Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported that Brandon Nimmo won’t be playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic next month. Nimmo played for Team Italy back in 2017, but he suffered a hamstring strain during the tournament that forced him to miss the beginning of the season. Francisco Lindor, Edwin Díaz, Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, Adam Ottavino, and Mark Vientos are among the Mets that are still planning to participate in the event.

Latest Mets News

The Mets designated Khalil Lee for assignment and claimed right-hander Sam Coonrod off waivers from the Phillies. Lee is under an active investigation by MLB after an arrest warrant was issued alleging he assaulted his ex-girlfriend last year. Coonrod made 12 appearances for the Phillies in 2022, getting charged with 11 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.

Keith Raad and Pat McCarthy were officially announced as new members of the Mets’ radio team on 880 WCBS FM. Raad has been serving as the voice of Wagner College’s football and women’s basketball teams. McCarthy previously was the voice of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and is the son of former Mets radio announcer and current Phillies TV play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy. Wayne Randazzo tweeted out his congratulatory messages for both new members of the crew.

Congratulations to both. Love seeing the Mets reach into the minor leagues to find their next voices. Keith will do a great job next to @HowieRose. @MetsBooth, make sure to change the bingo card to reflect Keith having never heard of whichever old person Howie is referencing. https://t.co/rBQLrzjJRP

— Wayne Randazzo (@WayneRandazzo) February 6, 2023

Alex Cohen was named a 2023 Power Player in Corporate Social Responsibility by PoliticsNY and amNewYork. She is the president of the Amazin’ Mets Foundation and the Steve and Alexandra Cohen Foundation.

Mets director of major league operations Elizabeth Benn was named one of the top 110 most influential Canadians in baseball in 2022 by Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network. Benn became the highest-ranking woman to serve in the franchise’s baseball ops department in 2022 and she also pitches for the Yonkers Railsplitters of the NYC Metro Baseball League.

Latest MLB News

Carlos Correa has withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic in a joint decision with the Twins, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. Correa’s wife is pregnant with their second child, which is due the same week that Puerto Rico is scheduled to begin play.

The Rangers have hired four-time All-Star and Rangers Hall of Famer Ian Kinsler as a special assistant to general manager Chris Young. Kinsler previously worked in the Padres’ front office during the 2020 season and will be managing Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic.

The Giants have released their list of 37 non-roster invitees for spring training, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports. Among the NRIs are outfielder Stephen Piscotty, southpaw Sean Newcomb, and Ronald Guzmán, who is trying to be a two-way player. Guzmán has never pitched professionally, but he reportedly hit 96 miles per hour on his fastball according to the Instagram account Dominican Baseball Solutions. A first baseman by trade, Guzmán was a top-100 prospect for the Rangers in 2018 and hit .255/.344/.478 with 16 homers in 373 plate appearances in Triple-A for the Yankees in 2022.

Jason Heyward recently opened his baseball academy in the North Austin neighborhood of Chicago. the 10-acre campus also features Chicago’s largest indoor soccer field.

Latest on MMO

Nate Mendelson ranks the aces of every pitching staff in the NL East.

On This Date in Mets History

1979: The Mets get the final piece of their return for Jerry Koosman from the Twins, acquiring southpaw Jesse Orosco as the player to be named later. Orosco was a second-round pick by Minnesota out of Santa Barbara Community College in 1978, and he only allowed five earned runs in 40 innings in Rookie Ball after getting drafted.

2018: The Mets sign two-time All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier to a two-year contract worth $16 million. Frazier split 2017 between the White Sox and Yankees and is coming off an uneven year in which he hit a career-low .213 but walked in a career-high 14.4% of his plate appearances.

Birthdays: Benny Ayala (72), Charlie Puleo (68), Endy Chávez (45)

The post Morning Briefing: Brandon Nimmo Won’t Play in World Baseball Classic appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Updated Post – Jan. 12, 14:20

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Thursday afternoon that they’ve released right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer. Jon Heyman of the New York Post has already reported that the New York Mets will not pursue Bauer.

Original Post – Jan. 6, 19:39

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Friday that they will be releasing starting pitcher Trevor Bauer. Once his suspension was reduced from 324 games to 194, the organization had an important decision to make. The Dodgers decided that the best decision was to let him go. Bauer will still receive $22.5 million from the team in 2023. If Bauer signs with another team, the Dodgers won’t have to pay whatever his salary is with the new team.

Bauer originally signed a three-year, $102 million with the Dodgers in February of 2021. The 31-year-old pitcher made 17 starts during the 2021 season before he was placed on administrative leave due to allegations of sexual misconduct and domestic violence.

pic.twitter.com/L1fPfssoB7

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 7, 2023

In April of 2022, months after he was placed on administrative leave, Bauer was given a 324-game suspension by Major League Baseball for violating their domestic violence policy. The full two-season suspension for Bauer was the league’s longest suspension ever given out for domestic violence.

Martin F. Scheinman, an independent arbitrator, reduced Bauer’s suspension to 194 games in December of 2022, giving the Dodgers just a few weeks to make a decision on his future with the team.

Now that he is eligible to return to Major League Baseball, Bauer is a free agent and will be able to sign with another team. During the offseason that Bauer ended up signing with the Dodgers, the Mets were one of the other teams that competed for his services and at one point owner Steve Cohen thought for sure they had the winning bid.

The former CY Young Award winner was 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 107 2/3 innings in his only season with the Dodgers.

The post Dodgers Release Bauer; Mets Won’t Pursue appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Mets GM Billy Eppler talked to the media in a press conference to give Edwin Díaz a chance to discuss his record contract, but usurpingly, Eppler was met with questions about the Mets incredibly important offseason. “We don’t need one thing to happen first before other things become a reality,” Eppler said when asked if the Mets would wait on a decision from Jacob deGrom to move forward with other acquisitions.

Latest Mets News

Mets GM Billy Eppler acknowledged that the Mets promoted Jeremy Barnes to hitting coach because other teams were showing interest in him. Edwin Diaz also addressed his return to the Mets, saying, “They treated us great and we feel like they’re a part of our family.”

Hall of Famer Mike Piazza appeared on SNY on Thursday night to talk about the free agency of deGrom. “I learned as a player you do have to make a decision that you feel is best for your career,” Piazza said. “I hope [deGrom] takes all that into account and realizes what he has here and how much he’s loved here.’

Latest MLB News

Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry died at age 84, Fred Cunningham of WSPA confirmed.

The Tigers signed Matthew Boyd to a contract, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The Red Sox and Rangers are among the contenders for free agent Mitch Haniger, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported.

The Guardians signed Anthony Gose — as a pitcher — to a two-year contract, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.

The Hanshin Tigers posted pitcher Shintaro Fujinami, who throws up to 100 mph and posted a 2.77 ERA this season.

Latest on MMO

Dan Quiñones wrote about Brandon Nimmo‘s terrific 2022 season with the Mets.

Nick Rucco took a look at the free agent profile of reliever Tommy Kahnle.

Jack Markowski wonders what the best combination of frontline free-agent starters that the Mets should sign.

On This Date in Mets History

1991: Signed Bobby Bonilla to a five-year contract worth $29 million which was the richest contract in team sports at the time.

2020: Signed right-handed reliever Trevor May to a two-year deal.

The post Morning Briefing: Eppler Won’t Let DeGrom Decision Hold Up Mets Offseason appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Houston Astros announced on Friday afternoon that they were parting ways with general manager James Click. The news comes within a week of the Astros winning the 2022 World Series with Click as their top baseball decision-maker. The Astros gave Click a slap in the face when they decided to offer him a one-year deal after the World Series parade.

“We have had great success in each of his three seasons, and James has been an important part of that success.  I want to personally thank him and wish him and his family well moving forward,” said Astros owner Jim Crane.

Click, 42, was named the Astros’ 13th GM in team history in February of 2020 and then led the team to three straight AL Championship Series and the last two World Series.

Before joining the Astros organization, Click spent 14 seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays including 2017-2019 as their vice president of baseball operations. Click wrote for Baseball Prospectus for several years before joining the Rays.

The speculation of whether David Stearns will leave the Brewers for the Astros top job has already started given that he was the assistant GM in Houston before getting the job in Milwaukee. Stearns announced earlier this offseason that he was going to step down as the president of baseball operations, but stick around with the team as an advisor. Stearns is under contract with the Brewers for the 2023 season and their owner has made it clear when the Mets were previously interested that Milwaukee would seek compensation for hiring Stearns.

There hasn’t been any speculation as to where Click will end up to this point, though you have to imagine he will be highly sought after by many teams this offseason.

The post James Click Won’t Return to Houston Astros appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

At the start of what is sure to be an offseason full of rumors surrounding one of the best players in baseball, Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian tried to shut some of those rumors down before they even start.

Minasian at the start of the GM Meetings said the team won’t trade star pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani this offseason, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic. He also said recently the team had “no appetite” to trade him.

Ohtani has one year left on his deal with the Angels before hitting free agency at 29 years old. He won American League MVP in 2021, and he’s a finalist again in 2022. That might be an every-year thing as long as he’s healthy.

This year, Ohtani put up a .273/.356/.519/.875 slash line, 145 OPS+ and 3.8 fWAR as a hitter and a 2.33 ERA (2.40 FIP), 172 ERA+ and 5.6 fWAR as a pitcher over 166 innings.

He’s at the same time one of the best pitchers and best power hitters in the league.

Now, while Minasian says Ohtani won’t be traded, that’s the favorite line of many GMs around the league. With one year left on his deal and no real indication Ohtani is working toward a long-term deal with Los Angeles, it would behoove Minasian to at least feel out the market. He could still get a king’s ransom with just one year left of team control. (Check out our trade profile of Ohtani.)

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said in June that Juan Soto wouldn’t be traded. He was traded in July. Now, while Soto had more left in team control, that’s all to say words mean one thing. Actions (and a hefty trade offer) mean another.

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Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Judge will be the biggest prize available in free agency and many see the slugger as an ideal fit for the New York Mets. However, according to latest reports, the team from Queens remain determined to not enter into a bidding war with the New York Yankees.

Per Andy Martino of SNY, the Mets are reluctant to go toe-to-toe with their cross-town rivals for one of the biggest names in the sport, with owners Steve Cohen and Hal Steinbrenner having built a respectful working relationship. That would no doubt shatter if the Mets were to go all out in order to steal the Yankees’ face of the franchise and most marketable asset.

Rather, according to Martino, the only way the Mets would enter what should be a fierce race for Judge’s services is if the Yankees pulled themselves out of the bidding. It is worth noting that Cohen has been determined to build a solid relationship with the Yankees, and he’s also made it clear he wants to build a baseball franchise the right way from the ground floor up.

That was proven at the trade deadline when general manager Billy Eppler refused to give up any of the organization’s bluechip prospects for win-now moves, and that philosophy is unlikely to change any time soon. Of course, Judge is a free agent so the Mets won’t have to part with any prospects but, with Francisco Lindor already being paid $341 million over 10 years, there is a sense that Cohen doesn’t want to give another monster contract to a star on the wrong side of 30.

It does make sense. After all, while he’s largely stayed healthy for the last two seasons, Judge has had trouble remaining on the field in the past and his bulking 6-foot-seven, 282 pounds frame suggest that he’s not going to age well. And, with reports suggesting the power hitter should get well over $300 million on a long-term deal in free agency, you can’t blame Cohen for being a little cautious and not wanting to shackle his team with an albatross of a contract down the road.

Judge, who turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million deal from the Yankees before the 2022 season, is thought to want a deal long in term and that could put a lot of teams off given his age and the fact he’s not guaranteed to stay healthy for the duration of any contract he does go on to sign.

However, on the flip side, all bets are off when a player as special as Judge hits the open market. Already a unicorn in Major League Baseball, the superstar mashed his way to greatness in 2022 with a historic season for the ages. Judge broke Roger Maris‘ single-season record for home runs in the American League with 62. He also drove in 131 RBI, hit 28 doubles and stole 16 bases, hitting .311/.425/.686/1.111 on the year.

It was an offensive masterclass and, as such, Judge’s decision to bet on himself will now pay off in a big way in the form of a big ticket deal, either from the Yankees or from someone else. Judge is a generational talent and any team in baseball would benefit from having the slugger injecting a huge wave of pop at the top of their lineup.

Plus, for any team acquiring the masher, you are paying Judge the monster money in order to win a World Series now and you will worry about the latter years of the contract further down the road. That’s the case with any star player in any of the major sports; you do what it takes to win now and you worry about the future tomorrow.

But, at this moment, it does appear as though the Mets won’t be a major player for Judge with Cohen and Eppler set to turn their attention elsewhere in free agency. However, should the Yankees decide they don’t want to pay the big bucks in order to keep their franchise cornerstone in town, then maybe, just maybe, Cohen’s mind could be changed and Citi Field may well play host to the biggest name available this winter.

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