Good Morning, Mets fans!

Thursday started the bidding for the Mets and the news was potentially exciting for fans. Charles Gasparino of Fox Business reports that Steve Cohen is willing to pay $2 billion for the Mets and another $2 billion for SNY.

Our own Christopher Soto (resident accountant) clarifies that means Cohen is actually willing to pay $1.6 billion for 80% of the Mets and $1.3 billion for 65% of SNY. Both hold a $2 billion valuation.

Latest Mets News

Sportico is reporting that five groups have bid for the Mets, including the J-Lo group, the Harris group, and the man Steve Cohen himself.

Jake Hager has arrived in New York and will be joining the Mets’ 60-man roster pool, per Anthony DiComo.

ESPN is working on a 30-30 on the 1986 Mets.

Deesha Thosar of NY Daily News reports that the Mets will funnel fake crowd noise into Citi Field this season.

Latest MLB News

Corey Brock of The Athletic wrote about the interesting opportunities presented in front of Justin Dunn this season.

The MLBPA announced a collection of apparel honoring the Negro League.

Latest on MMO

Matt Musico discusses the importance of coming out the gates hot.

Michelle Ioannou shed light on the Greek baseball scene.

Emmanuel Pepis broke down the 2021 Mets schedule.

On This Day In Mets History

Birthdays: Bob Bailor (69), Larry Burright (83)

2009: The Mets traded Ryan Church to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Cohen Willing to Bid Big for Mets and SNY appeared first on Metsmerized.

After reaching on an infield single with one out in the eighth inning, J.D. Davis appeared to pull up lame and limp into the dugout, as he was immediately pulled for Aaron Altherr.

According Deesha Thosar of NY Daily News, manager Mickey Callaway said that Davis “felt his calf” running down the line, and that the Mets will continue to check on him.

According to Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports, Davis told reporters that he thinks he’ll be fine.

Davis has been vital to the Mets’ recent success, and they will need his bat in the lineup to stay afloat especially with Jeff McNeil currently on the injured list. Davis has batted .308/.372/.514, good for an impressive 134 wRC+.

The post J.D. Davis Leaves Game With Tweaked Calf appeared first on Metsmerized.

Zack Wheeler and the New York Mets opened up their three-game series in Arizona on Friday night and were looking for some more length out of their starting rotation as some of the key parts of the bullpen recharge their batteries. Wheeler was able to provide that relief, delivering seven innings of work.

Wheeler, 29, produced a mostly solid game for New York, allowing four runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out seven. One of the great bright spots of his night came in the sense that Zack did not walk one Diamondback in his seven innings of work.

Zack mostly cruised through his first five innings of work, allowing just the one run in the second inning that came off of a Alex Avila groundout that allowed Christian Walker to score. It was not until the sixth inning that things unraveled for Wheeler as both Ketel Marte and Walker went deep to tie the game at four.

Wheeler spoke about the troublesome sixth inning after Friday night’s victory.

“The second homer that inning, it was a good pitch,” Wheeler said. “It was a fastball at the knees, inside, on the black. He just turned on it.” (NY Post)

The right-hander though was able to collect himself after a rough inning and put together a flawless seventh that included strikeouts of Archie Bradley and Jarrod Dyson.

Wheeler spoke of the importance of gathering himself after a tough inning and continuing on to a strong seventh.

“He (Marte) got me there, but these guys keep on battling,” Wheeler said. “Just try to assess the damage and go from there.” (NY Daily News)

Wheeler’s efforts were good enough to pick up the win in a thrilling Mets 5-4 victory over Arizona. Zack improved to 5-3 on the year with an ERA of 4.68 and a WHIP of 1.29. He has put tossed 87 strikeouts in 77 innings of work so far in 2019 with an average of 10.17 K/9.

Zack’s FIP at this point of the season lays at 3.34 with a WAR of 1.9. Wheeler has shown an ability to go deep into games at points this season, something this team desperately needs with a bullpen that has underperformed at times.

The post Zack Wheeler Goes Seven Innings To Salvage Bullpen in Win appeared first on Metsmerized.

To say that 2019 has been kind to Noah Syndergaard would be cruel as the once dominant flame thrower has had a rough go of it so far this season. He battled against one of the best teams in all of baseball and helped to produce a quality start without looking like the pitcher he once was in the Metropolitans’ heartbreaking 9-8 loss to the Dodgers.

Syndergaard, 26, had a bit of a see-saw type night on Wednesday. The once mighty Thor was staked to an early 3-0 lead that quickly evaporated before our very eyes as he just continues to get hit hard. Noah battled to go six innings on the night, allowing three runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five, producing a quality start.

Syndergaard spoke after the game on his performance against the hot hitting Dodgers.

“I felt great. The ball was coming out really well. I’m still scratching my head at how they were able to get those balls in play on the fastballs up and in, in the zone,” Syndergaard said. “But I feel like I made a nice adjustment going down and away once I realized what their approach was.” (NY Daily News)

The Dodgers continued their offensive onslaught against Syndergaard and the Mets as the team just continues to produce. Noah allowed five extra-base hits on the night, all doubles, two of which came off the bat of Corey Seager. He tossed mostly fastballs on the night, a pitch that is not seemingly overpowering hitters as it once did.

Syndergaard looked frustrated on the mound as Los Angeles continued to get to pitches that he did not believe they would have a chance at. Frustration continued to mount for Noah and the Mets as his season trounces on.

Manager, Mickey Callaway spoke after the game on Syndergaard’s performance and the perplexity of the Dodgers being on top of some of Noah’s best pitches.

“Noah had good stuff tonight,” Callaway said. “Dave was kind of perplexed when he’d go in and look at some of the pitches they were hitting, they were off the plate and up. He executed pitches like we wanted to and they’re still barreling them up right now.”

It took 116 pitches for Noah to get through his six innings of work, 78 of which landed for strikes as he took the no-decision. Wednesday night was just another chapter in what has been an inconsistent season for Syndergaard and company.

The post Syndergaard’s Roller Coaster Season Continued in Los Angeles appeared first on Metsmerized.

After a clunker of an outing against the Miami Marlins on May 17 that saw Jacob deGrom allow six runs over five innings pitched, the Mets’ reigning CY Young Award winner was in need of a smooth start. On Wednesday night he received exactly what he needed.

DeGrom, 30, put together a stellar performance against the division rival, Washington Nationals. Jake put together six solid innings as he allowed just one run on two hits while striking out eight and walking three. The quality start helped keep his team in the game, leading the way to a big 6-1 comeback win for their third consecutive victory.

Throughout most of the game, Jacob was cruising along other than the blast off of the bat of Adam Eaton in the first inning.  It was not until the sixth inning that he found himself in trouble, walking both Eaton and Anthony Rendon before turning it up a notch and striking out both Juan Soto and Matt Adams to end his night.

After Wednesday night’s victory, deGrom spoke of his ability to navigate through the inning after walking the two batters in the sixth.

“I had to refocus and bare down in that situation and was fortunate enough that I was able to do it,” deGrom said. (NY Daily News)

Jacob tossed 103 pitches to get through his six innings of work, 63 of which landed for strikes before handing the ball over to the bullpen who backed up deGrom in great fashion. It was the 69th time out of 149 career starts, that deGrom has allowed one or no runs.

This was exactly the building block that Jacob needed after struggling against the lowly Marlins just days before. It has been a rocky season thus far for deGrom but he has shown signs of returning to form with the hope that he will continue to improve and get back to the ace he has been as the 2019 season progresses.

The post DeGrom Gets Back on Track with Quality Start appeared first on Metsmerized.

The last time Wilmer Font was on the mound the Washington Nationals were not so kind to him as they rocked him for five runs in just 2.1 innings of work on May 15. Things though were different on Monday night in the Mets’ 5-3 victory over the Nats.

Font, 28, opened the game for New York, being named the team’s starter for the game just hours before the first pitch was thrown at Citi Field. He would go on to throw four innings of solid work, allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out three and walking four.

After the game, Font spoke of the difference between Monday night’s performance on the mound and his previous one against the same team just five days apart.

“I was able to mix pitches better,” Font said. “I was able to get that first-pitch strike better than I did last time.” (NY Daily News)

Font struggled with his control for much of the game, tossing 75 pitches, only 45 of which landed for strikes. He though consistently found ways to work himself out of trouble until the fourth inning when he allowed a home run to Anthony Rendon and an RBI single to Yan Gomes.

Wilmer’s struggles with the strike zone aside, he was able to give the Mets exactly what they needed out of an opener of sorts in a bullpen game against a division rival.

This was a game the team seemingly desperately needed to win after being swept away in Miami, losing their previous five games and a circus of sorts brewing once again in Queens.

For Font, Monday night’s start was something to build off of after getting blasted by the same team just days before. With Jason Vargas not having a timeline yet for a return to the rotation from his hamstring strain, it is possible we may see Font take the mound once more.

The post Font Recovers Against Nationals with Solid Outing appeared first on Metsmerized.

New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker said he was feeling great after making his first appearance in a game on Sunday for first time since undergoing season-ending back surgery last September.

“I can tell as soon as I wake up in the morning, anything that I dealt with for basically four years is completely gone. That’s one part. Then you get to the field, do your routine, you do your swings, you stretch, you throw, you lift weights,” said Walker. (NY Daily News)

“Then you go through the progression of spring training, batting practice, ground balls. You’re going to get more work in spring training than you will come the season. This is real sense of relief. Today was a really good day. There was no apprehension on my part.”

Walker, 31, went hitless in two at-bats and played five innings at second base in Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Last season, the former Pirate batted .282/.347/.476 with a career high 23 home runs and 55 RBI in 113 games played. He signed a one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer to remain a Met in the offseason.

The post Neil Walker Felt Good After First Game Since Back Surgery appeared first on Metsmerized.

After going 0-4 against Madison Bumgarner Wednesday night, Yoenis Cespedes‘ 2016 season came to a close. He slashed .280/.354/.530 with 31 home runs and 86 RBIs in only 132 games. Most fans say we can not win without him, however we just might have to.

Last offseason, Cespedes signed a 3-year $75M deal with an opt-out clause after one year. That means, if he chooses to do so, the 30 year-old left fielder can become a free agent this offseason. Financially, it makes a ton of sense for him to do just that.

Cespedes would likely be at the top of this year’s outfield market, which would also include (barring any last-minute extensions) Matt Holliday, Mark Trumbo, Jose Bautista, and Ian Desmond. The fact that he is 30 years old benefits him as well, as he could probably fetch a large contract in the 4-6 year range.

He has been publicly ambiguous as to whether or not he will exercise that option. He has said publicly and to many people in the organization that he loves playing in New York, however, the fact remains he might be more financially secure elsewhere.

Thursday morning, one Mets source told the NY Daily News, “You have to believe he will. It makes no financial sense for him not to, but we don’t know. He told some people (in the organization) he loves it here and will definitely be back. He said good bye to some people and told them he won’t be back.”

That last sentence there, if true, might be the least ambiguous thing said so far regarding this situation. Should he become a free agent, there will be many teams vying for his services, teams that might have much deeper pockets than the Mets’.

Follow me on Twitter @LBarer32

The post Ambiguous Cespedes, Will He Come Back? appeared first on Metsmerized.

With a scoreless appearance yesterday against the Rockies, Addison Reed extended his scoreless inning streak to 16.1 innings. Reed allowed one hit, but struck out three batters to pick up his 26th hold of the season, tying a franchise record set by Aaron Heilman in 2006

“His command is off the charts,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “His improvement with his slider has really helped him.” (Anthony McCarron, NY Daily News)

Reed’s ERA stands at 1.81 and he holds an outstanding at 0.85 WHIP. He has also struck out 63 batters in 49.2 innings while only walking nine.

“He just goes at you,” the manager noted. “I know there’s a lot of movement. It’s a strange delivery, that slide step, even if there’s nobody on. It might be a lot of arms and legs. They (hitters) just don’t seem like they pick the ball up.”

It’s been a career year for the Mets’ dominating set up man, who ranks inside the MLB top ten in WHIP, OPS against and strikeout to walk ratio.

While he previously had success as a closer for the White Sox and Arizona, he’s never been this dominant this dominant before. His lowest ERA prior to this season was 3.38 in 2015.

The Mets acquired Reed last year after he he was in dire need of a change in scenery. He lost his job as the Diamondbacks closer, and he was having a mediocre season with an ERA above four.

But Reed turned things around immediately when he joined the Mets, posting a 1.17 ERA in September. He’s carried this success over to this season, and has been a shutdown reliever in the 8th inning.

In fact, Reed has been so good that Collins was even thinking about naming him to the All-Star team.

“That’s what he’s meant to us,” Collins said.

Looking back on it, the Reed trade has truly been a steal as the Mets got him cheaply for two minor league pitchers, Miller Diaz and Matt Koch. Diaz has an ERA above seven in Arizona’s Single-A affiliate while the 25-year old Koch has a 4.70 ERA in Double-A.

The post Reed Extends Scoreless Streak To 16.1 Innings appeared first on Metsmerized.

As we all await Matt Harvey‘s next scheduled start on Monday against the first-place Chicago White Sox, we need to be reminded that we could be left disappointed yet again.

Albert Einstein said it best, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” With that being said, it’s time for Harvey to adjust on the mound.

It’s hard to envision Harvey all of a sudden just clicking in this home game, that all of the velocity worries, arm angles, delivery, and mental lapses will have evaporated and the real Harvey, The Dark Knight version, will reappear, cape and cowl in hand.

The best outcome we can hope for is that Harvey evolves from a flame-thrower who overpowers batters while relying on plus off-speed pitches, to a pitcher who uses location, finesse, and saves a 96-97 mph fastball for when he needs it the most.

The Daily News‘ Kristie Ackert spoke with 86’ Champion and former SNY pre and post-game host Bob Ojeda, and discussed what the 2016 version of Harvey has become thus far.

“He’s out there looking back, looking back for the 97-mile an hour fastball and the Matt Harvey of 2013 and he’s not finding it,” said Ojeda by phone Thursday. “The reality is that he is pitching at 93, 94, 95 miles an hour now. So for two hours every five days, he’s got to find a way to get guys out with that. He has to out-smart them, trick them.”

Ojeda is absolutely correct, what Harvey needs to adapt to in order for him to be an effective member of this starting rotation. Clearly, whatever is ailing Harvey this year, whether it’s physical, mental, or a mixture of the two, Harvey needs to grow as a pitcher and prepare against the opposing teams like a chess match. Learn the hitter’s weaknesses, asses their limitations and what pitches fool them best. I’m sure Harvey, like the rest of the starters, puts a great deal of time into film study and going over lineups before their starts, but it doesn’t seem like it’s resonating with Harvey once he’s out on the mound, especially after the third inning.

Ojeda went on to talk about how other hard throwers in the game have succumbed to losing a few miles per hour on their respected fastballs, but have learned to use what they have in their arsenal, and get outs with that rather than trying to rear back and rediscover velocity that might just not be there anymore.

“People think that throwing a good fastball is throwing it as hard as you can; that’s not it,” Ojeda said. “It’s throwing it as hard as you can with control and that you need to get outs and be able to do that 30 starts a year. That’s what Chris Sale is doing.”

Sale is an excellent example of a guy that has become more of a location guy, rather than trying to blow fastball after fastball by guys. When he first arrived in the Majors, his average fastball velocity was over 96 mph. He was used out of the bullpen in 2010 and 2011, and transitioned to the rotation by 2012. He has seen his velocity go from 94.5 last year, down to 92.5 this year. His swinging strike rate according to Fangraphs, is the lowest of his career, currently at 9.2%. Normally he sits closer to 11-12%, however, he’s pitching to contact, relying on his teammates behind him to make the plays.

And that’s reflected in his O and Z Contact percentage, according to Fangraphs. His O-Contact% (the percentage of times a batter makes contact when swinging at a pitch outside the strike zone) is at 68.6%, almost nine points higher than his previous career high! His Z-Contact% (the percentage of times a batter makes contact when swinging at a pitch inside the zone) is at 85.6%, just one/tenth a percentage point away from his career high back in 2012.

Sale has responded with the lower velocity to a robust 9-1 start to the year. He also has a 2.26 earned run average, struck out 69 in 71 2/3 innings, with a minuscule 0.84 WHIP, second in baseball behind only Clayton Kershaw.

In a recent Sports Illustrated article, Ben Reiter highlighted the transition Sale has made from trying to punch out as many batters as he could, to trying to stay in the game as long as possible. Sale spoke about how he’s viewing his trans-formative season.

“I’m looking for efficiency,” he says. “You can throw 100 miles an hour and punch out 12 guys. But if you’re going five innings, it’s a waste. I want to do everything I can to be as good as I can once a week.”

The White Sox ace goes on to say how creating more movement in his pitches, while sacrificing velocity, creates more ground balls, and weaker contact. When he uses his fielders behind him, he’s prone to see his pitch count shrink, and last longer into games.

“If I take a little off, I get more movement, and it’s down in the zone, which creates more ground balls, more weak contact. I can strike him out and use five pitches. Or I can throw a couple sinkers, and he’s out in two.”

Sale has seen the number of pitches per inning shrink down from 15.9 in 2015, to 14.6 in 2016, which currently places him within the top 15 in that category, as opposed to 43rd last year. Though it might not seem like a lot less pitches, if you add them up throughout six innings, those extra few pitches saved could be the difference in sending him back out for the 7th inning.

He offers a great example of the mindset Harvey needs to learn, which is to pitch to more contact. He’s got a much better tandem up the middle in Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker, and a relatively strong outfield alignment, especially when Juan Lagares is out patrolling center-field. Harvey actually has a better swinging strike rate than Sale does, currently at 10.2%. However, he’s just not able to put away hitters like he has in years past, normally relying on his overpowering fastball to blow past guys.

Ojeda summed his point up best, when he says, “That’s what I had to do,” Ojeda said. “It’s learning to pitch and not just throw as hard as you can.”

Learning to pitch can be difficult, especially when Harvey has been so used to being the alpha dog on the mound, and able to locate his high 90s fastball at any point in the count. Now it’s a matter of changing speeds, locating fastballs, and pitching more to contact that will help push Harvey back into the right direction.

“Pitching is an evolution; you are not always going to have the same stuff start-to-start or day-to-day,” Ojeda said. “The guys who evolve become good pitchers; the world is littered with guys who didn’t evolve with their game.”

The post Bob Ojeda and Chris Sale Have Some Key Advice For Matt Harvey appeared first on Metsmerized.