The righty was dealing, and for the majority of the night, there was a special feeling in the ballpark. Severino started by striking out two of the first three batters faced. Then, he sat down six more Cubs in a row with ease.

Severino was perfect through four innings of work, primarily tunneling his 96-mile-per-hour fastball with hard sliders and sweepers. The occasional sinker was in play too, which he used to induce two groundouts early in the game.

The perfect game buzz continued into the fourth inning. Severino worked quickly again, retiring the Cubs No. 1 and 2 hitters with only eight pitches. He was one out away from another 1-2-3 inning, and faced Ian Happ.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately, Severino lost the strike zone and walked Happ on five pitches, ending his bid for a perfect game. Still, the ballpark was on their feet, and Severino retired Morel with one pitch to retire the side.

Despite losing his perfect game bid, there was still history on the line. Severino had completed four no-hit innings for the second start in a row, and was working toward the Mets’ third no-hitter in franchise history, coincidentally on the anniversary of the second no-hitter in franchise history back in 2022.

And it wasn’t unrealistic for Severino either. He was mowing down the Cubs. Severino pitched perfect fifth and sixth innings, and after hitting Mike Tauchman to lead off the seventh, got a key double play to end the inning after Tauchman had a base running blunder.

The Mets starter was six outs away from glory and entered the eighth inning throwing only 79 pitches. Everything seemed right and the momentum was in the Mets’ favor. Sadly, Severino couldn’t finish the performance.

He walked Michael Busch to leadoff the eight, and then served up a broken-bat single to Dansby Swanson to end the no-hitter. Severino eventually finished the eighth inning for the Mets, but not before Busch came home to tie the game at 1-1.

While the performance will get lost in the loss, Severino was dominant yet again for the Mets. He pitched eight innings, allowing only one run and hit, and two walks. The righty also struck out five batters.

Sevy, 97mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/k38VRHYwsx

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 30, 2024

The start was easily the best of the season for Severino. He had ace-like stuff from the first pitch of the game, something he noticed in his bullpen before the 7:10 PM start time in Flushing.

“First pitch of the game,” Severino said on when he knew his stuff was special. “I was feeling good in the bullpen. Fastball, the command was outstanding, even the breaking pitches, the sweeper and the movement was really good too.”

The start lowered his ERA to 2.31 this season and was the third start this season where he allowed only one run. Monday’s start also marked the first time Severino pitched past the sixth inning in 2024, which he was able to reach without relying on the strikeout.

“I feel really good,” Severino told the media when asked if he was back to the pitcher he was. “I think before, when I was a little younger, I was thinking too much on striking everyone out. Right now I just focus on getting people out, getting deep into the game. So right now I think I’m in a different position right now. For me, it’s more important to throw innings than striking everybody out.”

While he might not be the ace that struck everyone out in the Bronx, Severino has undeniably been a hidden gem from last year’s free agent market. Outside his first start, he’s been spectacular for the Mets, and currently holds the 13th-best ERA among starters in the majors.

Tonight was an example of what Severino could be—an ace. And despite falling short of the no-hitter, the fans were on their feet and roaring for the righty after he allowed a weak single to Swanson.

“That’s the thing about New York. If you’re doing good, you’re gonna get something like that,” Severino said. “If you’re doing bad, you’re gonna get a lot of boos. They’re straight with you, and I like that kind of thing.”

The post Luis Severino Dominant with No-Hit Stuff vs. Cubs appeared first on Metsmerized.

Dansby Swanson. Mandatory Credit: Larry Robinson-USA TODAY Sports

It’s award season in Major League Baseball, and today, the prestigious Gold Glove awards were being presented. For the New York Mets, their only finalist was shortstop Francisco Lindor. Lindor, in 2023, continued his success at shortstop by making tremendous defensive plays and turning in an overall very valuable season.

Lindor led all shortstops in innings played this year with 1,366 and was fifth among National League shortstops in DRS (defensive runs saved) with seven. Previously, Lindor has won two Gold Gloves with the then Cleveland Indians in 2016 and 2019 and has yet to win one with the Mets. Unfortunately, Lindor was not awarded with his third career Gold Glove this year.

MLB announced the Gold Glove winners late on Sunday, and the Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson brought home the award on the National League side. Per Fangraphs, among all the National League shortstops, Swanson was first in total defensive runs saved with 18. Overall, Swanson’s 20.3 defensive runs above average was the highest among National League shortstops, and nine higher than Lindor, who was fourth at 11.2.

A full analysis into how Lindor stacked up with other National League shortstops defensively this season can be found here.

While Lindor will have to wait another year to get his third Gold Glove and first as a Met, he still had a great season defensively and is among the best all-around shortstops in the game. Plus, Lindor has a good chance for the Silver Slugger award after a 30/30/30 season. The Silver Slugger awards will be announced on November 9.

The post Dansby Swanson Beats Out Francisco Lindor For The NL Shortstop Gold Glove appeared first on Metsmerized.

Wednesday night, the lone game on the docket was the Houston Astros going into Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the ALCS. The major headline heading into the game was the return of former Met Max Scherzer, who would make his postseason debut as a Ranger. The last time he was on the mound in October, it did not go well, to say the least, Scherzer went 4 2/3 innings while getting smashed for seven runs on four home runs in game 1 of the Wild Card Round against the Padres. Unfortunately for Max, this time was not much better. 

After a clean first inning for Max, which included a strikeout of Michael Brantley, it was all downhill from there. The Astros poured on three runs in the second inning behind a wild pitch and a timely Martín Maldonado 2-run single. Jose Altuve would add on as he put a high fastball over the left field wall, followed by a Mauricio Dubón RBI single in the fourth inning to cap Scherzer’s night.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Max finished the night with four innings pitched and five earned runs on five hits in his first outing in over a month. However, his Rangers are still up 2-1 in the series and are only two wins away from the team’s first World Series appearance in over a decade. 

Latest Mets News

Will Sammon of The Athletic gave an update to the Mets managerial search, as he reported that David Stearns and company would look outside of the organization to fill the role. This rules out names such as Carlos Beltrán and Eric Chavez while making the Craig Counsell rumors more credible. 

Francisco Alvarez has been nominated for the Luis Aparicio Award, per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online. The award is given annually to honor the Venezuelan who was deemed to have the best individual performance in MLB that season. A total of 33 Venezuelans are up for the 2023 award, in which the winner will be announced on October 28 before Game 2 of the World Series. 

Rawlings announced the 2023 Gold Glove finalists on Wednesday afternoon, and Francisco Lindor is the Mets’ lone Gold Glove finalist. Lindor is up against Dansby Swanson of the Chicago Cubs and Ezequiel Tovar of the Colorado Rockies for the NL shortstop Gold Glove award. Francisco is going for his third Gold Glove award overall and his first one as a Met. The winners will be announced on November 5 on ESPN. 

MLB Pipeline released their All-Rookie teams for the 2023 season, and the Mets were well represented as both Kodai Senga and Francisco Álvarez made the cut. Kodai Senga was one of two starting pitchers to make the first team, and Francisco Álvarez made the second team, only being beat out by Yainer Diaz of the Astros for the first team’s catcher position. 

Latest MLB News

On Wednesday, there were major updates to the Boston Red Sox’s search for a general manager following their firing of Chaim Bloom. One of those updates came from Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, who reported that Boston talked to former Astros general manager James Click, but he has elected not to pursue the job due to family considerations. 

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic wrote an article detailing how Boston and Cubs executive Craig Breslow have been in advanced discussions on having him take over Boston’s highest job in baseball operations. 

The Major League Baseball Players Trust announced they are holding their second annual “Playmakers Classic” presented by Fanatics. The event supports the organization’s youth development, disaster relief, and other charitable initiatives and will be held in Las Vegas this year. Many current and former MLB players will be in attendance, including former Mets Tony Clark, Bobby Bonilla, Chris Capuano, Josh Thole, and others.

Latest on MMO

Christian De Block did a full breakdown of the full list of 2023 Gold Glove finalists.

The remembrance of the ’73 Mets continues as Brian Wright looks back at the one and only Rusty Staub. 

Jack Ramsey looked at some of the veteran pitching options for the Mets this upcoming offseason. 

On This Date in Mets History

1965: The Mets traded pitcher Tom Parsons to the Astros for catcher Jerry Grote. Grote was a two-time All-Star and part of the 1969 World Champion Mets.

2006: In the sixth inning of game 7 in the NLCS, Endy Chavez rises above the left field wall to rob Scott Rolen of a two-run home run and proceeds to double off Jim Edmonds at first base. Despite Chávez making one of the greatest grabs in MLB history, a Yadier Molina two-run shot in the top of the ninth put the Cardinals ahead, 3-1. Carlos Beltrán‘s knees would infamously buckle to an Adam Wainwright curveball with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning, ending the Mets season. 

“He made the catch!”#OTD in #Mets history Endy Chavez made one of the most unforgettable plays in baseball history. pic.twitter.com/IHuY4RwcSQ

— New York Mets (@Mets) October 19, 2018

Birthdays: Rajai Davis (43), José Bautista (43), Joe McEwing (51), Sandy Alomar (80)

The post Morning Briefing: Astros Best Scherzer in Game 3 Win appeared first on Metsmerized.

Francisco Lindor. Photo by Roberto Carlo

New York Mets’ superstar shortstop had another terrific season in 2022. Francisco Lindor slashed .254/.336/.470, good for a superb .806 OPS. The highest of his career since 2019. He also belted 30 home runs to go along with 98 RBIs and 108 runs (second-highest of his career). Not to mention, he also stole 31 bases, giving him his first 30-30 season of his career and becoming only the fourth player in Mets’ history to do so.

All this culminated in a bWAR and fWAR total of 6.0. This number ranked 10th in the majors per Baseball Reference and eighth per FanGraphs. Of course, his offensive performances had a lot to do with these impressive figures, but Lindor once again had himself a terrific defensive season, something that was on display constantly throughout the season.

The Defensive Metrics

According to Baseball Reference, Lindor finished with a defensive value of 1.6. This ranked tied for 19th in the majors, ranking fourth among National League (NL) shortstops. Dansby Swanson of the Chicago Cubs (fourth overall), Ezequiel Tovar of the Colorado Rockies (10th overall), and Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers (17th overall) all ranked better than the two-time Gold Glove winner.

Other metrics were also favorable to Lindor. Baseball Savant’s outs above average (OAA) metric has him in the league’s 90th percentile, while their fielding run value (FRV) metric has him in the league’s 78th percentile. Meanwhile, FanGraph’s defensive runs saved (DRS) metric ranks Lindor fifth among NL shortstops, their OAA metric ranks him eighth among NL shortstops, and their total defensive rating figure has him fourth among NL shortstops.

The most impressive statistic is Lindor’s 9.1 ultimate zone rating (UZR). This leads NL shortstops by a considerable amount, as the next closest posted a 5.9 rating, which was Dansby Swanson. Lindor’s UZR ranked fifth among all defenders in the league last season.

So, what exactly is UZR? Per MLB.com’s definition, UZR is, “quantifies a player’s entire defensive performance by attempting to measure how many runs a defender saved. It takes into account errors, range, outfield arm, and double-play ability. It differs slightly from DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) in its formula, but the concept is the same.”

With all that being said, how do the above figures compare to some of Lindor’s peers in 2023?

Dansby Swanson. Mandatory Credit: Larry Robinson-USA TODAY Sports

The Competition

When examining other NL shortstops and their defensive analytics in the 2023 season, five candidates emerge, including Lindor. Those consist of Dansby Swanson (CHI), Ezequiel Tovar (COL), Willy Adames (MIL), and Miguel Rojas (LAD).

Here are how each five stack up in several important and telling defensive metrics last season:

As you can see, each of the above five turned in tremendous defensive seasons. A simple practice to further visualize who was the most impressive out of the above five candidates as it concerns to the categories above is simply assigning what position they finished among the candidates and weighting that positioning across each category. The below is what you get when you do that:

1. Dansby Swanson, 1.17
2. Ezequiel Tovar, 2.33
3. Willy Adams, 2.83
4. Francisco Lindor & Miguel Rojas, 4.0

Final Thoughts

Make no mistake about it, Francisco Lindor was once again very strong defensively and since he entered the league has arguably been the strongest defensive shortstop in the game. Proof being the fact he owns the highest OOA and FanGraph’s defensive rating since 2015. However, this past season, the competition at the shortstop position for the Gold Glove is fierce.

Based off all the defensive metrics alone, Lindor may not be valued the highest. However, if you factor in how many innings he played, and how elite he was able to play offensively while not sacrificing any of the defense, the argument for awarding him his third Gold Glove of his career potentially arises.

Regardless, it will be very interesting to see who gets the nod for the award come November.

The post Analyzing Francisco Lindor’s Competition In Capturing A Third Gold Glove appeared first on Metsmerized.

Francisco Lindor. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets have one All-Star in 2023. It’s not surprising considering that the Mets sit at 37-46, 19 games back in the division and nine games back of the wild card.

Bad teams, which is what the Mets have been so far, usually don’t have many All-Stars. With that said, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo both potentially deserve to be on the National League team this season, yet each will be watching from home.

Lindor

While he may not be completely living up to the expectations that come with a 10-year, $341 million contract, he is still an excellent baseball player.

Going into Sunday night’s game when the full rosters were announced, Lindor was hitting .225/.305/.450 with 17 home runs, 19 doubles, 55 RBI, and 49 runs scored. Yes, the batting average isn’t pretty, but he’s still hitting for a ton of power. 

Among MLB shortstops, Lindor has the most homers, RBI, and runs scored. Some of that is situational and depends on his teammates to get on base in front of him and drive him in, but the home runs aren’t. He has two more than Bo Bichette, who leads the American League, and five more than Paul DeJong, who is second in the National League.  

Among National League shortstops, he is tied for second in fWAR at 2.5 with Geraldo Perdomo, who also didn’t make the All-Star team. Perdomo is having a really nice season and definitely deserved consideration, but he has only five home runs and isn’t a qualified hitter. Lindor should get the nod before he does.

Among NL qualified shortstops, Lindor is tied for first in OPS (.755) and wRC+ (109) with Dansby Swanson, who made the team as a reserve. Swanson leads NL shortstops in fWAR, so why isn’t he the starter?

Because Orlando Arcia, who isn’t even a qualified hitter and is sixth in fWAR, won the fan vote. If it was a merit-based system, Swanson would be the starter and Lindor the reserve. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Nimmo

Heading into Sunday, Nimmo was hitting .282/.372/.462 with 12 homers, 40 RBI, and 47 runs scored. His .834 OPS ranks ninth among qualifiers and his wRC+ ranks fifth.

Nimmo’s fWAR ranks sixth among NL outfielders behind Ronald Acuña Jr., Mookie Betts, Corbin Carroll, Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis Jr. The first four are deservedly All-Stars. The fifth finished up a PED suspension to begin the year. That doesn’t disqualify him from the All-Star Game, but it is some necessary context.

More importantly, none of those five players are full-time center fielders. Carroll has split time almost evenly between center and right field. Acuña, Betts, and Soto haven’t played center at all. Tatis has just 21 innings there compared to 529 in right.

The other two NL outfield All-Stars, Nick Castellanos and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., haven’t played center, either. Castellanos is the lone Phillies All-Star and is deserving in his own right. Gurriel, however, isn’t the lone Diamondback—Carroll is the starting center fielder. Nimmo has been better than Gurriel basically across the board.

Nimmo is one of the best full-time center fielders in baseball and arguably the best in the NL. Luis Robert Jr. and Mike Trout are superior in the AL, but Carroll doesn’t even play the position every day.

Nimmo’s offensive contributions already stack up with the best corner outfielders in the NL. Corner outfielders naturally hit more in the first place. Don’t be fooled by the one positional grouping for All-Star purposes: center field is a different animal than left or right and needs individual representation. That representation should be Nimmo.

There will be more players named to the All-Star team just as they are every year. Not everyone initially picked is healthy enough to play, and they will need replacements.

Lindor and Nimmo deserve to be on the top of that list.

The post Opinion: Lindor and Nimmo Are Bad Snubs From All-Star Game appeared first on Metsmerized.

Billy Eppler and Justin Verlander. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The National League East was one of the best divisions in baseball last season. The division saw three teams move on to the playoffs, it housed two 101-win team, and supplied the National League’s representative in the World Series. Once again, it’s projected to be one of the most competitive divisions in the league. The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves each have top-five odds to win the World Series, and the pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies are not far behind.

Given the above, it is no surprise that several of the NL East teams were active this off-season. How active you may wonder? Let’s take a look at each team’s additions and subtractions.

Parameters

Next to each player’s name under the ‘subtractions’ section is last year’s WAR generated by the player. This year’s projected WAR for the player will be listed next to their name in the ‘additions’ section. The net WAR added/subtracted will be disclosed at the bottom of each section.

All WAR projections and figures from last year are per Fangraphs.

Not all subtractions and additions are included. The only subtractions are the ones that played a valuable role, for better or worse, with the club last year. As for the additions, only players listed on the Fangraph’s 2023 projected depth charts for the specific clubs are listed.

Dansby Swanson. Photo credits: USA Today

Atlanta Braves

Additions:

• Sean Murphy, C (trade): 4.0 WAR
• Joe Jimenez, RP (trade): 0.6 WAR
• Jordan Luplow, OF/1B (free agent): 0.6 WAR
• Lucas Luetge, RP (trade): 0.2 WAR
• Sam Hilliard, OF (trade): 0.1 WAR
• Nick Anderson, RP (free agent): 0.0 WAR
• Dennis Santana, RP (trade): 0.0 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 5.5 WAR

Subtractions:

• Dansby Swanson, SS: 6.4 WAR
• William Contreras, DH/C: 2.4 WAR
• Kenley Jansen, RP: 1.1 WAR
• Adam Duvall, OF: 0.9 WAR
• Jesse Chavez, RP: 0.9 WAR
• Robbie Grossman, OF: 0.2 WAR
• Jake Odorizzi, SP: 0.1 WAR
• Ehire Adrianza, OF: 0.1 WAR
• Guillermo Heredia, OF: 0.0 WAR
• Darren O’Day, RP: 0.0 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 12.1 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: -6.6 WAR

Kodai Senga. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets

Additions:

• Justin Verlander, RP (free agent): 4.0 WAR
• Kodai Senga, SP (free agent): 2.2 WAR
• Omar Narváez, C (free agent): 2.0 WAR
• Jose Quintana, SP (free agent): 1.9 WAR
• Tommy Pham, OF (free agent): 0.5 WAR
• David Robertson, RP (free agent): 0.4 WAR
• Brooks Raley, RP (trade): 0.2 WAR
• Elieser Hernández, RP (trade): 0.2 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 11.4 WAR

Subtraction

• Chris Bassitt, SP: 2.7 WAR
• Taijuan Walker, SP: 2.5 WAR
• Jacob deGrom, SP: 2.2 WAR
• Trevor Williams, SP/RP: 0.6 WAR
• James McCann, C: 0.4 WAR
• Joely Rodriguez, RP: 0.4 WAR
• Seth Lugo, RP: 0.2 WAR
• Trevor May, RP: 0.1 WAR
• Mychal Givens, RP: -0.1 WAR
• Dominic Smith, 1B/DH: -0.1 WAR
• Tyler Naquin, OF: -0.1 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 8.8 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: 2.6 WAR

Trea Turner. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Phillies

Additions:

• Trea Turner, SS (free agent): 4.5 WAR
• Taijuan Walker, SP (free agent): 1.5 WAR
• Craig Kimbrell, RP (free agent): 0.5 WAR
• Gregory Soto, RP (trade): 0.5 WAR
• Kody Clemens, INF/OF (trade): 0.2 WAR
• Matt Strahm, RP (free agent): 0.1 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 7.3 WAR

Subtractions

• Kyle Gibson, SP: 1.8 WAR
• Jean Segura, 2B: 1.7 WAR
• Zach Eflin, SP/RP: 1.4 WAR
• Noah Syndergaard, SP: 1.1 WAR
• Nick Maton, INF: 0.8 WAR
• Odúbel Herrera, OF: 0.4 WAR
• Johan Camargo, INF: 0.4 WAR
• David Robertson, RP: 0.3 WAR
• Brad Hand, RP: 0.3 WAR
• Corey Knebel, RP: 0.0 WAR
• Matt Vierling, OF: 0.0 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 8.2 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: -0.9 WAR

Pablo Lopez. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Marlins

Additions:

• Luis Arráez, INF (trade): 3.3 WAR
• Jean Segura, 2B (free agent): 2.4 WAR
• Johnny Cueto, SP (free agent): 0.9 WAR
• JT Chargois, RP (trade): 0.1 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 6.7 WAR

Subtractions

• Pablo López, SP: 2.8 WAR
• Miguel Rojas, SS: 1.2 WAR
• Brian Anderson, 3B/OF: 0.5 WAR
• Jeff Brigham, RP: 0.2 WAR
• Cody Poteet, RP: -0.1 WAR
• Cole Sulser, RP: -0.2 WAR
• Lewin Diaz, 1B: -0.7 WAR
• Elieser Hernández, RP: -0.9 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 2.8 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: 3.9 WAR

Dominic Smith. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Nationals

Additions:

• Jeimer Candelario, 3B/1B (free agent): 1.6 WAR
• Dominic Smith, 1B (free agent): 1.1 WAR
• Trevor Williams, SP (free agent): 0.9 WAR
• Corey Dickerson, OF (free agent): 0.6 WAR
• Stone Garrett, OF (free agent): 0.4 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 4.6 WAR

Subtractions:

• César Hernández, 2B/OF: 0.5 WAR
• Erick Fedde, SP: 0.4 WAR
• Anibal Sánchez, SP: -0.2 WAR
• Luke Voit, 1B: -0.3 WAR
• Steve Cishek, RP: -0.3 WAR
• Nelson Cruz, DH: -0.8 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): -0.7

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: 5.3 WAR

Summary

• Nationals: +5.3 WAR
• Marlins: +3.9 WAR
• Mets: +2.6 WAR
• Phillies: -0.9 WAR
• Braves: -6.6 WAR

Final Thoughts

As you can see, it was a busy off-season for several teams in the NL East. The division added some new stars in the likes of Trea Turner, Justin Verlander, Sean Murphy, and Luis Arráez. The division also saw the departure of some familiar faces in Jacob deGrom, Dansby Swanson, Miguel Rojas, Pablo López, and Zach Eflin. Regardless, expect the competition to be at an all-time high.

Loose projections have the lowly Nationals being the ‘most improved,’ with the Marlins right behind them. It appears Fangraphs also likes what the Mets did this off-season, showing a net improvement.

As for the Braves, despite adding Sean Murphy, overall, they did not add a lot and lost the likes of Dansby Swanson, William Contreras, and Kenley Jansen all depart. Thus, a potential for some regression this upcoming season. Lastly, despite adding superstar Trea Turner, the Phillies lost a decent number of depth producers (Segura, Eflin, Maton, Syndergaard, etc.) resulting in a lackluster overall value being added.

Despite all this, projections are only that. Only time will tell how all these off-season moves pay off for the each team. Certainly an exciting season in the making, nonetheless.

The post Analyzing The Off-Seasons Of Each National League East Team appeared first on Metsmerized.

The post Morning Briefing: Braves Lose Dansby Swanson To Cubs appeared first on Metsmerized.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson is finalizing a deal with the Chicago Cubs, according to David Kaplan. ESPN’s Jeff Passan confirmed the report.

Bally Sports‘ Russell Dorsey says the deal is for seven years and $177 million.

The 28-year-old Swanson spent the first six-plus years of his career with the Atlanta Braves, winning a World Series in 2021. Though his bat has been inconsistent over his career, he’s developed into one of the best defensive shortstops in the league. Despite the inconsistency on offense, he had the best year of his career at the plate by OPS+ (115) in his walk year. He hit 25 home runs, batted in 96 runs and had a .776 OPS to go along with his stellar defense.

The shortstop is the latest team favorite to leave the Braves in free agency. Freddie Freeman signed with the Dodgers last offseason after spending his first 12 seasons with Atlanta. However, the Braves still have half-a-dozen team-friendly contracts with players like Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Austin Riley and Spencer Strider.

Swanson is the final domino to fall in the free-agent shortstop frenzy of the last couple of years. Some mega deals of the last two offseasons include:

• Trea Turner: 11 years, $300 million with the Phillies
• Carlos Correa: 13 years, $350 million with the Giants
• Xander Bogaerts: 11 years, $280 million with the Padres
• Corey Seager: 10 years, $325 million with the Rangers
• Javier Báez: six years, $140 million with the Tigers
• Trevor Story: six years, $140 million with the Red Sox

Francisco Lindor also signed a 10-year, $341 million contract with the Mets a year before his free agency. Fernando Tatis Jr. (14/$340 million) and Wander Franco (11/$182 million) signed massive contracts early in their career, too.

The post Dansby Swanson Finalizing Deal with Cubs appeared first on Metsmerized.

Oct 2, 2022; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) hits a home run against the New York Mets in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Larry Robinson-USA TODAY Sports

Most of the big names are now off the board as Hot Stove season slows down somewhat, but there’s still one significant free agent available. Allow MMO to get you caught up on the latest rumors involving the New York Mets and from around MLB.

Swanson In A Good Spot

Dansby Swanson is the last big, big name available on the open market and he has plenty of suitors interested in him with a plethora of teams looking to upgrade at shortstop. Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Cubs, Dodgers, Twins, Red Sox and the Braves are all interested and it is possible Swanson could get a deal worth over $200 million. It is worth noting also that, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, the Twins are very interested in Swanson after losing out on Carlos Correa, who signed a 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants. However, Hayes notes that the Twins would be likely outbid by the likes of the Cubs and the Braves.

Swanson is a career .255/.321/.417/.738 hitter and, having slashed .277/.329/.447/.776 with 25 home runs and 96 RBI in 2022, he’s projected to earn himself a very nice payday no matter where he eventually ends up landing this winter.

Twins To Be Busy

Let’s stick with the Twins. Having lost out on Correa, the front office are now attempting to figure out what their lineup will look like heading into the 2023 season and beyond. As mentioned above, they are in on Swanson but they are also showing interest in a few more modest free agents. Former Met Justin Turner is believed to be on the radar, per Dan Hayes, while Jon Heyman notes that right fielder Max Kepler is drawing a lot of trade interest after the Twins signed Joey Gallo to a one-year, $11 million deal. It could be a busy few weeks for Minnesota who still have a lot of work to do.

Mets Shopping McCann, Carrasco

It has been a very busy offseason for the Mets and it doesn’t seem that they are done yet. While reports have suggested they are still looking to add a power bat, multiple reports have indicated that the front office are actively shopping catcher James McCann and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco. Our very own Michael Mayer has reported that the Mets are now aggressively shopping McCann after signing Omar Narváez on Thursday night.

Joel Sherman of The Post has reported that the Mets are listening to offers on Carrasco, with the RHP perhaps expendable following the additions of Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga and José Quintana. Carrasco went 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and 152 strikeouts in 152 innings over 29 starts for the Mets in 2022. Carrasco has one season at $14 million left on his contract.

McCann, meanwhile, has largely struggled in Queens and the veteran has hit just .220/.282/.328 with a combined 13 home runs and 64 RBI in 182 games. He is owed $12.15 million in each of the next two seasons and the Mets may have to eat some salary in order to move the veteran catcher.

O’s After More Pitching

The Baltimore Orioles are looking to add some veteran pitching this offseason. According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, the Orioles are showing interest in veteran pitchers Michael Wacha and Rich Hill. Baltimore is looking to take a leap in 2023 and they want to beef up their rotation with two starters who have been there and done that. Hill posted a 98 ERA+ in 26 starts with the Red Sox in 2022, and he pitched for the Orioles way back in 2009.

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While the MLB Winter Meetings may be in the books, the offseason rolls on and there are still plenty of big names left on the board with a plethora of teams still looking to make a statement and address needs. We at MMO are going to delve right in and round up the latest rumors involving the New York Mets and the rest of MLB for you.

Swanson, Braves Not Talking

Despite the fact that over $2 billion has been spent in baseball this winter, there are still some big names available and star shortstop Dansby Swanson is one of them. Per MLB.com, Swanson and the Atlanta Braves are yet to stage any real negotiations although the team did offer a six-year deal worth roughly $17 million per year at some point this year. With Carlos Correa the only other elite shortstop left on the market, Swanson will get paid one way or the other even if that isn’t with the Braves.

Nimmo Had Offer From Giants

San Francisco just can’t beat New York. Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, outfielder Brandon Nimmo had an offer on the table from the Giants prior to signing an eight-year, $162 million contract with the Mets on Thursday. After losing out to the New York Yankees in the Aaron Judge sweepstakes, the Giants pivoted to Nimmo and actually made an offer before owner Steve Cohen and general manager Billy Eppler joined forces to ensure Nimmo returned to Queens. San Francisco will now have to look elsewhere for outfield reinforcements after missing out on two of their top targets.

Mets Still Not Done

Despite blowing past the $300 million mark in payroll this offseason after signing Justin Verlander, José Quintana, David Robertson and re-signing Edwin Díaz and Brandon Nimmo, the Mets are still not done. Multiple reports have suggested the team are still very much in on free agent starter Kodai Senga, while there are still needs to be addressed when it comes to the bullpen and more pop in the lineup. And, per Jon Heyman, veteran starter Nate Eovaldi is yet another name that has been linked with the Mets. Put it this way; don’t be surprised if owner Steve Cohen ends up committing over $400 million in payroll for the 2023 season.

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Lugo Drawing Interest As A Starter

Seth Lugo is attracting plenty of interest in free agency and, per Jon Heyman of The Post, the Dodgers, Padres and Nationals are all willing to give the righty a chance to start in 2023. Lugo pitched to a 2.67 ERA as a starter during his rookie year back in 2016, while he started 17 games for the Mets in 2017. However, injuries resulted in the 33-year-old being relegated to the bullpen and he’s been used largely as a set-up man ever since. That could now change with a number of teams at least open to signing Lugo and then allowing him to start in 2023.

Veterans Getting Plenty Of Looks

Former Met Justin Turner and veteran third baseman Evan Longoria are both not short of suitors this winter, per Jon Heyman of The Post. Turner, who was linked to a return to Queens at one point this offseason, is drawing interest from the likes of the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers and the Marlins. The Diamondbacks are also in on Longoria, as are four other teams with both players still able to offer plenty despite their advanced years.

Rodón May End Up In NYC After All

Prior to signing Verlander to a big-ticket deal, the Mets were also reported to be in on Carlos Rodón but they ultimately decided to sign a three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion in Verlander as a direct replacement for Jacob deGrom. However, according to Heyman of The Post, Rodón may still end up in The Big Apple with the Yankees keen on another star in the rotation and a lefty at that. Rodón is the best starter left on the market and he would tick a lot of boxes for the Yankees. The only issue seems to be the length of the contract with the Yankees not wanting to go above five years for a 30-year-old. Watch this space.

Kepler Being Shopped

The Minnesota Twins are exploring options to trade outfielder Max Kepler, per Aaron Gleeman and Dan Hayes of The Athletic. With the outfield market now razor thin with Judge and Nimmo both opting to return to their respective teams, Kepler could be an intriguing option for teams who are looking for help in the outfield. Kepler has spent his entire career with the Twins and is a career 232/.317/.427/.744 hitter with 129 home runs and 400 RBI.

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