Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports reports that Yankees right-handed pitcher Domingo German has been suspended 81 games for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy.

German, 27, already served 18 games of his suspension last season as the league investigated the situation. He will have to sit out the first 63 games of the Yankees 2020 season.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that German will be eligible for the 2020 postseason because he was on administrated leave for the 2019 postseason.

My office has completed its investigation into the allegations that Domingo German violated Major League Baseball’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy,” Manfred said in a statement. “Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. German violated our Policy and that discipline is appropriate.”

The Yankees released their own statement regarding the suspension.

The league has not revealed the exact nature of the alleged incident, but it was reportedly happened last September in German’s home in Westchester County, New York.

MLB and MLBPA announced that German will not appeal the suspension.

The post MLB News: Yankees’ RHP Domingo German Suspended 81 Games 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.

After another outing on Saturday where Edwin Diaz surrendered a home run, manager Mickey Callaway would not commit to keeping the right-hander as the set closer going forward.

According to Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports, Callaway did not say “no” when asked if the team could consider flipping the red hot Seth Lugo and Diaz’s roles out of the bullpen. When a follow up question was asked, Callaway said there are no locked roles for relievers right now.

Diaz, 25, is having a rough season in his first year with the Mets, pitching to a 5.44 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.465 WHIP, 10.0 H/9 and 2.1 HR/9, all of which are career highs.

As for Lugo, 29, the right-hander just secured the National League Reliever of the Month award. On the campaign, Lugo has a 2.68 ERA, 3.01 FIP, 0.969 WHIP and 11.7 K/9. The Shreveport, Louisiana native has easily been the Mets most reliable reliever, and with the team hoping to sneak into a Wild Card spot, could choose to use him in higher leverage situations.

“We have to be open-minded,” Callaway said, according to Tim Healey of Newsday. “We can’t lock ourselves in to one thing.”

Diaz, who was unaware of the comments, said he just wants to help the team in whatever role he has.

“He hasn’t spoken to me about it,” Diaz said. “But, we’ll find out in the game today.”

The post Mets’ Manager Mickey Callaway Not Committing to Set Closer appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mike Mazzeo of Yahoo Sports reports that New York Mets rookie slugger Pete Alonso will participate in Major League Baseball’s 2019 Home Run Derby next month in Cleveland.

Alonso, 24, has already set the Mets rookie home run record with 27 long balls this year. The first baseman is hitting .277/.367/.625 with 18 doubles and 61 RBI.

The former second round pick is on pace to shatter the Mets single season home run record of 41 set by Todd Hundley in 1996 and tied by Carlos Beltran in 2006.

The derby takes place on July 8 with a new prize pool of $2.5 million including $1 million going to the winner.

The post Pete Alonso Will Participate in 2019 Home Run Derby appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning, Mets Fans!

The Mets have another afternoon game scheduled today as Zack Wheeler (5-5, 4.94 ERA) will face off against Jose Quintana (4-6, 3.87 ERA). The game can be viewed on WPIX and 710 WOR at 2:20 p.m.

Jeff McNeil‘s late-inning heroics led the Mets to a 5-4 victory yesterday. Brooks Pounders, Seth Lugo, and Edwin Diaz contributed 4.2 scoreless frames out of the bullpen. The win, which evened their series with the Cubs, still leaves four games back of the second spot in the NL Wild Card race.

Latest Mets News

Major League Baseball released its three finalists for each position for the All-Star game. Expectingly, there were no Mets. Pete Alonso finished 5th at his position while Robinson Cano(7th), Wilson Ramos (8th), and Jeff McNeil also placed in the top-20 at their respective positions.

The Mets’ new pitching coach Phil Regan is a huge fan of analytics.

Andy Martino of SNY hears that Regan is primed to remain as the Mets’ pitching coach for the remainder of the season

The Mets have teamed up with SONY to bring Seinfeld Night to Citi Field on Friday, July 5, 2019.

Marc Craig of The Athletic blasts the Mets ownership in his latest column.

Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports analyzes the Mets’ decision to fire Dave Eiland

Mickey Callaway thinks Robinson Canó is heating up. Meanwhile, Canó has been mired in a 4-for-21 slump since coming off of the IL on June 16th.

Justin Toscano of The Record hears that Justin Wilson will throw a bullpen in the next few days as he works to return from left elbow soreness. Toscano also reports that Luis Avilan will start his rehab assignment with the St.Lucie Mets in the coming days. Avilan has been on the IL since May 4, suffering from the same injury as Wilson.

Latest MLB News 

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports breaks the news that Josh Donaldson has won his appeal and will not be suspended for his actions in Monday’s Braves-Pirates game.

Athletics’ right-hander Frankie Montas has been hit with an 80-game suspension for taking PEDs. Montas was in the midst of a breakout campaign, posting a 2.70 ERA, a 2.86 FIP, and a .282 wOBA to date.

Nomar Mazara absolutely DEMOLISHED a baseball, hitting a 505-foot home run, which is tied for the longest in Statcast history.

Walker Buehler hurled a 16-K, 0-BB complete-game of the Rockies, becoming the first pitcher in modern history to have more than 15 strikeouts and zero walks in a complete game per Elias Sports.

The White Sox signed Hector Santiago, who was released by the Mets earlier this week.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. confirmed that he’ll participate in MLB’s Home Run Derby during the All-Star Break in July.

Latest NL East News

The Marlins placed Jorge Alfaro on the 7-day IL with concussion symptoms.

Latest on MMO

Michael Mayer noted that Pete Alonso tied Cody Bellinger‘s record for the most homers hit by an NL rookie before the All-Star break with Thursday’s bomb.

Matt Musico examined Jeurys Familia‘s struggles.

Marshall Field wondered why Brodie Van Wagenen chose to use Dave Eiland as his scapegoat.

On this Date in Mets History 

1987: Mets legend Tom Seaver announced his retirement.

Birthdays: Willie Harris (41), Ron Hodges(70)

Let’s Go Mets!!

The post Morning Briefing: Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso Not Among All-Star Game Finalists appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

In Noah Syndergaard‘s 100th start of his career, he threw 6.2 innings of three-run baseball against the last place Giants. Syndergaard was pulled in a tied game, so he will get a no-decision for this outing. Madison Bumgarner kept the Mets off the board for five innings until he gave up two homers in the sixth to Pete Alonso and Wilson Ramos. After yet another terrible outing from the bullpen, giving up six runs in the 10th inning, and the Mets lose the first game of the series 9-3 to yet another last-place team.

Jason Vargas is coming off the best outing of his Mets career, going seven innings giving up only one earned run on six hits against the red hot first place Dodgers. Vargas now holds the third-best ERA on the Mets pitching staff with a 4.46 ERA, 4.90 FIP, and 1.51 WHIP. He will face RHP Tyler Beede who has been up and down this year.

Beede began his year in the minors and got three starts in May before getting sent back down for two weeks before his last start on May 30. In his time in the majors this year, he has yielded a 7.82 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched. His FIP, however, reveals a more telling number at 5.59, while his WHIP sits at 2.37.

Latest Mets News

In light of the MLB Draft starting Monday, Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports reflects on how the Mets were able to get such a talent in Pete Alonso having been picked in the 2nd round at pick 64.

Jeff McNeil was activated from the injured list Tuesday. The corresponding roster move included Tyler Bashlor who was sent to Triple-A. McNeil went 1-for-5 in his first day back.

After denying the need for a baserunning tutorial like the Mets held in Arizona in 2018, Mickey Callaway and bench coach Jim Riggleman held a hitters meeting earlier Tuesday evening.

Latest MLB News 

Travis Sawchik of FiveThirtyEight.com wrote an in-depth article analyzing Trevor Bauer‘s remarkable work on his slider increasing his horizontal movement a drastic amount in such a short time.

Chicago Cubs are reactivating Pedro Strop from the injured list who was sidelined earlier this year with a hamstring issue. His closing role was taken over by Steve Cishek while he was hurt and it is unknown as to whether he will be slated as the closer or try to get work as an 8th inning reliever.

Tampa Bay Rays catcher Nick Ciuffo underwent surgery to correct an ailing injury to his thumb Tuesday. It is unclear when he sustained the injury, but nonetheless, the surgery will have him out-of-action for 8-10 weeks.

Veteran first baseman, Miguel Cabrera, has been limited to DH work for the foreseeable future due to “chronic changes” to his knee. His new teammate in Josh Harrison will be undergoing surgery to correct his partially torn hamstring and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks of the season.

Outfielder, Nicky Delmonico of the Chicago White Sox, will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. The surgery will be performed to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Latest NL East News

Andrew McCutchen, outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL. The injury occurred when he was caught in a rundown after a pop up was intentionally dropped.

The Washington Nationals have officially signed Fernando Rodney. The deal was agreed upon on June 1st and has been made official by Paul Braverman of the Fresno Grizzlies communications department.

Latest on MMO 

Day one and two of the MLB Draft was held on Monday and Tuesday and the MetsMerized team kept fans informed on the future Mets,

Roberto Correa recapped the players the Mets picked on day one of the MLB Draft.

Matt Mancuso analyzed RHP Matthew Allan who was surprisingly picked in the third round.

Tim Ryder talked about the Mets fourth-round pick, centerfielder Jake Mangum.

Teddy Klein wrote about RHP Nathan Jones taken in the fifth round of the draft by the Mets.

Mojo Hill discussed sixth-round pick, centerfielder Zach Ashford

Teddy Klein wrote about two of the Mets picks in the seventh and eighth rounds of the draft.

Dilip Sridhar analyzed the two power bats the team took during day two of the draft.

In addition…

Ryan Finkelstein wrote about the Mets star players of the week even with the struggles the team had faced

On This Date In Mets History

1973: The Mets selected Lee Mazilli with the 14th overall pick in the MLB Draft.

2001: The team took David Wright with the 38th overall pick.

2014: The Mets selected Michael Conforto with the 13th overall pick.

Birthdays: Bill Spiers turns 53 and Paul Siebert turns 65.

The post Morning Briefing: Jason Vargas Looks To Get Mets Back on Track appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mickey Callaway announced on Friday night that Mets ace Jacob deGrom is headed back to New York to get an MRI on his “barking” elbow.

The MRI will take place on Saturday. The Mets announced that deGrom has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 16.

Via video from Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports, Callaway said that deGrom first felt the issue on Thursday when he was playing catch in St. Louis. DeGrom originally was supposed to start on Friday vs St. Louis but had his start moved back because of strep throat.

Ehalt notes that pitching coach Dave Eiland says the Mets are being “uber cautious” with deGrom and it if was later in the season he might’ve pitched through it.

Jason Vargas will start on Friday night instead. Noah Syndergaard is scheduled to start on Sunday, Steven Matz on Monday, and Saturday vs St. Louis is to be determined.

The 2018 National League Cy Young Award winner has struggled to start the 2019 season with a 3.77 ERA and 1.27 WHIP through four starts.

The post DeGrom Getting MRI on “Barking” Elbow, Placed on IL appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning Mets fans, and happy Friday! While time seems to have stood still through the Mets’ negotiations with the Seattle Mariners over Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, there were, in fact, other headlines around baseball yesterday that will certainly shape the rest of the offseason.

Blue Jays Shopping Martin, Pirates Trying to Move Cervelli 

Yahoo Sports‘ Jeff Passan has the scoop for both teams, noting that both the Toronto Blue Jays’ Russell Martin and Pittsburgh Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli have drawn interest from a number of teams. The former club will attempt to find a taker for an expendable, expensive player, while the latter looks to move a possible trade chip for a 2019 season that doesn’t promise to be all that competitive anyway.

Martin, 35, hit just .194/.338/.325 in 2018, and has generally regressed at the plate since 2016, slashing .218/.338/.375 while throwing out just 19% of baserunners and missing over 70 games in each of the past two years with shoulder and oblique injuries. With Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire both impressing behind the dish in 2018 and likely costing very little through their many controllable years, Martin – who played 21 games at third last year as a result – is simply no longer needed. While his $20MM due next year (wrapping up a five-year, $90MM pact) would need to be absorbed to an extent, Martin’s seven defensive runs saved catching and five framing runs above average could play out well for a team in need of an established veteran presence.

Cervelli’s offensive numbers, for the most part, tell a much more pleasant story. His 12 homers, 57 RBI, and .809 OPS all made for career-highs, and since he first joined the Pirates in 2015, Cervelli owns the majors’ third-best walk-rate (11.5%), third-best wRC+ (110), and fourth-best fWAR (9.4). However, like Martin, Cervelli has had numerous issues staying on the field, as he has never played in more than 130 games in a season across his 11-year career. A -12 DRS going back to 2017 could also be a cause for concern, as the upcoming 33-year old is in line to make $11.5MM in 2019 before hitting free agency.

Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of FanCred Sports is reporting that the Mets and Giants have recently talked to the Marlins regarding their catcher, J.T. Realmuto.

Padres, Richards, Agree to Two-Year Deal

According to Passan, the deal between the San Diego Padres and former Los Angeles Angels ace Garrett Richards is worth a guaranteed $15MM with up to $3MM available in incentives (Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports had initially reported that the two sides had come to an agreement on a contract itself). Still only 30 years of age, Richards’ season was cut short over the summer when it was revealed that the righty had damaged his UCL for the second time in three years.

The Tampa Bay Rays recently struck a similar deal with Nathan Eovaldi while he recovered from Tommy John surgery through the 2017 season, and likewise the Minnesota Twins with Michael Pineda and Chicago Cubs with Drew Smyly entering 2018. Richards is slated to make between $5-$8MM more than either of the three, but in fairness, Richards has combined for a higher bWAR over the last five years (7.6) than the combined average between the three (7.1).

Granted, Richards’ output in 2018 wasn’t too far out of line from what he had strung together the prior four years as a mainstay in Anaheim’s rotation (when healthy). With a 3.15 ERA/3.38 FIP, a 1.168 WHIP, and 2.67 K/BB ratio since 2014, Richards has a decent chance to contribute with San Diego in 2020 if his rehab goes to plan. While his 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings last year was a career-best, he assumed a far worse burden by averaging four walks and 1.3 homers per nine, and he hasn’t made more than 20 starts in a season since 2015 – combining for just 28 in the meantime.

Reds Heavily Interested in Keuchel

While the Cincinnati Reds have plenty of work to do with their current roster before making a serious bid in the NL Central division in the near future, the team has its sights set on its first possible building block – at least as it relates to their starting rotation, which finished with a 5.02 ERA (14th in the National League), 1.42 WHIP (14th), 39% hard-hit rate (11th), and 1.62 homers allowed per nine (15th) last season. The prime target at the moment is left-hander and 2015 AL Cy Young recipient Dallas Keuchel, whom the Reds, per Heyman, are “all over.”

Keuchel, who will be 31 in January, averaged a pedestrian 6.7 K/9 this past year, but made up for it by whipping up a career-best 34 starts and keeping the ball on the ground 53.7% of the time. Shockingly enough, such a figure was his lowest since his debut season in 2012, but still made for the best in the majors, while his 3.6 fWAR ranked ninth in the American League. MLB Trade Rumors projects Keuchel to earn up to $82MM in a four-year deal this offseason, an annual salary the Reds have never handed out to a free agent.

Heyman has also cited J.A. Happ as a potential person of interest for the Reds, though it’s unclear whether he is seen as an add-on or an alternative. Conventional wisdom would point to the latter, since Happ himself is projected to make $48MM over three years, though at 36 years of age and having experienced pitching in the National League before, he may be a more feasible goal for Cincinnati.

Brewers Likely to Non-Tender Schoop

Coming off a down year for the ages between the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers, second baseman Jonathan Schoop is reportedly expected to be non-tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Schoop, 27, hit just .233/.266/.416 in 131 games, putting up a brutal .577 OPS with the Brewers alongside a 30.6% K-rate.

The general expectation in July had been that the Brewers would get Schoop back on his feet and race for a postseason berth full steam with contributions from the 2017 All-Star. Instead of getting a taste of the .280/.316/.479 line he enjoyed from 2015 through 2017, the Brewers benched him and his -0.2 oWAR in favor of Travis Shaw, who had been knocked off his natural position at third base after the deadline to accommodate Mike Moustakas.

Schoop, who is projected to make $10.1MM this offseason in arbitration, would instead hit the market headed by a handful of players coming off similar rough patches, such as DJ Lemahieu (1.2 oWAR – his worst mark since 2014), Brian Dozier (.696 OPS and only 81 runs scored, his lowest totals since 2013) and Daniel Murphy (played only 91 games played due to microfracture surgery in his knee, ended with his lowest oWAR since 2009 at just 1.1). As the youngest player in the bunch, however, Schoop is sure to find a clean slate somewhere.

The post Hot Stove Rumor Roundup: Catchers Up for Grabs appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the Kansas City Royals have re-signed All Star third baseman Mike Moustakas to a one-year deal. He will make $5.5 million salary this season with up to $2.2 million in performance bonuses. His contract has a mutual option for 2019, worth $15 million with a $1 million buyout.

Moose, 29, hit .272/.314/.521 with 38 home runs and 85 RBIs for the Royals last season, making his second career All Star game. After posting two consecutive seasons with positive marks for DRS and UZR, he had a down year defensively in 2017 posting -8 DRS and a -3.1 UZR at the hot corner.

Moustakas will not be subject to a qualifying offer if he chooses to elect free agency next season as under the current CBA rules, players can’t receive more than one qualifying offer in their career. The effects of having draft pick compensation attached to a free agent are being seen very clearly this offseason.

The Royals get to keep two of their big-name free agents as Alcides Escobar also returned while Lorenzo Cain went to the Brewers, Eric Hosmer went to the Padres, and Jason Vargas went to the Mets.

The post Royals Bring Back Third Baseman Mike Moustakas appeared first on Metsmerized.

According to Jack Curry of YES Network on Twitter, the Yankees have acquired right-hander Sonny Gray from the Oakland Athletics.

In return, the A’s will receive outfielders Dustin Fowler and Jorge Mateo and right-handed pitcher James Kaprielian, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

The deal has been made official per the A’s on Twitter. The Yankees will also receive $1.5 million in international bonus slot money from Oakland.

Gray, 27, has been one of the most frequently rumored player to be traded prior to the non-waiver deadline and the Yankees have been tied to him for a long time.

The five-year veteran and former All-Star is 6-5 with a 3.43 ERA, 3.24 FIP and 8.7 K/9 in 16 starts for the A’s this year.

While Oakland initially asked for the likes of Clint Frazier or Estevan Florial from the Yankees for Gray, they settled with a nice package of prospects.

MLB Pipeline had Fowler as the Yankees No. 4 prospect, Mateo at No. 8 and Kaprielian at No. 12.

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