Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Francisco Lindor has been named the 2022 Marvin Miller Man of the Year by the Major League Baseball Players Association. For the award, players were asked to vote for the player they “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” In addition to being an involved and vocal leader on the field, Lindor has done plenty of work for his community in his free time and was a dedicated champion of players’ rights during the MLB lockout involving CBA negotiations this past offseason.

Now onto the morning briefing!

The MLBPA has voted Francisco Lindor the 2022 Marvin Miller Man of the Year winner. The award is given to the player whose whose on-field performance and contributions to his community inspire others to higher levels of achievement.
Hard to think of a more deserving recipient! pic.twitter.com/SOOscrZ0C5

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) November 4, 2022

Latest Mets News

Mike Puma of the New York Post spoke to Mark Canha recently. Canha expressed his desire to finish his career with the Mets and said of Jacob deGrom: “Jake told me he wants to come back, too, and he really likes it here, too.” 

Latest MLB News

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that all signs point to David Stearns not receiving permission to interview elsewhere while he is under contract with the Brewers in 2023.

Jon Heyman adds that the sale of the Los Angeles Angels is serious and will happen, and that the team will likely sell for more than the $2.4 billion Steve Cohen used to buy the Mets.

Jon Heyman continues that the Royals are expected to bring back Zack Greinke for the 2023 season.

The MLBPA announced its 31st Annual Players Choice Award Winners. Among the winners were Aaron Judge for overall Player of the Year and American League Outstanding Player, and Paul Goldschmidt for National League Outstanding Player.

Joon Lee of ESPN writes that, despite the fact that his contract expired on October 31, Brian Cashman will continue to act as the Yankees general manager.

In a press conference on Friday, Brian Cashman told the media that the Yankees will pick up Luis Severino‘s $15 million club option.

Matt Monagan of MLB.com spoke to Red Sox clubhouse manager Tom McLaughlin about the behind-the-scenes planning of a champagne celebration.

The Arizona Fall League announced its schedule and the rosters for “Fall Stars Weekend,” set to take place tonight and tomorrow night at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona.

In the aftermath of the Fernando Tatis PED suspension, James Wagner of the New York Times wonders why Dominican players make up half of the players suspended for positive drug tests.

The Orioles have signed Jake Cave to a contract for the 2023 season. Cave was claimed off waivers from the Twins on October 11.

Latest on MMO

Alexis Farinacci recaps the impressive 2022 season for the St. Lucie Mets.

Matthew Brownstein interviews Mets area scout Jim Reeves.

Michael Mayer lists what an expert believes Mets free agents will command on the open market.

On This Date in Mets History

1990: Darryl Strawberry became a free agent after eight stellar years with the Mets. Three days later, on November 8, he would sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers and his Mets career came to a close.

Birthdays: Jose Santiago (48), Mike Bishop (64), Jim Bethke (76)

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Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The Major League Baseball Players Association has announced Francisco Lindor as a finalist for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award.

The Marvin Miller award was created in 1997 as a players’ choice award and recognizes the outstanding on and off-field performances of players. The award is named after Marvin Miller, who was the MLBPA executive director from 1966 to 1982. Miller negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement in MLB history and was instrumental in removing the reverse clause.

Lindor, along with Marcus Semien and Brent Suter, has been recognized for his on-field performance and off-the-field charity work. His leadership in the Mets clubhouse and historic year brought the Mets to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Lindor’s off-the-field charity work, however, is more impressive than his on-the-field numbers. In 2017-2018, he made several trips to Puerto Rico to help the island recover from Hurricane Maria. He has been a staple in the Make-A-Wish and Boys & Girls Club communities, among other groups. Lastly, Lindor has given back to the community that helped him prosper as a baseball player and student. In 2021, he donated $1 million to Montverde Academy in Florida, where he attended school after immigrating to the United States, and created the Lindor Scholarship Fund. The fund provides financial assistance to selected students and prospective students.

If he wins, Lindor will become the second Met in MLB history to win the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award. Curtis Granderson, who has won on four separate occasions, received the award after the 2016 season.

The post Francisco Lindor Named Finalist For Marvin Miller Award appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning, Mets fans!

Derrick S. Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that longtime reliever Andrew Miller has decided to retire from professional baseball. Miller, a veteran of 16 seasons, had previously spent the last three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. Last season, he appeared in 40 games with a 4.75 ERA over 36 innings in relief.

Formerly a top prospect, he, along with Cameron Maybin, were part of the massive trade between the Marlins and Tigers that sent Miguel Cabrera to Detroit. After failing to become a starter with the Marlins, Miller made his impact in the big leagues as a high leverage reliever for the Boston, Baltimore, Yankees and Cleveland, where he won ALCS MVP by helping propel his team to an AL pennant. Along with his strong pitching performances, Miller was heavily involved with negotiations for the MLBPA as a union rep during negotiations for the new CBA.

Now onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

Buck Showalter extended an olive branch to former Met first baseman and current SNY broadcaster Keith Hernandez, taking him around the field in Port St. Lucie and allowing him to join the team on the field. Andrew Steele-Davis has more on this story.

Brandon Nimmo responds to the NY vaccination mandate repeal that will allow all Mets and Yankees players to play games at home, regardless of vaccination status.

"We're very thankful to the Mayor for his leadership."

🎥 Brandon Nimmo on the vaccination mandate repeal that will allow all Mets and Yankees to play home games this season: pic.twitter.com/ll6amxaP5r

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 24, 2022

Tim Britton of The Athletic talks with Mets instructor Phil Regan on his experiences with a shortened spring training and Buck Showalter along with how Showalter is different than the rest.

Former Met Tsuyoshi Shinjo, now managing the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Japanese League, requested a name change to “Big Boss.” The league has green lit his decision and will go by that name going forward.

The nephew of former Met Eric Campbell sustained a serious injury and the family has started a GoFundMe to ask for donations to help with medical costs.

Latest MLB News

Ben Cafardo of ESPN tweeted the schedule of the new KayRod alternate broadcast to Sunday Night Baseball for the 2021 season. So far, the Mets appear once on the KayRod cast which will take place on May 1st, when the Philadelphia Phillies visit Citi Field.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk has been traded to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for outfielder Raimel Tapia.

Paul Lukas of UniWatch tweets out a photo comparing the different sizes in advertising patches from the MLB, NBA and NHL. The photo is just an example of what to expect, as advertising on uniforms slowly makes its way to all the major North American sports leagues.

Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports that Bryan Shaw has signed a contract to return to the Guardians.

Journalist Yancen Pujols reports that former Met manager and current Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas will serve as the general manager and former outfielder Jose Bautista as the special advisor for baseball and business operations for the Leones del Escogido baseball club of the Dominican League.

The Staten Island FerryHawks have signed former major leaguer Rymer Liriano to a contract. Signed to a minor league deal by the Mets in 2019, Liriano last played in the majors in 2017 for the Chicago White Sox.

Mike Cugno of CBS Miami reports that the Marlins have added LED lights to Marlins Park, making it the first MLB venue in the US to feature color capability.

Latest on MMO

The latest episode of Get Metsmerized is out, as Patrick, Mike and Sal discuss the spring debuts of Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, along with Starling Marte and more!

Gianna Arantes recaps the Mets’ 9-3 win over the Marlins.

Andrew Steele-Davis takes a look at the showings of pitchers Chris Bassitt and Carlos Carrasco during an intrasquad game.

On This Date in Mets History

1999: The Mets signed pitcher Orel Hershiser to round out the rotation. Eleven years earlier, Hershiser won NLCS MVP by tossing 24 innings and an ERA of 1.09 to help the Dodgers take down the Mets, to win the 1988 NL Pennant. As a Met, Hershiser pitched reasonable well with New York, posting a 13-12 record and a 4.58 ERA in 32 games. He would pitch five innings and only give up two hits during game 162 of that season against the Pittsburgh Pirates, keeping the Mets alive in the Wild Card race. The Mets would win that game off a Brad Klontz wild pitch that scored Melvin Mora, to force a game 163.

Birthdays: Tom Glavine (56), Lee Mazzilli (67)

Let’s go Mets!

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Good Morning, Mets fans!

Latest Mets News

The Mets opened up Summer Camp 2.0 in MCU Park, the Mets’ alternate training ground. The club sent a bevy of minor-leaguers, including David Peterson, Ryley Gilliam, Drew Smith, among others, to the site.

Jacob deGrom left his simulated game yesterday after pitching an inning due to a sore back. It must be tired from carrying the team on it.  ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Tim Britton of The Athletic recapped the Mets’ unique draft strategy.

Per Scott Soshnick of Sportico.com, four parties have made it to the second round of the Mets’ sale. Those four groups include Steve Cohen, the JRod group, the Harris/Blitzer party, and a mystery team. Soshnick also reported that SNY will not be included in any deal.

Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic wondered how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the Mets’ valuation.

After a week of not showing up to Citi Field, Robinson Cano finally appeared at Citi Field yesterday.

SNY will broadcast 56 of the Mets’ 60 games this summer. The only exceptions are on July 26th, which will be shown on ESPN,  and July 30, September 19, September 26, which will be broadcasted on FOX.

Yo’s all ready for this season.

Yo is going for style points. 😱

(via @SNYtv) pic.twitter.com/XUsQJj8rXv

— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2020

Latest MLB News

Andy McCullough of The Athletic talked to 20 MLB executives, who agreed that there are only 4 undisputed aces currently in the MLB.

After needing a golf cart to leave Sunday’s game, Byron Buxton was diagnosed with a mild ankle sprain, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com.

Chris Cotillo of Masslive.com heard that the Red Sox are interested in Zack Godley.

Latest NL East News 

City officials declared that the Phillies won’t be allowed to have fans in Citizens Bank Park this year.

The Braves inked Yasiel Puig, ending his months-long free agency journey.

Latest on MMO

Brian Wright reminisced on the 2000 Mets.

Tim Ryder talked to The Record’s Justin Toscano in the latest edition of Simply Amazin’.

Jacob Resnick looked into how pro-rated agreement between the MLB and the MLBPA will affect the Mets.

On This Day in Mets History

Birthdays: James Baldwin (49), Fernando Nieve (38), Wilson Delgado (48)

Three Mets, Jon Matlack, Tug McGraw, and Tom Seaver, appeared in the 1975 All-Star game.

Stay safe, folks!

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Joe D. – Mets Sign Marwin Gonzalez

I predict the Mets will sign Marwin Gonzalez, formerly of the Houston Astros. It’s not the big sexy name everyone is hoping for, but the 29-year old Gonzalez gives the team a solid bat that can play a variety of positions. The versatility is something that will have strong appeal for new GM Brodie Van Wagenen.

Jack Hendon – J.T. Realmuto Gets Dealt

I predict the Marlins will finally get a deal for J.T. Realmuto. Rockies currently strike me as the best fit. Colton Welker would probably get dealt, and Nolan Arenado could end up signing an extension to remain their third baseman for the next seven years.

Dilip Sridhar – Dodgers Get Harper, Trade Puig

The Dodgers will get Bryce Harper and trade Yasiel Puig to the Indians for Trevor Bauer. They seem to be in on the Harper market and Harper would definitely see the appeal of being in LA and competing for a ring. Puig becomes a trade option and Cleveland gets him to bolster their outfield

Rob Piersall – Mets Sign Andrew Miller

The Mets will bolster the back end of their bullpen and give newly acquired closer Edwin Diaz a stud setup man. Brodie Van Wagenen has kept tabs on Andrew Miller this winter, and during the Winter Meetings, he’ll finally pull the trigger.

Richard Heaton – Mets Acquire Kluber 

The Mets send Juan Lagares, Dominic Smith, and two prospects to the Indians for Corey Kluber. The Mets would be on the hook for what’s left of Kluber’s three-year deal but will receive a solid secondary ace to go alongside Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler.

Mojo Hill – Dodgers Trade Puig In Deal For Realmuto 

My prediction: The Dodgers trade Yasiel Puig, Will Smith, and Gavin Lux for J.T. Realmuto. With Puig going into free agency after this year, the Dodgers already have a good amount of outfield depth and could keep Cody Bellinger in center. They would also feel more comfortable giving up one of their better catching prospects to obtain one of the best catchers in the game. With Lux sweetening the deal, I can see both sides agreeing on this trade.

Marshall Field – Brodie Will Be Very Active

The Mets will be very active. BVW will explore any and all deals to help his team. I believe in him and as he said on WFAN, ‘trust the process’ and I do. I think Brodie goes hard after a catcher and bullpen help. I also think he’ll look at some minor deals to help improve the depth of his team.

John Sheridan – Giants Tear It Down

The Giants have already put Bumgarner on the trading block. Once a team swoops in and grabs him, we should see the Giants start moving pieces like Belt, Crawford, Longoria, Panik, and maybe even Posey to rebuild a barren farm.

On the Mets front, should their pursuit of Realmuto falter, it will be interesting to see if they’re willing to pursue a Posey. Even the Mets are not in on Posey, they should pursue Tony Watson and Sam Dyson to fortify the bullpen.

John Flanigan – Harper Signs with White Sox

The Chicago White Sox will make bold statement to the rest of the league by going out and signing Bryce Harper at the Winter Meetings. Go ahead and call me crazy, but there’s a reason the White Sox are still one of the top contenders for the 26 year old outfielder.

It may be just two years after the Chris Sale trade that sparked the White Sox rebuild, but they are ready to add a star, and there’s plenty of reason to believe they will. General manager Rick Hahn has plenty of money to spend this offseason, and the future is looking bright on the South Side. The addition of a premium talent like Harper could spark the beginning of a new era for the White Sox.

Tim Ryder – Mets Become Front-Runners For Harper

I think the Mets make one of the biggest splashes of the Winter Meetings and emerge as frontrunners for free agent outfielder Bryce Harper. Simple excuses of payroll restrictions and the need for a right-handed bat just don’t add up when compared to the level of talent and star power a Harper brings to a roster. Van Wagenen said he’d be in on everyone. They took themselves out of the Machado sweepstakes in short order but they haven’t exactly ruled out a run at Bryce Harper. I’d say this dream is still alive and well in Flushing in some capacity.

The post Ten Bold Predictions For the Winter Meetings appeared first on Metsmerized.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the New York Mets have traded Addison Reed to the Boston Red Sox in return for three pitching prospects. The deal is pending medicals.

The Red Sox will be paying the remainder of Reed’s contract through the end of the season (about $2.6 million) per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports that one of the relievers heading to the Mets is RHP Gerson Bautista, the Red Sox number 28 prospect. He reports that another prospect heading to New York is RHP Jamie Callahan, their number 23 prospect. Both are relievers.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported that the last pitcher the Mets are getting is Red Sox 18th ranked prospect RHP Stephen Nogosek.

For more on the prospects received in the deal head over to Mets Minors. 

Reed, 28, has a 2.57 ERA and 3.15 FIP in 48 appearances. In 49.0 innings he has struck out 48 and walked six, saving 19 games. He will serve as the set-up man to Craig Kimbrel, a role he thrives in.

New Met AJ Ramos will take over as the Mets closer until Jeurys Familia returns from shoulder surgery according to reports, with another candidate being Jerry Blevins.

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According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com on Twitter, the Yankees have reached out to the Mets about Reed and first baseman Lucas Duda.

While Duda’s name has long been linked to the Yankees who are in need of a first baseman, Reed would bolster a bullpen that already features Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman.

The last time the Mets and Yankees have made a major league deal was back in 2004, when they swapped Mike Stanton for Felix Heredia.

Original report:

In a report from Rob Bradford from WEEI, the Boston Red Sox have shown interest in obtaining closer Addison Reed from the New York Mets.  As noted in the tweet, everyone is asking the Mets about Reed.

The fact there is a strong market for Reed should come as a surprise to no one.  Since becoming a member of the Mets, Reed has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball.  In his Mets career, he is 5-5 with 17 saves, a 2.04 ERA, 0.988 WHIP, and a 10.1 K/9.

His 2.o4 ERA is the sixth best in baseball over that span. In his time with the Mets, he has been a dominant setup man and a closer.  Considering he has had no arm issues in his career, Reed should be considered the top relief target on the free agent market.

With every team interested in Reed, the Mets are in a very good position.

Last year, the Yankees were able to obtain three prospects including top prospect Gleyber Torres in exchange for Aroldis Chapman.

In exchange for Andrew Miller, the Yankees were able to get a significant haul of prospects including Justus Sheffield and Clint Frazier.

Considering Chapman and Miller were significant pieces for two teams that went to the World Series last year, it is hard to imagine the price for top end relievers will drop this year.

With the high demand, the going rate for relievers at the deadline, and Sandy Alderson being adept at selling his trade chips for significant prospects, the Mets are in a position to get some top prospects in exchange for Reed, especially with the Nationals setting the tone in their deal for Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson.

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For the third time this year New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson has received accolades for his work off the field. This time as the recipient of the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award from MLB Player’s Association. He had previously won the Roberto Clemente Award and the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.

Miller, who passed away in 2012, was the executive director for the MLBPA’s from 1966-1982. Miller negotiated the MLBPA’s first collective bargaining agreement with team owners in 1968. He was instrumental in getting major league players more rights and improving players salaries. The award in his name is given to the player that best “inspires others to higher levels of achievement by their on-field performances and contributions to their communities”.

Granderson becomes the first Met player to win the award since it started in 1997. This is the second time that Granderson has been given the award, having won in 2009 when he was a member of the Detroit Tigers.

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One thing we know about sports is everybody is a copycat, and here’s hoping Mets manager Terry Collins is taking notes. Something Indians manager Terry Francona has known for a long time – and putting to use this postseason – and what Collins seems to ignore is a game’s critical moment doesn’t always occur in the ninth inning.

Sometimes, it is in the sixth, seventh or eighth inning. Often during these critical situations, Collins will turn to Hansel Robles, or Jerry Blevins who is now a free agent, or any number of other forgettable names. For Francona, this postseason – and down the stretch for the Indians – he gave the ball to Andrew Miller.

Yes, it is the postseason, so don’t remind me of the obvious. And, yes, the postseason has built-in off days, but the point is clear, he has a stud and isn’t afraid to use him. Collins does not have Miller but does have Addison Reed, who led the National League with 40 holds.

Reed has been stretched out, so he can handle up to six outs. If anybody can do what Miller does it is Reed. Here’s another thing to consider, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman proved they have the mettle and can be used for more than three outs if they aren’t in the rotation.

I’d rather concentrate on using these three guys for multiple innings, than load up on mediocrity in the middle innings. In doing so, perhaps they can carry one less reliever and add a bench player. More than a few times last summer the Mets got caught with a short bench.

It has been a compelling World Series, and what Francona, and to a degree, Joe Maddon showed Sunday night with his use of Aroldis Chapman, is that there is another way to manage a bullpen. For the most part, the back end of the Mets’ bullpen has been very good, but it can be better.

Francona is counting on his starters for five or six innings before turning the game over to Miller and the rest of the Indians’ bullpen. With the uncertainty of the ability of the Mets’ starters to go past the sixth, Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen have some thinking to do this winter.

Let’s hope they are taking notes during the World Series.

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Andrew Miller has established himself as one of the game’s top relievers over the last several years, but the Mets have an Andrew Miller of their own, and his name is Addison Reed.

Earlier today, August Fagerstrom of FanGraphs.com posted an article comparing the two dominant relief pitchers.

Over the last calendar year, Miller and Reed have almost identical numbers.

Miller owns a 1.81 ERA and 2.22 FIP, while Reed has pitched to a 1.87 ERA and a 2.14 FIP.

Miller was struggling to get outs when he was a starting pitcher with an overly complicated delivery. When the 6-foot-7 southpaw transitioned to a bullpen role, he shortened his delivery and the results were tremendous.

Though Reed has been a relief pitcher the entirety of his career, he has undergone a similiar transition since joining the Mets.

Reed clocks in at 6-foot-4, a few inches shorter than Miller, but with comparable mechanics.

When Reed got rid of his high leg kick and became more direct to the plate, the results are identical to Miller’s, as the stat line above indicates.

Reed’s 30% strikeout rate is tops for the right-hander’s career, and his 72% first strike rate ranks him first in all of baseball for pitchers with a minimum of 50 innings pitched.

Miller ranks third. Second? Clayton Kershaw.

Though Reed doesn’t throw heat like Miller does – staying around the 92 MPH mark – his first pitch strike rate puts hitters in an immediate hole and give’s Reed the advantage.

So how does a guy with a fastball in the lower 90’s get guys out so effectively? Well, like Andrew Miller, Reed possesses a nasty slider that he buries and gets guys to chase.

Out of 197 pitchers with at least 200 sliders thrown this season, only three have more consistently buried their slider than Reed: Patrick Corbin, Dustin McGowan and Sonny Gray.

Reed has been deployed as an ace reliever much like Miller, and his 71.2 innings is the most for any Mets reliever.

Last postseason, the Mets had the erratic Tyler Clippard as the eighth inning bridge to Jeurys Familia and the results left something to be desired.

Reed has given the Mets security in his important role that the Mets lacked in the 2015 postseason.

The best part? The Mets gave up almost nothing to get Reed and he has paid huge dividends to the team and revived his career.

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