Good morning, Mets fans!

Per Marc Craig of The Athletic, Edwin Díaz returned home to Port St. Lucie on Saturday after having surgery on Thursday. He was greeted by a trainer, nutritionist and a personal chef, courtesy of Steve Cohen and the Mets. According to a phone call between Cohen and Díaz, Cohen told him, “We’re going to do everything we can to get you better and take care of you.”

This is just one of the latest efforts Cohen is trying to implement to connect with players. “It’s important to have a personal touch. I think that matters, it shows you care,” he said earlier this spring.

The United States defeated Venezuela on Saturday night 9-7 to advance to the semifinal round against Cuba on Sunday.

Meanwhile, just a little ways up north in West Palm Beach, the Mets defeated the Astros 2-0. The Mets were led by seven scoreless innings from ace Max Scherzer, who struck out eight. Mets pitching combined for 13 strikeouts on Saturday against Houston.

WBC Scores

USA 9, Venezuela 7

• Pete Alonso: 1-for-1
• Adam Ottavino: 1 IP, 0 ER, 2 K

Latest Mets News

According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, former Met Todd Frazier is joining YES Network to do studio work. Frazier played for the Mets and five other teams in his 11-year career.

Prior to their game on Saturday against the Astros, the Mets made a number of roster cuts:

• Outfielders Abraham Almonte and Jaylin Davis were reassigned to minor league camp.
• Infielder Ronny Mauricio was optioned to Triple-A.
• Left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi was optioned to Triple-A.

During their game against the Astros, the Mets made a few more roster cuts as well:

• Right-handed pitcher William Woods was reassigned to minor league camp.
• Catcher Hayden Senger was reassigned to minor league camp.
• Outfielder Lorenzo Cedrola was assigned to minor league camp.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets have a scheduled team-bonding event on Sunday after their home game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The event: a crawfish boil organized by Max Scherzer.

Latest MLB News

 Jose Altuve left Saturday night’s World Baseball Classic game between the United States and Venezuela with an apparent hand injury. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the initial concern with Altuve is a broken right thumb. No reports have been confirmed and the Astros are expected to provide more information on Sunday.

Latest on MMO

Dilip Sridhar discusses how the Mets can replace the injured Edwin Diaz.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki talks about the important role Luis Guillorme will play for the Mets throughout the 2023 season.

Andrew Steele-Davis recaps Carlos Carrasco’s strong outing from Friday, March 17 and discusses the importance of that outing for Carrasco and the Mets.

Andrew Steele-Davis talks about the latest on Brandon Nimmo and his status of being week-to-week with a low grade sprain of his right knee and ankle.

Andrew Steele-Davis recaps some of the roster moves made by the Mets, including Ronny Mauricio being optioned to Triple-A.

Alexis Farinacci recaps the Mets’ 2-0 win over the Astros on Saturday night that featured seven scoreless innings and eight strikeouts by Max Scherzer.

On This Date in Mets History

1996: Bill Pulsipher suffered a season-ending strained tendon in his left elbow.

1996: Paul Wilson suffered a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.

Birthdays: Jose Butto (25), Tim Corcoran (70), Dan Rose (76), Richie Ashburn (96)

The post Morning Briefing: Steve Cohen Supporting Edwin Díaz With ‘Personal Touch’ appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Rays are engaged in advanced trade talks in advance of Tuesday’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. The Mets, Cubs, Reds, and Angels have been in touch with the Rays about their pitching availability, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported.

Latest MLB News

In a week where the Astros fired both their general manager and his assistant, they ended it off by bringing back bench coach Joe Espada on a new contract for the 2023 season. Long considered a candidate for a managerial job, Espada has been Houston’s bench coach since the 2018 season. His contract expired after the World Series, but it’s not shocking he’s back in the Space City after manager Dusty Baker also re-upped for 2023.

The Mariners have reportedly been doing extensive scouting work on Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida. Seattle is expected to be one of Yoshida’s top suitors, though he still has to finalize the terms of his posting agreement with the Orix Buffaloes by December 5. The 29-year-old helped the Buffaloes win the Japan Series, hitting a scalding .336/.449/.557 with 21 homers, 28 doubles, and 89 RBIs while drawing 82 walks against just 42 strikeouts in 508 plate appearances.

The Astros are showing interest in power-hitting catcher Willson Contreras. Houston was close to acquiring Contreras from the Cubs at the trade deadline this year.

The Royals and Zack Greinke have mutual interest in a return to Kansas City for 2023. The 39-year-old was solid for the Royals in 2022, registering a 3.68 ERA/4.03 FIP (111 ERA+) while issuing just 27 walks in 137 innings.

Latest on MMO

Michael Garaffa assesses Drew Smith‘s performance from the 2022 season.

Andrew Steele-Davis profiles free-agent slugger J.D. Martinez.

Jack Markowski looks at which old friends the Mets should consider bringing back.

On This Date in Mets History

2012: R.A. Dickey is announced as the winner of the NL Cy Young Award, receiving 27 of the 30 first-place votes. The 38-year-old knuckleballer went 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA and an NL-leading 230 strikeouts in 233 2/3 innings.

2018: Jacob deGrom wins his first Cy Young award, collecting 29 of the 30 first-place votes. While he won just 10 games, deGrom turned in a minuscule 1.70 ERA with 269 strikeouts in 217 innings pitched.

Birthdays: Darrell Sutherland (81), Tim Hamulack (46), Xavier Nady (44), Joely Rodríguez (31), Akeel Morris (30), Francisco Lindor (29)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets in Touch With Rays About Pitching appeared first on Metsmerized.