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The Mets swept the Phillies on Thursday as they defeated Taijuan Walker in the third game of the three-game set. On Friday, the Mets faced another member of their 2022 team as Chris Bassitt and the Blue Jays traveled to Citi Field to start a three-game series. For the Mets, Justin Verlander took the mound hoping to rebound from a poor performance in Colorado.

The game, originally scheduled for a 7:10 p.m. ET start, was delayed due to rain and officially started 90 minutes later at 8:40 p.m. ET. Overall, Verlander pitched well but Bassitt pitched better as he shut down the Mets offense, leading the Blue Jays to a 3-0 win.

On just the second pitch of the game, George Springer took his former teammate Verlander deep to center field to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead, as Verlander’s struggles in the first inning this year continued. He retired the next two batters before walking Brandon Belt, and was then able to strike out Matt Chapman to put an end to the inning.

Bassitt retired the first two Met hitters before Jeff McNeil took the first pitch of his at-bat into right-center field for a double. Alonso wasn’t able to take advantage of the runner in scoring position as he popped out in foul territory to give Bassitt a clean first inning.

After a 1-2-3 second inning, Verlander got the first two outs of the third inning before allowing a single off the bat of Bo Bichette. That brought up the powerful Vladimir Guerrero Jr. but he struck out on three pitches to keep the Jays’ lead at one.

Leading off the bottom of the third, Canha worked a full count after falling behind 0-2, and ripped a single through the left side of the infield to continue his recent hot stretch. He then stole second base for his third stolen base of the year. Francisco Álvarez then hit a grounder to the right side of the infield that hit off the glove of Guerrero and Álvarez was able to get to first safely, putting runners on the corners with nobody out.

The top of the Mets order, however, put together three brutal at-bats in a row as Brandon Nimmo popped up on the infield on the first pitch he saw, Francisco Lindor struck out looking, and Jeff McNeil popped up on the infield on the first pitch he saw to allow Bassitt to escape the inning without giving up a run.

The Mets once again put together three straight poor at-bats in the bottom of the fourth inning, putting two more balls in play on the first pitch just as they had in the previous inning. This time, Pete Alonso popped up on the infield, Brett Baty struck out, and Starling Marte grounded out, allowing Bassitt to get through the inning on just six pitches.

Bichette led off the sixth inning for the Blue Jays with a comebacker off of Verlander and he reached first base safely after Verlander couldn’t recover the ball cleanly. Guerrero then walked to put runners on first and second base with no outs. Verlander then struck out Brandon Belt and Matt Chapman back-to-back before Whit Merrifield hit an infield single to load the bases.

With Daulton Varsho at the plate, Verlander attacked him with fastballs before putting him away with a slider, striking out three in the inning to avoid disaster. That would be all for him for the night as he tallied a whopping 117 pitches through six innings, giving up just the one run on five hits while walking three and striking out eight.

With the top of the order coming up in the bottom of the sixth and needing runs, Nimmo hit a deep fly ball to left-center field that flew all the way to the warning track but was tracked down by Kevin Kiermaier for the first out. After Lindor struck out in a full count, McNeil also got to a full count but flew out to center field to end the inning. Since the Mets had first-and-third with no outs in the third inning, Bassitt had now retired twelve straight.

Dominic Leone came on in relief for the Mets to start the seventh inning and he needed just nine pitches to set the Blue Jays’ hitters down in order. In the bottom of the inning, Bassitt extended his streak to retire 14 straight as he retired Alonso and Baty, but Marte broke that streak by hitting a ball the other way for a two-out opposite-field single. Marte then stole second base to put the tying run in scoring position with Mark Vientos up at the plate, but a groundball out ended the inning with the Mets still down 1-0.

Drew Smith was called on to pitch the eighth inning against the heart of the Toronto lineup. After a Bichette groundout, Guerrero singled into center field but he was erased on the next pitch after Belt grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bassitt stayed on for the bottom of the eighth and retired Canha and Álvarez before Tim Mayza was called on to relieve him. With a two-strike count and two outs in the inning, Nimmo was called for a pitch-clock violation to give Mayza an easy out to end the inning.

After pitching a scoreless inning the previous night against the Phillies, Jeff Brigham was asked to pitch for a second straight game as he came on in the ninth inning. After giving up a one-out single, Brigham gave up a two-run homer to Varsho to give the Blue Jays some insurance and a 3-0 lead. The next two batters were retired in order, putting the Mets offense back on the field for the bottom of the ninth.

Jordan Romano relieved Mayza to start the ninth inning, looking to get the save with a three-run lead. Lindor led off the inning by hitting a ball to deep left field, but it died on the warning track for the first out. McNeil popped up on the infield to bring the Mets to their final out, but Alonso kept the game alive by singling through the infield. However, Baty struck out on three pitches to put the game to bed, giving the Mets their eighth shutout of the year.

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Player Spotlight

Justin Verlander started the night off by giving up a leadoff homer, but that was his lone blemish as he threw six innings and kept the Mets in the game. He threw 117 pitches and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning, getting a massive strikeout to keep the Mets’ deficit at just one. Unfortunately, the Mets couldn’t score a single run in the game putting the loss on Verlander, but he was clearly the best player on the field tonight for the Mets.

On Deck

The Mets continue the series with the Blue Jays on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET. Tylor Megill, who has failed to go past four innings in each of his last two starts, will look to turn things around as he starts for the Mets. Meanwhile, José Berríos is in the middle of a fantastic stretch of starts for Toronto and will look to keep it going as he gets the start tomorrow for the Jays. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

The post Bassitt Dominates Mets in Blue Jays’ 3-0 Win appeared first on Metsmerized.

Free agent outfielder Kevin Kiermaier has  reached an agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays pending a physical, as reported by Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

The Blue Jays were looking for outfield help after trading Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Erik Swanson and prospect Adam Macko last month. Multiple reports had linked the Blue Jays with outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who this week returned to the Mets after signing an eight-year, $162 million contract.

Instead, the Blue Jays have added a veteran presence to their outfield in Kiermaier, who is an accomplished major leaguer and a three-time Gold Glove winner and a Platinum Glove winner. The 32-year-old has been a free agent ever since the Tampa Bay Rays turned down his $13 million club option. Although not known for his bat, Kiermaier provides stellar defense and he will add a veteran presence and a wealth of experience to Toronto’s young core of stars.

Kiermaier has been with the Rays organization since he was drafted in 2010 out of Parkland College. In his career with Tampa Bay, he has batted .248/.308/.407 with a .715 OPS. He has hit 140 doubles, 51 triples, 82 home runs, drove in 316 RBI, and scored 410 runs in a major league career that has spanned a decade so far. It is with the glove that Kiermaier has really impressed, though, with the center fielder boasting a 71 Outs Above Average since 2016. His jump on balls in play and arm strength have also been among the best in the majors.

The 2022 season was a tough one for Kiermaier, who batted .228/.281/.369, with a .649 OPS. He hit eight doubles and seven homers. He also drove in 22 RBI and had 28 runs scored. However, it is worth noting that the 32-year-old had to undergo surgery in August in order to repair the labrum and he was also dealing with an impingement in his left hip. As a result, the Blue Jays will be hoping to get more production from a fully healthy Kiermaier in 2023.

Kiermaier was linked to the Mets earlier this offseason as a backup plan if Nimmo signed elsewhere. Instead, Kiermaier will look to boost a Blue Jays team on the rise and his skills in the outfield will be even more crucial in Toronto with the ban on the shift and Rogers Centre getting new outfield dimensions as part of the current renovation. The veteran will provide a lot of defensive help for a young team that needed to improve their outfield defense.

The post Kevin Kiermaier Reaches Agreement With The Toronto Blue Jays appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning, Mets fans!

Former Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly and the Toronto Blue Jays are in serious talks on a deal that would make the him the club’s newest bench coach, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Mattingly began managing the Marlins back in 2016 and led the National East team to one playoff appearance in his tenure with the team. The lone postseason appearance came in the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season where Miami claimed a Wild Card spot and finished second in their division. Prior to his time in Miami, Mattingly was the manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011-15 seasons with three playoff appearances, all of which came in his final three years with the team.

Latest Mets News

Mike Puma of the New York Post is reporting that Craig Bjornson will not return as the Mets bullpen coach next season. Team officials and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner will be leading the interviewing process staring this week. The role would also include the assistant pitching coach position.

Latest MLB News

The Cincinnati Reds announced a slew of coaching staff changes, including the hiring of former New York Mets minor league hitting coordinator Tim LaMonte as their assistant hitting and integrated performance coach. Former Mets outfielder Collin Cowgill will also join the Reds coaching staff as the team’s first base coach after managing the Seattle Mariners’ Double-A affiliate team.

The Dodgers and free-agent right-hander Shelby Miller have reached an agreement, pending a physical, that would bring the pitcher to Los Angeles, according to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal. Miller signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees last year and pitched for their Triple-A team before being released by the team in late May. The San Francisco Giants then signed him to a minor league deal where he pitched for their Triple-A team. He made four relief appearances with a 0-1 record with the Giants, holding a 6.43 ERA and striking out 14 batters over seven innings.

The Washington Nationals and outfielder Stone Garrett agreed on a deal to bring him to the nation’s capital, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Garrett bounced in between appearances with the Arizona Diamondbacks and their Triple-A team, playing in 27 games and hitting for a .276 average in that span. The Nats also signed former Detroit Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario to a one-year, $5 million contract, according to Evan Petzold of Detroit Free Press. Candelario played for Detroit for the last five seasons and holding a .243 batting average over that span.

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane says he doesn’t expect to hire a general manager before January, but will have one before spring training, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright and Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes are joining the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Wainwright was 11-12 this season with a 3.71 ERA and Cortes was 12-4 this season with a 2.44 ERA.

Variety is reporting Disney now owns 100% of BAMTech Streaming Division, the streaming services group that powers Disney+ and the media company’s other direct-to-consumer services, after buying out MLB’s remaining 15% for $900 million. Disney originally invested $1 billion into BAMTech back in 2016 for 33% stake in the company before buying out the rest of it a year later for over $1.5 billion. Disney also bought out the NHL’s remain stake in the company in August of last year.

Latest on MMO

Mathew Brownstein sat down with former Mets pitcher and 1986 World Series Champ Bobby Ojeda to discuss his time with the team and pitching in the league.

On This Date in Mets History

2007: The Mets traded Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.

2012: David Wright signed what was, at the time, the biggest contract in Mets history, taking on an eight-year, $138 million deal.

Birthdays: Matt Lawton (51), Juan Berenguer (68), Craig Swan (72)

The post Morning Briefing: Mattingly to Become Blue Jays’ New Bench Coach appeared first on Metsmerized.

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Updated Post – Nov. 18, 10:20 AM

Jeff Passan of ESPN was on a Blue Jays-centric Podcast to talk about what the offseason looks like for Toronto and center fielder Brandon Nimmo was a hot topic on the show.

Here’s what Passan had to see about the type of contract Nimmo could expect to see as transcribed by Andrew Stoeten:

“I went into it thinking, OK, he’s going to get, like, $80 million. And then I was told, ‘No, no, no, no, it’s going to be nine figures.’ And I was like, $100 million? And he was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. Keep going.” $125 million? ‘Nope.’ You know? The Shin-Soo Choo deal, which was six years and $130 or so million, is the place where I’ve landed after talking to people, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it goes higher than that.”

Choo signed the seven-year, $130 million deal (Passan wrongly said six years) back in 2013 with the Rangers at the age of 31.

Nimmo, still only 29, is coming off posting a 5.4 fWAR for the Mets in the 2022 season. That WAR value by FanGraphs ranked him behind only Aaron Judge and Mike Trout for outfielders that played a majority of their time in center field this year.

Original Post – Nov. 16, 12:13 PM

Free agent outfielder Brandon Nimmo is drawing interest from the Toronto Blue Jays, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Nimmo rejected his qualifying offer from the New York Mets last week in order to hit the open market, and he has plenty of suitors as one of the best outfielders available this offseason. According to Morosi, the Seattle Mariners have already made contact with Nimmo’s representatives.

Toronto traded outfielder Teoscar Hernández to the Seattle Mariners for right-handed reliever Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko earlier today. As a result, the Blue Jays have now freed up space in the outfield and Nimmo would give them the left-handed bat they badly need.

In total, Toronto hit .255/.326/.426/.753 with 42 home runs and 153 RBI against lefties in 2022, while Nimmo slashed .264/.358/.428/.786 against lefties last season with 12 doubles, three triples, five homers, 24 walks and 26 RBI. The lefty also excelled as a leadoff hitter for the Mets in 2022, hitting .274/.367/.433 with a .800 OPS in 673 plate appearances, to go along with 30 doubles, seven triples, 16 homers, 64 RBI and 71 walks.

Nimmo’s on-base percentage of .367 underlines his ability to put the ball in play and make things happen, and he enters free agency as one of the best outfielders available after Aaron Judge. The 29-year-old also displayed an ability to play above-average defense in center field, which only adds to his value. He would be a perfect fit for a team like Toronto who is on the rise but needs battle-hardened and proven veterans to help their young, talented core.

Nimmo compiled a 5.0 WAR in 2022 and, given that no free agent outfielder outside of Nimmo or Judge has accumulated a 2.0 fWAR over the last two seasons, it is understandable that the longtime Met would attract a lot of interest from teams needing to add both a quality bat and glove to the outfield. Nimmo proved his credentials as an elite leadoff hitter in 2022, while he boasts high-end intangibles on and off the field that are hard to replicate.

He is a natural-born leader and is starting to play some of the best baseball of his life, which is why the Mets made Nimmo one of their biggest priorities to try and re-sign this offseason. However, with the Mariners and the Blue Jays named as two of the teams with interest in the outfielder, owner Steve Cohen may have to dig extra deep into his never-ending funds in order to keep a vital piece of this roster in Queens for the 2023 season and beyond.

The post Report: Nimmo Could Get More Than $130 Million appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets declined the option on Mychal Givens and made him a free agent, according to Will Sammon of the Athletic.

Givens was traded to the Mets during the 2022 deadline in exchange for minor league pitcher Saúl González. After posting a 2.66 ERA and 11.3 SO/9 with the Cubs, Givens performed poorly for his former manager Buck Showalter. He allowed 11 runs in 20 2/3 innings and his strikeouts per nine dropped to 8.7.

The Mets would have owed Givens $3.5 million for one year if they decided to keep the right-handed reliever. Givens joins a majority of the Mets’ bullpen that became a free agent after the 2022 season. While Givens wasn’t effective initially in Queens, he did not give up an earned run in his last 11 1/3 innings.

The Mets also claimed Tayler Saucedo off waivers from the Blue Jays. The left-handed reliever had a 5.40 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in his 28 1/3 innings in MLB. However, Saucedo has been effective against lefties and has held them to a .182 average during his MLB tenure.

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