ESPN would keep broadcasting about 30 regular-season games, but not “Sunday Night Baseball,” with ESPN baseball broadcasts moving to a new night of the week, The Athletic reported.

The deal, which has not been signed, is expected to be done next month and would take effect next season. The exact amount of the deal and terms were unknown. MLB and ESPN declined to comment to The Athletic.

The five teams that ESPN would have full rights to in- and out-of-market games of are the Guardians, Padres, Twins, Diamondbacks and Rockies, The Athletic reported. Fans would likely need to subscribe to ESPN and then pay an additional price to see their local team.

In February, ESPN opted out of the last three years of its deal with MLB. The network paid an average of $550 million per season for “Sunday Night Baseball,” eight to 12 first-round playoff games, and the Home Run Derby.

Netflix is the big favorite to win the Home Run Derby contract, while NBC and Apple are vying for “Sunday Night Baseball” and the first-round playoff games, The Athletic reported. All deals are expected to be for three years.

The ESPN-MLB deal would include MLB.TV as part of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer offering, The Athletic reported. It was unclear if out-of-market subscribers who pay for the package through cable or another way would still be able to get MLB.TV the same way. The deal may also eventually include MLB Network, but that is not set, The Athletic reported.

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The league and cable network had a March 1 deadline to opt out of the final three years of the contract, which would have extended it from 2026-2028, The Athletic reported. ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, the wild card broadcasts, Home Run Derby and the rest of its partnership will remain for the 2025 season.

In the memo to owners, Manfred wrote that MLB has “not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage.”

A new ESPN-MLB deal was not ruled out, but MLB said it has been talking to “several interested parties around these rights over the past several months and expect to have at least two potential options for consideration over the next few weeks.” ESPN did not immediately return a request by The Athletic for comment.

ESPN was asking MLB to take a lower rights fee than the $550 million average annual value the deal called for when the contract was signed in 2021, The Athletic reported. ESPN believes the market has changed and that MLB should adjust. Apple is paying $85 million per year for baseball rights. Roku is paying $10 million.

Manfred thinks the comparisons to Apple and Roku are apples and oranges.

“First, the inventory involved in the Apple and Roku deals is very different from the ESPN inventory,” he wrote in the memo obtained by The Athletic. “The ESPN deal contains the only truly exclusive regular season windows on Sunday nights, the exclusive right to an entire round of playoffs, and the Home Run Derby, one of the most exciting events of the summer. In contrast, Apple and Roku have games that compete against a complete slate of other games broadcast in local markets.”

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The expansion is unlikely to happen until the early 2030s, Passan reported. MLB is currently more focused on the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy (the company owns the TV rights to 14 teams), Tampa Bay’s attempt to build a stadium, Oakland’s potential move to Las Vegas and a new collective bargaining agreement must be negotiated after the current one expires in 2026.

“It hasn’t been much of a topic of conversation,” an anonymous owner told Passan. “Everybody knows what’s going to happen eventually, but it’s so far off that people just haven’t focused on it.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred, who announced last week that he would retire in January 2029, said he hopes to have two cities chosen before he departs, Passan reported.

It is expected that one team each will come from the east and west, and it could lead to realignment, Passan reported. Nashville (the nation’s 26th largest media market) and Salt Lake City (27th) are seen as favorites, but there are other contenders.

Nashville has been viewed as a favorite for five years, since it formed the Music City Baseball group, Passan reported. Salt Lake City gained momentum in the last six months, in part due to the Big League Utah group. It has jumped ahead of Portland, Ore. Other candidates are Charlotte, N.C., San Jose, Calif., Austin, Texas, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Mexico City, sources told Passan.

The league has not decided on how it would realign, sources told Passan. It may go to four eight-team divisions or eight four-team divisions.

MLB has not expanded since Arizona and Tampa Bay joined in 1998, the longest stretch of not adding teams since MLB went from 1901-1961 with 16 teams. The Mets joined the National League in the 1962 expansion with the Houston Colt .45s, who would later change their name to the Astros and move to the American League.

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McDaniel released his Top 100 MLB Prospects list earlier in the week, and the Mets had six players on it. The six top 100 prospects for the Mets are tied with the Baltimore Orioles (No. 1 overall ranking), Detroit Tigers (No. 3), San Diego Padres (No. 4), Brewers (No. 5), Yankees (N0. 6), and Reds (No. 10) for the most for any organization.

• No. 31 Jett Williams
• No. 39 Drew Gilbert
• No. 58 Luisangel Acuña
• No. 72 Ronny Mauricio
• No. 80 Ryan Clifford
• No. 99 Christian Scott

Baseball America also released their farm system rankings on Friday, and it’s a little rosier for Mets fans. BA has the Mets farm system at No. 8 in their rankings heading into the 2024 season after they had them at No. 5 going into last season. Baseball America had just three Mets in their recent top 100 lists.

• No. 30 Jett Williams
• No. 87 Ronny Mauricio
• No. 91 Drew Gilbert

Either way you slice it, the Mets have a farm system in the top half of the league, and that’s in large part due to the trades they made at the deadline last season. Gilbert, Clifford, and Acuña were acquired at the deadline, as were infielders Marco Vargas and Jeremy Rodriguez–two players multiple publications noted were close to their top 100 list.

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Andy Martino of SNY reports that the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres continue their talks about star outfielder Juan Soto, and they’ve gotten to the point where they’ve started exchanging names.

Martino notes that the Padres asking price is understandably high and that San Diego wants top prospects/rookies and young major league pitchers.

Original Post – Nov. 10 at 5:59 PM

San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto is “100%” going to be traded before the 2024 season, Buster Olney of ESPN said on The Michael Kay Show on Friday.

Soto, still just 25 years old, has already played seven major league seasons and established himself as one of the brightest stars in the game. Given the slew of large contracts the Padres are already committed to, though, Olney said he sees Soto as the most obvious choice to be dealt.

“It makes sense that they would do that, given the other assets that they have, and the fact you can’t trade Manny Machado with his contract,” Olney said. “You can’t trade Xander Bogaerts with his contract. Yu Darvish. Joe Musgrove. Those are massive contracts that just can’t be moved, so I do think Soto’s gonna be moved. People who are in other front offices absolutely believe the Padres are gonna trade Soto.”

Soto is set to become a free agent in 2025, giving him one year left on his current contract. There have been reports of the Padres discussing a potential contract extension with Soto, but nothing has materialized from that.

Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Soto was drafted and developed by the Washington Nationals, then got dealt to the Padres as the headliner of a blockbuster deal at the 2022 trade deadline. But the Padres, despite being a potentially lethal force on paper, had a disappointing 2023 campaign where they missed the playoffs entirely. Soto was relatively disappointing as well during his first 52 games with San Diego in 2022, batting .236 with with a .778 OPS, though he put up a strong individual 2023 season with a .410 OBP and .930 OPS. He owns a remarkable .421 OBP in his first 779 games as a big leaguer, along with a .946 OPS and 154 wRC+.

If the Padres trade him, they’re sure to be moving a generational star who’s primed to receive a massive contract in 2025.

“That’s one where AJ Preller and Scott Boras can come out and say, ‘No, that’s not gonna be the case.’ All you have to do is look at the math,” Olney said. “If in fact the Padres are gonna get their payroll down to $200 million or $220 — which would be a massive reduction — they’re gonna have to make a move with Soto.”

The Padres’ total payroll in 2023 was listed at $281,578,933 by Spotrac, with Soto making $23 million. He was the second-highest paid player on the team behind Bogaerts, but unlike many of San Diego’s other key players, his contract is set to expire soon. Fernando Tatis Jr. just finished the third year of a massive 14-year contract, while Machado and Bogaerts each just completed the first season of their respective 11-year deals. Soto’s impending free agency offers a lot more flexibility than those who are locked up for the long term.

Given that Soto only has one guaranteed year left, he wouldn’t necessarily garner the largest haul. Still, the Padres should be able to get some quality prospects for him if nothing else. At the end of Olney’s comments on The Michael Kay Show, he mentioned the New York Yankees as a possible landing spot — another team that disappointed in 2023.

“And if you’re trying to map out a potential Yankees offseason, he, to me, is the most logical target because he’s not gonna necessarily require a big deal,” Olney said.

A team’s confidence that it could extend Soto after trading for him could also factor in to what it’s willing to give up, and how aggressive it’s going to be to make a potential Soto deal happen. In any case, Soto is the most coveted name on the trade market right now, complementing the intense Shohei Ohtani interest on the free agency side of the hill. He’ll be receiving a lot of money from someone in the near future — the question is whether it’ll be an extension from the Padres, an extension from somebody else, or a free agent deal in 2025.

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Jett Williams. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Williams, 19, is off to a great start in his Brooklyn Cyclones career with a .279/.456/.442 line with 13 walks in 13 games since being promoted from Low-A St. Lucie. Williams also has five stolen bases in that span, giving him 37 for the season. The right-handed hitter has a .427 OBP overall this season between St. Lucie and Brooklyn, which ranks 21st among 755 hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. Williams has played 68 games at shortstop and 16 games in center field this year.

Williams has been typically ranked behind Gilbert and Acuña on Mets prospects list, and I believe this is the only publication that has him as the top prospect in the organization right now.

Gilbert, 22, was recently acquired by the Mets alongside Ryan Clifford in exchange for veteran ace Justin Verlander. The left-handed hitter is hitting .290/.357/.421 since the trade, including his first home run in the Mets organization on Tuesday.

The 2022 first-round pick has a .276/.363/.454 slash line over 91 games this season. Gilbert has 19 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 44 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases in that time. Gilbert has played all three outfield spots this year with 35 games in center, 21 games in right, and eight games in left field.

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Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Good morning, Mets fans!

Katie Hughes Martin of ESPN reports that the Mets vs. Cardinals game on Monday afternoon was its most watched spring training broadcast since a primetime Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants game in 2016, with an average of 423,000 viewers and 475,000 at its peak. The game was ESPN’s first spring training broadcast since 2021, and viewership on Monday was up 44% compared to then.

Now, it is time for the morning briefing.

Latest Mets News

Tim Healey of Newsday reports that there was a Mets fan behind the Mets’ dugout Monday in Jupiter who was relentlessly cheering them on all afternoon, often the only voice emerging from the crowd. You could hear him from anywhere in the stands. Buck Showalter gave him a lineup card after the game and said “he deserved it” in his postgame interview.

David Laurilla of FanGraphs interviewed Mets prospect Grant Hartwig.

Francisco Lindor‘s hair will look different multiple times this month for the WBC and then for Opening Day. Lindor went further during an interview with SNY and said, “If I ever go bald, I’m going to maximize the hell out of my hair.”

Abbey Mastracco of New York Daily News reports that Bear, a black lab training with K9s for Warriors named after “Polar Bear” Pete Alonso, was on hand to help shag balls as the Mets took batting practice ahead of their Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros.

Latest MLB News

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that Padres have agreed to a deal with Rougned Odor. It’s a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training.

Michael Clair of MLB.com covers the captivating nature of Czech Republic’s WBC team in his latest article.

Latest on MMO

Dan Quiñones recaps the Mets’ 8-4 win against the Marlins yesterday.

John Sheridan talks about Baseball America ranking the Mets as the fifth best farm system.

Brian Wright writes about Mets legends in other uniforms that people may have forgotten about.

Colby Morris reports on Jose Butto‘s new cutter.

On This Date in Mets History

2013: Johan Santana faced MLB hitters for the first time after anterior capsule surgery in September 2010. Santana threw forty pitches against David Wright, Daniel Murphy, and Ike Davis. Afterwards, he concluded (along with the medical staff) that he would be ready for opening day.

Birthdays: Michael Conforto (30), Ramon Castro (47), Tony Castillo (60)

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KAILA JONES/TCPALM

Good morning, Mets fans!

Mets pitchers and catchers report today, officially. Of course, as you will see from the news below, lots of the Mets are already in camp.

Latest Mets News

As the final round of Mets players reach the spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, Mets new ace Justin Verlander is already throwing a bullpen session. Verlander signed a two-year deal with the Mets this offseason as he begins his first spring training with New York.

Noted Mets pitcher Justin Verlander throws a bullpen session on his first day at spring training pic.twitter.com/tRWgO5VjcX

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) February 14, 2023

Mets closer Edwin Díaz was asked about a number of topics when he met with media members down in the team’s spring training facility. Díaz and the team expect to win the World Series this season was one of many things the closer said during those conversations.

Díaz also expects to keep throwing his two pitches, his fastball and slider, which he hopes to keep striking out opposing batters. Díaz also wants to see Timmy Trumpets, the artist behind his now signature entrance song, at more games this season and loves being back with the orange and blue.

Latest MLB News

Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote an article about MLB’s plans to enforce illegal pitch and balk rules this season. This and the new pitch clock rule will certainly work hand-in-hand, as there is now a 15-second time limit between when the pitcher receives the ball back from the catcher and his next pitch. This time increases to 20 seconds when there is a runner on base.

In addition to the new MLB rule changes, media members were given the first on-the-field look at the base size increase put in place this year, which sees the first, second and third base bags grow three inches to square. This gives the batters a 4.5-inch shorter distance between the bases they run around and three-inch shorter distance to and from home plate.

Free agent starting pitcher Michael Wacha is in agreement on a contract with the San Diego Padres, pending physical, sources tell The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal. Wacha’s contract with the Padres is worth $24 million over the next four years. The deal includes a player and team option that protects both Wacha’s upside and downside while lowering his annual average value for luxury-tax purposes.

Looking deeper into the signing, Rosenthal says the Padres addressed long-term uncertainty in rotation. The Padres have already extended pitchers Joe Musgrove back in August and Yu Darvish. With a potential contract for Nick Martinez coming soon, agreeing to a deal with Wacha solves some of those issues. Pitcher Blake Snell is still eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Mike Clevinger, who remains under investigation for potentially violating MLB’s domestic violence policy, will be permitted to fully participate at the White Sox’s spring training camp, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Clevinger is not being placed on administrative leave at this time.

Back in late January, Clevinger’s girlfriend, who is also the mother of their almost one-year-old child, told The Athletic of incidents involving physical, verbal and emotional abuse towards her and their child. According to the article, the White Sox were aware of the investigation after Clevinger was signed.

MLB.TV subscribers will now be able to watch Minor League Baseball (MiLB) this season. If you didn’t think you could get enough baseball, now you have access to over 7,000 streamed games from affiliates of the 30 MLB teams. This includes all 60 Triple-A and Double-A minor league clubs, 40 additional clubs and some postseason games that will all be available through the First Pitch App.

Latest on MMO

Patrick Glynn predicts the Mets Opening Day roster.

On This Date in Mets History

2011: Mets bring back Jason Isringhausen with a minor league deal.

Birthdays: Mark Canha (35), Barry Jones(60), Chuck Estrada (85)

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It’s salary projection season, and ESPN threw its hat into the ring on Tuesday offering up guesses as to where top free agents will land and how much they’ll make.

Jacob deGrom and Brandon Nimmo were two of the primary features of the article, and they made a couple surprising guesses regarding some of the top pitchers on the market. The seven writers making predictions are Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez, Joon Lee, Kiley McDaniel, Buster Olney, Jesse Rogers and David Schoenfield

Jacob deGrom

In a bit of a shocker, none of the seven ESPN writers and insiders projected that deGrom would return to the Mets. Four said he’d go to the Texas Rangers, and one of each predicted he’d end up with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals. His contract estimate sat at around four years and $38 million to $40 million per year. Max Scherzer money.

Brandon Nimmo

As for Nimmo, the three writers think the center fielder will return to New York on a five-year deal for a total between $110 million and $140 million. Another three predicted Nimmo will go North of the Border to Toronto, and another believed the Marlins will spend money this offseason and give him $120 million over five years.

Kiley McDaniel said he thinks “Nimmo will be coming off the board sooner than later” and that, as previously reported, Nimmo is priority No. 2 after Edwin Díaz.

Carlos Rodón

Things got more intriguing when five of the seven writers predicted Carlos Rodón would sign a five- or six-year with New York with an average annual value between $26 million and $30 million. That would make sense with this batch of writers if they all expect deGrom to leave. The Mets won’t end free agency without a premium pitcher.

Joon Lee said, “This is the pitcher who makes the most sense for the Mets from a value and talent standpoint. Cohen is not going to sit still this offseason and I expect New York to be pulling out its pocketbook again to improve its roster in an area where it struggled with health last season.”

Aaron Judge

As far as Aaron Judge–the free agent who will sign the most lucrative deal this offseason–all seven writers expect his total money to land above $325 million and as high as $370 million. Six of the seven think he’ll return to the Yankees, and one thinks he’ll head to San Francisco. (Judge visited the Giants on Tuesday.)

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Good morning, Mets fans!

Francys Romero reports that Yoenis Céspedes will return to baseball in Dominican Winter League, per sources. It will be with the Aguilas Cibaeñas. The last time he played an official game was on August 1, 2020.

The Mets showed that they deserve to be on top of the NL East standings Wednesday by defeating the Braves 7-3 and winning the series. The Mets are 4-3 against the Braves this season, which has helped them keep a 2.5 game lead in the division. In yesterday’s game, Francisco Lindor had a huge three-run home run in the third inning that gave the Mets a commanding 4-0 lead in the game. Chris Bassitt also pitched very well in the contest, giving up one earned run in six innings.

Dan Quiñones has a more complete recap of yesterday’s game. The Mets will play the Chicago Cubs today at 8:05 p.m. EST.

And don’t forget, Jacob deGrom is pitching for Triple-A Syracuse tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET and MLB tv will have the game for free.

Now, it is time for the morning briefing.

Latest Mets News

Michael Mayer of Metsmerized reports that Kevin Mitchell will represent the Mets at the MLB draft on Sunday.

Pete Alonso gives his message to Mets fans yesterday in The Players’ Tribune. In the article, Alonso said, “we represent the greatest city in the world. And whether you’re a player or a fan, we all should be proud to be a part of this thing. We should say LFGM like we effing mean it.”

John Heyman and Joel Sherman interviewed Sandy Alderson on about his thoughts on Jacob deGrom, Billy Eppler, team needs, and how the Mets were close to getting Billy Beane as their president of baseball operations.

In a collaboration between the New York Mets and Marvel, the first 25,000 fans in attendance on July 23 will receive a Captain America tribute funko pop.

Latest MLB News

Charlie Montoyo was fired by the Toronto Blue Jays. John Schneider will serve as the interim manager and Casey Candaele will serve as the interim bench coach through the end of the season.

Eric Stephen of SB Nation reports that the Los Angeles Dodgers reclaimed Jake Reed off waivers.

The Washington Nationals called up Tyler Clippard after placing Tanner Rainey on the 60-day IL.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that 10 players on the Kansas City Royals’ 26-man roster will not make the trip to Toronto this week because they are unvaccinated, sources tell ESPN. That includes the team’s lone All-Star and a top trade target, outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Other players who are missing the series include: IF/OF Whit Merrifield, C M.J. Melendez, DH Hunter Dozier, SP Brad Keller, SP Brady Singer, CF Michael A. Taylor, OF Kyle Isbel, RP Dylan Coleman and C Cam Gallagher.

Latest on MMO

Nate Mendelson explains how the Mets proved that they are the best team in the NL East.

Patrick Glynn reports that Sandy Alderson acknowledged the Mets’ lack of production from the DH spot.

On This Date in Mets History

1970: Gil Hodges earned the right to manage the National League at the 41st All-Star game. Tom Seaver and Bud Harrelson also represented the Mets that year. Seaver threw three shutout innings, including four strikeouts, as the starter, while Harrelson went two for three to help the NL defeat the AL, 5-4.

2001: Mets manager Bobby Valentine earns his 1000th career win on a combined one-hit shutout from Glendon Rusch and Armando Benitez.

2015: Jacob deGrom strikes out all three batters he faces in the All-Star Game.

Birthdays: Robin Ventura (55), Jack Leathersich (32)

Let’s go Mets!

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