Carlos Beltrán. USA Today

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, former New York Mets’ outfielder Carlos Beltrán is rejoining the organization in a front office role. Heyman, at the time, explained that his specific role is unknown, but Beltrán was expected to serve under general manager Billy Eppler in some capacity. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com later confirmed that Beltrán’s role is ‘Special Assistant’ to the general manager.

This move comes three years after the now 45-year-old was hired, then subsequently fired, as the team’s manager. As has been well documented, the reasoning for the quick change of heart was Beltrán being named in the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal. Worth noting, Heyman pointed out that Beltran was considered for a hitting-coach position with the Mets just one year ago.

Beltrán played seven season for the Mets spanning from 2005 through 2011. He was a prolific offensive force with New York, as he registered a career .869 OPS, as well as three 100-plus RBI seasons. Beltrán received 46.5 percent of votes in his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot.

The Puerto Rico native was most recently working as an analyst for YES Network. He will leave that role for his new reported job with the Mets.

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Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

After the San Francisco Giants agreed to a deal with star shortstop Carlos Correa that fell apart due to physical concerns, the Mets stepped right in with an agreement of their own. The Mets were dreaming of a star-studded left side of the infield with Francisco Lindor at shortstop and Correa at third.

However, a couple of days after the agreement, the Mets found out they had the same issues with Correa’s ankle that the Giants did. Following three weeks of negotiations with Correa’s agent Scott Boras that didn’t bring a final deal to fruition, the Twins swooped in to bring Carlos back to Minnesota.

The Mets final offer was reportedly a six-year, $157 million deal that could still reach the 12-year, $315 million mark that the two sides originally agreed on if Correa passed a yearly physical at the Mets discretion. Ultimately, Correa opted to sign a six-year, $200 million guaranteed deal to stay with the Twins. The deal includes four team option years as well.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post passed along a note about Correa he heard, “one doctor suggested Correa has the worst ankle he’s seen.”

Heyman went on to say that one baseball executive called it a “Houdini” job that Boras was able to get Correa a guaranteed $200 million after not passing the medical exam with two teams.

The Mets have been publicly quiet following the team not being able to get a deal done with Correa, releasing just a simple statement once his deal with the Twins was official. “We were unable to reach an agreement. We wish Carlos all the best,” the Mets said.

The Mets will head into the 2023 season with veteran Eduardo Escobar as an option to play third base every day and prospect Brett Baty battling him for that role.

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D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote an article on Monday night detailing the Mets expected pursuit of superstar Shohei Ohtani when the two-way player becomes a free agent following the 2023 season.

When Cohen was asked about Ohtani by the Post he said all the right things, “Hard to think about next year. I’m focused on this season.”

However, Ohtani is undoubtedly on the minds of Mets fans and will be throughout the season as the team looks to bounce back from a disappointing end to the 2022 season with an early playoff exit. Angels owner Arte Moreno recently announced that he had taken the franchise off the market, making it even more likely that Ohtani will not return to the team next season.

While there’s still the potential for the Mets to pursue Ohtani at the trade deadline this year, it’s apparent that Cohen’s deep pockets will have the Mets involved when free agency begins after the 2023 World Series.

Here’s one Mets person speaking about his assumption regarding Ohtani (and probably most everyone else’s too) to the Post: “The Mets will make Ohtani the best-paid player in the history of sports — whether he plays for the Mets or not — because the offer will be insane. And if someone else wants to beat it go ahead.”

It’s been widely speculated that Ohtani will become baseball’s first $500 million player. “MLB executives and agents believe Shohei Ohtani may be baseball’s first $500M+ man when he enters free agency,” ESPN writer Alden Gonzalez noted in an article earlier this month.

The 28-year-old had a phenomenal 2022 season with the Angels hitting .273/.356/.519/.875 with 34 homers, 95 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 30 doubles in 2022. He led all designated hitters with at least 100 at-bats in hits, runs, total bases, triples, homers, RBIs and walks. Ohtani also owned an 18-game hitting streak last year.

As for Ohtani the pitcher, the righty excelled in 2022. He had a better ERA+ as a pitcher (172) than both the Mets’ Max Scherzer and new Yankees starter Carlos Rodón, he had a better strikeout percentage (33.2 percent) than Gerrit Cole and Corbin Burnes. He allowed the third-fewest extra-base hits (39) of any starting pitcher in the American League (with a minimum of 600 opponent at-bats). The two-time All-Star finished with a 2.33 ERA, 219 strikeouts, and 44 walks.

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Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Updated Post – Jan.6, 11:45

Any Martino of SNY reports that grown “very frustrated” in their negotiations over the last couple of days with Scott Boras. Martino notes that the Mets are considering walking away from a deal with Carlos Correa.

Despite all of that, the source told Martino, they “still believed the sides stood a strong chance of reaching an agreement.”

Updated Post – Jan. 6, 10:50

According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Minnesota Twins are still in the sweepstakes for star infielder Carlos Correa. Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted on Thursday night that the camp for Correa had been in contact with at least one team besides the Mets as negotiations move past the two-week mark.

Correa hit .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs and a 5.4 WAR in 136 games for the Twins in the 2022 season.

Updated Post – Jan. 5, 20:05

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Carlos Correa’s camp had contact with at least one team and possibly two teams outside of the Mets on Thursday.

Heyman notes this happened because there has been a hiccup in the renegotiations of the original 12-year, $315 million deal that Correa and the Mets agreed to before Christmas.

Despite the contact with another team, Heyman talked to a Mets person that was still confident they would sign Correa, “Ultimately, I don’t think Mr. Cohen is going to let him go.”

Updated Post – Jan. 5, 15:15

Andy Martino of SNY reports that the New York Mets and Carlos Correa continue to have ongoing discussions that include lawyers to work out what’s expected to be a complicated deal.

Martino says that he’s hearing that a resolution could come sooner than later. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that a deal could get done by the end of the week.

The Mets and Correa’s agent Scott Boras have now been working on the revised deal for over two weeks after the team expressed concerns about the lower right leg of Carlos.

Original Post – Jan. 3, 18:52

While it’s largely been quiet on the Carlos Correa front for the last week or so, there have been rumblings on Tuesday as the anxieties from Mets fans grow by the day.

The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal, who reported on the Mets having concerns with Correa’s medical results like the San Francisco Giants did, said that he expects the Mets’ final deal with the 28-year-old shortstop to look “dramatically different” than the original terms that were agreed to.

The Mets and Correa agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal on December 21, just after the Giants postponed their introductory press conference due to concerns over Correa’s ankle. Before they could return to the negotiating table, Mets owner Steve Cohen swooped in to offer Correa and his agent, Scott Boras, a deal.

Since Rosenthal’s report on December 24–just three days after the initial agreement–it’s generally been radio silence in terms of news. He now says that the deal will not include 12 years and $315 million fully guaranteed. “The question is to what extent does language change,” he said. When Boras negotiated new terms with J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox over concerns of a potential foot injury, mutual options were worked into the deal that vested if Martinez lost time due to a specific injury to the foot in concern.

Look at this post from Carlos Correa’s IG 👀 pic.twitter.com/pO3S5yRjbN

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) January 3, 2023

Earlier Tuesday, Correa teased his potential future home on Instagram, with his son donning an “I Love New York” shirt as the shortstop was “going to work” with his kid.

Before the calendar turned to 2023, MMO’s Mike Mayer said he had not heard of anyone from within the Mets organization who was pessimistic about a deal happening. We’ll see if that holds up as we enter Week 3 of the Correa saga.

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Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Updated Post – Dec 22, 11:10

Scott Boras told reporters on Thursday that Carlos Correa will take his physical with the Mets today. “There is no current issue with Carlos’ health whatsoever,” Boras said. Boras expects results from Correa’s physical within 24 to 48 hours, and the deal to become official after that.

Correa agreed to sign a 12-year, $315 million deal with the Mets after his 13-year, $350 million deal with the Giants fell apart because San Francisco was concerned about an old injury that popped up in the review of medical reports.

Original Post – Dec. 21, 2:53

In a sudden plot twist, the Mets have reportedly signed star free agent shortstop Carlos Correa to a 12-year, $315 million deal, Jon Heyman of New York Post reported late Tuesday night. The deal is pending a medical. Susan Slusser of SF Chronicle confirmed Heyman’s report.

The Mets were heavily tied to Correa just hours before he was reported to sign a 13-year contract with the Giants a week ago. However, his press conference that was originally scheduled for earlier Tuesday was postponed, leaving his status questionable. Even after the Mets (at the time) lost out on Correa, owner Steve Cohen publicly expressed his willingness to go all out and spend big on the best free agents.

Heyman followed up by reporting that Correa’s camp and the Giants had a “difference of opinion” on the medical.

“This really makes a big difference,” Cohen told the NY Post. “I felt like our pitching was in good shape. We needed one more hitter. This puts us over the top.”

Correa’s massive contract becomes slightly less massive with this new deal, with one year and $35 million less than he was supposed to get with the Giants. It’ll still take the 28-year-old to his age-40 season. Correa’s previous deal would have been the fourth-largest money guarantee in MLB history, and most ever for a shortstop.

Correa owns a .279/.357/.479 batting line in his career, with which he spent the first seven years on the Astros and the eighth with the Twins. He posted a 140 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR last year. Put simply, he’s been one of the consistently best shortstops in the game since he debuted in 2015. He’ll now join a star-studded infield with Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil, likely slotting in at third base with Lindor already manning short. Lindor and Correa previously played together for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

The deal gives the Mets a payroll of over $380 million, with a winter that’s included a handful of major splashes. Cohen isn’t messing around.

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Oct 4, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

With Jacob deGrom now officially a member of the Texas Rangers, the New York Mets are turning their attention to other pitchers and are showing interest in free agent starter Jameson Taillon, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

After deGrom sent shockwaves through the baseball world on Friday by signing a five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers, the hard work starts now for the Mets as they look to rebuild their rotation and rebound after losing a franchise cornerstone. And, according to Heyman, they are just one of many teams in on Taillon.

Interestingly, Heyman notes that the Rangers are also interested in Taillon despite just committing multiple years and major bucks to deGrom, with the market for Taillon thought to be huge. Heyman also states that the righty is in line to receive an “extremely good deal” in this current market.

Taillon, who was the second overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, had a solid campaign in 2022 with the Yankees, posting a 3.91 ERA in 32 starts across 177 1/3 innings. He struckout 151 and walked just 32, establishing himself as a key piece in a Yankees rotation that was dominant for large parts of the 2022 season.

The 31-year-old has struggled with injuries throughout his career but he boasts a career 3.84 ERA in 143 career starts. Taillon is projected to land a three-year deal worth around $44 million in free agency, per Spotrac.com, and he should be a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher for a legit contender.

Heyman also notes that the Baltimore Orioles are focussed on pitching this winter and are in on free agent starter Carlos Rodón, who the Mets have spoken with as they look to reshape their rotation heading into 2023. With deGrom now in Texas and Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker also both free agents, that leaves just Max Scherzer and Carlos Carrasco as the only certainties in the rotation for the 2023 season.

Finally, with the Winter Meetings set to get underway on Sunday, Hot Stove season is starting to heat up and Heyman reports that the Yankees have kicked the tires on free agent outfielder Brandon Nimmo. It doesn’t appear clear at first if the leadoff hitter would be a fit in pinstripes unless Aaron Judge signs elsewhere in free agency, while the Mets, Blue Jays, Giants and the Rays remain in on the 29-year-old. It remains to be seen whether or not Nimmo will join deGrom in signing elsewhere this winter, or will indeed return to Queens.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets have decided against extending the qualifying offer to right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Walker rejected a $7.5 million player option earlier this week and, with the Mets deciding not to pick up the $19.65 million qualifying offer, the righty will now hit free agency with no restrictions and will not be subject to draft pick compensation. Free agency opens at 5 p.m. ET tonight.

However, also per Heyman, the Mets will extend qualifying offers to pitchers Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt, and to outfielder Brandon Nimmo. All three will likely reject but it means the team will receive draft pick compensation if any of the trio sign elsewhere.

It is perhaps somewhat of a surprise that the Mets haven’t extended the qualifying offer to Walker, who gave the team two very solid years of baseball. After being signed as a free agent prior to the start of the 2021 season, the 30-year-old pitched to a superb 2.66 ERA in the first half before falling off after the All-Star break.

That was understandable given his lack of game time in the three years prior, but he bounced back in 2022 and was a valuable member of the rotation. In 29 starts, Walker went 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA, walking just 45 and striking out 132 in 157.1 innings pitched with a 1.195 WHIP and a 2.6 WAR.

Walker provided the Mets with some excellent depth after deGrom, Max Scherzer and Bassitt in the rotation, and he will likely receive plenty of interest in free agency from teams seeking a solid starter that can shore up the bottom of the rotation and be a dependable arm. For the Mets, it means they have plenty of work to do when it comes to pitching with deGrom and Bassitt both hitting the open market, although the team did pick up the $14 million option on Carlos Carrasco earlier today.

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Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The Marlins have made Pablo López available on the trade market, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Heyman indicates in his tweet that the Marlins will be looking for hitters in return for the starter. Earlier in the offseason, it was reported the Yankees were close to dealing for López during the 2022 trade deadline but the deal fell through when the Marlins asked for Oswaldo Peraza.

López is one of the many young and talented pitchers in the Marlins rotation. After being an early Cy Young candidate in the first half of 2022, he finished the year with a respectable 3.75 ERA and 108 ERA+ in 180 innings. (He pitched incredibly well against everyone but the Mets.)

With the Marlins inquiring about major league bats and top prospects, the Mets could move players that are currently log jammed in the system. Dominic Smith was relegated to Triple-A for 54 games last season and hit 10 home runs with a .839 OPS. Ronny Mauricio comes to mind as well due to Francisco Lindor holding down the shortstop position for the next decade. Mauricio demonstrated his power last season and hit 26 home runs in Double-A. However, the young shortstop struggles with pitch recognition and had a .296 OBP in 2022.

The Mets also need to fill out their rotation for next season due to Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, and Taijuan Walker opting out of their deals. Lopez would be an incredible and cheap addition to the Mets’ rotation. He is under team control until 2025 and is projected to make $6.28 million in arbitration before the 2023 season.

Read our full trade profile of López for a more in-depth look at the 26-year-old.

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Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Just a day after the Houston Astros won the 2022 World Series by beating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, the offseason is now officially underway in baseball. That’s certainly the case for the New York Mets, who have moved quickly to shape their roster for the 2023 season.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets have picked up the team option on Daniel Vogelbach for 2023, which is worth $1.5 million.

It was suspected that general manager Billy Eppler would pick up the option on the designated hitter for next year given the cheap cost. Declining the option would have sent Vogelbach and the Mets to arbitration. Where he would have all but certainly cashed in at a higher rate than his option.

Vogelbach will now remain in Queens through the end of the 2023 season before hitting unrestricted free agency next winter.

With the Mets needing to bolster their options at the designated-hitter role during the 2022 season, Eppler acquired Vogelbach from the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the trade deadline. He got off to a hot start with his new team before cooling off considerably. He did end the season on a nice stretch, including a home run in the playoffs. Regardless, the Mets still have some work to do at the designated-hitter position this off-season.

Heyman has also reported that veteran pitcher Chris Bassitt will decline his $19-million mutual option, as has also long been suspected. The right-handed pitcher, who went 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 2022, will now hit the open market in order to seek a multi-year deal that will all but certainly pay him more annually than the option. Thus, why he opted out.

However, per our own Michael Mayer, the Mets will now extend Bassitt the $19.5-million qualifying offer. This to ensure, if Bassitt still signs elsewhere, the team will receive draft-pick compensation. As you can see, it was a no-brainer for the Mets to respond with the qualifying offer.

You can read about the rest of the option decisions the Mets have to make right here.

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Aaron Judge‘s future with the Yankees may be in doubt after the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on the contract before the start of the 2022 season, but that doesn’t mean he has to leave New York.

Peeps from the internet suggested Mets owner Steve Cohen, the richest owner in baseball, could make a run at the 30-year-old right fielder–both because of Cohen’s deep pockets and his propensity to chase big names since his ownership started (Francisco Lindor, Max Scherzer, etc.). There’s also the angle that Cohen has spent money like George Steinbrenner used to–something Steinbrenner’s son Hal has reluctantly done over the last half-decade or so.

A new report from the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman, though, says that Steve Cohen believes the Yankees made Judge a “very fair” offer. That leads one to believe Cohen wouldn’t go far beyond the eight years and $230 million the Yankees offered Judge just before the season started. (That offer included this season, his final year of arbitration.)

Just based on the average annual value, Judge clearly wants more than the $28.75 million per year the Yankees offered. That’s a lot for anyone, let alone an outfielder who’d be in his late 30s by the end of any long-term deal.

Heyman also reports that Cohen “wouldn’t do that to the Yankees,” with “that” being take their star during free agency. There has been a general amicableness among the Mets and Yankees organizations recently, with the two teams trading major leaguers (Joely Rodriguez for Miguel Castro) this year for the first time since 2004.

Cohen may also recognize that the team’s primary rivals are within their division, with the Yankees rivalry stemming–especially in recent years–from location and the fact they play each other every year during the regular season. The teams are an even 22-22 against each other since 2014, and only the Mets have made a World Series appearance since then.

Rivalry or not, Cohen should go after Judge if his final contract number is more in line with the AAV the Yankees offered. If it’s well above $30 million per year over half-a-dozen years, it’d make more sense to stay away.

His decision to go after Judge–or any other future free agent coming from the Yankees or any other team–shouldn’t have anything to do with how pleasant the Mets and Yankees have generally been. It’s all about staying consistent with team process, which occasionally has shown to include paying top dollar for guys Cohen really wants. The Mets may have a hole in the outfield next season if Brandon Nimmo walks in free agency. We’ll find out then if Cohen really wants Aaron Judge.

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