A solid outing from Senga was spoiled by the bullpen in a bizarre seventh inning, and it was the second straight game in which the bullpen blew a late lead following a productive outing from the starter. The inning began in a 2-2 tie, but that of course quickly got away from the Mets.

Sean Reid-Foley was the first man out of the Mets’ bullpen and he immediately found himself in trouble with two runners on and nobody out. The Twins then called a double steal on a pitch that got away from Francisco Álvarez, setting in motion a very peculiar sequence.

Álvarez gathered the ball and attempted to back-pick the runner at third base but he threw it into left field, prompting the runner to take off for home again. This time, he made it safely to give the Twins the lead. Back-to-back hits with two outs in the inning extended the Twins’ lead to 5-2 before the inning could finally be put to rest.

Although Senga left the game with only two runs allowed, it was clear from the beginning of the game that he wasn’t as sharp as he has been recently. He threw 27 pitches in the first inning alone in addition to allowing two walks. Royce Lewis took advantage of Senga’s shakiness by hitting an RBI double that scored Jorge Polanco, who reached via a walk, from first base to put the Twins ahead 1-0 early.

Senga settled down to pitch less eventful innings in the second and third, but he found himself in trouble again in the fourth inning. Carlos Correa, in his first game against the team that almost signed him this past offseason, led off the inning by hitting a rocket into left field that sailed into the seats for a home run.

Further damage in the inning was thwarted by Tim Locastro, who, with a runner on first and nobody out, made a fantastic diving catch in left field to rob Christian Vázquez of extra bases and potentially an RBI. Senga again worked in and out of trouble in the fifth inning, ending a two-on, nobody out threat by getting a double play and another ground ball out to escape the inning.

Senga stayed on for one more solid inning, finishing his outing with just the two earned runs given up over six innings, a really impressive outcome considering he wasn’t at the top of his game. He allowed four hits and four walks while striking out five as he lowered his already third-best National League ERA to 3.07 on the year.

Offensively, the Mets struggled early on, with Keuchel easing his way through the lineup. It wasn’t until two outs in the third inning that the Mets recorded their first baserunner, and the offense finally made some noise the following inning. After a leadoff walk and a double put runners at second and third with nobody out, Francisco Lindor went the other way for a two-run double.

That was all the Mets could muster for the rest of the game, though, as Keuchel threw one more scoreless inning before giving way to the bullpen which threw four scoreless innings. The Mets drop what was a lackluster game all around, falling to 64-76 on the year with just 32 games left to play on the season.

Senga’s Streak Continues

There aren’t many positives that can be taken away from this game, but one of them is that Kodai Senga’s streak of starts allowing three or fewer runs was extended to 13. Even on a day where he clearly wasn’t at his best, he held the Twins to two runs over six innings. His stellar pitching down the stretch has put him firmly in the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award conversations.

On Deck

The series between the Mets and Twins will continue Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET. David Peterson (3-7, 5.40 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets coming off a short outing against the Mariners, while Kenta Maeda, who has also been unable to go deep into games lately, (3-7, 4.73 ERA) will be the starter for Minnesota. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

The post Bullpen Blows Game Late as Mets Fall to Twins 5-2 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

After a five-iinning start by Carlos Carrasco was followed up by two solid combined innings from Jeff Brigham and Brooks Raley, David Robertson entered the game in the eighth with a two-run lead. With one out in the inning, a Pete Alonso throwing error and a walk was followed by a three-run homer off the bat of rookie catcher Patrick Bailey. The Mets could not mount a comeback and the Giants won the game 5-4, handing the Mets yet another brutal loss.

On multiple occasions throughout the night, Alonso was seen expressing frustration, including breaking his bat over his knee. “I’m fine with that. They care a lot,” said Buck Showalter after the game. “They’re all wanting to know why. We’ve got to figure out the reasons why.”

“It sucks,” Robertson said. “We’re trying. It seems like nothing is going our way. This clubhouse hasn’t given up, that’s for sure.”

David Robertson. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets had plenty of chances to win the game, even though Carrasco wasn’t very efficient. His 92 pitches after five innings prevented him from going further in the game, but he gave up just two runs and struck out a season high six batters.

Because Carrasco, Brigham, and Raley were able to hold San Francisco to just two runs through seven innings, the Mets played with the lead for nearly the entire game. They started the scoring in the first inning on a Jeff McNeil RBI double and regained the lead in the second with an Omar Narváez sacrifice fly.

When old friend Wilmer Flores stied the game with a solo homer in the fifth inning, the Mets once again rebounded and took the lead right back. McNeil came through like he did in the first inning with his second RBI double of the game. The play was originally ruled a ground-rule double which would have kept Nimmo, the lead baserunner, at third with two outs in the inning. However, the umpires ruled that fan interference occurred and awarded Nimmo home plate.

A Tommy Pham solo homer in the sixth inning gave the Mets another run to make it a 4-2 ballgame, but, of course, that insurance run wound up being moot. The eighth inning three-run home run off of Robertson was a blow that made even a one-run deficit seem insurmountable.

The Mets did get the tying run on base in the ninth after Luis Guillorme walked. But Starling Marte came into the game to pinch run and, when attempting to steal second, he was hosed by Bailey who played the hero yet again. It was the Mets first caught stealing attempt since May 10, but the putout ended the Mets’ threat. On the very next pitch, Nimmo struck out to give the Mets their third loss in a row.

“Tougher things have been overcome,” Showalter said when asked about being 10 games under .500. “I tell you one thing, I wouldn’t doubt these guys. Somebody’s gonna make a mistake if they do.”

Stat of the Game

Only the Royals finished with a worse record than the Mets in June in all of Major League Baseball. The 7-19 record the Mets put up is the team’s worst calendar month since June 2018 when they went 5-21.

The Mets finish June with a 7-19 record, worst in the National League. Only the Royals (6-19, and losing tonight) produced a worse mark this month.

It is the worst calendar month for the Mets since they went 5-21 in June 2018.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 1, 2023

Player Focus

Jeff McNeil hasn’t had a game like tonight in a long time. He simply hasn’t looked right all season, entering the game with a .255 batting average and just a .657 OPS after winning the maj0r-league batting title a season ago. However, he finished 2-for-4 on Friday with two opposite-field doubles and two RBIs in what is hopefully the start of a bounce back second-half campaign.

On Deck

The series with the Giants continues Saturday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. Justin Verlander (2-4, 4.11 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets after going five scoreless innings against the Brewers in his last start. For the Giants, it will be Anthony DeSclafani (4-7, 4.28 ERA) getting the start. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

The post Robertson Gives Up Three-Run Homer, Mets Lose 5-4 to Giants appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off the team’s first series win in a month, the Mets hosted the Guardians on Friday for the first game of a three-game series. In the first game between the two teams since the blockbuster trade that brought Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to New York and sent Andrés Giménez and Amed Rosario to Cleveland, Carrasco got the start for the Mets against his former team while Cal Quantrill got the start for Cleveland.

In a wild game in which the Mets played virtually all of it from behind, they came back multiple times, including down two in extra innings, to defeat the Guardians 10-9 in a thriller.

Carrasco took the mound to start the game for the first time since April 15, his last appearance before he was sidelined due to injury. After getting a weak contact out off the bat of Steven Kwan, Rosario hit a ground ball up the middle for a base hit. José Ramírez then walked and in the next at-bat, Josh Naylor took Carrasco deep to put the Mets in an early three-run hole. Josh Bell then flew out and Giménez struck out to put the inning to bed, but not before major damage was done.

The Guardians added another run in the top of the second inning. Myles Straw led off the inning with a double and advanced to third base on a fielder’s choice. Then Cam Gallagher, who entered the game with a .070 batting average and a .223 OPS, dumped a ball into left field for an RBI single to make it 4-0. A ground ball double play off the bat of Kwan ended the inning to limit the damage.

The Mets recorded their first hit of the night in the bottom of the second, after Brett Baty pulled one down the right field line for a one-out double. The Mets wouldn’t cut into the Guardians’ lead, though, as a Starling Marte strikeout and a Mark Vientos fielder’s choice ended the inning.

The Mets got another one-out baserunner in the bottom of the third after Francisco Álvarez was hit by a pitch in a full count. They were unable to do anything with the baserunner again, though, as the next two batters went down in order due to a flyout and a groundout.

Quantrill appeared to be through a quick 1-2-3 inning in the fourth but a two-out error by the first baseman Bell and another hit-by-pitch, this time at Marte’s expense, put two runners on. That brought up Vientos who hit a sharp ground ball to third base, but Ramírez scooped it and stepped on the bag to end the threat.

Although it appeared Carrasco had settled in after a rough start to the game, throwing 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth, he would surrender another run in the fifth inning. Will Brennan led off the fifth inning with a walk and quickly stole a base. Advancing to third base on a fielder’s choice, he was driven in with a two-out single by Rosario to give the Guardians a 5-0 lead.

With one out and nobody on in the bottom of the fifth, Francisco Álvarez ran the count full once again and this time sent a ball well over the left field wall for a solo shot, his fifth home run of the year. That put the Mets on the board to make it a 5-1 ballgame. Francisco Lindor then recorded his 15th double of the year to put a runner in scoring position with two outs. Jeff McNeil brought him home with an RBI single, extending his hitting streak to six games, to cut the Guardians’ lead to three.

Francisco Álvarez's 5th homer of the season gets the Mets on the board pic.twitter.com/oLtRAMb4UA

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2023

The inning ended after Pete Alonso hit a weak liner to the shortstop Rosario. Rosario dropped the ball after attempting to catch it, but was able to corral the ball and throw out Alonso at first.

Carrasco exited the game after giving up five runs in five innings, driving his season ERA up to 8.68. Along with the five runs, Carrasco allowed five hits and two walks and struck out three. Dominic Leone relieved Carrasco to start the sixth and gave up a leadoff single to Naylor. A single up the middle by Bell created a threat with runners on first and second base and nobody out. Naylor advanced to third on a flyout but the Mets were then able to double up the speedy Straw to escape the inning.

After a troublesome fifth inning, Quantrill remained on for the sixth and was immediately greeted with an opposite-field homer off the bat of Baty to make it a 5-3 game. Then with two outs and nobody on, Mark Canha recorded an infield hit to chase Quantrill out of the game. Lefty reliever Sam Hentges came out of the bullpen to face the young Álvarez who came to the plate as the tying run. Álvarez hit the first pitch he saw to deep right field but it wasn’t deep enough as it was caught to end the inning.

Brett Baty drives one the other way! 💪 pic.twitter.com/0VKurgwo6P

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2023

Leone remained in the game in the seventh but for the second straight inning, he gave up a leadoff single, this time off the bat of Brennan. Another hit by the catcher Gallagher put runners on the corners with nobody out. Leone then walked Kwan to load the bases, driving Leone out of the game and bringing in Stephen Nogosek to try to clean up the mess.

In a 3-1 count, Nogosek threw a fastball down the heart of the plate to Rosario who hit a sharp line drive right into the glove of Nimmo in center field. Brennan tagged for home but wasn’t close to scoring, getting tagged out in a rundown for a massive double play.

A walk to Ramírez loaded the bases for the second time in the inning, bringing Naylor to the plate. The Mets couldn’t pull off another miracle, as Naylor drove a single the opposite way to bring in two runs, giving him five RBIs on the night and giving the Guardians a 7-3 lead. Another walk by Nogosek loaded the bases yet again, and this time he was relieved for Tommy Hunter who got Giménez to ground out to end the inning.

With the top of the order up and a chance to rally, Nimmo led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk. A single up the middle by Lindor put runners on first and second with nobody out and the heart of the order coming up. Struggling to throw strikes, Hentges then walked McNeil to load the bases for Alonso who came to the plate as the tying run.

With James Karinchak coming into the game to relieve Hentges, Alonso drove a ball over the wall in right-center field for an opposite field grand slam to make it a 7-7 tie. Alonso’s grand slam extended his home run streak to four games and brought him to 71 career home runs at Citi Field, tying Lucas Duda for the most in the stadium’s history. After Alonso’s mammoth home run, Karinchak struck out three around a two-out walk by Vientos to keep the game tied.

THAT. JUST. HAPPENED. pic.twitter.com/517eystfng

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 20, 2023

Adam Ottavino took the mound in the eighth inning hoping to keep the game tied. Facing the bottom of the Guardians’ lineup, Ottavino induced a flyout and two groundouts in a 1-2-3 inning. Enyel De Los Santos came in to pitch for the Guardians in the bottom of the inning and recorded a 1-2-3 inning of his own.

For the first time this year, David Robertson pitched in three straight games as he came on to pitch in the ninth inning. Robertson needed just nine pitches to induce three ground balls from the top of the Guardians’ order, recording two of the outs on excellent defensive plays from McNeil and Alonso.

Like Robertson, Trevor Stephan also needed just nine pitches to set the Mets down in order in the bottom of the ninth, striking out Alonso and Baty in the process to send the game to extra innings.

Drew Smith took the mound in the tenth inning, hoping to strand Ramírez who was serving as the Guardians’ free runner. Smith got Naylor to pop up to record the first out of the inning. However, Gabriel Arias, who entered the game to pinch run and for defense, hit an opposite field home run in his first at-bat of the game to give the Guardians a 9-7 lead. Smith recorded the next two outs to get out of the inning, but not before giving the Mets another hill to climb.

Emmanuel Clase, one of the elite closers in baseball, came into the game in the bottom of the tenth to try to close it out for Cleveland. Marte recorded a loud out as he hit one just shy of the warning track, able to advance the free runner Baty to third. Vientos then hit a ball up the middle for an RBI single, bringing the Mets back within one.

Daniel Vogelbach, who had been struggling recently, came on to pinch hit for Canha. During his at-bat, Eduardo Escobar came into the game to pinch run for Vientos and swiped second base, his first stolen base of the year. However, Vogelbach struck out which brought Álvarez to the plate as the winning run with the tying run on second.

Down to his last strike, Álvarez grounded a ball through the left side of the infield to bring Escobar home and tie the game once again. Álvarez advanced to second on an errant throw home, putting the winning run in scoring position. Also falling behind in the count 0-2, Nimmo chopped a ball to the left side of the infield and reached for an infield hit with Álvarez advancing to third. And then in what was nothing short of a storybook ending, Lindor lined a ball into the outfield on the first pitch he saw to give the Mets a thrilling 10-9 victory.

BALLGAME WON!!! pic.twitter.com/fI3mSAsbFa

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 20, 2023

Player(s) of the Game

Not only did Pete Alonso extend his major league home run lead with his 17th of the year, but he extended his home run streak to four games in a row with arguably his biggest home run of the year. Continuing to deliver in clutch situations, he hit a grand slam while down four to tie the game in the seventh inning after the team had been playing from behind all game.

In his first game against his former team, Francisco Lindor was the hero going 3-for-6 with a double and the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the tenth to walk it off. In a game that seemed nearly impossible to win at times, both Lindor and Alonso provided moments that allowed the Mets to enjoy a memorable win.

On Deck

The Mets will play the second game of the three-game set against the Guardians on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. ET. Max Scherzer (3-2, 4.88 ERA), coming off a start in which he gave up one run in five innings, will be on the mound for the Mets looking to provide length and consistency. For the Guardians, impressive rookie Tanner Bibee (1-1, 3.22) gets the start after a fantastic performance in his last start in which he gave up one run in 7 2/3 innings. The game will be broadcast on PIX11.

The post Lindor Finishes Mets’ 10-9 Comeback Win Over Former Team appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Carlos Carrasco enjoyed a productive start in the 6-1 win over the Marlins on Friday, highlighting his importance to this Mets team in the process.

Every baseball fan knows that pitching depth is vitally important in the modern-day game. Without it, chances of succeeding and embarking on a deep run in the postseason may as well be marked at zero.

With offseason addition José Quintana already on the shelf until at least July, Carrasco is going to take on an even more important role for the Mets in the early stages of the 2023 season. Particularly in the opening weeks as the organization looks to ease Kodai Senga in before unleashing him fully.

As such, the fact that Carrasco looked sharp on Friday and is starting to find some of his best stuff in the final week or so of spring training can only be seen as a positive. He’s a veteran presence who is going to be leaned on a lot this season behind the elite two-headed monster that is Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

There were some early struggles for Carrasco on Friday, though. He issued a leadoff walk to Garrett Hampson, then gave up a double to Jerar Encarnacion that gave Miami a 1-0 lead. In addition, Carrasco also had some adjustment issues with the pitch clock. He was twice called for delays and both stemmed from communication issues with catcher Francisco Álvarez. The first instance occurred when Carrasco struggled to hear Álvarez through the PitchCom, while the second delay happened because Álvarez was slow in signalling a curveball.

“I couldn’t hear (the PitchCom) that well, sometimes going on and off,” Carrasco said after the game. “When something happens like that I can call to the umpire, ‘PitchCom’ and I can step off. I think it’s way better when I have a pitch in mind so I can just call it.”

As was the case with Max Scherzer a couple of weeks ago, it is important to iron out little kinks with the pitch clock now and Carrasco should be better for that experience heading into the regular season. Plus, after settling in to the game, he was pretty much un-hittable.

Carlos Carrasco is up to 7 strikeouts through 4 innings 😤 pic.twitter.com/XWdQjCbwrB

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 17, 2023

The veteran recorded three strikeouts in the second, completed a 1-2-3 inning in the third and his filthy stuff helped to strike out the side again in the fourth inning. Carrasco’s work was done after that, and he finished with seven strikeouts, one walk and just one earned run on two hits. The righty now boasts an impressive 14:2 K:BB through 13 innings in the Grapefruit League.

It was a pretty good outing from Carrasco who continues to strike batters out at a high rate this spring, and he should get one more start before the regular season arrives. Again, Carrasco’s role as a third or fourth starter has only taken on even more importance in the wake of Quintana going down hurt. His performance on Friday should serve as a confidence booster to everybody.

After starting 29 games and pitching to a 3.97 ERA in 152 innings in 2022, Carrasco has proved he can be a reliable arm for the Mets. While he once featured prominently in trade talks, Carrasco is going to be a vital piece in that starting rotation and his reliability and experience will serve as important tools for his team throughout 2023.

The post Carlos Carrasco’s Strong Outing Highlights Importance appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The Mets took on the Marlins at Clover Park on Friday night. Carlos Carrasco took the mound for New York while Miami’s number one prospect, Eury Pérez, got the start for the Marlins.

Carrasco experienced issues with the PitchCom device in his cap to start the game, receiving a pitch clock violation and ultimately walking the leadoff batter Garrett Hampson after getting ahead in the count 0-2. Hampson subsequently stole a base and was driven in by a Jerar Encarnación double to make it a 1-0 game.

After not getting anything going offensively in the first two innings, the Mets were able to tie up the game at one apiece in the bottom of the third. Brandon Nimmo ripped a triple down the right field line and scored on a wild pitch that got past Jacob Stallings behind the plate.

Carrasco settled in nicely after giving up the first-inning run. In the top of the fourth inning, he struck out the side, which finished his outing. Through four innings, Carrasco gave up the one run on two hits and a walk and struck out seven in a very impressive performance.

Pérez, however, could not rebound from the run he gave up in the third as the Mets attacked him in the bottom of the fourth. Daniel Vogelbach singled, Mark Canha doubled, and Darin Ruf reached on a catcher’s interference to load the bases with no outs. Then, Luis Guillorme hit a bases-clearing double to give the Mets a 4-1 lead and chase Pérez out of the game.

Huascar Brazobán came on in relief for Pérez but he was unable to limit the damage, giving up two more runs on a walk and a Starling Marte sacrifice fly, making it a 6-1 game.

On the next play, though, the Mets’ scoring outburst would be the last thing on Mets’ fans minds. Nimmo, while sliding into second base, appeared to jam his knee and looked to be in serious pain. He stayed down on the ground for a period of time before getting up and limping off the field under his own power. During the game, the Mets tweeted that Nimmo left the game with ankle soreness and will receive imaging on Saturday.

While the Mets offense couldn’t get much going for the rest of the game after this inning, neither could the Marlins. Jeff Brigham appeared in relief in the top of the fifth inning and struck out two Miami batters batters. Staying on for the sixth, Brigham struck out another batter but left the game with two outs after surrendering two walks. Needing one out to end the inning, Stephen Nogosek came on in relief and got Austin Allen to line out to the shortstop.

John Curtiss appeared in relief in the eighth inning for the Mets and, after walking the leadoff batter, induced a ground ball double play and another ground ball out to escape the inning relatively easily. T.J. McFarland came into the game in the ninth and worked around a couple of infield singles to close the door on the Marlins giving the Mets the victory.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Player of the Game

Luis Guillorme earns player of the game honors in this one. He impressed in tonight’s game, going 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs. His bases-clearing double in the fourth inning broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Mets a lead that they wouldn’t let up. He added an opposite-field single in his next and final at-bat of the day, displaying his ability to hit to all fields which he has done so well the past few seasons for the Mets.

On Deck

The Mets head to The Ballpark of The Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach to face the Astros on Saturday night. Max Scherzer will be facing Framber Valdez. The game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

The post Guillorme, Carrasco Impress as Mets Defeat Marlins 6-1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Carlos Beltrán. USA Today

The New York Mets announced on Thursday afternoon that they’ve hired Carlos Beltrán to be a special assistant to general manager Billy Eppler. Beltrán returns to an organization that he played for, and was very briefly the manager of during the 2019-2020 offseason.

“Carlos had an exceptional playing career, including several special years here in Queens,” Eppler said. “I’ve known Carlos for many years, and I’m excited to add his unique perspective to our Baseball Operations team.”

This move comes three years after the now 45-year-old was hired, then subsequently fired, as the team’s manager. As has been well documented, the reason for the quick change of heart was Beltrán being named in the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal. Worth noting, Jon Heyman of the New York Post previously reported that Beltran was considered for a hitting coach position with the Mets just one year ago.

Beltrán played seven seasons for the Mets spanning from 2005 through 2011. He was a prolific offensive force with New York, as he registered a career .869 OPS, as well as three 100-plus RBI seasons. Beltrán received 46.5 percent of votes in his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor said having his former Team Puerto Rico (WBC in 2017) teammate in the Mets organization would be a “huge asset”. “He’s very knowledgeable. He’s someone that the game needs. I’m super excited to have him,” Lindor said.

The post Mets Announce Hiring of Carlos Beltrán appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning, Mets fans!

Tim Healey of Newsday captured Buck Showalter‘s response to the Mets hiring Carlos Beltrán as a special assistant to Billy Eppler: “That’s a great addition for us. … As much as Carlos is willing to do (regarding on-field instruction), I’ll take him.” Beltran was selected for nine All-Star games, won three Gold Gloves, and earned two Silver Slugger awards during his career, so Showalter and the Mets will hope that his highly successful career as a player will translate to success in his new front office role.

Now, it is time for the morning briefing.

Latest Mets News

Brett Baty was asked on SNY (via Yahoo) about his relationship with Francisco Álvarez: “He’s one of my best friends even though we don’t speak the same language. It’s super fun to be around him right now.”

Up to 12 Mets could be participating in the World Baseball Classic. The finalized roster will be released tonight. However, Ross Bentley reports that Showalter is somewhat concerned with his players playing in the event, saying, “We are excited and proud that they are going, but they can’t come back and be way behind.”

Howie Rose interviewed Steve Cohen. Click here for the full interview. Michael Mayer has a summary of the interview.

The Thurman Munson Awards are given to professional and Olympic athletes in recognition of their athletic achievements and contributions to the community. Brandon Nimmo and Showalter were honored at the event on Tuesday night.

Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors writes about Pete Alonso as an extension candidate for the Mets.

Michael Mayer reports that former Cardinals outfielder Shane Robinson will be the Mets minor league outfield/base running coordinator this season. Robinson spent the 2022 season as a bench coach in the Padres farm system after retiring as a player in 2021.

Latest MLB News

Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that the Marlins have spoken to Terry Collins about a possible consultant’s role within the organization. Collins and Marlins general manager Kim Ng worked together with the Dodgers.

Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Ronald Acuña Jr. will play for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. The decision was made Wednesday. The Braves feel comfortable because they will monitor Acuña’s knee for a few weeks in camp before he joins his country.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com polled MLB executives on which signings were the best in terms of value and fit for the club. For the Mets, Edwin Díaz, Kodai Senga, and Justin Verlander each got a vote.

Nick Pollack of Pitcher List announced the launch of PL8, which includes New mobile design, MLB Percentiles for every stat, PLV metrics on player pages, PL Pro fantasy tools, Custom Article Feed, Usage/MPH arrows, and In Game Log.

Latest on MMO

Ross Bentley explains new MLB rules for the 2023 season.

Ross Bentley writes about how Francisco Lindor and Edwin Díaz reportedly pushed for the Mets to hire Carlos Beltrán.

On This Date in Mets History

1956: Mookie Wilson was born.

Other birthdays: Todd Pratt (56), Doug Linton (58)

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Carlos Beltrán. USA Today

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, former New York Mets’ outfielder Carlos Beltrán is rejoining the organization in a front office role. Heyman, at the time, explained that his specific role is unknown, but Beltrán was expected to serve under general manager Billy Eppler in some capacity. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com later confirmed that Beltrán’s role is ‘Special Assistant’ to the general manager.

This move comes three years after the now 45-year-old was hired, then subsequently fired, as the team’s manager. As has been well documented, the reasoning for the quick change of heart was Beltrán being named in the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal. Worth noting, Heyman pointed out that Beltran was considered for a hitting-coach position with the Mets just one year ago.

Beltrán played seven season for the Mets spanning from 2005 through 2011. He was a prolific offensive force with New York, as he registered a career .869 OPS, as well as three 100-plus RBI seasons. Beltrán received 46.5 percent of votes in his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot.

The Puerto Rico native was most recently working as an analyst for YES Network. He will leave that role for his new reported job with the Mets.

The post Heyman: Carlos Beltrán Joining Mets’ Front Office appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Sep 17, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar (10) celebrates with teammates after hitting a three run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Correa will ultimately not be coming to New York in 2023 or beyond, after he spurned the Mets for the Minnesota Twins Tuesday following a weeks-long standoff with New York over contract language relating to his physical condition. While it’s a bitter pill to swallow for Mets fans knowing they were teased with the idea of a dominant left side of the infield for the next decade, all is not lost for next season.

Without Correa, the Mets will be trotting out a lineup that looks awfully familiar to the 2022 edition if they don’t make any additional moves before Opening Day. While the Mets offense sputtered to a disappointing finish last season, ultimately failing to win the division or get out of the Wild Card Series, it’s important to remember that the Mets were still one of the best offenses in baseball a season ago.

The 2022 Mets were fifth in the majors in runs scored, sixth in team OPS, and second in on-base percentage. While there are serious questions about whether they have enough offensive juice to compete with baseball’s elite teams, the Mets still project to be an above-average run-producing unit in 2023.

As a refresher, here’s what the Mets lineup is likely to look like next season, at least to start the year.

1. CF Brandon Nimmo
2. RF Starling Marte
3. SS Francisco Lindor
4. 1B Pete Alonso
5. 2B Jeff McNeil
6. DH Daniel Vogelbach
7. 3B Eduardo Escobar
8. LF Mark Canha
9. C Omar Narváez

From 1-5, the Mets can compete with anyone in the majors. The top of the Mets lineup features one of the game’s best center fielders, a two-time All-Star who can hit for average and power, two top-10 NL MVP vote getters last season, and the reigning major league batting champion.

It’s the bottom half of the lineup that will have the most question marks. Vogelbach is a masher against righties, but will see limited if any starts against left-handed pitchers. Unless the Mets want to start the season with three catchers and carry top prospect Francisco Álvarez, as a platoon DH, their only other reasonable right-handed DH options are Darin Ruf, who had a miserable second half after being traded to Queens, or Mark Vientos who had a 58 OPS+ in 16 games in his first taste of big-league action in 2022.

Escobar was hot-and-cold last year, and the Mets will need more consistency out of him or he may lose his job at some point to top prospect Brett Baty. Canha is a reliable if unspectacular presence who will get on base and has some pop. Newly-acquired Narváez and Tomás Nido will try to give the Mets more production than they got last season out of their backstops. when they ranked 28th in the majors in catcher OPS.

If the Mets are to replicate or improve on their production this season, they will need their elite hitters to continue to produce at a high level and get more production out positions like catcher, third base, and DH. Whether that production comes from improvement from last season’s regulars, breakouts from top prospects like Álvarez and Baty, or from other players yet to be acquired, remains to be seen.

While it’s certainly possible the Mets will once again be one of MLB’s top offenses, the task has gotten a lot harder without an All-Star third baseman.

The post Reexamining the Mets Lineup Without Carlos Correa appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Updated Post – Jan. 11, 11:38

The Minnesota Twins announced on Wednesday morning that they officially signed star shortstop Carlos Correa. The almost-Met released the following statement, “Wow what a journey it’s been. A lot of emotions involved throughout the whole process but always believed at the end of the day God will put me in the right place.”

Once the deal became official, the Mets released their own statement, “We were unable to reach an agreement. We wish Carlos all the best.”

Updated Post – Jan. 11, 09:52

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Carlos Correa has passed his physical with the Minnesota Twins and the team will make an announcement at some point today.

Original Post – Jan. 10, 14:02

The long-running Carlos Correa saga has finally reached a conclusion with the Minnesota Twins agreeing to a deal with Carlos Correa, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. It seems the New York Mets decided to walk away from the star free agent and end all contract talks.

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Mets offered Correa a fully guaranteed six-year, $157.5 million deal. They would have paid the shortstop $210 million over eight years, and $315 million over 12 years (non-guaranteed). Jon Heyman of The New York Post also reported that the Mets were willing to fully guarantee six years at $157.5 million, but the final six years of the deal would have been only conditionally guaranteed. As a result, Correa opted to return to the Twins where he will make $42.5 million more in the first six years of his deal with Minnesota. Heyman also suggested that Correa and the Mets couldn’t get past the language issue that ultimately proved to be the backbreaker in negotiations.

It was reported on Thursday by Andy Martino of SNY that the Mets had grown “very frustrated” in their negotiations with powerhouse owner Scott Boras. While a source did tell Martino that they “still believed the sides stood a strong chance of reaching an agreement,” that hasn’t proved to be the case. Monday night, then, Ken Rosenthal reported talks between the Twins and Correa were “accelerating.” it reached a fever pitch Tuesday with a new deal.

Passan says Correa and the Twins agreed to a six-year, $200 million deal with a vesting option that will bring total money to $270 million. The deal is pending a physical. The $200 million guaranteed is over $100 million less than what he agreed to with the Mets, and over $150 million what he agreed to with the Giants. This new deal with the Twins is for half the years and nearly half of the money. It should be noted the Twins approved of a three-year deal with Correa just last offseason, so doctors would only need to sign off on four additional years. If his contract vests, it’s assumed that means his ankle will remain healthy over the length of the deal.

The Mets’ (and Giants’) previous concerns with money and years were over Correa’s ankle, which we’ll dive into in a moment.

Today’s news brings to an end what has been a frustrating few weeks for all involved with the Mets. It started on December 21 when, after the Giants saw their 13-year, $350 million offer to Correa crumble over an issue with the player’s medical history, the Mets swooped in. After all, Cohen had previously spoken about his disappointment about missing out on Correa having launched an 11th hour bid to bring him to Citi Field, as well as revealing his admiration for the player.

It was reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post that the Mets and Correa had reached an agreement on a 12-year contract worth $315 million deal. It was the latest blockbuster swing-for-the-fences type move by Cohen in a long line of them this offseason, and the team had added another All-Star to their roster overnight.

However, before Mets fans even had a chance to tone down their excitement for the 2023 season, a rather large hurdle was placed in front of the team in the form of Correa’s troublesome medical history. The same lower right leg injury that spooked the Giants also gave the Mets reasons to be concerned during a medical. That was revealed by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on Christmas Eve.

The party line by multiple reporters ever since Christmas has been that the two parties have been working through any issues over Correa’s health. Lawyers were involved in negotiations with the Mets and Correa, with Martino reporting earlier this week that a resolution could come sooner rather than later, while Heyman suggested a deal could finally be reached by the end of this week. Rosenthal had previously reported that the final contract would look “dramatically different” to the original terms that were agreed to.

While this has been an unprecedented situation, the Mets are hardly swimming in uncharted waters. After all, Boras has been here before having re-negotiated JD Martinez‘s deal with the Boston Red Sox back in 2018. Boston’s medical team raised concerns over a Lisfranc foot injury that forced Martinez to miss time during the 2017 season. Ultimately, all parties agreed to new language being added to the deal that gave the Red Sox options. Martinez was also granted an additional opt-out clause that wasn’t in the original deal.

Due to the complexities of the new contract being thrashed out, it was always understood that it would take time for the Mets to close out a deal with Correa. The general school of thought was always that Correa would eventually end up in a Mets uniform, but that positive thinking slowly ebbed away over the last few days.

It does seems that the Mets reached their limit in discussions. Given how badly Cohen wanted Correa, coupled with how long negotiations have dragged on, the fact that no agreement was reached is somewhat surprising. The underlying feeling was always a case of if and not when, but it appears that discussions have fallen off a cliff over the past couple of days.

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