With no games being played stateside, there is only one place to get your baseball fix right now and that is the KBO. The Korean baseball season began earlier this month and is drawing more attention then ever.

One of the interesting things for Mets fans to watch during these games is the performances of some former players that were in New York just last season. Drew Gagnon, Chris Flexen and Aaron Altherr are all playing in the KBO after last suiting up with the Mets in the MLB.

Flexen and Gagnon each had their stints in the Mets bullpen in 2019, but they are now featured starters for their respective teams in the KBO.

Pitching for the Doosan Bears, Flexen was particularly dominant in his latest start, nearly going the distance against Altherr’s NC Dinos.

Former Mets pitcher Chris Flexen was dominant today in the KBO

8 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Now has a 1.12 ERA through 3 starts

https://t.co/SPVLg05VoW

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) May 20, 2020

Flexen wasn’t the only ex-Met to throw a gem on Wednesday though, as Gagnon had himself a great outing as well, blanking the Lotte Giants across six inning pitched.

Former Mets pitcher Drew Gagnon in the KBO today:

6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K and induced this triple play

https://t.co/jA927cOdvL

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) May 20, 2020

If you want to tune in to watch some KBO action yourself, games are being aired on ESPN and can also be streamed through Twitch.

The post Former Mets Pitchers Excel in the KBO appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets announced that they have designated Drew Gagnon for assignment to help make room for their four 40-man roster additions on Wednesday.

This comes after a Korean report that was translated by MMO’s own Michael Mayer said Drew Gagnon was closing in on a contract with a team in the KBO.

However, Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors reports that this is not the case and Gagnon will not be heading to the KBO.

Gagnon, 29, made 18 appearances for the Mets in 2019 in which he registered a 8.37 ERA, 8.96 FIP, and 1.732 WHIP with 6.5 K/9 as compared to 2.7 BB/9.

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After a laborious managerial search that included a multitude of candidates, numerous rounds of interviews and non-existent “bombshell” options, the Mets have their man: longtime Met and future Hall-of-Famer Carlos Beltran.

While the rest of the coaching staff has yet to be rounded out, New York has hopped the biggest hurdle by tabbing Beltran as manager.

Now that that’s done and the offseason is under way, it’s time for general manager Brodie Van Wagenen to shift his priorities to improving the makeup of the team.

Van Wagenen set lofty, albeit unsustainable, goals for the 2019 that ultimately didn’t pan out, yet the team did finish 10 games over .500 and just three games out of a Wild Card berth.

The Mets have a strong young core that includes the likes of Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, Amed Rosario and so on, as well as a rotation led by Jacob deGrom, so they’re no slouches.

However, as Tim Britton of the Athletic recently opined, it’s time for the Mets to build on that to thrust themselves into real contention.

With their window shrinking over the next couple years as well as having to share a division with the defending World Series champion Nationals and two more strong teams in the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, New York is going to have to spend this winter.

The Mets biggest areas of improvement this winter are bolstering the bullpen, adding an outfielder, signing another starting pitcher and potentially a catcher if they can move Wilson Ramos.

At the back-end of the bullpen, New York is hoping Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia can rebound, but that should not dissuade them from adding to the corps. In fact, it should give them more incentive to do so. With Aroldis Chapman staying in New York, it tightens the market up a bit, but the Mets still need to add a couple arms to round out the pen.

Seth Lugo and Justin Wilson, who had strong years in 2019, will be returning to the fold, but New York needs more depth so they aren’t stuck cycling out the likes of Tyler Bashlor, Drew Gagnon, Jacob Rhame and company to try and get something to stick.

That should be priority No. 1, followed by adding an outfielder. At this point, we have no idea what the deal with Yoenis Cespedes is. The Cuban slugger is entering his contract year, but all has been quiet on his front after missing the last year plus.

Should Cespedes return, it would be a welcome addition, but the Mets have to act as though he won’t return and bring in an external outfielder. An appealing name could be Jackie Bradley Jr. who could round out center field while allowing Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo to man the corner spots.

And last but not least: the battery. In an ideal world, the Mets should be going hard after Gerrit Cole, who established himself as one of the premier pitchers in the league and easily the top option on the open market. New York’s monetary issues have been well established, but even if they do make a big splash and go over the luxury tax threshold, the punishment for first time offenders is nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

Should Cole not be an option, it’s of utmost importance to try and retain Zack Wheeler, who has put up nearly 9 fWAR in the last two seasons and has been talked about as a major breakout candidate.

Behind the dish, the Mets should also be looking to dump Wilson Ramos and his salary, perhaps to an AL team who could utilize him primarily as a designated hitter. If they can do so, they should put their focus on Yasmani Grandal, who has become one of the strongest catchers in the league defensively and can produce on the offensive side as well.

The Mets have an uphill battle this winter that is going to require them to spend and be creative in moving around some money in order to compete. If they don’t, it’s going to be very difficult to topple the World Series defending Nationals as well as two other hungry teams in their division.

So the clock is now on, Brodie. What’s your move?

The post It’s Time For Brodie Van Wagenen to Now Fix the Team appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by James Farrance Photography

The New York Mets have announced that they have activated Jed Lowrie (left side injuries, right calf) from the 60-day IL and transferred Dominic Smith to the 60-day IL. The team has also recalled Drew Gagnon from Triple-A Syracuse.

Lowrie, 35, is set to join the team for the first time ever, having not played in a game this season after signing a two-year, $20 million contract with the Mets in the offseason. The infielder is not in the starting lineup on Saturday night.

Between High-A Syracuse, Low-A Brooklyn, and Triple-A Syracuse, Lowrie went 11-for-40 with two home runs and four RBI. On Thursday night, he spoke to the press about the adversity he’s dealt with this season and his excitement to rejoin the team.

Smith, 24, has been on the 10-day IL since July 27 with a stress fracture in his foot and with him just starting baseball activities recently, was almost certain to miss 60 days anyways. According to Tim Healey of Newsday, the best-case scenario for Smith’s return this season is for him to return during the final half-week of the season.

“Initially, they told me my season would probably be done, but I don’t want it to be done,” Smith said.

On the year, Smith is hitting .278/.352/.506 with 10 home runs and 22 RBI to give himself a 126 OPS+ while splitting time between mostly first base and left field.

Gagnon, 29, has appeared in 17 games for the Mets this season in which he registered an 8.74 ERA, 8.73 FIP, and 1.721 WHIP. He averaged 6.4 K/9 as compared to 2.8 BB/9.

The post Mets Activate Jed Lowrie, Transfer Dominic Smith To 60-Day IL appeared first on Metsmerized.

As per a team announcement, the New York Mets have made a handful of roster moves ahead of Friday night’s series opener in Kansas City.

Right-hander Paul Sewald has been selected from Syracuse, righty Drew Gagnon has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, and right-hander Tim Peterson has been designated for assignment.

Sewald, 29, has allowed three earned runs over four appearances (seven innings) with New York this season, striking out four and walking two. Over 41 appearances with Syracuse (51 innings), he owns a 3.35 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 15 walks.

Gagnon, also 29, was recalled from Triple-A earlier in the week and threw a perfect inning in relief against the Braves on Tuesday before allowing five earned runs over an inning-and-a-third in Thursday’s 10-8 win over Atlanta.

Over 17 appearances for the Mets this season (22.2 innings), Gagnon has an 8.74 ERA with 16 strikeouts and seven walks. Through 12 starts for Triple-A Syracuse this season (71 innings), the California native owns a 2.15 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 14 walks.

Peterson, 28, has pitched to a 3.09 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 12 walks over 35 appearances (46.2 innings) for Syracuse this season but has allowed four runs over 7.1 innings (six appearances) with the Mets in 2019.

We’ll keep you updated with any additional information as it becomes available.

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Ahead of Tuesday’s game in Atlanta, the New York Mets held a “full-blown team meeting”, as per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com), who also alluded to a possible “bigger roster shakeup” than simply swapping out a couple of relievers.

The aftermath of that closed-door affair resulted in a handful of roster moves, with right-hander Jeurys Familia being placed on the 10-day injured list with a Bennett lesion in his right shoulder (via DiComo; diagnosis via Matt Ehalt, Yahoo Sports) as the headliner.

Despite Mets manager Mickey Callaway speaking nearly directly to the contrary regarding Familia’s health just minutes prior, his beleaguered former setup-man — and one of general manager Brodie Van Wagenen’s primary offseason additions — now hits the IL for an undetermined amount of time.

“It seems like his stuff is in the right place. We’ll have conversations with him daily,” Callaway said (DiComo). “We’ll see how he bounced back today from last night, and continue to do our daily due diligence [with] everybody on their health.”

Callaway spoke about the state of the Mets’ bullpen, whose 5.47 ERA ranks 28th in MLB with the team’s media corps (quotes via Tim Britton of The Athletic), and remained extremely tight-lipped despite being asked valid and viable questions regarding his relief corps.

“Have you given more thought as to how you’ll try to recalibrate the bullpen or what you might do?”, Britton asked Callaway, to which Callaway simply replied,” Lots of it”.

“Is there anything you came up with specifically?”, Britton replied. “Tons of it,” Callaway said. And so on (link above).

In a clear attempt to rock the distressed boat that is the Mets’ bullpen, the Mets optioned right-hander Drew Gagnon (7.65 ERA, 16 strikeouts, seven walks over 15 appearances; 20 innings) to Triple-A Syracuse, recalled left-hander Daniel Zamora, and selected the contract of another southpaw, Stephen Nogosek.

Zamora, 26, has pitched to a 6.00 ERA and 5.84 FIP with 2.00 WHIP, six strikeouts, and four walks over 11 appearances (six innings) with the Mets this season with a .273/.438/.364 slash line against versus left-handed hitters. It appears he’ll get a chance to redeem himself.

Nogosek, 24, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2016 out of the University of Oregon. He came to New York in the Addison Reed deal in 2017 and after an up-and-down 2018 has performed extremely well in 2019, garnering his first taste of the big leagues.

Over 11 appearances with Double-A Binghamton, the left-hander owned a 0.95 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 12 walks over 19 innings pitched. After a late-May call-up to Triple-A Syracuse, Nogosek hasn’t allowed an earned run over 12.2 innings of work (eight appearances).

We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available.

The post Nogosek and Zamora Added to Roster, Familia Placed on Injured List appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals by a score of 5-3 on Monday night at Citi Field (Box Score).

After getting swept down in Miami by the Marlins over the weekend, the Mets returned home to face the Nats. Entering the game tonight, the team sat at five games under .500 and 6.5 out of first place.

Manager Mickey Callaway‘s job security has been called into question over the past several days, which led general manager Brodie Van Wagenen to assure he’s still “their guy” moving forward in a pregame press conference.

Along with their recent five game losing streak, things did not get better when they returned home. The team announced outfielder Yoenis Cespedes fractured his ankle on his ranch, as a result of a “violent fall.” The club also placed setup man Seth Lugo on the I.L with shoulder tendinitis.

Despite all the drama surrounding the Mets in the past week, the team rallied on Monday night to get a much needed bounce back win.

Pitching

Coming off a rough outing last week in D.C, Wilmer Font got a chance to redeem himself against the Nats in his third start of the season.

Font ran into trouble in a 30 pitch first inning giving up a leadoff double to Trea Turner and walk to Anthony Rendon. Luckily the pitcher came back to get Juan Soto to fly out and Howie Kendrick to strikeout to escape the jam unscathed.

The right-hander would then breeze through the next two innings recording a strikeout and  double play, while only facing six batters.

Font’s final inning came in the top of the fourth, where he was taken deep to leadoff the frame by Met killer Anthony Rendon to put the Nats on the board. After getting the next two batters to line and ground out, Font issued back-to-back walks to Gerardo Parra and Victor Robles.

Next up, Yan Gomes drove in the Nationals second run of the game on an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2. Font was then able to stop the bleeding, as he got Corbin to ground out to first to end the inning.

Font went four innings allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out three batters and walking four. He also picked up his first major league hit on a ground ball single to right field in the third inning.

Long reliever Drew Gagnon came on to start the fifth inning in relief of Font. Gagnon continued to impress striking out two batters in two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Jeurys Familia worked around a lead off single in the seventh inning to pitch a scoreless half that ended on a double play groundout by Trea Turner. Callaway let Familia start the eighth inning, which saw the right-hander strikeout Eaton to begin the frame.

Familia was pulled after surrendering a one out double to Rendon. Lefty Daniel Zamora then came in for Familia to try and get a king sized out against left-handed batter Juan Soto. Soto ultimately beat Zamora on an RBI blooper to center to chip away at the Met lead 4-3.

After Zamora failed to get the lefty, R0bert Gsellman relieved him to face Howie Kendrick. Kendrick lined a shot to left field, but right at Brandon Nimmo for the second out. Gsellman then got Parra to softly ground out to Alonso at first to hold the one run lead and get out of the eighth.

Closer Edwin Diaz was called upon to get the save in the ninth and made things interesting to say the least. Diaz plunked Robles to lead off the inning and then surrendered a bloop hit to Yan Gomes, which fell in just over McNeil’s head at second.

Kurt Suzuki came up next swinging for the go-ahead home run, but flew out to Nimmo in deep left field. The theatrics continued after Trea Turner grounded out to Smith at first, who threw over to Rosario at second for the first out, but the shortstop oddly did not attempt to throw to first to complete the double play.

With two outs and runners on first and third, Diaz got Eaton to fly out to Nimmo in left to record his 11th save of the season and snap the Mets five game losing streak. Drew Gagnon was rewarded his second win of the season, after pitching two shut out innings in the fifth and sixth.

Offense

It was a different story for the offense tonight, who entered Monday night’s game without scoring a run in 19 innings. Met batters scratched across four runs on six hits against Nats lefty Patrick Corbin, who has previously stifled them in two starts this season.

Shortstop Amed Rosario got things going early out of the two hole in the first inning, as he sent a solo shot to dead center field, which gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Although the scoreless streak was snapped to open up the game, the Mets weren’t done in the frame.

Two batters later Pete Alonso crushed his 15th home run of the season to extend the lead to 2-0. Alonso’s homer tied a pre-All Star break franchise rookie record.

In the bottom of the third, Amed Rosario got things started again with a lead off walk. After Corbin retired J.D Davis and Alonso, he would then walk Wilson Ramos to put runners on first and second with two outs.

Next up, Todd Frazier snuck one through the hole up the middle to drive in the third run of the game, but the scoring wasn’t done there. Carlos Gomez followed up with an RBI double to left center to make the score 4-0, which was his first hit as a Met since 2007.

Corbin went five innings allowing four runs on six hits, while striking out seven and walking three. He also gave up two homer on the night.

Despite being benched tonight for not hustling over the weekend, Robinson Cano pinch hit with two outs in the sixth and launched a double to right center field off of Nats reliever Tanner Rainey. Unfortunately, Rainey came back to induce a Jeff McNeil groundout to end the threat.

In the bottom of the eighth, Carlos Gomez worked a one out walk off of reliever Joe Ross. Gomez moved over to second base on a botched pickoff attempt by Ross. Juan Lagares then grounded out to the right side to advance Gomez to third with two outs.

Davey Martinez opted to bring in lefty Tony Sipp to face pinch hitter Dominic Smith. Smith came through on the first pitch with a line drive RBI single to center field, which gave the Mets a huge insurance run and 5-3 lead.

The Mets offense finally woke up on Monday night scoring a total of five runs on eight hits, while slugging two homers.

Top Performers: Frazier 2-for-4 with one RBI, Rosario 1-for-3 with a home run (4), two runs scored, a walk, and an RBI, Alonso 1-for-3 with a home run (15), a run scored, and an RBI, Gomez 1-for-3, double, RBI, walk, and a run scored.

On Deck

On Tuesday, Zack Wheeler looks to start a new winning streak for the Mets against right-hander Erick Fedde and the Nationals. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. E.T. and the game will be televised on SNY.

The post Game Recap: Mets Snap Skid With 5-3 Win Over Nats appeared first on Metsmerized.

-Update-

According to multiple reports, Wilmer Font will now be starting for the Mets tonight against the Nationals. Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports notes that as of this weekend the Mets planned on starting Gagnon, but decided to change it up this afternoon.

Font has struggled in his two starts with the Mets thus far. His last time out in Washington he was shellacked for five runs on six hits over 2.1 innings of work.

-Original-

According to Anthony Dicomo of MLB.com, righty Drew Gagnon will make his first start of the season tonight in the New York Mets series opener against the Washington Nationals.

This will be the second start of the 28-year old’s big league career. He made his first career start with the Mets last season, and lasted just 4.2 innings after throwing 99 pitches and allowing six runs on seven hits.

The Mets may need to lean on their bullpen heavily in this one, as Gagnon’s last start occurred back on April 23 with Triple-A Syracuse. Since that start, he has not pitched more than 2.2 innings or thrown more than 26 pitches in an outing.

Though it is a small sample size, Gagnon has pitched pretty well at the big league level this season. In his first stint, he allowed five runs in mop-up duty of a 14-3 loss to the Phillies. However, since then he has tossed 5.2 scoreless innings and struck out four batters.

Prior to being recalled, Gagnon was 2-0 with a 0.51 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 14 strike outs over three starts for Triple-A Syracuse. Of the Mets starting rotation depth, Gagnon has been most impressive, it will be interesting to see what he will do with this opportunity.

The post Wilmer Font to Start Tonight Against Nationals appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jason Vargas will make a rehab start on Sunday with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies according to Justin Toscano of The Record. The veteran lefty was placed in the injured list on May 6 with a left hamstring strain.

Vargas has struggled to a 5.92 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 24.1 innings this season though he does have a 3.00 ERA in his last four starts.

Steven Matz said he feels great today after throwing a 45-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday according to Tim Healey of Newsday. Healey noted that Matz felt fine throwing curveballs, which had been an issue for Steven as he dealt with the nerve issue in his throwing forearm.

Matz has posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.20 WHIP this season in 35 innings. He has allowed eight home runs in that span.

The Mets have yet to announce a starter for Saturday, though activating Matz off the IL and getting the ball remains a possibility. The Mets are also considering right-hander Drew Gagnon.

The post Vargas Will Start for Binghamton on Sunday, Matz Feels Good appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets (20-21) fell to the Washington Nationals (17-25) by a score of 5-1 on Wednesday night at Nationals Park. (Box Score)

Pitching

Wilmer Font (1-1 7.08 ERA) made his second start in a Mets uniform and did not fare well. The 28-year-old lasted a mere 2 1/3 innings while giving up six hits, two walks, one home run, and five runs.

Drew Gagnon was called upon early to replace Font. He went 2 2/3 shutout innings and held the Nats to three hits and no walks, while striking out one.

Tyler Bashlor came into the game in the sixth inning and picked up where Gagnon left off. He pitched two perfect innings and picked up a strikeout along the way.

Jeurys Familia played in his first game since returning from the injured list and continued the dominance from the Mets bullpen. He also pitched a perfect inning and recorded one strikeout to round out a performance from the pen that included 5 2/3 shutout innings of three-hit ball.

Offense

The Mets bats were quiet against Patrick Corbin (4-1, 2.91 ERA) who began his day by striking out the side in the first and ended his day by recording two more strikeouts in the eighth inning.

The Mets did their most damage in the third inning. Juan Lagares and Jeff McNeil got on base via a single and walk, respectively. J.D. Davis then hit a two-out, RBI double to drive in Lagares and cut the Nats’ lead to 3-1 at the time. However, the Mets threat ended a batter later as Robinson Cano grounded out to end the inning.

The only other hits of the game for the Mets were a fifth-inning single from Gagnon and an eighth-inning single from McNeil.

On Deck

Zack Wheeler (3-2, 4.35 ERA) will look to steer the Mets towards a series victory against Anibal Sanchez (0-6, 5.27 ERA) and the Nats on Thursday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EDT, with game coverage on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN 1050.

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