Ronny Mauricio collected two hits as Tigres del Licey won in dramatic fashion on Thursday night, besting Águilas Cibaeñas by a score of 6-3 in 11 innings. Box Score

Mauricio scored a run and also recorded his first steal of the LIDOM playoffs as Licey improved to a 2-2 overall record in the round-robin semifinal format.

Licey plays their next game against Gigantes del Cibao on Monday in a continuation of the round-robin format that extends through to the end of January. From there, the top two teams in the standings will play a best-of-nine series, with the winning team securing a national title and a spot in the Caribbean Series.

Meanwhile, Eduardo Escobar picked up a hit in Venezuelan League action for Tigres de Aragua, finishing 1-for-4 with a double as Aragua lost 7-2 to Tiburones de La Guaira. Box Score

Escobar is hitting .361 for Aragua and has put together an impressive past few months after emerging as one of the hottest hitters in baseball in the month of September.

There will be plenty of speculation throughout the offseason about how both Mauricio and Escobar fit into the Mets’ future plans after the team reportedly signed Carlos Correa. Francisco Lindor and Correa are both committed to mammoth deals, blocking the shortstop and third base positions respectively and limiting the opportunities for Mauricio and Escobar to contribute to the Mets’ offensive identity.

However, a strong showing by both players in winter ball is a welcome sight for a Mets team that can never have too much organizational depth. Mauricio was even named the Dominican Winter League MVP earlier this week, an outstanding feat for the young 21-year-old among a sea of current and former major leaguers in LIDOM.

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Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Updated Post – Dec. 15, 16:30 

Super agent Scott Boras accompanied client Brandon Nimmo at Citi Field on Thursday for the presser to announce that Nimmo will be a Met for life following an eight-year, $162 million deal signed by the outfielder.

During that time at Citi Field, Boras was asked about another client and former Met, Michael Conforto. The 29-year-old missed the entire 2022 season because of injury, but is healthy and is receiving interest from multiple teams that reportedly includes the Mets. “Michael is in Arizona, he’s doing great, he’s throwing normally again, back to full health, hitting great and we’re talking to a number of teams about him right now,” Boras said.

The Cubs, Astros, and Mariners are the other known teams to be competing for the services of the former Mets outfielder. Boras on what Conforto is looking for this offseason, “short-term, probably a couple of years with an opt-out.”

Original Post – Dec. 14, 08:10

What has been a blockbuster offseason looks set to continue for the New York Mets as they look to add more offense with a reported interest in free agents Michael Conforto and J.D. Martinez, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Reports emerged from Rosenthal and our very own Michael Mayer on Tuesday night that the Mets had been in contact with agent Scott Boras over star free agent shortstop Carlos Correa. However, that was one superstar the front office missed out on with Correa going on to sign a 13-year, $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. It’s the fourth-largest guarantee in MLB history, and also the largest deal for a shortstop. It surpassed the $341 million contract Francisco Lindor signed with the Mets.

However, owner Steve Cohen seems unperturbed by missing out on Correa and has instead turned his attention to other targets. Rosenthal noted in his story that, from people familiar with his thinking, Cohen believes that the Mets still need more offense and another bat despite an already incredible offseason. The Mets will already have a payroll that blows well past the $300 million mark in 2023, but it appears that the front office may add one more piece. We explored here why adding more power to the lineup is crucial.

And, per Rosenthal, Conforto and Martinez appear to be two players that are very clearly on the front office’s radar. It isn’t the first time this offseason that the Mets have been linked with a reunion with Conforto. The free agent outfielder missed the entire 2022 offseason with a shoulder injury. In his final season with the Mets in 2021, Conforto slashed .232/.344/.388 with 20 doubles and 14 home runs in 125 games.

With a 124 wRC+ and 132 homers over a seven-year career, coupled with the fact that he’s still only 29-years-old, Conforto could be an intriguing option for the Mets. He would provide some much-needed outfield depth and, if he can rediscover some of his power from earlier on in his career and remain healthy, he would inject some pop into a lineup that needs another big bat.

Another intriguing option for the Mets and the other player mentioned by Rosenthal is Martinez. The free-agent slugger was linked with a trade to Queens at last year’s trade deadline and he ticks a lot of boxes. The veteran has built a career on taking the cover off the baseball and, with a career on-base percentage of .352, Martinez would not only mash at Citi Field but he could put the ball in play and get on base at a high-rate.

Martinez is coming off a tough year in 2022 having hit just .233/.301/.400 after the All-Star break. He also hit just 16 home runs last year, but his solid .341 on-base percentage proves that he was still able to make things happen offensively. Plus, the 35-year-old still finished as one of the best designated hitters in baseball in 2022 having ranked 10th in wRC+ (119) among DH’s with a minimum of 400 PA in 2022. He also hit 28 homers as recently as 2021 so the lethal power is still very much there.

The five-time All-Star could benefit from a change of scenery in 2023 and he would greatly improve the Mets’ options at the designated hitter position. After all, they got little to no production from the DH spot in 2023, with the position collectively hitting just .218/.314/.371 with 18 home runs and 183 strikeouts. Furthermore, the Mets tied for 15th in home runs with just 171 last year and finished with the fifth-worst hard-hit rate in MLB at 28.6%, per Fangraphs.

As a result, the need for another big bat in the lineup is clear and both Conforto and Martinez would help address what is still a glaring need. Per Spotrac.com, Conforto is projected to sign a one-year, $20.7 million deal while Martinez could get a two-year contract with an average annual salary of $15.1 million on the open market.

There are internal options for the Mets, of course. Highly-rated prospects Francisco Álvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos could all be in line for bigger roles in 2023, while Daniel Vogelbach remains on the roster. However, for a team that should be competing for the World Series next year, adding a legitimate and proven power bat would be the correct way to address a fatal flaw that really hurt this team in big spots both down the stretch and during the postseason in 2022.

And, for a team that has already added Justin Verlander, José Quintana, Kodai Senga and David Robertson this winter, and re-signed Edwin Díaz and Brandon Nimmo, going out and signing a player like Conforto or Martinez and adding yet another big-time weapon to this lineup would be another clear sign that Cohen will do whatever is within his power to help the Mets win in 2023 and beyond.

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Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

There remains the possibility that the New York Mets could still sign both outfielder Brandon Nimmo and free agent starter Kodai Senga this offseason, per SNY’s Andy Martino.

Despite a number of big names coming off the board over the last couple of days, both Nimmo and Senga remain unsigned and Martino notes that the Mets are “at least open-minded to stretching past where they wanted to in regards to their budget. This news emerges just hours after the front office bolstered the rotation with the addition of veteran starter José Quintana earlier on Tuesday. Quintana signed a two-year, $26 million deal, as first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Signing both Nimmo and Senga would ensure that the Mets blow past $300 million in total payroll next year. After signing ace starter Justin Verlander to a two-year, $86 million deal, coupled with the Quintana addition, the Mets currently have $298 million committed to payroll for the 2023 season. That factors in estimated raises for arbitration-eligible players.

According to Spotrac.com, Nimmo is projected to receive an annual average salary of $21.1 million, while Senga could get paid anywhere between $15 million and $20 million per year. Both players would be significant additions in terms of what they would offer on the field, but also in terms of what their signings would mean for the overall payroll in 2023.

Nimmo is currently at the Winter Meetings in San Diego where he is expected to meet with the New York Yankees. The market for the best remaining outfielder on the open market is intense, with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays also interested. Nimmo has remained in contact with the Mets but he isn’t expected to meet with them during the Winter Meetings.

As for Senga, the left-handed starter is one of the most intriguing free agents available this winter and his agent Joel Wolfe told reporters on Tuesday that his client has already received a number of five and six-year offers from teams. Jon Morosi of the MLB Network reported on Monday that the Mets hold very real interest in Senga and manager Buck Showalter made glowing comments about the free agent earlier in the week too.

Senga owns a stellar career 2.42 ERA with a 104-51 record in the NPB in Japan, and he projects to be a very good middle-of-the-rotation starter. He could be a perfect option for the Mets who are seeking another starter in order to really beef up their rotation for the 2023 season. As for Nimmo, he established himself as an elite leadoff hitter for the Mets in 2022 with 16 home runs and 64 RBI. He’s also a hugely respected figure in the clubhouse. If the Mets were to sign both Nimmo and Senga and propel their payroll above the $300 million mark, that would be another clear statement of intent by owner Steve Cohen who remains determined to bring a World Series to Queens.

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