Scott Boras had his annual appearance where he fielded questions from reporters on his clients during this free agency period, and the Boras zingers were out in full force. While the super agent made sure to pump up his clients, there were a lot of Mets related reports to come from his rebuttals. One being on Juan Soto, as Boras mentioned that Soto will go through a “thorough process” while mentioning that the Mets have been very aggressive in the Soto market.

Scott pulled out one of his classic one-liners in regards to Pete Alonso‘s free agent market: “We hear a lot about the bare market for power-hitting first basemen. For Pete’s sake, it’s the polar opposite.” Along with Alonso, Boras also commented on Sean Manaea‘s market, which he said is very vast and that the LHP has many suitors.

For more on Boras’ comments, click here!

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

David Stearns talked to reporters and addressed many topics, while praising Steve Cohen’s willingness to invest in the club. Click here for more on Stearns’ comments.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns also told reporters that he went to Japan to scout pending free agent Roki Sasaki in September. Click here for more on that news. 

The Mets agreed to terms with RHP Rico Garcia on a minor league deal with an invite to MLB camp, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Garcia had 20 saves in the International League for the Nationals organization last season, which led the league.

Baseball America released their top 10 Mets prospects for 2025, headlined by Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat.

The Mets have several minor league free agents, including OF DJ Stewart and 1B/3B Mike Brosseau, per Baseball America.

Latest MLB News

The Seattle Mariners are among teams that have closely evaluated Hye-seong Kim who will be posted from the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO this off-season, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. He had an .841 OPS with 30 SB in his age 25 season.

The Los Angeles Angels agreed to a one-year deal with longtime Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks, per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.

Boras told reporters that his client and Astros third baseman Alex Bregman had a bone chip removed from his throwing elbow and should be back swinging in a couple of weeks, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The free agent should be good to go for spring training. 

The San Diego Padres agreed to a two-year extension through 2027 with manger Mike Shildt, who made the playoffs in his first year in San Diego.

The Cleveland Guardians and catcher Austin Hedges agreed on a one-year contract to bring him back with the club, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras will be moving to first base after spending most of his career behind the plate, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.

The Houston Astros have had internal discussions around the possibility of trading setup man Ryan Pressly, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Pressly lost his closer job to Josh Hader, who secured a $95 million contract with Houston last offseason, and will be making $14 million in 2025.

Former MVP Mookie Betts and three-time World Series champ is expected to be moved back to the infield for the 2025 season, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Brewers free agent shortstop Willy Adames is willing to move from his shortstop position if the right offer from a competitive club came around, per Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic. Other reports have said the Mets could move Adames to third, while other teams have thought of moving him to second base.

Jon Heyman reported that Juan Soto has been reached out to by the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Rays, Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Giants, per a Bleacher Report live stream.

Latest on MMO

Scott Boras speaks on free agent market.

Get to know possible Mets free agent target Tim Hill.

Take a look at what grade MMO gave Jose Quintana for his 2024 season.

On This Date in Mets History

2012: The Mets and Jason Bay come to an agreement to terminate the outfielder’s contract a year early. Bay only hit .239 in his three seasons in Queens after signing a four-year, $66 million deal.

Born On This Date: Dick Stuart (1932), Orlando Mercado (1961), Andy Tomberlin (1966), Glendon Rusch (1974), Kris Benson (1974), Willie Collazo (1979).

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The Mets started to make their initial free agency signings Wednesday as they added depth to both the starting rotation and the infield. They started the day by bringing in a player who spent his first eight season in the big leagues just a borough over, as they signed former Yankee Luis Severino to a one-year deal. The former Yankee is expected to be more of a middle-to-backend  piece for the Mets rotation as they continue to fill out their staff, but has some potential upside if he can rebound from a poor 2023 season. For a more in-depth look into the signing, click here!

Next, the Mets added some infield depth as they agreed to a one-year deal with former Marlins utility infielder Joey Wendle. Wendle, who can play many spots around the diamond, has garnered the reputation of being a reliable glove throughout his career. Despite having career lows in almost every offensive category last season, Wendle has shown the ability to be a good contact hitter when he is right and will hopefully fill the role that recently released Luis Guillorme was in. For a closer look into the Mets signing of Joey Wendle, click here!

Luis Severino. Photo credits USA Today

Latest Mets News

The Mets are reportedly going “full bore” in trying to land Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shōta Imanaga, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman adds that the Mets are “not messing around” and might not have it in them to completely fold to a year or two turn around. 

Luis Severino seems to be just the beginning of the Mets pitching signings as they are reportedly interested in former Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodríguez, per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online. To learn more about the report, click here!

Latest MLB News

Former Minnesota Twins reliever Emilio Pagán signed with the Cincinnati Reds, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The two-year, $16 million deal (the second year is a player option) makes Pagán the highest-paid player on the Reds. For more on the signing, click here!

The Reliever of the Year Awards were announced for both leagues Wednesday night as Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers won in the National League and Félix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles won in the American League. 

Nelson Cruz has found himself a new job as he is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as an advisor, per Tenchy Rodriguez of Z Digital. The recently retired slugger stays in baseball after playing for 19 seasons and being the Dominican Republic’s general manager for their past World Baseball Classic run. 

Trade talks circulating around Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease have started to heat up in the last 48 hours according to a report by Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Morosi noted that some sources believe a deal could be done prior to the start of the winter meetings and that the Atlanta Braves are among the finalists. For more information on Cease, check out our trade profile on him!

Ryan Flaherty is expected to be named the Chicago Cubs’ new bench coach, per Brett Ghiroli of The Athletic. Flaherty was in the mix for the Padres head managing spot before they chose Mike Shildt, so he will now move to Chicago to join new manager Craig Counsell‘s staff in the same role he was in with San Diego. 

The Kansas City Royals agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with utilityman Garrett Hampson, per Robert Murray of FanSided.com. Hampson played in 98 games for the Marlins last season after spending five years in Colorado and has proven to be a plus defender in several positions. 

Former Mets and Padres pitcher Seth Lugo‘s market is heating up and the Dodgers are one of the teams interested, per Ari Alexander of KPRC2 of Houston. Alexander mentions how 2/3 of the league has shown interest in Lugo and that the Houston Astros are not one of those teams. 

Right-handed Reliever Penn Murfee and the Atlanta Braves came to an agreement on a major league deal, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Since being waived by the Seattle Mariners, Murfee has been claimed and waived by the Mets and claimed and non-tendered by the Braves prior to agreeing to this deal. 

Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger reported that any deal that would take place for San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto would be a one-year rental. He added that an MLB executive told him, “Scott Boras clients don’t do extensions.”

Veteran right-handed pitcher Jaime Barria agreed to a minor-league deal with the Cleveland Guardians, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Barria spent his first six seasons in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels before being granted free agency last month. 

The Major League Baseball Players Association elected two Minor League Association Player Representatives and two Alternate Association Player Representatives to serve two-year terms, per MLBPA. The elected Association Player Representatives are Cameron Junker of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Williams Simoneit of the Oakland Athletics; the alternate selections are A.J. Lewis of the Colorado Rockies and Jake Walters of the Miami Marlins. 

Liam Hendriks was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Tony Conigliaro Award, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. This award is given out by the Red Sox to the “major leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Tony C.”

Latest on MMO

Michael Mayer previewed the next matchup in Mets Madness as the 1973 Mets take on the 2007 Mets. 

Check out the update on Juan Soto’s trade situation between the Padres and Yankees. 

On This Date in Mets History

2012: David Wright signs an eight-year, $138-million extension with the Mets, which was the highest paying deal in team history at the time. 

2007: The Mets trade Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals and receive Brian Schneider and Ryan Church in return. 

Birthdays: DJ Stewart (30), Matt Lawton (52), Juan Berenguer (69), Craig Swan (73)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Make First Major Offseason Additions appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres made important additions to their 2024 staff on Tuesday. 

The Yankees announced the hiring of former Detroit Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus as their bench coach, filling the vacancy made by Carlos Mendoza departing to become the Mets manager. 

Ausmus, a 48th-round draft pick by the Yankees in 1987, has a career 386-422 record in five seasons as a manager. 

Ausmus was last on a major league staff in the 2022 season when he served as the Oakland Athletics bench coach. 

The Angels announced they hired 37-year-old Billy Enright to be their pitching coach on Tuesday. 

Enright has been with the Arizona Diamondbacks since 2019, spending the last two years as an assistant pitching coach for the major league team and the minor league pitching coordinator. He previously served as a pitching coach in the minors from 2019 to 2021. 

In addition to Enright, the Angels announced Tim Laker as the team’s new offensive coordinator. 

The Padres also announced the hiring of Mike Shildt as their new manager. Read here to see how this potentially affects the Mets.

Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

Former Mets manager Willie Randolph will not be serving as the team’s bench coach, according to Anthony Rieber of the Newsday. Read Metsmerized’s coverage here.

In his weekly newsletter, Anthony DiComo of mlb.com detailed Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez’s part in the Metsgiving initiative. Read more here.

Latest MLB News 

Willie Hernandez, who won both the Cy Young and American League MVP while leading the Tigers to the 1984 World Series, died at 69 years old on Tuesday, as first reported by La Primera Hora, a publication from Puerto Rico. 

Veteran pitcher Kyle Gibson signed with the St. Louis Cardinals to a one-year deal with an additional team option for 2025, the team announced Tuesday. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported the deal is worth $12 million next season. 

Veteran shortstop Paul DeJong, who grew up in Illinois and attended Illinois State, has agreed to a deal with the Chicago White Sox, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. 

The Texas Rangers’ World Series championship share was $506,263 while the Arizona Diamondbacks pennant share was $313, 634. 

Latest on MMO

Who would win in a seven game series, the 1985 or 2016 Mets? Brian Wright previews the hypothetical matchup in a Mets Madness Series Preview. 

Allison Waxman evaluates how much Shohei Ohtani could sign for. 

Nick Rucco looks at the performance of the prospects acquired by the Mets at the deadline. 

On This Date in Mets History

2010: The Mets hired Terry Collins as their manager. He went 551-583 in seven seasons, leading the Mets to a National League pennant in 2015.

Birthdays: Adam Ottavino (38), Ricky Ledee (50), Jay Payton (51), Gene Walter (63), Lee Guetterman (65), Rich Chiles (74)

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San Diego announced they hired former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt as their new skipper. Shildt, 55, who was 252–199 while managing St. Louis from 2018 – 2021, replaces Bob Melvin, who left San Diego for division rival San Francisco.

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

How does this affect the Mets?

The two finalists for the San Diego opening reportedly were Shilt and former Angels manager Phil Nevin, who is drawing interest from the Mets for their available bench coach position.

Nevin, who posted a 119-149 record with the Angels after being named their manager on June 7, 2022, and new Mets manager Carlos Mendoza served together on the Yankees coaching staff from 2018 to 2021.

Mendoza, who despite having previously managed in the minor leagues and internationally, has never managed in the major leagues. A former a major league manager or bench coach may help facilitate his acclimation into the new role. Nevin checks that box.

Time will tell if Nevin joins his former colleague Mendoza, but, either way, an interesting option is still available for the Mets, courtesy of San Diego.

For the Padres, adding Shildt now puts the lid on a months-long search that was temporarily paused when the team’s owner passed away. AJ Preller, the team’s president of baseball operations, will have to slash costs while also keeping the team competitive in 2024.

The post Padres Hire Mike Shildt; Phil Nevin Available for Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Major League Baseball announced the 2024 draft lottery odds Wednesday night, and the Mets came in at 4.3%, the seventh-highest odds in all of MLB. This is the second rendition of the MLB draft lottery following the latest edition of the collective bargaining agreement, where the two sides agreed that the top six picks of the draft will be based on the lottery system. Outside of the top six picks, the seventh through 18th picks will be in reverse standings orders for the remaining teams.

However, if the Mets do not get a top six pick, their 2024 first-round draft selection will move back ten spots, a result of exceeding the surcharge tax threshold with their player payroll for 2023. The Yankees and Padres, who also did not make the playoffs, are in the same boat as the Mets as they also went over the threshold. If these teams do get rewarded a top six lottery pick, their second highest pick will be moved back ten places. 

The 2024 MLB Draft lottery will take place at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee on December 5. 

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

Andy Martino of SNY reported the club received permission to interview Craig Counsell for the managerial opening yesterday. He noted that the Brewers would initially deny said permission and have clubs wait until October 31, when Counsell’s contract officially expires, but they have changed course. However, Martino also reported that both Counsell and the Mets are expected to explore all other available options. This is in line with the report from Will Sammon of The Athletic that the Guardians have requested permission to interview Counsell. 

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Billy Eppler’s former “special assistant,” Steve Martone, has been let go by the club—Martone, who was with Eppler in Los Angeles. 

Jeremy Hefner, the Mets’ current pitching coach, has been receiving interest from other clubs, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. However, Hefner told team officials that he would wait to see if he fits into the Mets’ plans before considering other jobs. Hefner is under contract with the Mets for the 2024 season. 

Gary Cohen was named a finalist for the Hall of Fame‘s 2024 Ford C. Crick Award for the second consecutive year. Cohen is one of ten finalists among names like Joe Buck and Duane Kuiper; the winner will be inducted into the broadcaster’s wing of the Hall of Fame. 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the Mets would have fired former general manager Billy Eppler if he didn’t resign. For a more in-depth look into Sherman’s report, click here.

Latest MLB News

Following the Houston Astros’ loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday night, there were many reports that Astros manager Dusty Baker planned to retire. However, on Wednesday, Baker made it official as he told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he informed Astros owner Tim Crane that he is retiring as manager of the club. The Astros have set up a press conference for Baker to formally announce his decision at noon ET on Thursday at Minute Maid Park. 

The San Francisco Giants are the first team to hire their new manager this off-season, as they officially named and introduced Bob Melvin as their manager yesterday. Melvin will manage his third different team in four years, leaving San Diego just two seasons following his departure from Oakland after a decade stint with the club. In addition, Giants chairman Greg Johnson announced that Melvin’s agreement is through 2026, and the team would extend general manager Farhan Zaidi through 2026 as well. 

The Padres managerial search will now pick up with the departure of Bob Melvin, as Dennis Lin and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reported that Mike Shildt will interview for the job on Thursday. The former Cardinals manager is not the only interview San Diego has lined up, as Padres bench coach Ryan Flaherty has an interview scheduled for Friday. 

The Boston Red Sox announced they hired former Chicago Cubs executive Craig Breslow as their chief baseball operator. Breslow, who pitched for the Red Sox in parts of five seasons, is taking over for Chaim Bloom, who only led Boston to one playoff appearance in his four years at the helm. 

Sean Casey, who was brought in as the Yankees hitting coach midway through the 2023 season, announced on his podcast that he will not return for the 2024 season. When talking about it on “The Mayor’s Office” podcast, Casey mentioned how he probably could have if he wanted to but would not due to family reasons. 

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News announced that the Rangers will start Nathan Eovaldi in game one of the World Series on Friday night. Eovaldi will be matching up against the Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen. 

The Atlanta Braves announced that relief pitcher Pierce Johnson signed a two-year agreement, with a club option for 2026. After acquiring him from Colorado in late July, Johnson pitched to a 0.76 ERA in 24 regular season games and made three scoreless appearances in the NLDS. 

Latest on MMO

Following a series of moves this past week, Michael Mayer gave an update on the current state of the Mets 40-man roster.

Andrew Tripaldi documented how the Mets will have some competition in the Craig Counsell sweepstakes. 

Reports have been circulating that the Yankees and Padres have had talks about a Juan Soto trade; Andrew Tripaldi looked into it.

On This Date in Mets History

1998: The Mets sign Mike Piazza to a seven-year deal with a total value of $91 million, which then was the richest contract in the history of baseball. Piazza was an all-star for all but one of the seven following years and led the Mets to their first World Series appearance since winning it all in 1986. 

Birthdays: Dominic Leone (32), Jaime Cerda (45)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Draft Lottery Odds at 4.3% appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals have fired Mike Shildt, their manager of the last three-and-a-half seasons, as reported first by Rob Rains and later by ESPN‘s Jeff Passan.

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak confirmed the decision to let go of Shildt, saying the front office and their now-former manager had “philosophical difference in the direction that our Major League club is going.”

“This is not a reflection simply on wins and losses,” Mozeliak said (as transcribed by Mark Feinsand). “It really was more at a higher level, where we saw the team going.”

Shildt replaced Mike Matheny during the 2018 season, and the team finished 41-28 after a lethargic start under Matheny. The Cards then had winning seasons each of the last three years, totaling an overall 252-199 record under Shildt. The 2021 team started off slow but ripped off 17 straight wins over August and September to secure the second National League Wild Card spot. They lost to the Dodgers 3-1 in the Wild Card game on a game-winning home run by Chris Taylor.

Mozeliak said the team has “quality internal candidates” for the job, but he didn’t rule out going outside of the organization for the next manager.

As for Shildt, he will likely now make the short-lists of candidates for existing managerial jobs around baseball, including the Mets’. The Padres have an opening, too, and the Yankees have yet to make a decision about Aaron Boone, whose contract expires after the World Series. (The Yankees started letting go of Yankees coaches Thursday, if that’s an indication of anything.)

An odd tidbit about this news: the Cardinals requested permission to announce Shildt’s firing on the day of Game 5 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and Giants from Major League Baseball. It feels odd that MLB would police when a team releases big news, especially when it’s something like the firing of a manager, but that’s an article for another day.

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