there’s a difference between adapting to modern ways of thinking and simply changing one of the core elements of the game completely.

This pandemic undoubtedly sucks, not just for baseball, but for the world as a whole. It’s frustrating that we can’t have baseball sooner and that even when we do, it won’t be a full season. However, this is not an excuse to make a drastic rule change that will negatively impact the quality of play.

I am fully aware that pitchers are terrible hitters, and I don’t disagree that watching Yoenis Cespedes tee off is more fun than watching Noah Syndergaard strike out with the bases loaded. However, I believe that one of the core elements of baseball is that every player in the lineup should have to hit. Once you add a DH and start scraping the edges of that very thin line, you start to head down a dangerous path that will ultimately lead to the demise of baseball as we know it.

Right now I want baseball back more than anything, but when it does eventually come back, I really hope it’s the same game that I’ve known my whole life, and not some cheap variation of what used to be the greatest sport in the world.

The post MMO Crossfire: The Universal DH appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Rick Porcello will be pitching in the National League for the first time in 2020. That fact has some analysts believing that Porcello is due for a jump his numbers.

The thought process tends to go something like this. The American League is the more offensive league due to the DH rule, so it’s harder for pitchers to succeed. So, when they switch leagues pitchers from the AL are due for a boost in their numbers. However, that’s simply not the case.

Since 2015, 12 players have switched leagues on major league contracts and thrown 100 innings the next year. The big names are the ones who usually get recognition. Guys like Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, and James Shields. However, they’re only a small part of this story. In reality, the majority of these switches are made by back-end pitchers, like Porcello.

The issue is that pitchers don’t necessarily fare well moving from the AL to the NL. Six of the 12 pitchers who switched leagues moved from the AL to the NL. Three of them saw a drop in their fWAR while two only saw marginals gains. The only pitcher who unquestionably improved was Max Scherzer.

As a whole, pitchers who have made the move Porcello is making tend to see a fall off. The average fWAR of a pitcher in their final year in the AL was 2.95, but after switching to the AL that dropped to 2.6. That number is also deceptively high. Only two players have made the switch in the last five years and had an fWAR over 1.5, Max Scherzer and Jon Lester.

Even though Lester still put together an impressive 4.9 fWAR season in his first year with the Cubs it was still a drop-off. He had posted 5.4 fWAR with the Red Sox and A’s the year prior.

Contrary to popular belief pitcher actually fair better moving from the NL to the AL. Of the six players who made that move, four saw an increase in fWAR. The highest-profile drop-off in performance was Jordan Zimmermann.

However, back-end pitchers have performed extremely well after making the switch. Wade Miley, Lance Lynn, Charlie Morton, and Edinson Volquez all saw dramatic rises in their fWAR after switching to the AL.

On average these six pitchers had a 1.6 fWAR in their final year in the NL but saw that rise to 2.1 the next year in the AL. That’s a stark contrast to the declining numbers of pitchers who switched from the AL to the NL.

So, no Rick Porcello likely won’t benefit from the league switch. It’s actually more likely to hurt him than help him. Switching leagues is hard to do. It takes time to adjust. Pitchers are pitching in new ballparks against hitters they’ve never faced. Mets fans saw first-hand last season how hard the switch can be with Marcus Stroman.

Stroman had a nightmare August with the team after putting together an All-Star first half with the Blue Jays as he had a 4.91 ERA and 5.20 FIP. However, he was able to turn it around in September after adjusting to his opponents. This was made easy for him considering the Mets spent much of the second half in the division or against the AL.

Porcello won’t get that kind of luck over a full season. He’ll be forced to play places he’s either never or rarely pitched in and face mostly hitters who he’s never faced. If that wasn’t hard enough he’s going to have to do so in arguably the toughest division in baseball.

It’s possible that Porcello has a bounce-back season in 2020. His stuff is still good and Jeremy Hefner‘s analytics-based approach could be incredibly helpful in turning Porcello around. However, don’t expect Porcello to see a boost simply because he’s moving to the NL. The evidence simply doesn’t suggest that should be expected.

The post Will Move To National League Aid Rick Porcello? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It was announced on Thursday that Pete Alonso was named the 2019 National League Outstanding Rookie by the Major League Baseball Players Association.

This should not come as a shock as it is most definitely deserved.

The runners up for this award from the National League were Mike Soroka and Bryan Reynolds. The winner of this award from the American League was Yordan Alvarez. Eloy Jimenez was the runner-up.

This award is even more special as it is the Players Choice Award, meaning that Alonso was voted to win by his peers. These awards are annual MLB awards given to rookies who truly shined the prior season.

Since the awards began in 1994, Jacob deGrom was the only other player from the Mets to win it back in 2014. Alonso is in great company.

Alonso keeps racking up the rookie awards, he has already been named Sports News NL Rookie of the Year and was voted unanimously as Baseball America’s top overall rookie.

Alonso, being the great human that he is, took to Twitter to express his gratitude for winning this award from his fellow players.

Keep making us proud, Pete.

The post Pete Alonso Named the 2019 National League Outstanding Rookie appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Baseball purists can breathe a sigh of relief.

Sources told USA Today Sports that Major League Baseball has no plans to implement a universal designated hitter for the 2019 season. The news broke today after the completion of the owners’ meetings in Orlando, Fla.

“It’s not happening during this CBA,” an anonymous source told USA Today Sports.

The news no doubt will comfort a great deal of National League fans, many of whom were concerned that the DH would be adopted for the first time in the senior circuit. The American League has had the DH since Opening Day in 1973.

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2021, making it unlikely that the NL would adopt the DH prior to the 2022 season.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke at the end of the owner’s meeting and commented that the focus in 2019 will be on pace-of-game changes rather than more “complicated” issues such as the DH. He said that he was encouraged by the players’ association’s willingness to listen to ideas that would speed up the game such as adding a 20-second pitch clock or requiring pitchers to face at least three batters. Manfred is able to impose a pitch clock without the players’ association’s consent because the idea was proposed last year.

“I think we are at a point where we have a dialogue going with the players’ association — a dialogue that we’ve been looking to have — and I’m hopeful that we will continue the process of change, in terms of inducing additional action in the game, improving the pace of game,” Manfred told Pedro Gomez of ESPN. “But in terms of precise changes, it’s just impossible for me to predict at this point in the process.”

With regard to adopting a universal designated hitter and other major changes in baseball, such as changes to the amateur draft, Manfred said in his press conference, “Those are significant economic issues. They are different than the type of playing rule changes that we have out there. We will engage on these issues, but they came with a much broader agenda.”

Baseball could face some rocky roads ahead. With the suggestion that owners are colluding against major free-agent signings and with proposals for significant rule changes, the next set of negotiations between management and the players’ association should be contentious. Some baseball experts are already predicting a strike.

However, there are still three seasons to play before the CBA expires. It is a pretty safe bet that the designated hitter proposal for the National League will be shelved until the end of the 2021 season along with other major rule proposals.

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