The Mets have officially reached an agreement with David Stearns to become their president of baseball operations after the regular season ends, as Andy Martino of SNY first reported. They’ve made it clear that their plan is to retain general manager Billy Eppler as well, Martino also reported. The two will work together in their respective positions to try to create a winning product.

Patrick Glynn of MMO has more on this news.

Billy Eppler. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

Buck Showalter said he hasn’t had any conversations with Steve Cohen or Billy Eppler about his job security, Laura Albanese of Newsday reported.

The Mets announced that Sean Reid-Foley was placed on the IL with a right lat strain, while Reed Garrett was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

Latest MLB News

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Dodgers called up pitching prospect Kyle Hurt, who has the highest strikeout rate of any qualified pitcher in the minors this year. He made his debut in Los Angeles’s 11-2 win over the Padres on Tuesday and retired Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Manny Machado in a nine-pitch eighth inning, then struck out the side to finish out the game.

The Padres put veteran left-hander (and former Met) Rich Hill on waivers, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported. Hill ended up pitching in the aforementioned Dodgers game, giving up two runs in two innings out of the bullpen. His ERA is 5.53 this year in his age-43 season.

Speaking of former Met starting pitchers, Max Scherzer was pitching well through 5 1/3 innings for the Rangers before wincing during a pitch and being removed prematurely. The Rangers announced it was a right triceps spasm.

Another veteran starter, Yu Darvish, was shut down for the season, Padres manager Bob Melvin said and AJ Cassavell of MLB reported. He reportedly has a bone spur in his elbow.

Next in the line of pitcher injuries: Braves southpaw Dylan Lee was shut down for the remainder of the year, per Justin Toscano of Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Latest on MMO

Watch Ronny Mauricio hit his first major league home run!

Christian De Block wrote more about how Mauricio is impressing early on.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Daisuke Matsuzaka (43), Grant Roberts (46), Rodney McCray (60), Tom Parsons (84)

The post Morning Briefing: Stearns, Eppler Set to Lead Front Office Together appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning, Mets fans!

The rumor mill continued to swirl Tuesday as the baseball world settles into the offseason. In addition to minor transactions occurring all over baseball, Mets general manager Billy Eppler updated reporters on his negotiations with Jacob deGrom, saying that he’s had friendly and professional conversations with the ace pitcher.

“Just transparent,” Eppler said of the interactions. “Talking about being with each other on every step of the way.”

Eppler also addressed the second elephant in the room, which is Brandon Nimmo‘s free agency. Particularly with how quickly the Mets got a deal with Díaz done, it’s no secret that fans are going to be anticipating the Mets to lock up their other stars.

“Brandon, just like Jake, knows how we feel about him,” Eppler said. “But again, he’s reached a point in his contract where he’s afforded the opportunity to look around. But I think there’s gonna be strong communication there as well.”

Latest Mets News

The Mets exercised their 2023 option for Daniel Vogelbach.

The Mets hired Eric Jagers as their new director of pitching development, MMO‘s Michael Mayer reported.

Latest MLB News

Not MLB, but the SSG Landers won the Korean Championship! Former Mets Wilmer Font and Juan Lagares were on the team, as well as MLB veteran Shin-Soo Choo.

The Guardians announced that Chris Antonetti has been named MLB’s Executive of the Year.

The Blue Jays are expected to trade a catcher this offseason, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported.

Willson Contreras declined the Cubs’ qualifying offer and became a free agent, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

The Reds declined their mutual option for Mike Minor, also making him a free agent, Bobby Nightengale of Enquirer tweeted.

The Dodgers announced that they declined the 2023 options of fan favorite Hanser Alberto and pitcher Jimmy Nelson.

The Orioles announced their 2023 coaching staff.

Chris Cotillo had Zack Scott on his podcast to talk about what the GM Meetings are like behind the scenes.

Latest on MMO

On the latest episode of MMO Weekly, Michael Mayer and Sal Manzo talked about Trea Turner, Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Díaz.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Jon Nunnally (51)

The post Morning Briefing: Eppler Being ‘Transparent’ With DeGrom appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Mets GM Billy Eppler has checked in on Baltimore Orioles first baseman and designated hitter Trey Mancini. For more on this story, check out our report on the possible trade to upgrade the designated hitter spot.

Now onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and outfielder Starling Marte made it to the second round of All-Star voting yesterday. Phase two of voting begins Tuesday, July 5th.

Latest MLB News

Robert Murray of FanSided tweets that San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. met with doctors in hopes of beginning to swing a bat soon. Tatis has not yet played in 2022 due to wrist surgery in the off-season.

Fernando Tatis Jr. met with doctors today in hopes of being cleared to begin swinging.

“I feel like we’re moving forward,” Tatis said. “It’s coming together. I’m one step behind from being a full go. I feel like that step is going to come really, really quick at this pace.”

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) June 28, 2022

David O’Brien of The Athletic discusses new Braves first baseman Matt Olson and how his impact on the team extends past his extra base hits and fielding ability.

The Atlanta Braves announce that longtime public address announcer Casey Motter has passed away. Motter had been with the team since 2007 when the team was at Turner Field, and was still with the organization until his passing.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that agent Casey Close is accusing the Atlanta Braves for creating a “false narrative” surrounding now Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and his leaving Atlanta. Freeman fired Close after hearing that no Atlanta offer was disclosed to him at the time.

A statement on behalf of Casey Close: pic.twitter.com/HMRH6EhQOk

— excel sports (@excelsm) June 30, 2022

Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic tweets that an earlier report circulating surrounding a potential contract offer from the Washington Nationals and outfielder Juan Soto is inaccurate. The initial report stated that the Nationals were in talks to offer Soto a contract valued at $425 million over 13 years.

Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports that Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford successfully appealed his five game suspension down to four games and will serve it immediately. Crawford was part of a huge bench clearing brawl last Sunday between the Los Angeles Angels and the Mariners.

Latest on MMO

John Flanigan discusses Josh Bell as an option for the first base/designated hitter spot.

On This Date in Mets History

1993: Dwight Gooden becomes the franchise leader in home runs hit by a pitcher, by hitting his seventh home run in a 7-5 loss to the Marlins.

Birthdays: Chris Flexen (28), Michael Wacha (31), Craig Anderson (84)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Seeking Offensive Help appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Billy Eppler was introduced as the 16th general manager in Mets history Friday, in a press conference with owner Steve Cohen and president Sandy Alderson. The three made it clear that the Mets intend to spend big this Winter. Cohen said that Alderson and Eppler will be given “whatever they need,” with regards to resources this winter.

Patrick Glynn of MMO wrote on how the Mets intend to “swing big” this offseason, further displaying Cohen’s desire to win now. Glynn also noted how Eppler mentioned that he was receiving messages from agents almost immediately after being officially announced as the next GM.

Nate Mendelson of MMO also wrote an article on the introduction, noting the five biggest takeaways from the press conference. At the top of the list was how detailed the Mets vetting process was, and how Eppler was the only person to receive an offer for the job.

Latest Mets News

Buster Olney of ESPN wrote on the advice other executives offered Billy Eppler upon his new position with the Mets.

The Mets added Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, Adam Oller, and Jose Butto to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft.

Ariel Cohen of FanGraphs released another episode of the Beat the Shift podcast with Mets reliever Trevor May.

Sam Blum of The Athletic reported that Noah Syndergaard received a few multi-year offers that had less AAV than the qualifying offer. He chose instead to go for one year and more money, taking a gamble on himself to earn that big contract next winter.

The Giants announced that they were returning Rule 5 selection Dedniel Núñez back to the Mets.

Latest MLB News

Cleveland officially becomes the Guardians, as the team released a video on Twitter announcing the change taking place on Friday.

Bill Shea of The Athletic wrote on all the hurdles it took for Cleveland to rename their franchise to the Guardians.

MLB announced that the Royals received the 2021 Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence.

The Royals also released images of new uniforms for the 2022 season, that feature all-new road uniforms.

Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports clarified some of the confusion regarding dates and the potential MLB lockout.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Rangers have extended manager Chris Woodward through 2023, with a club option for 2024.

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported that the Twins DFA’d Charlie Barnes and Willians Astudillo to clear 40-man roster space.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Rays traded pitcher Brent Honeywell to the Athletics.

The Yankees announced a trade with the Phillies, in which they acquired minor leaguers T.J. Rumfield and Joel Valdez from the in exchange for Nick Nelson and Donny Sands.

The Yankees also announced that they designated Clint Frazier, Rougned Odor and Tyler Wade for assignment to clear 40-man roster space.

The Phillies announced a trade with the Astros where they acquired catcher Garrett Stubbs from the in exchange for outfielder Logan Cerny.

Blake Harris of True Blue LA announced that the Dodgers have designated Billy McKinney and Zach Reks for assignment.

Latest on MMO

Nate Mendelson wrote on five things to know about new Mets general manager Billy Eppler.

Michael Mayer provided the latest on Mets players in offseason leagues, highlighted by Ronny Mauricio two-double game.

Matt Musico wrote a free agent profile on 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Amed Rosario (26)

1967: Tom Seaver wins the Rookie of the Year award. In 251 innings, Seaver pitched to a 2.76 ERA. He tossed 18 complete games, two of which were shutouts, and struckout 170 batters. Little did Mets fans know, but this season was just the beginning of a career that would make Seaver the best player in Mets history.

1984: Dwight Gooden wins the Rookie of the Year award. Most believed that Doc was going to be the next Tom Seaver for the Mets. Gooden’s rookie season saw him make 31 starts, pitching to a 2.60 ERA and a MLB-best 1.073 WHIP. His season was so good, that he finished second in the Cy Young voting.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: With Eppler in Place, Mets’ Offseason Officially Begins appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Take a peek at Ruben Amaro Jr.’s resume, and you’ll find an individual who’s experienced a multitude of roles in Major League Baseball.

From spending parts of eight seasons as an outfielder for the California Angels, Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies, to serving as assistant general manager for the Phillies for 10 seasons before taking over as GM in November 2008, to spending three seasons as first base coach for the Boston Reds Sox and New York Mets; Amaro’s enjoyed many facets of the game from varied perspectives.

Amaro, 55, was predisposed to Major League Baseball since he was born. His father, Ruben Amaro Sr., played for four teams over his eleven-year Major League career in the 1950s and ’60s, winning a Gold Glove at shortstop with the Phillies in 1964.

His pro career lasted until 1971, when the elder Amaro became a full-time scout in the Caribbean and later the Latin American coordinator for the Phillies. Amaro then served as the Phillies’ first base coach from 1980-81, in which Amaro Jr. got an up-close look at a major league clubhouse when he was one of the team’s batboys.

The young Amaro got to experience the ultimate thrill as a teenager: watching his beloved Phillies win their first World Series Championship in 1980.

The Philadelphia native went on to attend Stanford University, where he was part of the university’s first championship in 1987. That same summer, Amaro was drafted in the 11th-round by the California Angels.

Amaro spent parts of eight seasons in the majors, with his last coming in 1998 with the Phillies. Upon his retirement, Amaro knew that he wanted to remain in the game in some capacity but was shocked when then-current GM Ed Wade proposed that Amaro join the front office as an assistant general manager.

Following the Phillies’ second World Series championship in 2008, Amaro was given the reigns as general manager, replacing the retiring Pat Gillick. His seven-year stint as GM started off on a high note: winning the National League pennant in 2009 and returning to the World Series for the second-straight year.

The Phillies would make it back to the postseason two more times under Amaro’s tenure, losing to the San Francisco Giants in six games in the 2010 National League Championship Series and losing in five games to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 National League Division Series.

With less than a month left of play in 2015, the Phillies relieved Amaro of his GM duties, as the club was heading for its second-straight last-place finish in the National League East.

Amaro had long thought about one day transitioning to the field, with aspirations of managing at the big league level. A little more than a month after his dismissal in Philadelphia, the Red Sox hired the former GM to be their first base coach, a position he served from 2016-17.

For the 2018 season, Amaro swapped roles with longtime Mets’ first base coach, Tom Goodwin, and came to the Big Apple. After his lone year on the field with the Mets in ’18, Amaro went back to the front office, this time working as a special assistant to newly hired GM, Brodie Van Wagenen.

Amaro and the Mets went their separate ways following the 2019 season. There were reports that Amaro was headed to television as a studio analyst with NBC Sports Philadelphia for the 2020 season, which Amaro admits could still be a possibility.

The baseball lifer wants to continue forging his path in Major League Baseball, with aspirations of one day managing at the big league level. Wherever he winds up, Amaro just wants to remain in the game that has afforded him the opportunities to experience baseball from so many different levels.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Amaro, where we discussed how influential his father was on his career, his tenure as Phillies’ GM and working on the field as first base coach for the Mets.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Amaro: When I was a batboy for the Phillies and my dad was working for them, I would say Mike Schmidt was probably one of my favorites. He was an easy one to really like.

One of the guys I really liked in that ’70s and ’80s era was a guy named Bake McBride. He was awesome, and he was our right fielder. Gary Matthews was fun to be around.

There were so many really good players, like Pete Rose. An interesting story about Pete Rose: He didn’t have a whole lot of stuff in his locker, but when my dad was a coach, he actually had a picture of my dad’s baseball card in his locker stuck on his nameplate. I thought that was pretty neat. But my dad was the first base coach at the time, and he’d hit him ground balls all the time.

Steve Carlton was phenomenal, and Tug McGraw and those guys. That ’80 World Series team was pretty special, and I was about 15 years old at the time, so those were like my childhood heroes.

MMO: You grew up in a baseball household, as your dad played in the majors over parts of 11 seasons and then worked for the Phillies in several capacities including scout and first base coach. What was it like growing up having a father in Major League Baseball, and how did that help influence your eventual career path?

Amaro: It’s interesting; we never really thought it was anything abnormal to be on a baseball field around Major League players. From being in the clubhouses in Yankee Stadium, Angels Stadium and then in Philadelphia, where my dad was there for a long time. We were just around baseball all the time, and we thought that was normal.

That was a normal way of growing up, but we were also well-taught and well-tutored by my dad. He had a lot of great advice for us: keep your eyes open, keep your ears open and try to keep your mouth shut, which I had a little bit more trouble with than my brother had. [Laughs.]

Just being around the clubhouse and being around that atmosphere just became a very natural place for us to be.

As a kid, I thought I’d end up being a soccer player; that was kind of my first love. But as I became more and more aware and more of a fan of the game, I ended up thinking that baseball might be the route to take. Even though I was probably a little less talented in that area, it kind of became my one love.

MMO: What are your memories from the 1987 MLB Draft? Did you have any notion that the Angels were looking to select you?

Amaro: I talked to a couple of clubs. Jesse Flores was a scout who scouted me; I had filled out one of those information things. I heard from a couple of different scouts, and my dad heard from a couple of different teams, I think the St. Louis Cardinals and one or two others.

I ended up dropping to the eleventh round and got taken by the Angels while we were at the College World Series, so that was a pretty interesting time for us. We ended up winning the World Series that year, which was my senior year when I was at Stanford.

I can’t remember exactly, but I think we were right in the middle of the World Series, which was in Omaha when I got the phone call at the hotel from Jesse Flores that I had been drafted. It was exciting to get my career going.

MMO: Can you talk about your eventual transition to the Phillies’ front office in 1998?

Amaro: It’s an interesting story. During spring training of ’98, I was kind of fighting as a non-roster invitee to make the club. I had gone to Ed Wade, who at the time went from interim to the official GM, and in spring training he had not hired a lot of people to support him.

I went in during the course of that spring, and I just wanted to let him know that I was probably coming towards the end of my career and that I wanted to stay in baseball. I was thinking maybe as a scout or minor league coach or something like that. He actually asked me in that meeting that we had whether I had interest in being in the front office and work as one of his assistants. I was flabbergasted!

I ended up making the team; graciously they let me make that team, and I ended up talking to Ed over the course of that entire season while we were playing. I talked to my family and decided after Ed offered me that opportunity to become the assistant GM, which was kind of crazy to do right off the field and have that kind of position. I figured I probably wouldn’t get that opportunity again, so I better take it!

I was very, very fortunate that people like Ed Wade and Dave Montgomery were supportive of me staying in the organization.

MMO: How was that initial transition from being a player to now working in the front office? Was it a lot of learning on the job?

Amaro: During the course of the time. I was talking to Ed during the year, I started reading about the basic agreement and getting familiarity with the rules and things like that to try to hit the ground running. But I have to give Ed a lot of credit for kind of just throwing me in the mix there.

Immediately one of my first jobs was to try and sign some six-year minor league free agents, and Ed just said, “Go and start negotiating.”

I think that was the best way to try and start that process; you’ve just got to throw yourself into the fire. I was working with Ed, and Dallas Green was one of our senior advisors at the time, and Paul Owens. I got to spend a lot of time talking about the job at hand and what it takes, and I had some great teachers in Paul, Ed, Dallas Green and some of the background from my father. It was nice to have those people around to support me.

MMO: What’s something about the GM position that might surprise fans to hear?

Amaro: I think in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization we were so community-oriented. I had grown up in that city, and I felt that for me, it was one of those things that we did a lot of community service. I felt like it was my job as a GM to sort of be the face of the organization. And so we had events to go to.

Not only did you have your typical 9 to 11 job, but on top of that, David Montgomery was very active in the organization and in the community, so we were doing a lot of those things.

I think the interactions I had with our vice presidents, the communications are not just vertical. You’re not just communicating vertically in your organization; we were one of those organizations that tried to have everyone on the same page.

All the VPs and all the relationships I’ve had with these people, they’re like brothers and sisters to me. We had a lot of communications horizontally in that way as VPs, and I thought that made for a really strong, united organization where people knew what direction we were trying to take and why, and there was a lot of input and interaction in that way.

MMO: Certainly your schedule and daily responsibilities varied, but what did a typical day-to-day schedule look like for you as GM?

Amaro: After a night game, and if it was a home game, you’d get in somewhere between 9 and 9:30. One of the things I used to do a lot is when I walked into the stadium, we had a downstairs parking area, and I’d come up through and into the stands, and I’d just sit there and look at the ballpark. Particularly when we were in the new ballpark at Citizens Bank, and I’d just marvel at the fact that I got to be a really big part of this organization and the fact that I was heading their baseball organization. I never took that for granted.

I would often sit down in one of the seats to just think about how fortunate I was to be in that position. I never regretted anything as far as the effort part was concerned; other than some of the decisions that you didn’t make, you have to be able to let it go.

I think more than anything else, I took a lot of pride in being the head of the organization, particularly during a time that was arguably one of the best eras of our organization’s history. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of that.

MMO: During your time as GM, what would you say was your best and worst move?

Amaro: Well probably most of them involved Cliff Lee. The Lee trade when we got him in ’09, I think that was a big move for us. We were shooting for Roy Halladay; we were looking for frontline pitching. And the fact that we ended up getting Cliff in that deal, I thought that ended up being a heck of a deal for us.

I loved being able to make that Halladay deal as well; that was also a great deal for us. I was pretty happy with a lot of different things that we got to do. Those in particular were pretty exciting for us.

And then when we ended up trading Cliff before we signed him a couple of years later, that was a tough move for us. That was probably one of the ones I would regret, just because I would’ve rather had taken more time to get more prospects that were closer to the major leagues. We got three pretty damn good prospects from the Mariners, but they didn’t really pan out the way we thought they might, even though they were outstanding players. They were still in A-ball and were pretty far away from the majors.

That would be something that I would have liked to have done a little bit better, but you make decisions for a reason. One of the reasons that we made that deal was because we didn’t want the fans to think that we were going to end up with both Lee and Halladay because we just had to replenish our organization at the time, and that was kind of the mandate.

MMO: I feel like a big part of handling the role as general manger is just having thick skin.

Amaro: We’re all human beings, and we all have feelings and such. The only issues I ever had at times were when some of the pundits would get personal with some of the criticisms.

But honestly, I was born and raised in Philadelphia, I knew what the expectations were. I remember telling my two daughters when I first got the job as GM, I said, ‘Girls, they’re going to love your dad for about three or four years, and then they’re going to hate your dad.’

It was pretty prophetic, I guess. [Laughs.]

I was pretty well used to it, and I think it was my job to be forthright and be available to the press. Was I snippy at times, and did I get a little moody? That’s possible. But I think overall I was pretty prepared.

I knew how difficult the fanbase is and how demanding the fanbase was and that’s their right. That is your God-given right to be able to criticize, and I was well prepared for that. Does it hurt at times? Sure. I mean, we’re all human beings, but it’s par for the course. That’s an occupational hazard in Philadelphia.

MMO: During the latter part of your time as Phillies GM, you were in rebuild mode. Can you talk about the decision and then the overall process to go about and readjust how the organization is essentially run when you know that the team is not necessarily going to be a contender on a year-to-year basis?

Amaro: I think that after the 2012 season, we were still trying to hang on to a couple of different things. We had a couple of things going on; one of them, frankly, was the contract we were trying to put together for Comcast. It was very difficult for us to be negotiating that contract and to go into a rebuild when we were sort of at the tail end of that run.

In 2012, we signed Jonathan Papelbon, which was a big sign for us. We felt like we were still on the right track, but we couldn’t get Chase Utley back and healthy unfortunately, and we couldn’t get the other big piece in Ryan Howard. And then we had Halladay go down.

When we had those three guys go down, it made it very, very difficult for us to regroup. Had they not gone down, we probably would’ve tried to stay and hang in there one more year, but once they became not as healthy and turning a little bit older, then we made that decision.

I think it was in 2014 that we started to, perhaps a year late. You’re trying to win every year, and there’s an expectation in Philadelphia to try and continue to win, and that’s what I felt my job was.

I guess in retrospect maybe we should’ve started the transition a little earlier; had they been healthier, we might’ve been able to do that, but we were kind of caught between a rock and a hard place, and that’s how things go in baseball and in sports sometimes. You have to try and adjust.

I felt like with some of the moves we made with the Jimmy Rollins trade and also with the Cole Hamels trade, we started to turn things around as far as the transition and rebuild were concerned. Unfortunately, at that time, they let me go, and I wish, in retrospect, I would’ve loved to have tried to finish off that rebuild, but this is all part of the game.

Sometimes we get hired to get fired.

MMO: Since your departure from the Phillies, do you look back at the players and prospects you were able to acquire who have made an impact with the current club and take some pride in that?

Amaro: Some of them are pretty decent pieces and we ended up drafting okay. The Aaron Nola draft was a big one for us, along with the Scott Kingery draft and some of the other guys like Rhys Hoskins while we were there.

There are some people that are there and we made some deals that helped the club. We had Zach Eflin, we had Jerad Eickhoff, who before he got hurt was actually on target to be a pretty darn good pitcher, we thought.

There were some other guys that didn’t really pan out much, but then Jorge Alfaro ended up being a pretty big piece for the J.T. Realmuto trade.

It takes a village. It’s the scouting people; it’s the pro scouting, amateur scouting, all of those people that really take a big part and should get a lot of credit for that as well.

MMO: Looking back on your tenure as GM, is there one thing you wish you had done differently or incorporated more? Analytics is one thing I’ve heard you say in the past that you wish you incorporated more as GM. Can you expand on that a bit?

Amaro: We started the process, and we ended up developing probably a little later than most organizations. We probably could’ve started a little bit earlier. We did have and did use analytics, it was more proprietary; we didn’t like to talk about it. It wasn’t as advanced and big data as maybe some of the others, but we did utilize, just like any other organization, statistics and some analytics in our decision-making.

Was it fully developed enough at the time? Probably not. We were starting to go through that process when I was let go and we were in the middle of actually building the Phillies’ holistic integration location called “PHIL.” I’m not sure if they’re still utilizing that and have it, but we started going through that process before I was let go. We were about a year into the process.

Now, in retrospect, that I’ve got an opportunity to be on the field and to see other organization’s work and see how players are processing information and how much information is out there, I think that there is a whole heck of a lot of information that would’ve been helpful.

But again, for me, it’s about not just having the information but utilizing it the proper way, just like anything else. Just like any piece of information, whether it’s from a scout, player or whether it’s information from the analytics and R&D people, it’s not necessarily what it is; it’s how it’s being utilized and whether it’s being utilized in an efficient way to really improve clubs.

To me, it’s gotten to the point where, as I’ve analyzed more and more of the front offices and the way people are going about them, the ones that are having the most success are the ones that can blend both the analytics and big data with good old-fashioned scouting and evaluation. Being able to utilize the basics of what is necessary to be successful as an organization and blending that with some of the newer data that’s out there.

MMO: How did you come to land the first base coach position for the Red Sox back in October 2015?

Amaro: One of the things that I thought about a lot when you’re up there Monday morning quarterbacking in the office 500 feet from it all, I always felt like I was a little bit of a student of the game ever since I was on the bench for most of the teams that I played for. Watching and observing. I think you do the same thing as a GM: observe and help people go about their business.

I always loved the idea of being back on the field, and I had mentioned it to my agent that I had some interest in being out there and being considered as a possible future manager. I threw it out there, and I think it was picked up by somebody in Boston. The late Nick Cafardo wrote it in one of his blogs.

I think John Farrell read it, and he gave me a call and asked me if I’d be interested in being a coach there because they had a vacancy. I had known John for a long time on a couple of different levels as a player in Buffalo, and I think even in Charlotte when we played together there. I had known him as a front office guy when he was with the Cleveland Indians in their minor leagues and as a coach and manager.

I went up to Boston and had an interview with him, and we talked baseball. I talked to Dave Dombrowski, and all of a sudden I was the first base coach working on the outfield and some baserunning stuff.

It was great; I loved it there. It’s a great organization; it’s one of the best organizations in all of sports. They treat their people extraordinarily well. I got to learn a lot about how players think and what motivates them and built what I thought were some really great relationships there.

We won two divisions in a row, which was exciting. They made some changes after that, and Dave brought in Alex Cora, and John was gone, so we kind of got swept out of there. But I enjoyed it there, great organization, great people, and it was a really nice organization to be with for two years.

MMO: Following the 2017 season, you essentially switched jobs with Tom Goodwin, who had been the Mets’ first base coach. Goodwin went to Boston and you came over to New York. How did you like working for the Mets and being in New York?

Amaro: I really enjoyed it. Met some really great kids in Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and some others there. Nice energy, good kids there. I got a chance to work with a good friend of mine in Gary DiSarcina.

Mickey Callaway brought me over there when I interviewed. I talked to J.P. Ricciardi, who I’ve known for a long time, and John Ricco. Obviously, I knew Sandy Alderson quite well over the years. He brought me in for the interview, and I got the chance to talk baseball with them.

One of the guys I really enjoyed being around was Amed Rosario. Great energy, good kid, willing to learn. Amed, Michael and Brandon were good guys to be around.

I enjoyed that time there, and then I went on into the front office with Brodie.

MMO: You mentioned how you went on to work in the front office under Brodie Van Wagenen for the 2019 season. What were some of your responsibilities?

Amaro: I was his special assistant. He had asked me to do some scouting stuff; I was involved in some of the player personnel stuff in spring training.

It was a little bit of a jack of all trades. I was doing a little bit of advance work during the spring and into the early part of the season in 2019, and then did some acquisition scouting; I was in charge of the National League as a pro scout. I was traveling all over the country to major league clubs. That was something I had not done full-time before, but it was another opportunity to learn something different and try to give Brodie as much information as I could and advice as I could.

Brodie had an interesting first year that ultimately ended up being fruitful for him. I think they’re on the right track, and it’ll be an interesting National League East.

MMO: Circling back for just a second, while you were the first base coach for the Mets (and Red Sox), you also worked as the club’s baserunning and outfield coach. Can you talk a bit about some of those responsibilities during the course of a season?

Amaro: You do a lot of different things. One of the things that we tried to instill is the type of culture on the bases that you really wanted to try and be as good a baserunner as you could possibly be.

One of the things that were important for me in my capacity as a GM was to try and set a tone baserunning-wise. Both stealing bases and running the bases were important elements of how you set a tone as an organization. You try to set that culture as much as we possibly could, and I think that was an important element of trying to bring a certain style of baseball to New York.

One of the things that I took a lot of pride in, particularly in what we talked about before, was Amed Rosario in the second half of that season had probably as good a second half baserunning-wise as a young man. He was really trying to learn how to steal bases, and if you look at the numbers from July 1 on, he really had some excellent baserunning numbers, and his percentages went up.

Just to watch him grow up as a baserunner, I take a lot of pride in the fact that he had a lot of success in that second half learning how to be a more complete player. That was a nice thing to watch develop in him.

MMO: What does the future hold for Ruben Amaro Jr.? I read that you might be doing some television analysis in Philadelphia?

Amaro: There’s a possibility. We’ve had those discussions, and I’m talking to some people about doing some radio. I’ve had opportunities in the past to do some stuff on certain networks and TV.

I’m open-minded, honestly, Mathew. I’m keeping all my irons in the fire, whether it’s as a coach at the major league level, manager at the major league level, a GM; I’d like to do it all.

I don’t have any real preference. People ask me all the time, What would be your best job? And honestly, I just like working in baseball, and I like trying to make some type of impact. If I had an opportunity to be a GM again, I would love that opportunity. If I had the chance to be a coach at the major league level, that’d be great, and I’d love to be a major league manager.

I’d love to talk to some more organizations about having that opportunity. If it comes to fruition, great. If not, I’m just going to try and stay in the game and do something I really enjoy.

Baseball has been my life, and I’d like to continue to stay in it in some way, shape, or form.

MMO: Thanks so much for some time today and for sharing such deep insight, Ruben.

Amaro: Thanks very much. Be well.

Follow Ruben Amaro Jr. on Twitter, @RAJr_20

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At the beginning of 2006, second base was a major weakness for the Mets. They received little production from both Anderson Hernandez (.407 OPS) and Kazuo Matsui (.505 OPS), so on May. 13, Willie Randolph decided to make a change. He turned to 36-year-old, Jose Valentin, who unexpectedly became a vital piece for the NL East Division Champions with a .271/.330/.490 triple slash line and 18 homeruns in 432 plate appearances.

During the Mets division clinching victory over the Marlins, Valentin delivered one of the best moments of the season. He homered twice during the 4-0 win, electrifying the Shea Stadium crowd. “That was something,” Valentin said to reporters, recalling the fan reaction. “That was a great feeling.”

Valentin’s 2006 season seems even more impressive if you review the analytics. According to Fangraphs, Valentin tied Endy Chavez for the fourth highest Wins Above Replacement (WAR) on the team at 3.0, ahead of players like Tom Glavine (2.9) Carlos Delgado (2.8), Paul Lo Duca (2.5), and Pedro Martinez (2.3). While WAR isn’t a perfect measurement, it does show that Valentin may have been more valuable than we realized back in 2006 – a time when advanced statistics weren’t as widely publicized as they are today.

Valentin’s WAR ranks so high because of his defense. According to Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), Valentin saved 15 runs with his glove in 2006. His 15 DRS was the highest on the team, and it tied him for fourth among all MLB second basemen (minimum 700 innings). His 11.1 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) also ranked fourth in the majors.

These strong defensive numbers are consistent with his career norms. As a shortstop and third baseman for the White Sox from 2000-2004, Valentin ranked 19th among all MLB players with a 21.8 UZR, which shows his that his 2006 numbers weren’t just a fluke.

“… And all the pitchers have tremendous confidence in him when he’s behind you on defense,” Valentin’s former White Sox teammate, Mike Sirotka, once said to reporters.  “Guys like [starter] Jim Parque and I depend a great deal on the left side of the infield. There’s not a hitter up there we’re scared to pitch inside to get a ground ball.”

It’s impressive that Valentin continued to excel at defense in 2006, even as he reached the part of his career when most players tend to lose some of their quickness and agility.

After batting .170 with a .591 OPS in 2005 with the Dodgers, it looked like Valentin’s best days were behind him. The Mets signed him to a minor league deal that offseason to be their utility player, but he exceeded everyone’s expectations with one last impressive season.

While Valentin went hitless in his first 15 at-bats of the year – and batted .167 over his first 32 plate appearances – he turned everything around with his 2-for-4 performance against Milwaukee on May. 13. Starting with that game, Valentin batted .280/.341/.517 for the rest of the season with 18 home runs, 60 RBIs, and six stolen bases.

His hot hitting transformed what was one of the weakest positions on the team into a strength. He solidified an already potent offense that ranked third in the NL, offering solid production for the lower half of the lineup with a .344 wOBA and 106 wRC+.

On several occasions, his power would lift the entire team, like it did during his 7 RBI game on July. 8. Valentin crushed a first inning grand slam, and he then rocketed a three-run triple to right field in the second inning to jumpstart the Mets’ 17-3 drubbing over the Marlins.

While it was a solid overall season for Valentin, it ended in disappointment. He began to slump after his two-home run performance against Florida, batting .219 with a .602 OPS over his final 11 games. This slump would only foreshadow what was to come in the playoffs.

Even though the Mets swept the Dodgers in the NLDS, Valentin remained ice old with no hits in the entire series. His struggles continued in the NL championship series, as he hit only .250 with a .667 OPS. While he still managed to drive in five runs that series, he missed out on a golden opportunity in game seven. In a 1-1 tie with the bases loaded, Valentin struck out swinging against Jeff Suppan in the sixth inning. As we all know, the Mets would go on to lose that game to the Cardinals in heartbreaking fashion.

Some fans still look back negatively on Valentin for that strikeout, but that one misstep shouldn’t overshadow how good he was for most of the season. Valentin was scorching hot all summer, so he was bound to hit a slump. Unfortunately, that slump came at the worst possible time for the Mets.

The Mets brought back Valentin on a one-year contract with an option for 2008, but he was unable to recapture the same magic in 2007. He batted .241/.302/.373 with three homeruns, and he was limited to just 51 games due to injury. He broke his leg on July 20 after fouling a pitch off his leg, which cost him the remainder of the season. He would never play another game in the majors.

Despite the disappointing end to his career, he still finished with solid numbers over his 16 MLB seasons. He belted 249 home runs, drove in 816 RBI, stole 136 bases, and accumulated 30.3 WAR.  He would have been much more appreciated in today’s era because analysts would now look past his .243 average, and they would value him more for his power, patience, and defensive ability.

While he only had one good season with the Mets, it was certainly a memorable one. He came seemingly out of nowhere to help the Mets win the NL East in what was an exciting and thrilling year of Mets’ baseball.

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Francisco Alvarez/Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

In ranking all of the farm systems, Baseball America has rated the Mets 25th putting them in the bottom six in the league. This is the fourth straight year the Mets have dropped in these rankings. If you want a more optimistic view, this is up three spots from where the Mets were at the 2019 midseason rankings.

The Mets drop in these rankings is multi-faceted. Since 2015, we have seen players like Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Seth Lugo, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Amed Rosario, and Noah Syndergaard have gone from prospects to impactful Major Leaguers. However, that is just part of the problem.

Since taking over as the General Manager, Brodie Van Wagenen has traded away a number of prospects. That includes three first-round draft picks in Justin Dunn, Anthony Kay, and Jarred Kelenic. In addition to this trio, Simeon Woods Richardson is another prospect who has appeared on top 100 prospect rankings.

According to Baseball America with those promotions and trades, the only top 100 prospects remaining in the Mets system are Ronny Mauricio (66th) and Francisco Alvarez (67th). Overall, the Mets are viewed as a system “long on upside, but short on proximity or depth.”

Still, there’s hope for the Mets system. In addition to Mauricio and Alvarez, Baseball America notes Brett Baty, Josh Wolf, and Matthew Allan could “pay off big.”

Ultimately, the Mets have interesting and high upside prospects, but they are not going to be in a position to help the Mets in the near future. As a result, the Major League team is going to have to mostly rely on the players who are already there. If the Mets want to improve that roster, they may have to trade some of these interesting prospects delivering yet another blow to the farm system.

This is not an all too different situation than the Phillies and Nationals find themselves in. Those teams are ranked by Baseball America as having the 24th and 26th systems respectively. The key difference with those teams is they have players who are near Major Leauge ready who could help them in 2020.

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According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Joey Cora, the current third base coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates, has become a leading candidate to fill the position of New York Mets bench coach.

Cora, who is the older brother of Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, has coached at the Major League level for two other teams besides the Pirates, the Chicago White Sox and the Miami Marlins.

After a playing career that spanned over a decade, Cora worked in the Mets minor league system as a manager for three seasons. He also interviewed for the Mets managerial opening two years ago.

He began coaching at the Major League level in 2003 for the White Sox, hired by his good friend Ozzie Guillen. His role for the Sox was to ready Spring Training each year for the club and as third base coach. He was promoted to bench coach in 2006. He would occasionally manage the team when the fiery Guillen was ejected from a game or was away.

Cora spent eight years coaching the Sox but was let go shortly after Guillen’s release in September 2011.

Prior to this, in 2010, he was interviewed for the Milwaukee Brewers managerial position and was thought to be a finalist for the position.

On November 1, 2011, Cora was named bench coach for the Miami Marlins and was reunited with Guillen. He managed briefly for the Marlins when Guillen was suspended from MLB for comments related to Fidel Castro.

In 2016, Cora became the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates Double-A club, the Altoona Curve. After the 2016 season, he was promoted to the Major League club where he is today.

Through his travels as a player and a coach, Cora has formed ties with both the special assistant to the general manager, Omar Minaya and new Mets manager Carlos Beltran. Heyman further reports that Fredi Gonzalez and Jerry Narron are both under consideration for the bench coach position for the Mets.

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In 2011 when Carlos Beltran was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Zack Wheeler, you had to assume that was the last the Mets would ever see of the best center fielder in team history. After all, there was the fight over his knee surgery as well as the negative public statements Fred Wilpon made about his star player.

However, time heals all wounds, and according to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, Beltran is a “very serious candidate for Mets manager.”

As Heyman notes, Beltran’s candidacy is certainly aided by the presence of Allard Baird and Omar Minaya. Baird was a minor league coach when Beltran was drafted by the Royals in the second round of the 1995 draft, and he was the team’s General Manager when Beltran made his Major League debut. As Mets fans know, Minaya was the General Manager who gave Beltran what was then a team record contract.

While not noted by Heyman, it also helps Beltran’s case that David Wright is a part of the front office. Notably, Beltran took Wright and Jose Reyes under his wing when he first joined the Mets, and the two players have always had mutual respect for one another.

When breaking things down, Beltran is one of only four people who are currently set to receive an in-person interview with the Mets. While he is the only one without any managerial experience at any level, he is the only one who has both dealt with the New York press and has a previous relationship with ownership.

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According to reported rumors, the Mets were set to determine on Wednesday whether Mickey Callaway would return as the team’s manager in 2020. Well, Wednesday has come and gone, and the Mets have still yet to make a decision with many attempting to surmise whether the Mets are going to indeed fire Callaway.

Apparently, the next step in the process is a discussion between the General Manager and the manager. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports, Brodie Van Wagenen and Callaway will have a discussion on Thursday with the team making a final determination on Callaway’s job status by Friday at the latest.

Perhaps the basis for the conversation is to see how receptive Callaway would be to some of the alternative options the Mets have discussed in their meetings. As Sherman reported, the Mets are debating “whether a different support staff could provide help to Callaway in areas of need — such as in-game strategy and being able to better impart organizational messages.”

In the alternative, Sherman reports the Mets have begun sending out feelers to potential managerial replacements. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has recently floated Carlos Beltran as someone who could be considered for the position. Given the history between Beltran and the team, it would be very interesting to see if not only Beltran were interested, but also if the two could actually coexist.

One of the considerations going forward is the publicity for the decision. Mike Puma of the New York Post has intimated when the Mets make this decision they will likely want the back pages to themselves. That is going to be complicated with the Yankees beginning the postseason on Friday.

With respect to the postseason, the Mets do have to be sensitive to MLB protocols. As Sherman noted, “generally frowns on teams making major off-field news and potentially overshadowing playoff games.” If the Mets do indeed follow those protocols, it would seem like a decision would be announced sooner after today’s phone call between Callaway and Van Wagenen.

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