Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Monday that Justin Turner is expected to make his free agent decision soon. Morosi notes the Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Cubs as possibilities for the 39-year-old since they are in the market for a corner infielder.

Latest Mets News

Gilbert Gómez led Tigres del Licey to the LIDOM championship this winter, becoming the youngest skipper to win a championship at just 31 years old. Gómez is set to begin his tenure as the Brooklyn Cyclones’ manager this spring.

Eno Sarris of The Athletic ranked his top 150 pitchers for the 2024 season, with Spencer Strider leading the way. Kodai Senga is the highest-ranked Mets pitcher at 27, followed by Luis Severino (75) and Sean Manaea (91).

Latest MLB News

The Mariners have acquired former All-Star second baseman Jorge Polanco from the Twins in exchange for right-handers Justin Topa, Anthony DeSclafani, and Darren Bowen, as well as outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez. Polanco battled injuries for a second straight year, but he was productive when on the field, batting .255/.335/.454 (115 OPS+) with 14 homers and 2.0 rWAR in 343 plate appearances. He is expected to be Seattle’s everyday second baseman this season.

Former big league player, coach, and manager Jimy Williams passed away Friday at the age of 80. Williams won two World Series rings as a coach – one when he was the Braves’ third base coach in 1995, and the other with the Phillies when he was their bench coach in 2008. Williams also won the AL Manager of the Year with the Red Sox in 1999, and he led the Astros to the NLCS in 2004.

The Angels have signed outfielder Aaron Hicks to a one-year deal. Hicks was solid for the Orioles after being released by the Yankees in May, batting .273/.381/.425 with seven homers in 236 plate appearances. Left-hander Kolton Ingram has been designated for assignment to clear room for Hicks on the 40-man roster.

The Cubs have signed righty Sam McWilliams to a minor league contract. McWilliams pitched in the Mets organization briefly in 2021 and last pitched in affiliated ball for the Reds organization in 2022. In winter ball this year, McWilliams has posted a 3.55 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings.

The Cardinals have claimed Alfonso Rivas off waivers from the Angels. Rivas split 2023 between the Padres and Pirates, batting .229/.303/.422 with three homers in 123 plate appearances.

The Tigers have designated right-hander Devin Sweet for assignment to clear space for Colt Keith on the 40-man roster. Sweet allowed 10 runs in 8 2/3 innings in the majors in 2023.

The Yankees have claimed lefty Matt Gage off waivers from the Astros. Gage was designated for assignment by Houston when they signed Josh Hader. A native of Johnstown, NY, Gage has pitched to a 1.83 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 19 2/3 major league innings.

Latest on MMO

We’re on to the second round of Mets Madness! The winners of this round will advance to the final four.

Allison Waxman profiles free agent reliever Phil Maton.

Tyler Antonelle ranks the second basemen in the NL East.

Allison Waxman breaks down the Mets’ depth chart at first base.

On This Date in Mets History

1962: The Mets sign eight-time All-Star Gil Hodges to a contract worth $33,000. The 38-year-old has spent most of the last two seasons as a bench player for the Dodgers.

Birthdays: Davey Johnson (81), Nick Evans (38), Kodai Senga (31), Ariel Jurado (28)

The post Morning Briefing: Justin Turner Expected to Make Decision Soon appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jett Williams, photos by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The St. Lucie Mets on Friday announced their “initial” 2023 Opening Day roster. St. Lucie is the Low-A affiliate of the Mets and is based out of the Mets’ spring training home of Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, FL.

St. Lucie’s roster will be an exciting one to watch as it features five of the Mets’ 30 top prospects and three 2022 draftees.

Here’s who you will see if you head out to Clover Park this summer:

Manager – Gilbert Gomez

First-year manager Gilbert Gomez will lead the Mets in 2023. Gomez spent the 2022 season as St. Lucie’s bench coach. He is no stranger to Port St. Lucie as he spent parts of 2011-2014 as a St. Lucie Mets outfielder.

Development Coach – Regan Saulnier

Regan Saulnier is another notable addition to St. Lucie’s 2023 roster. She will represent the first female coach in St. Lucie history as women continue to break the barrier and become more prominent in professional sports.

PITCHERS

• RHP Miguel Alfonseca
• LHP Javier Atencio
• LHP Luke Bartnicki
• RHP Jean Calderon
• RHP Robert Colina
• LHP Felipe De La Cruz
• RHP Benito García
• RHP Saul García
• LHP Brian Gursky
• RHP Elliot Johnstone
• RHP Joey Lancellotti
• RHP Douglas Orellana
• RHP Layonel Ovalles
• RHP Jawilme Ramirez
• RHP Joe Joe Rodriguez
• RHP Christopher Vasquez
• RHP Jordany Ventura

CATCHERS

• Gregory Leal
• Vincent Perozo
• Fernando Villalobos

INFIELDERS

• Luis Castillo
• Jacob Reimer
• Eduardo Salazar
• Junior Tilien
• Kevin Villavicencio
• Jett Williams

OUTFIELDERS

• Dyron Campos
• Jefrey De Los Santos
• Carlos Domínguez
• Adrian Hernandez
• Rhylan Thomas

TOP PROSPECTS

As mentioned above, when you analyze the Mets’ 2023 Opening Day roster, it features five Top 30 prospects:

• #5 – SS Jett Williams
• #16 – RHP Layonel Ovalles
• #17 – 3B Jacob Reimer
• #20 – RHP Jordany Ventura
• #25 – LHP Javier Atencio

#5 – Jett Williams

Williams spent his first season as a Met with the rookie-level Florida Coast League (FCL) Mets. He batted .250/.366/.438, with one double, one triple, one home run, and drove in six RBIs in 2022.

#16 – Layonel Ovalles

Ovalles split the 2022 season between the FCL Mets and the St. Lucie Mets.  He played 11 games with the FCL and five with St. Lucie. He combined for a 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings pitched combined. He gave up just 21 earned runs on 41 hits and 17 walks. He struck out 66 over the course of those two seasons.

#17 – Jacob Reimer

The 19-year old third baseman spent the 2022 season solely with rookie-level FCL. In his first season in the Mets organization, he batted .261/ .414/ .478, with a .892 OPS. He hit one triple, one home run, and drove in seven RBI’s in seven games played for the FCL in 2022.

#20 – Jordany Ventura

Ventura, like Ovalles, also split his 2022 season between the FCL and the St. Lucie Mets. He combined for a 4.15 ERA. He pitched just one game for the FCL Mets and three for the St. Lucie Mets in 2022. Over the course of 8 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up four earned runs on seven hits and struck out 13. He walked just two batters.

#25 – Javier Atencio

Atencio was another pitcher who split the 2022 season between the FCL Mets and Low-A St. Lucie. He pitched three games for the FCL before being promoted to St. Lucie where he pitched 10 games.

Atencio combined for a 2.06 ERA in 2022. Over the course of 43 2/3 innings pitched he gave up just 10 earned runs on 34 hits. He walked 25, but struck out an impressive 56 batters in 2022.

The St. Lucie Mets, led by Gomez at the helm, will take the field to open their season against the Daytona Tortugas on Friday, April 7 at 6:10 p.m. at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie.

The post St. Lucie Mets Announce 2023 Roster appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Who’s Hot (5/19-5/26)

• Matthew Bowman, RHP (STL): Bowman had an excellent week, posting a 2.57 ERA in two starts. He tossed 14 innings and allowed four runs on 14 hits. Most impressive, however, were his 17/2 strikeout to walk ratio. Bowman has quietly had a very good season and was one of the first players to earn a promotion this season after posting a 2.64 ERA in 30.2 innings in Savannah. So far in St. Lucie, he has a 2.33 ERA in 27 innings.
• Rafael Montero, RHP (BIN): Montero has had an incredible season and had an incredible two starts this week. After being called up to make a spot start for Las Vegas, Montero shut down the Iowa Cubs, limiting them to two runs on four hits in seven innings. Going back to Binghamton later in the week didn’t phase him one bit, as he tossed six shutout frames against the Portland Sea Dogs, striking out eight and walking two. In all, Montero pitched 13 innings this week and struck out 13 batters while walking just three.
• Josh Rodriguez, SS (BIN): Rodriguez probably had the best week at the plate in the Mets organization. Rodriguez, 28, hit .538 this week with one home run, four runs batted in, and seven walks, putting his OPS at an astounding 1.405 for the week.

Honorable Mention: Francisco Pena, C (LAS): Pena has been on fire since his promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas last week. Since getting bumped up, he is hitting .384 with two home runs. He is driving the ball well, tripling his career line drave rate. If he can keep this up, Anthony Recker‘s backup catcher spot may be in danger by the end of the year.

Who’s Not

• D.J. Mitchell, RHP (LAS): Mitchell has had a very tough week. The former Yankees farmhand, who was picked up by the Mets earlier this year, has had two straight bad starts for Las Vegas. In his last outing, he lasted just 2.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits before being pulled. Before that, he lasted just four innings and gave up five runs on seven hits.
• Cory Vaughn, OF (BIN): Vaughn has been impressive for most of the season, but this past week, he struggled. He hit just .207 with ten strikeouts in 31 plate appearances. Luckily, Vaughn is still hitting .287 on the year with a .814 OPS and .383 wOBA to go along with his five homers. This week was just a minor setback in what has been a breakout year.
• Gilbert Gomez, OF (STL): Gomez has had a really difficult time adjusting to his first taste of major playing time in the Florida State League. He is hitting just .224 on the season with a concerning 61.3% ground ball rate. Gomez has seen his line drive rate fall below 10% this season as well. This week, he hit .087 with eight strikeouts in 27 trips to the plate.

The post Mets Minors: Bowman and Montero Top Our Hot List appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Palm Beach 7, St. Lucie 3

St Lucie’s six game winning streak was snapped tonight by the Palm Beach Cardinals.  St Lucie’s starter Angel Cuan pitched six solid innings in the loss. Cuan allowed one unearned run in the second inning, and surrendered a solo home run to Stephen Piscotty in the fourth inning. St. Lucie was leading 3-2 in the seventh when Cuan exited the game. While Cuan was not dominant, he pitched effectively enough to deserve the win. Unfortunately, the St. Lucie bullpen couldn’t hold on to the lead.

Estarlin Morel entered the game in relief of Cuan with a man on base and quickly yielded a RBI double to the first batter he faced. However, Morel was able to escape the inning without allowing any more runs.

The Palm Beach Cardinals took the lead in the eighth off St Lucie reliever Randy Fontanez.  Fontanez allowed three runs in the inning, which put the game out of reach for St. Lucie.

Offensivley, Dustin Lawley was St. Lucie’s lone producer. In the fourth inning, Lawley put St Lucie on the board with a RBI triple off the centerfield wall. In his next AB, Lawley crushed a two-run home run to left field that put the Mets up 3-2.  Lawley finished only a double short of the cycle.  The rest of St. Lucie’s lineup went a combined 2-for-26.

Key Stats

Angel Cuan: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 HR, 0 BB, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 K

Estarlin Morel: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1-1 Inherited runners scored

Randy Fontanez: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 K

Wanel Vasquez: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 ER

Dustin Lawley: 3-for-4, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Gilbert Gomez: 1-for-2, 1 BB, 1 R

The post St. Lucie Bullpen Falters Behind Cuan, Mets Lose 7-3 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

St. Lucie 17, Palm Beach 1

Do not be alarmed…you are not dreaming. This actually did happen. Noah Syndergaard was responsible for stifling the Palm Beach bats with some superb pitching while the St. Lucie offense combined for sixteen hits and a crooked seventeen runs.

So let’s give Syndergaard his time in the sun here. This young man seems to be pitching with a chip on his shoulder every time he takes the mound… I almost feel like he is angry at Toronto for trading him and he is setting out to be an ace-caliber pitcher – which is fine by me. He followed up a string of great starts with yet another dominating performance. He allowed just one run off four hits and a walk across seven innings, where he struck out seven and is quickly becoming one of my favorite prospects in our entire organization.

Syndergaard retired 15 consecutive batters after allowing a leadoff double in the first. He allowed just two runners on base through the first six innings. If you were to take away the seventh inning from this start, he would have allowed one hit and zero runs over six innings with six strikeouts to boot. If you’re not impressed by the Synder man’s recent stretch of pitching, you might need to try a new sport. This is his fourth consecutive start lasting at least six innings and allowing one run or less.

A pitcher always has an easier day with run support, though, so a lead that widened to 16-0 at one point must have helped his cause. Every starter except Aderlin Rodriguez (0-for-6, yeesh) had a hit, and all but two had an RBI. Matt Reynolds was a god of baseball war at the plate, where he had three hits and five RBIs. Cam Maron also had a nice day at the ballpark, calling a great game and driving home two runs. St. Lucie was 8-for-24 as a team with RISP.

Final tip of my hat here goes to T.J. Chism, who pitched the last two innings of the game for St. Lucie without allowing a run.

Key Stats

Robbie Shields: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB

Matt Reynolds: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 BB

Travis Taijeron: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 BB

Cam Maron: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Gilbert Gomez: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Noah Syndergaard: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 7 K

T.J. Chism: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K

The post Syndergaard Dominant, St. Lucie Obliterates Palm Beach In 17-1 Win appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Fort Myers 3, St. Lucie 2

The Fort Myers Miracle edged out the St. Lucie Mets on Thursday, on a night where Alex Panteliodis made his FSL debut. Pants was able to provide five effective innings in his season debut and first start off the DL, where he allowed an earned run off just four hits and a walk. His only blemish was allowing a solo home run in the fourth inning, and otherwise, Panteliodis looked pretty much in control during his time on the mound. He rocked an even 5:5 GB/FB ratio.

At the time of his departure, the St. Lucie Mets had alloted him a 2-1 lead, via a Dustin Lawley RBI double in the first and an Aderlin Rodriguez sacrifice fly in the fifth. Fort Myers was able to hold St. Lucie scoreless the rest of the way.

The Miracle would not afford the Mets the same courtesy, however, as they scored a run each in the eighth and ninth innings. Pedro Feliciano handled the sixth inning easily and Randy Fontanez provided a scoreless inning of his own before the trouble began.

An RBI single by Miguel Sano off Fontanez tied the game up in the eighth, and T.J. Chism walked home the game winning run in the ninth…after intentionally walking the previous batter to load the bases. Ouch. Chism is still in the middle of a solid year, as he was handed just his first loss and owns a 1.98 ERA.

Key Stats

Travis Taijeron: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 BB

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-1, 1 RBI, 2 BB

Gilbert Gomez: 2-for-4

Alex Panteliodis: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 ER, 3 K

Pedro Feliciano: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER

Randy Fontanez: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

T.J. Chism: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER

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St. Lucie 13, Bradenton 5

Marcos Camarena toed the rubber for St. Lucie on Saturday and ran into the equivalent of a brick wall when he couldn’t make it out of the fourth inning and allowed five earned runs. The good news, however, is that the St. Lucie bullpen and offense had his back – with five-and-a-third scoreless and 13 runs, respectively.

Camarena struggled right out of the gate, giving up a two-run single and an RBI groundout in the first. He allowed a solo home run to Gregory Polanco in the third – and allowed another run to pass in the fourth due to a wild pitch. He was removed from the game shortly after that in favor of Estarlin Morel, and this started a streak of some excellent work from the St. Lucie bullpen. Morel, Randy Fontanez, and Wanel Vasquez combined to pitch the rest of the game scoreless.

This went by the boards, however, because St. Lucie exploded offensively. Rylan Sandoval singled and drove home two in the bottom of the first, and Dustin Lawley followed him with an RBI grounder. Aderlin Rodriguez did his part to help the cause with an RBI double in the third. Charles Thurber, Gilbert Gomez, and Cam Maron would all do some damage in the six-run fifth inning – where St. Lucie batted around. Thurber came back to crush a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to make the game 13-5, which turned out to be the final result.

Key Stats

Cam Maron: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Matt Reynolds: 1-for-4, 1 BB, 2 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Rylan Sandoval: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Charles Thurber: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R

Gilbert Gomez: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 R

Marcos Camarena: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 ER, 2 K

Estarlin Morel: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

Randy Fontanez: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Wanel Vasquez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

The post Thurber’s 4-RBI Day Leads Charge In 13-5 St. Lucie Win appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

St. Lucie 13, Charlotte 3

Twas a good night for those following St. Lucie as the Met offense down south backed up some strong pitching from Hansel Robles for a commanding 13-3 victory.

Hansel Robles continued a string of solid work so far in St. Lucie with a good start on Tuesday night, going six innings while allowing three runs off  four hits and three walks. He struck out three batters and allowed a two-run home run in the sixth inning. His only run was allowed on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, right after he allowed a runner to advance due to a wild pitch. All in all, it was a good night for Robles – even if he met the bare minimum for a quality start.

The real story of the game, of course, was the St. Lucie offense. Cam Maron did the early damage with a two-run triple in the third inning, but the best was yet to come. A five-run fourth inning was sparked with a lead-off home run by Aderlin Rodriguez, and followed by RBIs from the likes of Cam Maron (again), Matt Reynolds, TJ Rivera, and Brian Harrison. Rivera walked home a run, Maron and Reynolds singled, and Harrison lifted a sacrifice fly.

The sixth inning was even huger for the Mets, which was capped off by a Dustin Lawley grand slam. St. Lucie banged out thirteen hits in this game overall, so it was a great night. Every starter picked up at least one hit.

Key Stats

Cam Maron: 3-for-5, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R

Gilbert Gomez: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB

Hansel Robles: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 3 ER, 3 K

Estarlin Morel: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 0 ER

Wanel Mesa: 1.0 IP, 0 ER

The post Rodriguez And Lawley Homer, Robles Rocks In St. Lucie Win appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Las Vegas 1, Sacramento 2

The night did not start out so well for Collin McHugh, but the young righty buckled down and got out of a tough jam in the first inning. He gave up a leadoff single, followed by an error from Wilmer Flores, and an RBI single that gave the River Rats a 1-0 lead with runners on the corners and nobody out. McHugh, battled back and got the next three batters out, starting with a strikeout, a shallow fly out, followed by another strikeout to end the inning. McHugh then fired four scoreless frames before being lifted after a two out walk in the top of the sixth inning.

Gonzalez Germen relieved McHugh in the sixth and came out unscathed, but gave up an RBI single to relinquish the lead in the seventh. Reliever Dylan Owen dodged in and out of trouble in the ninth, as he loaded the bases, but got back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning without any runs scoring.

Offensively, the bats were mostly silent in Las Vegas, as they were only able to muster up five hits on Tuesday night. The 51s got on the board in the fourth inning, when a leadoff single by Juan Lagares led to an RBI single by Wilmer Flores. Lagares was the table setter last night, getting three hits, scoring one run, and raising his batting average to .375.

Andrew Brown gave the 51s life when he worked a two out walk in the bottom of the ninth inning. Josh Satin hit a sharp grounder into the hole, but it was scooped up and Andrew Brown was forced out at second to end the game. Travis d’Arnaud was hitless on the night, but made solid contact and worked the counts in his at-bats.

Key Stats

• Juan Lagares: 3-for-4, R
• Wilmer Flores: 1-for-4, RBI
• Josh Satin: 1-for-3, BB
• Collin McHugh: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, L

The post Collin McHugh Solid, Hot Hitting From Juan Lagares Not Enough For Las Vegas appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

St. Lucie 6, Charlotte 3

A six-run sixth inning powered the St. Lucie Mets (8-3) to a 6-3 win over the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Monday night.

Charlotte (4-7) took an early lead after scoring a run in the first, second and third innings, but the St. Lucie bats came alive in the sixth.

Travis Taijeron and Gilbert Gomez led the inning off with back-to-back singles. After T.J. Rivera struck out swinging, Cam Maron knocked an RBI single through to cut the lead to 2-1. Matt Reynolds drew a walk to load the bases which set up Brian Harrison, who stepped in and delivered a two-run single, scoring Maron and Gomez.

With the game tied at 3-3, Aderlin Rodriguez brought home Reynolds on a sacrifice fly. Dustin Lawley capped off the huge inning with a two-run home run, his first of the season, on a fly ball to left field.

Domingo Tapia got the start, and despite allowing one run in the first inning, he eventually settled down to pick up his first win of the season. Tapia finished the night with six innings, five hits, three runs (two earned) to go with one walk and eight strikeouts. Tapia’s ERA stands at 3.55. The St. Lucie pitching staff stymied Charlotte over the final six innings.

Pedro Feliciano, who is working on a rehab assignment, threw a scoreless inning. He allowed one hit to go with one walk and one strikeout.

Key Stats 

Domingo Tapia: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 Ks

Brian Harrison: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 R

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Gilbert Gomez: 2-for-3, R

The post Tapia Strikes Out Eight, Lawley Homers In 6-3 Lucie Win appeared first on Metsmerized Online.