We’ve seen player projections for 2023 get released over the past few weeks, but we’ve reached another level since standings projections are beginning to become public.

The first I’ve seen are Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS projections. He released the start-of-spring American League and National League standings this week. As usual, projections are just that, and they should be taken with a grain of salt. But still, it’s something else for us to talk about, and they help set realistic expectations for the upcoming season.

We have Yankees- and Mets-related takeaways/observations to share. Before that happens, though, here are the details. Below is a screenshot of the projected AL East standings for 2023:

And here are the projected NL East standings for 2023:

Postseason and World Series odds

Yankees

It’s not surprising to see the Yankees projected to win the AL East again. After all, they just took home the division title in 2022 off the strength of a 99-win campaign. Aaron Judge is back and Carlos Rodon is joining the party in what looks to be a stacked rotation.

When looking at New York’s 75.8% chances of making the playoffs and 8.0% odds to win the World Series, it’s among the American League’s highest. That’s easy enough to do since the AL Central could once again be a war of attrition. Only three AL clubs have playoff odds greater than 70% heading into Spring Training, and the Yankees are the second-highest.

Those same three AL clubs (New York, Toronto, and Houston) are the only ones with better than a 5% chance of winning the World Series. And once again, the Bronx Bombers rank as the second-best.

Mets

ZiPS account for roster depth. So, the fact that the Mets’ percentages are so high means ZiPS anticipates them to be good, even if the injury bug hits. And it probably will at some point. Mostly because six months is a long season, and also because it’s the Mets.

Five NL clubs currently have playoff odds better than 70%, but just two are above 80%. Unfortunately for the Mets, the other squad resides in their division. In addition to that, New York and the Atlanta Braves have the two highest World Series winning odds, both eclipsing 10%.

Any way you slice it, postseason baseball is the expectation for each borough in 2023.

Familiar dragons need to be slayed

Yankees

Winning in the regular season hasn’t been a problem for the Bombers. They’ve finished with a winning record in each of the past three decades. More times than not, those performances have led them into October.

However, the Yankees haven’t appeared in a World Series since winning it all in 2009. That’s one of the longest droughts in franchise history, and one team has been to blame more than most: the Houston Astros.

Houston is not just the defending champion. The organization has reached at least the ALCS in each season since 2017. New York has reached the postseason seven times since 2015. They’ve been eliminated from the playoffs by the Astros four of those times, with the last three occasions being in the ALCS.

Unsurprisingly, Houston’s 90 wins, 78.2% playoff odds, and 9.1% odds of winning the World Series are all AL-best projections. If the Yankees want to get back to the Fall Classic, they’ll probably have to exorcise some Houston demons along the way.

Mets

The Mets were eliminated by the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Round of last year’s playoffs. That NL West squad should be in the mix again once October comes around. However, the Amazins will have to deal with Atlanta throughout the regular season.

As we can see from the above projection, these two will likely be duking it out for the next few months. It’s not quite the same as the Yankees-Astros situation, but for the Mets to take another step forward, they need to take care of the Braves.

Atlanta has a great young core group of players who are all seemingly under contract for the rest of this millennium at below-market rates. Sure, they won the 2021 World Series, but their recent stretch of success goes beyond that. They’ve also captured the NL East title each of the last five seasons, reaching at least the NLCS twice during that span.

For the Mets, the road goes through Atlanta.

Divisional races should be tight

Yankees

The Bombers won the AL East by a comfortable seven-game margin in 2022. Most of that is thanks to an incredible first half. Outside of Judge, New York struggled through July and August, periodically making things a little too close for comfort.

The AL East had three teams qualify for the postseason last year (New York, Blue Jays, and Rays). That could very easily happen again, and who knows how pesky the Baltimore Orioles will be after posting their first winning campaign since 2016.

For New York, it’ll be a matter of consistency. There’s nothing wrong with coming out of the gates fast and being one of MLB’s best teams. It just can’t be followed with a month or two of below-.500 baseball.

Mets

The Amazins also started fast in 2022. They took advantage of the Braves World Series hangover and jumped out to a 10.5-game divisional lead by Memorial Day. Of course, that’s when Atlanta caught fire and eventually overtook New York (by way of a head-to-head tiebreaker).

ZiPS is projecting another two-horse NL East race in 2023, but I’m not buying that. The Phillies had a solid offseason and got a huge upgrade at shortstop in Trea Turner. Lowering the emphasis on divisional play this year could be a factor, but I think these three will all be close in the standings. And, after they all made the playoffs last season, that could easily happen again.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: 3 Yankees, Mets takeaways from 2023 ZiPS standings projections | Elite Sports NY

The former first baseman’s deal to broadcast Mets games with Gary Cohen and Ron Darling expired at the end of the 2022 regular season. He’s been on the open market as a free agent ever since. In typical Wilpon fashion (they still own SNY, in case you forgot), contract negotiations have dragged on much longer than necessary.

Seeing Hernandez still unsigned with the calendar flipping from 2022 to 2023 has been annoying, but it doesn’t come without precedent. His last two multi-year deals were finalized in the middle of January. But, of course, we’re nearing the middle of February and he still doesn’t have a new contract.

Heck, as we write this, Mets pitchers and catchers are supposed to officially report to Port St. Lucie in five days. It’s technically not necessary that he’s signed right now, but what are we waiting for?

Thankfully, the New York Post‘s Mike Puma shared the following update on negotiations:

Hearing there has been progress in the contract talks between SNY and Keith Hernandez. The two sides are considered not far apart on a new multi-year agreement, but there is still work to be done before it can be completed.

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) February 9, 2023

It’s about freakin’ time! I mean, not quite because there’s no report of an agreement being made. But still, we’ve finally gotten some good news on the final Mets-related free agent this offseason.

From what I remember, it seems like contract negotiations for SNY’s Mets announcers are only difficult for Keith. I don’t recall hearing about things dragging on for either Gary or Ron. If we use past contracts as a model, we won’t have to worry about Keith hitting free agency again for another three or four years (likely three at this stage in his professional life).

Could it happen on Friday? There are immaculate contract vibes for Hernandez on February 10th. On this date in 1984, he signed a five-year, $8.4 million deal with New York. At the time he signed it, that deal was the second-largest in franchise history. Things have changed a little bit since then on the player side of things.

Friday would be a great day for a deal to officially get done. But in all reality, as long as he’s signed before the first SNY telecast of a Mets game this season, all will be well. At least it finally looks like it’s going to happen at some point in the near future.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: We finally have an encouraging Keith Hernandez, SNY contract update | Elite Sports NY

WBC rosters were officially announced on Thursday evening, and there are quite a few current and former Mets players/coaches involved in the tournament. MLB Pipeline’s Jacob Resnick did the Lord’s work by tallying up every single person with Mets ties who will be participating.

He shared three pictures: one for current Mets players, another for former Mets players, and a final picture for those who will be coaching.

Here are the players participating in the tournament who are currently in the Mets’ organization. The team they’ll be playing for is included:

A lot of these names, at least from the MLB side of New York’s roster, aren’t surprising. We already knew these guys were planning on playing in the WBC. Spring Training in Port St. Lucie will be a little light once they have to report to their respective teams. The Mets’ entire starting infield will be gone, as well as a significant chunk of the projected Opening Day bullpen.

This will hypothetically provide more opportunity for younger players — like Mark Vientos, Francisco Alvarez, and Brett Baty — to get reps in. We also know manager Buck Showalter isn’t overly thrilled, but just wants to make sure his players do what they need to be ready for the regular season.

Two notable omissions: Kodai Senga and Starling Marte. Senga opted against representing Japan so he could get used to his new surroundings. Marte was originally committed to play, but offseason core surgery is the reason why he’s not on the Dominican Republic’s roster.

Here are those who have played for the organization at some point in their respective careers:

Pretty amazing to see Oliver Perez still being available to pitch, right? Those lefty relievers can play forever. Dae-Sung Koo knows a little about that. Either way, a little sliver of those 2006 Mets lives.

We’d also have to imagine that Robinson Cano is more of a glorified coach/mentor on the Dominican Republic squad, which is stacked with ridiculous talent. Yoenis Cespedes’ participation in winter ball hopefully got him prepared for this tournament. Matt Harvey will also likely be pitching for a 2023 contract with Team Italy. Those 2015 National League pennant vibes are immaculate.

Here are former Mets who will be serving as coaches during the tournament:

I haven’t heard Masato Yoshii’s name in a while. It’s good to still see him involved in the game at this level. And then there are three managers in Mike Piazza, Hensley Meulens, and Graeme Lloyd.

There are 20 total teams participating in the tournament this year. You can check out all the official rosters right here. The last time a World Baseball Classic happened was in 2017 when the United States came away as champions for the first time. Games for this year’s tournament will be running from March 8-21.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: There are 62 current, former Mets participating in World Baseball Classic | Elite Sports NY

You know the rest of the story. Other than re-signing Edwin Diaz early on, things were at a standstill until Jacob deGrom signed with the Texas Rangers. That’s when the floodgates opened. Justin Verlander, Brandon Nimmo, Jose Quintana, Kodai Senga, David Robertson, Omar Narvaez, and Adam Ottavino all agreed to sign with New York.

It was an expensive offseason for team owner Steve Cohen. But he wants to win. And clearly, he’s OK putting his money where his mouth is to make it happen. Of course, a narrative surrounding the club is that they spent all this money and “didn’t get any better“.

We won’t know whether they did or not until this coming October or November. But if we look at each area of the roster, there’s a case for Verlander being the biggest X-factor.

The offense almost got drastically better with the addition of Carlos Correa. Since that didn’t happen, this group largely looks the same. We can hope Narvaez provides more offense than James McCann did, and that Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty join the club at some point to provide a youthful spark. Even with all their imperfections, the Mets’ offense produced the third-highest wRC+ in baseball last year.

New York’s bullpen looks like it’ll be better from top-to-bottom. It’d also be unfair to expect another historic season from Diaz as the club’s closer. Plus, bullpen production is generally quite volatile from year to year. The rotation is interesting because it pretty much got rebuilt from the studs.

Having Scherzer already there served as a good foundation. Carlos Carrasco is a more than serviceable fifth starter based on his 2022 production. Senga is an unknown, but Quintana is a dependable innings-eater and Verlander is the reigning American League Cy Young winner.

New York is likely just hoping for Verlander (and Scherzer) to stay healthy. Many Mets fans were seeing stars every time they thought about Scherzer and deGrom being in the same rotation last winter. It was a vision that didn’t even become a reality until the beginning of August because of another injury to deGrom.

With all things equal, deGrom is the better pitcher. But it was hard for him to be that for the Mets these past couple of years while on the injured list. And that was nobody’s fault — it’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes. DeGrom could come right back and toss 180-200 innings for the Rangers in 2023. You know, just like he consistently did for New York prior to 2020.

We can’t know for certain if any player will stay healthy all year, Verlander included. But even with him pushing 40 years old, he’s put together a tremendous track record of durability. The 2020 and 2021 seasons were lost for him because of Tommy John surgery. Outside of that, he’s thrown fewer than 170 innings in a year just once since 2006. That happened in 2015 when he racked up 133.1 frames for the Detroit Tigers.

Expecting Verlander to post a 1.75 ERA again isn’t realistic. However, he hasn’t produced an ERA worse than 3.50 since 2014. And while deGrom is the better pitcher when he’s healthy, JV is replacing a hurler that produced a 3.08 ERA over 64.1 innings. That ERA is well within his range of outcomes while more than doubling the innings output.

Having the consistency of him and Scherzer at the top of the rotation is already a huge upgrade. Having depth in Tylor Megill and David Peterson will hopefully help those two vets stay fresh for the stretch run, while also helping Senga acclimate to his new surroundings/routines/etc.

On a roster that’s seen plenty of turnover the past few months, simply pitching every fifth (or sixth) day should be a significant boost for the Mets. It’s what they were hoping for last year and didn’t get it. There’s a chance of history repeating itself in 2023, but New York’s chance of getting the optimal solution is better than it would be with deGrom.

So, yea — I’m not buying the Mets-spent-all-this-money-and-didn’t-get-better bologna. Plus, do you really need to improve a 101-win team? The regular season wasn’t a huge concern. If the Mets win 85 games, squeak into the playoffs, and win the World Series this year, nobody is going to care, right? Right.

There’s plenty of risk baked into the Mets’ Verlander investment. What he brings to the rotation could make him a huge difference-maker, though.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Why Justin Verlander could be Mets’ biggest 2023 X-factor | Elite Sports NY

Just kidding. Nobody is asking for this type of analysis off the heels of an interview with Steve Cohen, but I’m going to give it to you anyway. Mostly because I couldn’t shake the thought while I listened to the Mets’ owner chat with Howie Rose. And, the thing is, Cohen really wanted me to listen, so I did. And now we’re here.

We all have particular ticks or habits when it comes to conversations, getting interviewed, and public speaking. I’m certainly no different. I don’t want what’s below to come off as criticism. If you listen to anything I’ve done, there are definitely too many “umms” and “you knows” included.

When I hear a certain word too many times, though, it eventually becomes the only thing I hear. That happened in Cohen’s appearance on the Mets’dUp podcast this week. He spoke about his desire to make Bobby Bonilla Day a fun celebration, as well as many other things regarding his team and the fans.

Here’s the full interview:

One thing that didn’t change throughout the course of this half-hour conversation? The number of times Cohen said the word “listen” before answering a question.

He said it exactly 12 times. Here’s the breakdown of when it happened and what he talked about after saying it:

– 7:46: Rose mentioned the Carlos Correa situation, to which Cohen wished him well.

– 9:00: Talking about supplementing the team via free agency while rebuilding the farm system.

– 10:27: Giving his thoughts on how long it’ll take to fully restock the farm system to the level they’re aiming for.

– 15:25: Addressing his initial goal of winning a World Series within 3-5 years of him taking over the team.

– 16:31: Mentioned how the postseason can be a crapshoot and it’s important to get there consistently.

– 16:40: Same thought as the one directly above. Obviously. They’re less than 10 seconds apart.

– 17:51: He discussed how fun it was to be in the building when New York clinched a postseason berth in Milwaukee.

– 19:07: How often he talks with his staff, mostly mentioning general manager Billy Eppler and manager Buck Showalter.

– 19:47: Talking about how he’s investing in the organization’s future in various ways, not just the on-field MLB talent.

– 21:18: Mentioning how involved he gets in the baseball side of things with Billy and Buck.

– 22:22: How much he’s learned about running a baseball team since taking over in November 2020.

– 24:31: Keeping former Mets players and coaches engaged with the organization, like with Old Timers’ Day.

So, there you have it, folks. Most people — especially Mets fans — listen when Cohen opens his mouth. But there are also subtle reminders to do so throughout his appearances. Or if you’re like me, they’re not so subtle.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets owner Steve Cohen wants you to ‘listen’: an investigation | Elite Sports NY

He recently sat down with another legend in Howie Rose for a one-on-one interview. It lasted about a half hour, so as you can imagine, plenty of topics were discussed. Cohen’s desire to improve the fan experience at the ballpark, their goal of building a sustained competitor, and his desire to win a World Series within 3-5 years of buying the team was all brought up.

One of the final talking points was the organization’s desire to honor Mets history and past players more often. That happened plenty throughout 2022. This includes the unveiling of Tom Seaver’s statue, Keith Hernandez and Willie Mays getting their respective numbers retired, and most notably, the return of Old Timers’ Day.

Just about when it seemed like he and Rose were done talking about it, Cohen mentioned his continued desire to have a Bobby Bonilla Day celebration on July 1st. Bonilla gets a check from the Mets for $1,193,248.20 every year at the beginning of July. It will continue to happen until 2035, too.

In 2000, the Mets agreed to buy out the remaining $5.9 million of Bonilla’s contract. But instead of just paying it then, they agreed to defer that payment over the span of 25 years between 2011 and 2035, and have it accrue at 8% interest. New York is far from the only team to defer payments to players, but this agreement with Bonilla definitely gets the most publicity each year.

Here’s what the owner had to say about Bobby Bonilla Day after Rose asked what a celebration would entail:

We’d still have to decide it, but I’m telling you, it would be fun. We’d love to have Bobby do it. He travels around with his son, who is a terrific golfer, so hopefully, his schedule can make it work. But if he can’t do it this year, I’ll be on him next year. 

Regarding some of the basics of the celebration itself, Cohen said the following:

I gotta find a big piece of cardboard for a big check. It’s gotta be big, though. And then let him figure out how to carry it home. 

This is clearly something Cohen has been thinking about for a while. He’s been thinking about it so much, in fact, that it sounds like he’s already had conversations with Bonilla himself about it.

If this all sounds familiar, it should. Cohen took to Twitter on Bobby Bonilla Day 2022 to wish everyone a great day:

I hope everybody is enjoying my favorite day of the year , Bobby Bonilla Day

— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) July 1, 2022

And right after his purchase of the team became official in November 2020, he shared a similar idea on Twitter. It was only after a fan asked him about just cutting one final check to the former outfielder, though:

Let’s take a vote .How about we have a Bobby Bonilla day every year .Hand him an oversized check and drive a lap around the stadium.Could be fun

— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 20, 2020

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Cohen since he’s taken over the Mets, it’s that if he really wants something to happen, it becomes a reality. Whether we like it or not, a Bobby Bonilla Day celebration at Citi Field will happen soon. Getting a glimpse of how much he’s thought about this, it’ll surely be entertaining.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets’ Steve Cohen still wants to have a Bobby Bonilla Day celebration | Elite Sports NY

Anyway, it’s going to happen. And when it does, former Reds and Nationals general manager Jim Bowden — now an analyst writing for The Athletic — wants to blow the whole damn sport up too.

[W]hen MLB finally expands to 32 teams, it should seize the opportunity to implement a dramatic geographic realignment of the sport. The league could do so while maintaining the American League and National League framework, but a complete overhaul would arguably maximize revenue and certainly improve the travel burden on teams.

(…)

It’s impossible to predict what will happen because there are so many expansion variables and scenarios. Yes, the AL and NL could survive. But I think the move to 32 teams is the perfect time to do away with those leagues and form Eastern and Western conferences consisting of four geographically-aligned divisions apiece. Four teams per division, 16 teams per conference. With significantly more interleague play (46 games per team per season, starting this year) and the universal designated hitter, there’s no reason — beyond tradition and losing some rivalries — to keep the present infrastructure.

Hey, other than pissing on the thing that makes baseball baseball, what’s there to lose!

The idea of the Mets and Yankees playing in the same division sounds great at first. But it would be a nightmare for all involved in the end. The fans would hate it. The players would hate it. And at least one owner would sure as hell hate it. You think Hal Steinbrenner wants to officially compete with Steve Cohen?

If MLB was smart — which, let us be clear, it is not — it would use expansion as a chance to fine-tune, but not firebomb, its current divisional and league alignments. And then it would close ranks. Interleague play is a concept that has run its course. With the leagues finally even again with even numbers, we can phase it out. Some back of the napkin math here says if we had four divisions of four teams, you could play 15 games against division teams, nine games against everyone else in the league and then nine total interleague games. That sounds about right to us.

Nashville will get one of the expansion teams. We’ll say Charlotte gets the other. They both go to the National League while the Marlins are moved to the American League.

American League

East: Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles, Red Sox.
West: Angels, Athletics, Mariners, Royals.
North: Guardians, Tigers, Twins, White Sox.
South: Astros, Marlins, Rangers, Rays.

National League

East: Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Phillies.
West: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Padres.
North: Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Rockies.
South: Braves, Reds, Charlotte, Nashville.

It’s not perfect. But it’s better than what Bowden was pushing.

James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Let’s not blow up MLB to put Mets, Yankees in same division | Elite Sports NY

Pat McCarthy recently joined 880 WCBS to be the Mets’ pre- and postgame host for the upcoming season. He’s the son of Tom McCarthy, who is the Phillies’ play-by-play announcer. And according to our friends at Crossing Broad, Pat has been the voice of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs since 2018.

So, he’s got plenty of ties to the area. McCarthy also frequents the Collegeville Bakery when he’s in the area, so they wanted to give him a shoutout for his latest career move. There’s nothing wrong with that. What we see in the below Facebook post would’ve been completely fine…without the last line in the sign that’s pictured:

It’s understandable to see why Philly fans are annoyed at this, right? Using “Mets” to share a fun message about McCarthy is allowable, but ending it with “Let’s Go Mets”? Yea, I’d be annoyed if a similar NYC-area establishment did the same thing.

They’d never do that, though. Especially after seeing the Empire State Building light up green a couple of weeks ago. This wouldn’t have created as much of a stir if the bakery replaced “Let’s Go Mets” with something like… “Congrats, Pat!”

See? That wouldn’t have been so hard. But then again, we can’t blame them for being closet Mets fans. Phillies owner John Middleton isn’t afraid to spend big bucks on his club, but there’s only one Steve Cohen in baseball.

And yes, I know the Phillies just made it to the World Series. That’s all they need for bragging rights at the moment. But let’s not forget how the Mets completely dominated them in 2022. In 19 head-to-head meetings, New York went 14-5. There were plenty of memorable comebacks and rip-your-heart-out moments along the way, too:

Some #Mets highlights vs. Philly in ‘22:

⁃14-5 overall record
⁃9-0 in games started by Nola & Wheeler
⁃A combined no-hitter
⁃One ridiculous 9th inning comeback
⁃Today’s three comebacks

The head-to-head matchup went well this year. #LGM

— Matt Musico (@mmusico8) August 21, 2022

These head-to-head matchups are always interesting. After the Mets reloaded with an expensive offseason and the Phillies supplemented their roster with Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker, and others, it’ll remain interesting in 2023.

It looks like the Collegeville Bakery will be torn now that McCarthy is working with the Mets. Probably not. But maybe. Either way, we can’t blame them.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: This Philly-based bakery sees the light, is openly rooting for the Mets | Elite Sports NY

We all had to come from somewhere, though, and it’s always fun to see pro athletes on the field, court, or ice when they were amateurs. That’s especially the case for dudes who weren’t regarded as top prospects. McNeil fell into that category. He was a 12th-round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft and didn’t hear his name get called until the 356th selection.

The 2022 batting champion didn’t have the benefit of a huge signing bonus and had to work odd jobs during his journey through the Mets’ minor-league system. That’s all a thing of the past now, thanks to being one of baseball’s most productive second basemen since debuting in 2018.

McNeil, a California native, spent his college days at Long Beach State. The power wasn’t there in 164 games for the 49ers. But, as usual, he could always hit. McNeil slashed .296/.356/.358 as a college player. As many do, he spent the initial part of his offseasons playing summer ball.

McNeil spent the summer after his sophomore year with the Santa Barbara Foresters. He was an integral part of the squad, which won a national championship. Here’s some footage of him legging out an inside-the-park home run:

The YouTube video description calls this a triple and an error, but it sure looks like an inside-the-parker to me. We don’t have a full view of the action, though, so who knows? Let’s just call it a homer.

I love looking around the interwebs for stuff like this. It’s a classic “Here’s what things looked like before they hit it big” type of situation. It’s also great to see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. His routine and mannerisms in the batter’s box all look quite similar (if not identical) to what he currently does for the Mets.

My Google sleuthing also unearthed the fact that McNeil was inducted into the Forresters’ Hall of Fame in 2019. Unsurprisingly, the press release said his “speed and hustle” were a big part of the Forresters’ title run.

Once again — the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Watch Mets’ Jeff McNeil hit inside-the-park home run while in college | Elite Sports NY

All the similarities are there. They both are willing to do what it takes to put a winner on the field while owning a team in New York. Their respective personalities/actions also loom (or, loomed) over the game in a larger-than-life fashion. What does Cohen feel about this comparison? He answered that question, which was posed by ESPN’s Jeff Passan in a recent one-on-one interview:

George seemed bigger than life and passionate about baseball and brought a lot of life to the game. He made baseball interesting. And he did it his way. I’m going to do it my way. I don’t know if I’m making baseball interesting.

Cohen is definitely making baseball more interesting, both in New York and the rest of the league. And with his willingness to pay $100 million in payroll taxes, he’s definitely doing it his way.

A lot has been made about the Mets’ spending over the last couple of years. That’s especially been the case during this current offseason. Building a team with a record-setting payroll and a tax penalty that’ll make the overall outlay near $500 million will do that.

Is New York spending at record levels? Well, yes — of course they are. That’s clear as day. But it’s not like they’re just recklessly spending for whatever players they want. (If that was the case, they wouldn’t have let Carlos Correa re-sign with the Minnesota Twins.)

The Mets are paying top dollar for free-agent talent to contend for another postseason spot in 2023 and beyond. However, they’ve been doing it in a strategic manner to maintain long-term financial flexibility. Spending this far above the highest luxury tax limit doesn’t come without precedent, either.

Passan noted the following in his ESPN article about past teams who have spent in a similar fashion: the 2004 Yankees and 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers:

The Dodgers that year were 57.6% above the $189 million base threshold — almost identical to the 58.8% the Mets project to be over the $233 million threshold this year.

Perhaps the best comparison — and one that illustrates the Mets’ spending isn’t out of line with past teams’ — is the 2004 Yankees. In the second year of that incarnation of the CBT, the Yankees exceeded the $120.5 million base threshold by $83.6 million — 69.4%. Their total payroll, including taxes, of $229.2 million exceeded that of the next-highest team, Boston, by more than two-thirds.

This year, the Mets take on that role. Including penalties, their payroll is projected at $468.5 million — more than $150 million higher than the next-biggest: The Yankees’.

So, for anyone out there saying what the Mets are doing is completely unprecedented, it’s not. The payroll and tax penalties New York is paying in 2023 are higher than we’ve ever seen. But given the prior salary limits and the percentage by which the ’15 Dodgers and ’04 Yankees went over, it’s actually quite similar.

Cohen has said and done many things that can make any Mets fan want to run through a wall for him. Add the below quote to the list:

We’re in New York, and I’m competitive. If you’re going to own a team — I came in with a commitment that I was going to put a good product on the field. And I think I’ve done that. I had no idea what it was going to cost to put a good product on the field, but I’m in a position where I make a good income, right? So I can do this.

Unlike the previous regime, he understands the market in which the Mets play, and he wants to win. And most importantly, he’s willing to go beyond the limit he thought was necessary to make it all happen.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Steve Cohen channeling George Steinbrenner by running Mets ‘his way’ | Elite Sports NY

All of these things make him a hero among Mets fans. It also puts a target on his back as a villain for those annoyed by what he’s doing. And what’s most annoying for some MLB owners is how much money he’s spent on player talent the last couple of winters. Most notably, this offseason has included a total of $500 million committed to players.

The Mets’ $299.8 million payroll at the end of 2022 set a new MLB record. All they did to follow that up is put together a team with a projected Opening Day payroll of $369.9 million. Cohen talked about what other owners and people in baseball think about his spending in a recent one-on-one interview with ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Based on the fact that he keeps spending, many of us could assume Cohen doesn’t care about what others think about his actions. The below quotes confirm that suspicion:

I’ve heard what everyone else has heard: that they’re not happy with me. I hear things from people who are maybe more neutral — that they’re taking a lot of heat from their fans. I kind of look at that like, you’re looking at the wrong person. They’re putting it on me. Maybe they need to look more at themselves.

I’m not responsible for how other teams run their clubs. I’m really not. That’s not my job. And there are disparities in baseball. We know that to be true. I’m following the rules. They set the rules down, I’m following them.

Essentially, Cohen just told his fellow owners to get over it because he’s not changing the way he’s doing business.

There was a thought that setting a fourth luxury-tax penalty at $293 million would deter “crazy” spending from some of MLB’s big-market teams. That hasn’t been the case with Cohen, who is intent on keeping his promise to the fans of putting a championship-caliber team on the diamond at Citi Field.

In addition to a $370 million payroll, the Mets are due to pay a luxury tax penalty of $98.6 million. So, that makes the overall outlay of expenditures directly related to player talent nearly $500 million for 2023.

Cohen mentioned to Passan that he’d eventually like to get the payroll below those penalty levels. Does it bother him right now, though? You be the judge of that:

I didn’t think it was that big a deal. I was already going to be in a big bracket anyway, no question. So it’s like the government raising taxes. You’re already in a high bracket. What I think about is making income. If I make income, it solves problems. It’d be great to get the payroll to the point where I don’t have to pay tax anymore. That’s the goal. If we do our job and develop a farm system and get a nice, sustainable pipeline going, we should be able to accomplish that.

Yea, I don’t think he cares very much. This is a dude who willingly spent nearly $150 million on a piece of art. Will a simple tax on payroll stop him from acquiring the players he thinks is necessary to win a World Series? Not quite.

Throughout this winter, we mostly assumed Cohen didn’t care what others thought of his actions. This just confirms as such. It’s not like he’s doing anything against the rules. Sure, his team’s payroll is over the limit, but he’s not evading the tax he’ll have to pay.

As he said himself, owners who object to his spending need to look more at themselves instead of blaming him.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets’ Steve Cohen flexes on MLB owners who don’t like his big spending | Elite Sports NY

Beltran has been working for the YES Network, seemingly waiting for the right opportunity to join a team again. New York considered him for the assistant hitting coach job when filling out Buck Showalter’s coaching staff last year, but it didn’t work out. About a year later, the former center fielder and future Hall of Famer is back in Queens.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Sunday that Beltran was leaving his gig at YES for a front-office role under general manager Billy Eppler. At the time of this report, it was unknown exactly what Beltran’s role would be. That’s still the case. But now I can’t help but wonder if this move was made with the future in mind.

Do they want him to be Showalter’s successor as manager?

In December 2021, the Mets officially hired Buck to a three-year deal worth $11.25 million. It’s the richest manager contract in franchise history. Showalter earned $3.5 million in 2022. His salary will increase to $3.75 million and $4 million in 2023 and 2024, respectively. At 66 years old, Showalter is among the game’s oldest managers (and the most handsome). We don’t know if there’s any plan beyond this three-year pact, but maybe there is.

It’s possible the veteran skipper wants to keep managing the Mets beyond 2024. Depending on how the next couple of years go, team owner Steve Cohen might be fine with that. Or, Buck’s current contract is acting as a last hurrah of sorts before he retires.

While we don’t know yet what Beltran will be doing, it sure feels like this is the first step to him getting back in the dugout. A lot has changed in Flushing since he was last named manager three years ago. Being in the front office can give the former outfielder an opportunity to see how the organization is now run from top to bottom.

Not having a defined role can also allow him to have his hand in many things. That’d help him get the kind of experience and familiarity with the club any front office would ideally want. I wouldn’t be surprised if Beltran shifted from the front office to the dugout ahead in 2024, either.

But then again, there’s another former player on the coaching staff who could be getting groomed as the Mets’ next manager: Eric Chavez.

The Yankees hired Chavez on December 22, 2021 to be their assistant hitting coach. But just over two weeks later, the Mets hired him as their head hitting coach. After one year in that role, New York promoted him to Showalter’s bench coach for 2023.

Chavez had some minor-league coaching experience, but 2022 was his first taste of coaching in the majors. Now, he gets to be attached to Showalter’s hip every night this season. That should act as a masterclass in managing from the four-time Manager of the Year.

New York’s hiring of Beltran could have a direct correlation to him getting back in the dugout after the Astros scandal. Based on how the Mets have handled and promoted Chavez, they must think he has potential as a skipper in the near future, too.

A lot of this could hinge on how the next two seasons go for Showalter and the direction in which the franchise wants to go. Regardless of what the future holds, the Mets have some excellent baseball minds in the organization who could take the reins whenever the time comes.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Do Mets want Carlos Beltran to be Buck Showalter’s successor? | Elite Sports NY

Starting Pitcher

1. Corbin Burnes, Brewers
2. Justin Verlander, Mets
3. Carlos Rodon, Yankees
4. Max Scherzer, Mets
5. Sandy Alcantara, Marlins
6. Shohei Ohtani, Angels
7. Max Fried, Braves
8. Zack Wheeler, Phillies
9. Jacob deGrom, Rangers
10. Julio Urias, Dodgers

This list looks weird to me. While he’s no longer with the Mets, it’s a head-scratcher to see deGrom go from number one all the way down to number nine in the span of a year. I guess that’s what happens when you only rack up 11 starts and don’t perform like an alien every time you toe the slab.

Without deGrom in the rotation, the Mets obviously reloaded nicely by snagging Justin Verlander, the reigning American League Cy Young winner. Having him and Scherzer healthy and in the rotation for the majority of 2023 should be a big improvement for New York.

It’s nice to see the Yankees’ new co-ace in Carlos Rodon up near the top. I was a little surprised to not see Gerrit Cole, though. He led the league in homers allowed last year, but he’s still been among baseball’s best pitchers since 2018. Then again, if you put him on this list, who comes off? There are lots of great arms in today’s game.

Relief Pitcher

1. Edwin Diaz, Mets
2. Emmanuel Clase, Guardians
3. Devin Williams, Brewers
4. Evan Phillips, Dodgers
5. Jhoan Duran, Twins
6. Ryan Pressly, Astros
7. Andrés Muñoz, Mariners
8. Liam Hendriks, White Sox
9. Jason Adam, Rays
10. Ryan Helsley, Cardinals

There’s no real contest on who the best reliever is heading into 2023. Edwin Diaz just came off a historic performance and was rewarded for it financially with a record-setting deal. His 1.31 ERA and 50.2% strikeout rate were both single-season career-high marks. Now, the only question is how he’ll follow up on that memorable 2022.

Catcher

1. J.T. Realmuto, Phillies
2. Will Smith, Dodgers
3. Adley Ruschman, Orioles
4. Sean Murphy, Braves
5. Willson Contreras, Cardinals
6. Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays
7. Travis d’Arnaud, Braves
8. Salvador Perez, Royals
9. Danny Jansen, Blue Jays
10. Tyler Stephenson, Reds

It’s not surprising to see no Mets here. And if New York has its druthers, the combo of Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido will make way to top prospect Francisco Alvarez in the near future.

I did think Jose Trevino had a shot. After all, he went to the All-Star Game and won a Gold Glove in 2022. I’d imagine the offense just wasn’t enough to justify it (.671 OPS in 353 plate appearances). His 3.7 fWAR ranked ninth among catchers last year. It was better than Contreras’ 3.3 mark, too.

First Base

1. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
2. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
4. Jose Abreu, Astros
5. Pete Alonso, Mets
6. Matt Olson, Braves
7. Ty France, Mariners
8. Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers
9. Luis Arraez, Marlins
10. Rhys Hoskins, Phillies

There’s an argument to have Alonso ahead of Abreu, but still, being among the game’s top-five first baseman is an accomplishment. His importance to the Mets is undeniable, so hopefully, he’ll get a contract extension prior to Opening Day.

Anthony Rizzo isn’t here, but he’s a crucial part of the Yankees’ equation, both on and off the field. Plus, he’s already proven his value by helping keep a certain teammate in pinstripes.

Second Base

1. Jose Altuve, Astros
2. Jeff McNeil, Mets
3. Andres Gimenez, Guardians
4. Marcus Semien, Rangers
5. Brandon Lowe, Rays
6. Jorge Polanco, Twins
7. Brendan Donovan, Cardinals
8. Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
9. Kolten Wong, Mariners
10. Gleyber Torres, Yankees

Jeff McNeil has been among the most valuable second baseman in the game since debuting in 2018. It was good enough to earn a four-year extension from the Mets before hitting free agency at the end of 2024.

Torres had a decent year with the Yankees (115 wRC+, 2.7 fWAR, 24 homers, 76 RBI). He’s also in his final year before free agency, so he’ll be looking to make the most of it. We still don’t know if it’ll be for New York or not, though.

Shortstop

1. Trea Turner, Phillies
2. Carlos Correa, Twins
3. Xander Bogaerts, Padres
4. Corey Seager, Rangers
5. Francisco Lindor, Mets
6. Dansby Swanson, Cubs
7. Bo Bichette, Blue Jays
8. Willy Adames, Brewers
9. Tim Anderson, White Sox
10. Wander Franco, Rays

Call me biased, but I find it hard to believe that Francisco Lindor isn’t at least a top-three shortstop. He not only led all players at the position with 6.8 fWAR in 2022, but his 42.0 fWAR since 2015 is easily the best in baseball. The next closest is Xander Bogaerts, who checks in at 34.0 fWAR.

And, who knows, maybe we’ll be seeing Oswald Peraza representing the Yankees on this list next year.

Third Base

1. Manny Machado, Padres
2. Jose Ramirez, Guardians
3. Austin Riley, Braves
4. Rafael Devers, Red Sox
5. Nolan Arenado, Cardinals
6. Alex Bregman, Astros
7. Justin Turner, Red Sox
8. Max Muncy, Dodgers
9. Yandy Diaz, Rays
10. DJ LeMahieu, Yankees

If the Mets actually signed Carlos Correa (like ESPN still thinks they did), maybe New York would’ve had some representation on this list. Eduardo Escobar had a solid finish to 2022, but he mostly struggled through the first five months. And similar to catcher, Brett Baty would like to be included in the near future.

Having DJ LeMahieu on this list tells us more about Josh Donaldson than anything else. Manager Aaron Boone has said he thinks the former MVP has another good year left in him. But, in an ideal world? He’d be playing for someone else. There’s still time to try and make that happen, at least.

Left Field

1. Yordan Alvarez, Astros
2. Juan Soto, Padres
3. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
4. Taylor Ward, Angels
5. Randy Arozarena, Rays
6. Steven Kwan, Guardians
7. Tyler O’Neill, Cardinals
8. Michael Brantley, Astros
9. Ian Happ, Cubs
10. Eloy Jimenez, White Sox

No surprises here regarding both the Mets and Yankees not getting included. Mark Canha is slated to be the Mets’ Opening Day left fielder. He’s a solid player and is an asset to the team, but not one that’d show up on a list like this.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are still looking for a left fielder. At the moment, Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Cabrera appear to be the lead candidates to fill that hole in New York’s lineup.

Center Field

1. Mike Trout, Angels
2. Byron Buxton, Twins
3. Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
4. Brandon Nimmo, Mets
5. Michael Harris II, Braves
6. Bryan Reynolds, Pirates
7. Cedric Mullins, Orioles
8. Luis Robert, White Sox
9. Mike Yastrzemski, Giants
10. Chas McCormick, Astros

Remember when Mets Twitter kept whining about Brandon Nimmo being a starter, saying he was better suited as a fourth outfielder? I remember. Now he’s considered the fourth-best center fielder in baseball. What a time to be alive.

A healthy year from Harrison Bader with his defense should put him in consideration for a spot next winter. That’d especially be the case if he’s able to keep the offensive momentum he created in the postseason going.

Right Field

1. Aaron Judge, Yankees
2. Mookie Betts, Dodgers
3. Bryce Harper, Phillies
4. Kyle Tucker, Astros
5. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
6. George Springer, Blue Jays
7. Starling Marte, Mets
8. Teoscar Hernandez, Mariners
9. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
10. Hunter Renfroe, Angels

If Aaron Judge wasn’t ranked as the game’s best right fielder after the year he just had, all of these rankings would’ve been rendered useless. Thankfully, that’s not the case. Hitting 62 homers, nearly winning the AL Triple Crown, and taking home MVP honors made this an easy choice. It doesn’t hurt that this was all punctuated by securing the richest contract in Yankees’ history.

Mets fans will certainly agree with Marte’s inclusion, as well. He performed like an All-Star during his first campaign in Flushing. Who knows what would’ve happened in September if he didn’t miss all of it after getting hit by a pitch in Pittsburgh?

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Where Mets, Yankees landed on MLB Network’s ‘Top 10 Players Right Now’ | Elite Sports NY

It’s been nearly a month since Correa’s agreement with New York ended with him signing a six-year, $200 million deal to return to the Minnesota Twins. We here at ESNY were disappointed, but we’ve moved on. Eduardo Escobar is currently the favorite to be the Mets’ Opening Day third baseman. Top prospect Brett Baty is also waiting in the wings.

So, why hasn’t ESPN updated New York’s depth chart yet? I mean, this is an unpleasant reminder of what could’ve been for anyone still upset that things didn’t work out. See for yourself:

And in case you were wondering, at the time of this original writing (February 3rd), Correa’s name isn’t showing up on either of ESPN’s depth charts for the San Francisco Giants or Minnesota Twins.

This means he needs to report to Port St. Lucie in a couple of weeks, right?

You can also see from the above screenshot that Tommy Pham’s name isn’t listed in any of the outfield spots. He agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Mets back on January 18th. It took a few days to finalize his deal, but he’s officially a Met. ESPN threw Correa’s name on New York’s depth chart before any ink even dried on paper.

Similar to what we noticed regarding the jersey numbers for Escobar and Omar Narvaez on the Mets’ official website, this is just a simple oversight. I can certainly understand smaller free-agent agreements not getting updated regularly, like Pham’s deal with New York. But Correa? You’d think there is some type of protocol that’d ensure major free agents are on the correct team depth charts for the website. But heck, what do I know?

Either way, it’s been three weeks since news dropped of Correa agreeing to re-sign with the Twins. That contract actually got finalized, too, so maybe it’s time to put him on Minnesota’s ESPN depth chart. Just maybe.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: ESPN still in denial about Mets, Carlos Correa deal falling apart | Elite Sports NY

Mets Triple-A hitting coach Collin Hetzler joined Metsmerized’s Michael Mayer and Sal Manzo on the latest edition of MMO Weekly. This was a 40-minute episode that touched on a wide range of topics. One of the things that perked me up was Hetzler discussing Alvarez.

The young backstop spent 45 games in Triple-A before getting a late-season call-up to the big leagues. So, Hetzler had more time with him than he did with Baty, who was in Syracuse for just six games before getting promoted.

Hetzler said a lot of unsurprising things about the right-handed hitter. But what I loved hearing the most is that he’s working on his defense (receiving, blocking, and throwing) and is also hitting every day. The hitting coach said the following:

He’s locked in. He doesn’t need any motivation from me. But I’ll just give him some challenging batting practice and some different machine work to try to expose some of the few misses that he has.

Here’s the two-minute clip of Hetzler’s Alvarez-specific thoughts.

When talking about motivation, the 21-year-old got all he needed a few weeks ago. Alvarez has publicly said he’s sure he’ll be on the Mets’ Opening Day roster. But, general manager Billy Eppler has implied the catcher needs to be behind the plate every day to keep developing at that position.

New York wants him to be the long-term solution at catcher. That’s evident and makes sense, but that doesn’t mean Alvarez can’t try to force their hand this spring. Even if he does have an otherworldly spring, he still may find himself in Syracuse (with Baty) to start the season.

Do you know what’s really great about this, though? With both Alvarez and Baty, these dudes are incredibly hungry to stick in the big leagues. And sure, every prospect wants that, but not everybody shows up to camp weeks early to push the envelope and start getting their work in.

They both got a taste of what the majors is like last year. Heck, even Alvarez had an opportunity to be on the field for a postseason game at Citi Field. They can both see what the roster currently looks like and how they’re probably on the outside looking in. Despite that, you love to see them doing whatever possible to make sending them to Triple-A before Opening Day as hard as it can be for the Mets.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets’ Francisco Alvarez ‘locked in’, ready to make 2023 impact | Elite Sports NY

Will Sammon of The Athletic wrote an interesting article about Baty and how he spent this offseason preparing for 2023. Last year was a memorable one for the top prospect. Outside of six games at Triple-A Syracuse, Baty essentially jumped straight from Double-A to the big leagues. His arrival was punctuated by slugging a homer in his first career at-bat.

Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for him. He ended up posting a .586 OPS and 71 wRC+ in 42 plate appearances before hitting the injured list. It was a taste of what he could get in the very near future, though.

Thanks to a prior connection, Baty spent the winter getting schooled on what it’s like to be a big leaguer by Troy Tulowitzki. It’s rather clear that Baty craves constructive criticism so he can constantly improve. Here’s what he said about Tulo’s influence:

He’s not going to beat around the bush about anything and he’s not going to sugarcoat anything. If he doesn’t see something he thinks will play at the next level, he will tell you straight up.

And I love that in people. I don’t really like people who are just there to tell you how good you are, tell you how good you look and stuff like that. I like the people that are actually going to be honest with you, and help you get better.

Sounds like someone has a growth mindset. Despite being a first-round draft pick and top prospect throughout his short professional career, he’s still hungry for more.

Although he won’t sugarcoat things, count Tulowitzki as another believer in Baty’s offensive ability. An area the third baseman can work on is his technique in the field. While working out with Tulo, other players would also stop in to do the same. One of them? Three-time Gold Glove-winning (and two-time Platinum Glove-winning) third baseman, Matt Chapman. Here’s what he said about it:

That was a really good experience. He is one of the very best third basemen in the game. Just to be able to pick his brain about how he goes about his business over there, and how he fields, his cues and what helps him out was really good.

Mets pitchers and catchers aren’t required to report to Port St. Lucie until February 15th. But, Brett Baty is already at the complex getting his work in. He knows how important this year is for his development. He also knows how important his performance during camp will be in the coming weeks.

Even if Baty lights the world on fire during Grapefruit League action, being ticketed for Syracuse is a real possibility. But if he starts the year hot, it may not be long until New York promotes him again. Whenever that happens, you can assume Baty wants that one to be for good.

The gold standard for Mets third basemen is obviously David Wright. For a position that had mostly been a revolving door of short-term solutions, the Captain stands out. He was a homegrown product that led the team in games played at third base for 12 consecutive years.

Wright might be able to impart some of his wisdom to Brett Baty this spring, too. New York is probably hoping their time together can serve as a ceremonial passing of the torch from one third baseman to another. One thing we can be sure of, though, is he’ll do everything possible to ensure he’s ready when the opportunity rises.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets’ Brett Baty’s growth mindset will serve him well in New York | Elite Sports NY

It’s easy to forget how much of a grind baseball is for players who aren’t viewed as the game’s elite. Each summer, the MLB Draft happens and we hear about the multi-million dollar deals the first-round selections agree to. Each winter, we see the ridiculous contracts handed out to baseball’s most coveted available players.

But many are like McNeil when the Mets drafted him in 2013. The 2022 batting champion had to wait until the 12th round (356th overall pick) for his name to get called. He earned a $100,000 signing bonus before starting working through the minors.

Now, don’t get me wrong — that’s a lot of money. But for someone who wasn’t expected to reach the big leagues and get another payday, it’s not that much. It was a long journey for McNeil before landing with the Mets on July 24, 2018. He was grinding in the minors for five-plus years before getting the call.

McNeil hit wherever he went, but some bumps in the road were included. His 2016 season lasted just three games because of a double sports hernia and a hip labrum tear. And if there’s anything we know about the minor leagues, it’s that players don’t get paid handsomely.

To make ends meet, many players must find work in the offseason in addition to training. McNeil was no different, and he detailed some of the odds jobs he took during his journey through the minor leagues with the Mets’d Up Podcast:

It was definitely a tough time in the minor leagues. I had a bunch of injuries, worked some pretty odd jobs trying to make some money. My wife, who’s been super supportive through this whole thing, she was fantastic. She was kind of the breadwinner in our family, providing for us, and kind of paying the rent for me to be able to go out there and chase my dreams. 

Definitely worked some odd jobs. Worked at Dick’s Sporting Goods, worked at a gym, worked landscape, I did it all trying to make some money. To see that all kind of pay off and get this contract, it means a lot. It means a lot to my whole family. 

They touched on a bunch of topics in a 12-minute interview, which you can watch in its entirety here.

This is a perfect example of a “One of us!” moment. I can remember working odd jobs to make money while also trying to do something else that I actually wanted to do. I love hearing this kind of stuff because it humanizes them. Despite being professional athletes, these guys are just like us.

McNeil’s days of working odd jobs out of necessity are over. It’s probably over for the next couple of generations of McNeils, too.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Jeff McNeil details random jobs he worked while in Mets’ farm system | Elite Sports NY

Not long ago, I mentioned that the former first baseman’s contract negotiations dragging on with SNY aren’t anything new. In fact, his past two contracts weren’t agreed upon until the second or third week in January. This situation is different now, though. I mean, come on — it’s February, folks.

We should be getting excited about Mets baseball and hearing the familiar voices of Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Hernandez in the broadcast booth. That’s still a very real possibility. But the latest news about Mex’s contract negotiations with SNY is starting to make people sweat (and rightfully so).

Here it is from Mike Puma of the New York Post:

There is still a gap between SNY and Keith Hernandez in contract talks. Hernandez was offered a new deal, rejected it, and counter-offered. SNY has not yet responded with another offer.

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) February 1, 2023

As I already said, it’s not outrageous that Hernandez went into 2023 without a new contract. But this is just ridiculous. How big could the gap be between Keith and SNY? He just finished a three-year deal worth $2.4 million. You’d imagine Hernandez is looking for a raise, but who really knows at this point?

Whenever something stupid like this goes on with SNY, only one thought goes through everyone’s mind…the Wilpons are at it again.

And sure, Fred Wilpon himself probably isn’t actively negotiating, but Fred Wilpon Sterling Equities owns 65% of SNY. I’ll never be convinced they don’t have any influence on what’s going on. Mostly because these types of ordeals sound very similar to what went on when the Wilpons owned the Mets.

Oh, and it’s not like there isn’t any money laying around. Steve Cohen bought the club for $2.4 billion in November 2020. The Wilpons definitely aren’t able to generate the type of income Cohen can at his day job, but it’s not like finding an adequate middle ground for both parties is impossible.

It doesn’t help that Hernandez himself appears unsure of how his future will turn out. Here’s a comment he made on Twitter the other day about Daniel Vogelbach putting in some work this offseason:

Oh, the humanity. Just get this man signed! He’s certainly at the stage in life where he could just ride off into the sunset. But it doesn’t seem like Hernandez is done in the booth. The Gold Glover also missed the end of the 2022 regular season because of a shoulder injury. He probably wants to go out on his own terms.

Let’s hope he gets that opportunity. I’m still not convinced he won’t be in the SNY booth with Gary and Ron for 2023. However, this saga has dragged on long enough that doubt is starting to creep into my mind. Just like many others, I’m sure. If this worst-case scenario happens, maybe Cohen will find a way to save the day.

After all, Mets fans are pretty convinced he can get anything done if he really wants to.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Wilpons still haunting Mets fans as Keith Hernandez, SNY talks drag on | Elite Sports NY

McNeil entered the 2022 season coming off an incredibly disappointing campaign. Between 2018 and 2020, the Flying Squirrel hit .319/.383/.501, which led to a 140 wRC+ and .884 OPS. His 2021 performance included a .251/.319/.360 line, a 92 wRC+, and a .679 OPS.

Obviously, he bounced back in a big way. McNeil slashed .326/.382/.454 with a 143 wRC+, .836 OPS, and a career-high 5.9 fWAR on his way to winning the National League batting title. His individual accolades included a trip to the All-Star Game, a Silver Slugger Award, and a 15th-place finish in NL MVP voting.

Way back at the beginning of May, Lindor made a bet with McNeil. The shortstop promised that if his teammate won the batting title, he’d buy him a car. At the time this was reported (May 5th), McNeil was hitting .348. That had him tied with Nolan Arenado for fourth in the National League. He trailed Eric Hosmer (.376), Manny Machado (.374), and Josh Bell (.356).

We know the rest of the story. A war of attrition commenced and McNeil ended up on top. And not just in the National League. No qualifying hitter in MLB finished 2022 with a higher batting average than him.

So, did he get his car from Lindor? Not yet, but the second baseman is giving his teammate some ideas:

Jeff McNeil says he sent Francisco Lindor a video of some "very nice cars" recently pic.twitter.com/K3KVyDO9iu

— SNY (@SNYtv) January 31, 2023

These two have come a long way from the rat-ratcoon incident, haven’t they?

One has to imagine Lindor already has a car picked out for McNeil, or he was waiting for the batting champ to send over some ideas. This seems like the perfect kind of thing to happen during Spring Training while the boys are down in Port St. Lucie.

Lindor initially said he didn’t promise what kind of car he’d buy for McNeil. However, the shortstop is the highest-paid player in Mets history and will be making more than $30 million in 2023. It may not be the type of car Yoenis Cespedes liked to pull into the parking lot with, but it’s not going to be a clunker, folks.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets’ Jeff McNeil still waiting for Francisco Lindor to pay up on their bet | Elite Sports NY

In chatting with Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated, general manager Billy Eppler said the Mets’ designated hitter situation is “undefined”. Part of it has to do with how New York uses that area of the lineup. Another part has to do with the players currently on the roster.

New York’s 2022 trade deadline haul included both Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf. They were tasked to be mostly a DH platoon. Vogey did a good job, but Ruf fell flat in just 29 games played for the Amazins. He produced a 24 wRC+, a .413 OPS, and -0.9 fWAR in just 74 plate appearances.

Eppler cited Ruf’s prior track record of hitting left-handed pitching as a reason why he can still be part of the solution this year. That echoes what manager Buck Showalter said last September.

Using the DH spot can be a way to keep a starter in the lineup while simultaneously giving him a breather (like Francisco Lindor or Pete Alonso). However, there are other candidates who can step into the right-handed batter’s box (not named Francisco Alvarez…for now, at least). Recently-signed Tommy Pham can do it, as can the switch-hitting Eduardo Escobar.

I think Escobar is the most intriguing option of the bunch. Sure, he’ll play the field, but having him DH somewhat regularly could lengthen the lineup and bench. Especially if his strong finish to 2022 carries over.

So, how does Luis Guillorme factor into this? He’s hit enough over 281 MLB games, but it’s not like his 101 career wRC+ is worth squeezing into the lineup consistently. His glove is, though, and he proved to be a favorite of Showalter last year. As a utility player, Guillorme set single-season career-high marks for games played (102), plate appearances (335), and fWAR (1.3). His ability to play second base, shortstop and third base will aid in making sure DH doesn’t become a rally killer.

If Ruf proves he can still be productive, he’ll be used in that role. But, I think Showalter will use it as a way to keep starters fresh while still getting Guillorme regular playing time. He can step in at third or short so Escobar or Lindor could DH. He can also play second in case McNeil needs to spend time in either left or right field.

The permutations are endless. Finding creative ways to keep players fresh and have them on the field consistently is something Showalter excels at.

In an ideal world, it would’ve been nice to see the Mets go get a right-handed power bat who could be their regular designated hitter. (Or, for the Carlos Correa deal to actually get finalized.) That didn’t happen. And now, this area of the lineup could be an issue again prior to the trade deadline.

If there are no internal solutions by that point (like Alvarez, Brett Baty, or someone else), you hope Eppler will bite the bullet and make a move that’d push the needle. Although that obvious option hasn’t yet materialized, there’s enough versatility on the roster to make the DH spot an asset instead of a liability.

Last June, Showalter said All-Star Game voting should have a category for utility players because “You can’t win without one.” Luis Guillorme played an important role in the Mets’ 2022 regular-season success. Maybe his glove is why New York’s OK having DH unsettled heading into Opening Day.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: How Luis Guillorme’s glove could impact Mets’ unsettled DH situation | Elite Sports NY

Based on what we’ve seen the last few days, this is going to feel like the saga between Carlos Correa and the Mets. You remember, right? How there was no actual news regarding their contract agreement, but MLB insiders shared what felt like recycled reports and presented it as new information?

Yea, it’s going to get ridiculous pretty fast. Take this article from Jon Heyman of the New York Post that was published Monday night. Let’s start with the headline:

Steve Cohen expected to have Mets in thick of Shohei Ohtani bidding

Oh, yea? That’s brand-new information (insert sarcasm here). We already knew this because SNY’s Andy Martino said it last week. After all, Cohen is rumored to already be talking about an Ohtani pursuit with upper-level Mets people.

One interesting quote from Heyman’s article included the following:

The Mets will make Ohtani the best-paid player in the history of sports — whether he plays for the Mets or not — because the offer will be insane. And if someone else wants to beat it go ahead.

That certainly raises an eyebrow, but then again, is this shocking? No! Not at all. Cohen is MLB’s richest owner, just made a boatload of money at his hedge fund company in 2022, and covets Ohtani. With the Mets on the East Coast potentially being the biggest drawback, of course New York will try to entice him with a huge offer. Who wouldn’t if they had the ability to?

What really gets me is the following two things. First, Heyman texted Cohen about the Ohtani rumors, to which he got this predictable response:

Hard to think about next year. I’m focused on this season.

It’s good that Heyman reached out — that’s what a journalist should do. But come on, this is kind of a ridiculous thing to ask. Especially after MLB had to do a short investigation between the Mets and Yankees about potential Aaron Judge tampering.

The second thing is Cohen planning a trip to Japan. Here’s what was said in the article:

Anyway, it’s no surprise folks behind the scenes are gossiping again about the possibility once word got out that Cohen has a trip to Japan planned, never mind that it’s too early to contact potential free agents and Ohtani is already in the U.S. Just in case, I checked, and Cohen clarified that he’s meeting in Kyoto with his staff, which is about his day job, and not related to Ohtani. 

Again, this is just ridiculous. Sure, Cohen appears to love Shohei Ohtani and may do everything possible to sign him. But he’s not going to clearly and publicly break the rules to try and get an edge. The fact that this question has to be asked is unreal.

If this is the type of stuff being reported now, I don’t even want to know what will happen at the trade deadline and leading up to free agency. We’ll try our best to sift through all the noise to provide actual updates. It looks like that will be a herculean effort, though.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Shohei Ohtani ‘reporting’ will reach Carlos Correa levels at warp speed | Elite Sports NY

Friday afternoon brought news of the Mets and McNeil agreeing to a four-year extension worth $50 million. Based on past production, New York got a huge discount, but both parties still win. The Mets get one of the game’s best contact hitters under contract for multiple years, while McNeil locks in a huge payday and generational wealth for his family.

It’s not surprising that this deal was the first one to get done. Between him and Alonso, it’ll be the one with a shorter term and for less money. Signing McNeil now would seemingly provide plenty of time for an extension to get worked out with Alonso prior to Opening Day.

So, what should an extension look like for the Polar Bear? That’s been a hot topic most of the winter, but especially since news of McNeil’s deal hit the internet. Some common comparisons include Freddie Freeman (six years, $162 million) and Matt Olson (eight years, $168 million). But I think if an extension gets done, it’ll break the $200 million plateau.

That’s a number only one Mets player has surpassed in team history. It was Francisco Lindor’s $341 million deal on the eve of 2021 Opening Day. Getting that kind of payday would put Alonso in rare franchise air, but it’s a spot he deserves.

He’s set the Mets’ franchise and rookie home run record, MLB’s rookie home run record, and the Mets’ single-season RBI mark. Assuming health and normal production in 2023, he’ll crack some franchise top-10 lists, too.

Alonso has registered two seasons of at least 40 homers and 120 RBI in his career. No other Mets hitter has done that. He’s proven to be the type of homegrown power hitter the franchise hasn’t seen before. The first baseman has slugged 146 homers with 380 RBI since debuting in 2019. Both of those numbers are the best in baseball.

Outside of being one of the league’s premier power threats, let’s also look at how valuable he is to this lineup. The Mets’ offense produced baseball’s third-highest wRC+ in 2022. A lot of that had to do with Lindor and Alonso hitting in the middle of it. But when it comes to who is the most valuable, Alonso is the centerpiece of manager Buck Showaler’s order.

If you take out Lindor, the offense gets noticeably worse. If you take Alonso out, though, who is going to be the big homer and RBI threat? Many people spent all winter talking about how New York needs another power bat, and that’s because he’s really the only legitimate one.

Alonso’s performance (11.9 fWAR) has been worth a total of $95.1 million, according to FanGraphs’ Dollars metric. This includes three years of surpassing the $25 million mark (2019, 2021, 2022). Polar Bear has earned just under $9 million during this time, with the majority of it coming last season ($7.4 million). The Mets also clearly know they need to pay this man after agreeing to a $14.5 million salary for 2023 — an arbitration record for first basemen.

Spotrac pegs Alonso’s market value at $32.1 million per season over a 10-year span. His comparable players include Lindor, Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million), and Mookie Betts (12 years, $365 million).

Those numbers seem steep. But, the 28-year-old is a likable homegrown player who is a proven and elite power bat. An extension within the range of 8-10 years for $200-plus million is probably a very real scenario. Judging from how the Mets have operated with some bigger contracts (like Brandon Nimmo’s), they may prefer a longer term to manipulate the luxury-tax impact.

For those people who think this would be ridiculous because New York can acquire premier power via free agency, consider this. Shohei Ohtani will be a legitimate target, but there are hurdles to an agreement coming to place. Players like Manny Machado and Juan Soto could also be options, but they’ll be highly sought after.

As we saw with Jacob deGrom heading to the Texas Rangers, there are no guarantees in free agency. Alonso is already in Flushing, clearly loves being a Met, and thinks the best is yet to come for the organization. Now is the time to lock him at a pretty penny because he’s that valuable to this club in 2023 and into the future.

Plus, if they don’t do it now, the price tag will likely only get more expensive.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Why Pete Alonso should be Mets’ next $200 million player | Elite Sports NY

Cohen himself is wondering this, too. He’s already been talking to upper-level Mets employees about pursuing the 2021 American League MVP next winter.

I talked about this situation last week. It’s easy to see why the Mets would be an attractive landing spot. Eppler is the guy who signed the two-way star to his first deal with the Los Angeles Angels, so there’s that connection. New York has created a winning culture in the clubhouse. It also helps that they’re winning on the field again, too. And last, but most certainly not least, Cohen is MLB’s richest owner. He made lots of money at his day job in 2022. Plus, throwing around big salaries and payroll figures clearly doesn’t intimidate him.

The only potential downside I can see is the Mets’ location. When Ohtani signed his first deal in 2017, he didn’t seriously consider any teams on the East Coast. But who knows, maybe things changed, right? It’s been six years since he came to the States. So, it’s possible Ohtani is more comfortable with his surroundings and the culture. Traveling to the East Coast to play other teams could also help with that.

Not so much, says Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Here’s a note he put in his weekend column about Ohtani’s impending free agency:

Those close to Shohei Ohtani predict he’ll stay out West when he becomes a free agent simply because of his lifestyle. He rarely ventures out, his friends say, and thoroughly enjoys his privacy. 

When he was a free agent coming out of Japan in 2017, he narrowed his choices to seven teams: The Angels, Padres, Dodgers, Mariners, Giants, Rangers and Cubs. The Cubs were the lone finalist not in the NL West or AL West. 

If he’s not a huge fan of nightlife and enjoys his privacy, then New York isn’t the place for him. And that’s completely understandable — it’s not for everyone. A lot can happen between now and November, though. It’s not like the Mets still won’t try.

I mean, come on — do you think that’s going to stop Cohen from trying to get a player he obviously covets? No way, man.

Another thought to try and convince Ohtani that New York could be a place to settle down is to acquire him via trade before this summer’s deadline. That’ll allow him an opportunity to see if it’s a good fit or not. Of course, there are other variables in play with that potential solution.

The Angels would have to be out of contention and convinced a long-term deal can’t be reached. New York would also have to empty out the farm system for a rental player with no guarantee he’d re-sign. And then there’s Angels owner Arte Moreno, who isn’t selling the club anymore and constantly gets in his own way.

Most people probably assumed this would be the biggest stumbling block to the Mets landing Ohtani next winter. So, hearing it from Nightengale isn’t at all surprising. But it’ll just make the chase for Cohen and the Mets that much more exciting, I suppose.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets will have unsurprising disadvantage in Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes | Elite Sports NY

McNeil got his deal. Now we can hope the attention turns to Alonso so he can be locked up for the long haul prior to Opening Day.

When it comes to the Mets’ second baseman/resident Hit Machine, the extension both parties agreed on looks extremely team-friendly. Like Atlanta Braves-esque team-friendly. Alright, well, not as bad as Ozzie Albies’ deal (seven years for $35 million). But still, it’s a huge discount for New York considering McNeil’s production since debuting in 2018.

The Flying Squirrel is set to earn $50 million over the next four years. This deal includes a club option for the fifth year, which could bring the total value to $63.75 million. So, New York bought out McNeil’s final two arbitration years and the first two (or three) of his free-agent years.

The left-handed hitter made his MLB debut on July 24, 2018. Since that moment, McNeil has produced 16.1 fWAR. That’s already among the most in franchise history, and since the start of 2018, that number is tied with Tim Anderson for the 31st highest in baseball. If we specifically look at second basemen, it’s the third highest. He only trails Jose Altuve (22.0) and Marcus Semien (20.1).

So, the Mets just locked up one of the game’s best second basemen for the next four at an average annual value of $12.5 million.

When laying it out this way, it sounds like an extreme bargain. But how much of a bargain, exactly? This is where FanGraphs’ Dollars metric is helpful, as it puts a specific value on a player’s yearly production. It values 1.0 fWAR at about $8 million. Let’s take a look at each of McNeil’s full seasons so far (so, no 2020 here).

In 2018, he made $202,170 (the pro-rated league minimum). His performance was worth $23 million thanks to his 2.9 fWAR. His salary went up to $567,714 in 2019, but so did his overall value. McNeil’s 4.8 fWAR was worth $38.5 million.

McNeil made $642,251 in 2021, which was a down year for him. But still, his performance came in at 1.3 fWAR, valued at $10.8 million. And then, of course, came his career year in 2022, which included 5.9 fWAR while making just $3 million. That performance was worth $46.9 million.

The 30-year-old’s 2023 projections also make it look like he’ll be extremely valuable again for the Mets. ZiPS has him at 3.3 fWAR, while Steamer has him at 3.6. Even with a significant pay raise to $12.5 million, New York is getting a significant deal. Just not as much as before.

Could McNeil have gotten more on the open market? It’s certainly possible, but he wasn’t due to hit free agency for another two seasons, which would’ve been ahead of his age-33 campaign. What he does well on the field will likely age nicely, making him a productive player and able to sustain above-average performances into his mid-30s.

But for someone reaching free agency that late in his career, there’s some risk. Plus, two years is a long time from now. McNeil gets the security he likely desired and the Mets get cost certainty for the next few years while retaining a popular homegrown player. That sounds like a win for everyone (but most definitely more so for the Mets).

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: How much of a bargain are Mets getting with Jeff McNeil? | Elite Sports NY

The Mets have locked down the reigning National League batting champion. They have signed McNeil to a four-year extension with a club option for a fifth season, according to ESPN. The deal — $50 million over the four years, or $12.5 million a year, with a bump to $13.75 million in Year 5 — allows player and team to avoid arbitration.

MORE: 4 Mets who will exceed preseason projections in 2023

The deal is certainly team-friendly. But it also makes sense for McNeil. The second baseman/outfielder turns 31 in April, was not scheduled to hit free agency until after the 2024 season and is not a big bopper. From ESPN:

Because McNeil wasn’t set to reach free agency until just before his age-33 season, the specter of teams penalizing him for his age, plus the market not necessarily rewarding contact-oriented players, made the extension more appealing. … The possibility that batting averages could pick up with the implementation of a pitch clock and a ban on defensive shifts could make McNeil’s skill set less unique.

The Mets’ 2023 payroll is now projected to be $467 million including luxury tax. And it will almost assuredly grow. Owner Steve Cohen has plenty of cash to redirect after the Carlos Correa deal fell through and the Mets could still use another bat. You also figure they will be aggressive at the trade deadline if needed. Oh, and a Pete Alonso contract extension now figures to be the next order of business.

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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets lock down Jeff McNeil with contract extension | Elite Sports NY

We’re all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children’s game, we just don’t… don’t know when that’s gonna be. Some of us are told at eighteen, some of us are told at forty, but we’re all told.

Former Mets reliever, Dae-Song Koo, has effectively dodged this issue much longer than anyone would’ve expected. I don’t know how I missed this when it happened, but the 53-year-old has appeared in three games for Geelong-Korea in the Australian Baseball League this season.

Yes, you read that right … as a 53-year-old!

He allowed two runs in 2.1 innings of work, but in what was likely his last appearance as a professional pitcher, Koo worked a perfect inning on 19 pitches, which included two strikeouts. Check it out:

Last night 53-year-old Korean and Australian baseball legend Daesung Koo made an appearance for @Geelong_Korea. He did THIS… pic.twitter.com/6Oe1PfrCYO

— Australian Baseball League (@ABL) January 20, 2023

Just incredible. Those lefty relievers always seem to have terrific longevity, but Koo took things to another level.

The southpaw’s pro baseball career included just one year in the big leagues, which was in 2005 with the Mets, his age-35 campaign. He spent the majority of his time in the KBO, while also playing in the Japan Pacific League for a few years. Koo debuted in 1993 as a 23-year-old, so his pro career has spanned 30 (!) years. That’s some Nolan Ryan-esque longevity.

Koo played in consecutive years between 1993 and 2014-15 before things got a little spotty. He threw one scoreless inning as a 48-year-old in 2018-19 for Geelong-Korea before coming back this season for one last hurrah.

That one year with the Mets wasn’t terrible, as he posted a 3.91 ERA in 23 innings of work. Of course, he’ll never be remembered for what he did on the mound. I mean, how could he after this sequence against Randy Johnson and the Yankees at Shea Stadium:

The reaction from the dugout — especially a mic’d up David Wright — was just priceless. So, Koo just added to his already stellar highlight reel with that perfect inning in the ABL. That’s definitely a way to ride off into the sunset.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Former Mets reliever still striking hitters out at 53 years old | Elite Sports NY

What about individual players? They all have to come together and row in the same direction to get back to October. There need to be contributions from the entire roster, but some players are more critical to the Mets’ eventual fate than others.

Essentially, the stars and above-average players need to perform that way. As we wait for actual baseball to be played again, we’re just stuck with projections. The four below players all have a very good chance of exceeding certain expectations that are being put on them by projection systems.

The barometer will be FanGraphs’ Steamer projections, and obviously, we’ll be assuming general health for each of these dudes.

Francisco Lindor

After what was viewed as an underwhelming first year in Queens, Francisco Lindor came all the way back in 2022. He set franchise shortstop records for home runs (26), RBI (107), and fWAR (6.8) while posting a 127 wRC+ and .788 OPS. Four shortstops produced an fWAR above 6.0 last season, but none finished higher than Lindor.

The shortstop’s 2023 Steamer projections include a .249/.322/.430 line with 24 home runs, 86 RBI, 82 runs scored, a 117 wRC+, and 4.6 fWAR.

If the Mets’ lineup is as productive as it was last year — they were the third-best unit in 2022 — it’ll be easier for Lindor to accumulate those counting stats again. He’s collected five years of 20-plus homers and owns a career triple slash of .277/.342/.474.

Lindor debuted in 2015. The only time he’s finished with an fWAR below 4.0 was in 2020. He posted 1.9 fWAR in the pandemic-shortened season. Even in his “rough” first year with the Mets, he finished with 4.2 fWAR. Chances are Lindor will exceed several of these projections, especially since his career numbers/averages are above many of them.

Jose Quintana

New York’s signing of Jose Quintana wasn’t as flashy as the ones for Justin Verlander or Kodai Senga. However, this two-year, $26 million contract could very well be a steal for the Mets.

The 2022 campaign was a huge bounce-back for the southpaw. His 4.0 fWAR was his highest since 2017, while his 2.93 ERA was a new career-best mark. Looking ahead to this season, Steamer is projecting Quintana for a 10-9 record with a 3.81 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, a 21.7% strikeout rate, a 7.6% walk rate, and 1.9 fWAR in 158 innings.

We’ve been around long enough to know a pitcher’s win-loss record isn’t totally up to them, so we can toss that out. Those strikeout and walk rates are in line with his career norms, as are his ERA and WHIP projections.

However, Quintana will find some way to exceed the innings and fWAR projections. He debuted in the big leagues in 2012, so he’s got 11 MLB seasons under his belt. The lefty has tossed more than 160 innings eight times and has surpassed 2.0 fWAR on seven occasions.

Jeff McNeil

Like his new teammate, Jeff McNeil also experienced a bounce-back campaign in 2022. It was rewarding, as he finished with MLB’s highest batting average (.326). His overall numbers were mostly in line with what he did before 2021, too.

McNeil slashed .326/.382/.454 with nine homers, 62 RBI, 73 runs scored, a 143 wRC+, and a 5.9 fWAR.

Outside of 2021, McNeil has never finished with a batting average below .311, a wRC+ worse than 131, or an OPS lower than .836. Steamer is projecting him for a .290/.348/.423 triple slash with 12 homers, 68 RBI, 67 runs scored, a 124 wRC+, and 3.6 fWAR.

Projection systems can’t just forget about one bad year, but McNeil’s resurgence is proof this was just a bump in the road. Out of his three full big-league seasons, he’s finished with at least 4.0 fWAR twice. He may not win another batting title, but the second baseman will probably be in the conversation each year. And he’ll probably outperform

Drew Smith

Entering the offseason, Drew Smith was the only reliever with significant big-league experience guaranteed to return to the Mets’ bullpen. Then, of course, Billy Eppler and Co. brought in plenty of reinforcements.

Smith took some nice steps forward while pitching a career-high 46 innings in 2022. He accumulated just -0.1 fWAR. But, it was accompanied by a 3.33 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, a 28.3% strikeout rate (a career-high), and an 8.0% walk rate. His 3.72 xFIP and 3.12 SIERA show his actual results were legit. However, the right-hander was burned by the long ball (again).

He’s tossed 40-plus innings in a season twice (2021 and 2022). In both instances, Smith’s homers allowed per nine innings rate has been above 1.50 (it was 1.76 last year). That happened despite allowing hard contact at a career-low rate (29.4%). So, I’m thinking he can start putting it all together and outperform his projections. Steamer is pegging him for a 3.90 ERA, a 1.23 HR/9, a 25.1% strikeout rate, an 8.7% walk rate, and 0.2 fWAR in 59 innings.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: 4 Mets players who will exceed preseason projections in 2023 | Elite Sports NY

Moreno sticking around makes it less likely for an extension to get done with Shohei Ohtani before he hits free agency next winter. And, who knows, if the Angels are out of contention by summer, maybe the two-way superstar will actually be available on the trade market (but for a king’s ransom, I’m sure).

We’ve heard rumblings about teams getting ready to pursue Ohtani. Outside of the Angels, we know the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres are definitely interested. The Yankees, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox have also been connected to the right-hander at varying degrees.

This will surely be the most fascinating free agency we’ve ever experienced. Mostly because, well, we’ve never seen a player like Ohtani hit the open market. He’ll be 29 years old in November, and the next contract he signs will almost definitely be for a record amount of money.

So, it’s not surprising that the above teams listed are the ones connected to him right now. Every MLB team wants a player like Ohtani, but there is only a small handful both willing and able to fork over the money necessary to make a deal come together.

Reports were already circulating about New York going after Ohtani next year, but then this quote from a recent article by SNY’s Andy Martino takes the cake:

According to sources, Cohen has already been talking openly to upper-level Mets people about going after Ohtani this winter. The Yankees were fairly aggressive in their exploration of a trade for Ohtani last July, so they can’t be ruled out.

This man is already talking about going after Ohtani…months before his organization is even able to do so. The Mets have a lot of things going for them in a potential pursuit:

They have MLB’s richest owner. He just made a crap ton of money at his “day job” last year, too. He even agreed to pay Carlos Correa $315 million in the span of an afternoon while on vacation in Hawaii (before things fell apart). Do you really think he’ll want to get outbid by someone else for Ohtani? It’s possible but I wouldn’t count on it right now.

The culture shift has happened. While they have their moments, the Mets are no longer the punch line of MLB jokes. There wasn’t a bunch of drama coming out of the clubhouse last year as there had been in recent seasons. Part of that has to do with the players they brought in (Max Scherzer and others). The other part has to do with manager Buck Showalter running the show.

It helps that they won 101 games in 2022 and are expected to be a serious postseason contender again in 2023. For several reasons, Queens has become an attractive landing spot for free agents.

The prior connection. When Ohtani signed with the Angels ahead of the 2018 season, Billy Eppler convinced him to. He was L.A.’s general manager at the time. We don’t know what the extent of their relationship is now, but one would imagine having that previous connection can’t hurt.

So, there you have it. The Mets can offer a competitive team with a winning culture. Eppler will also likely be the one to pursue Ohtani in free agency, something the hurler/slugger is familiar with. What’s the drawback?

The location. When Ohtani first came over from Japan, he stayed away from the East Coast. The Yankees tried hard to woo him, but they didn’t make it to the final round.

In fact, the Cubs were the only team Ohtani seriously considered that didn’t play in the AL or NL West. If Ohtani’s perceived geographical desires haven’t changed, then that’ll be a hurdle the Mets likely won’t be able to overcome.

This is not to say the Mets are the only desirable destination for Ohtani. It’s not that simple. We don’t know exactly what he’s looking for and there’s a lot at stake (around $500 million and the next 10 years or so). However, it’s easy to see how New York can be a serious suitor that ticks many potential boxes for Ohtani. We’ll have to wait and see if the pros can outweigh that one major con, though (that we know of right now, at least).

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Is this the only scenario where Mets don’t land Shohei Ohtani? | Elite Sports NY

Alonso is the type of homegrown power hitter we haven’t yet seen in Queens. He’s the only Mets hitter to accumulate multiple seasons of 40-plus home runs and 100-plus RBI. His 53 homers in 2019 are a franchise record. The same can be said about the 131 RBI he collected in 2022.

Alonso has already carved himself a nice place in franchise record books. If he stays healthy — and stays in New York long-term — his presence will only become more prominent.

What about after the 2023 season, though?

If we use FanGraphs’ Steamer projections, Alonso is pegged to hit .261/.347/.520 with 39 home runs, 110 RBI, and 92 runs scored. That’d lead to a 144 wRC+ and 4.2 fWAR. Using these numbers as guides, let’s see how far Alonso could ascend on certain franchise leaderboards.

Home Runs

Alonso has slugged 146 dingers since his MLB debut in 2019. Nobody in baseball has gone yard more often. That power display already has him among the Mets’ top-10 power hitters, too.

He’s currently seventh all-time, with Carlos Beltran (149) next on his hit list. If Alonso slugs 39 more dingers in 2023, that’ll put him at 185 for his career. He’d move into fifth place, which wouldn’t be far behind Mets Hall of Famer Howard Johnson (192).

Darryl Strawberry’s 252 homers as a Met are still the best in franchise history.

RBI

All those dingers also bring plenty of RBI as a middle-of-the-order threat for New York. Alonso has driven in 380 runs so far as a big leaguer. That’s already good enough for 17th all-time in Mets history.

David Wright is the franchise leader with 970, so Alonso has a way to go to get to the top. But with another 100-RBI campaign in 2023, he can pass quite a few hitters. If we use the 110-RBI projection, that’d bring Alonso’s career total to 490.

This number would help him pass Keith Hernandez (468) for 10th place in Mets history.

Runs Scored

When I hear Alonso’s name, the first thing that comes to mind is him hitting tanks. I know I’m not the only one who thinks that way. Similar to our conversation about RBI, all those tanks also mean he’s crossing the plate himself frequently.

The first baseman has two seasons of at least 95 runs scored (2019 and 2022). Overall, he’s scored 310 times since his debut, which ranks 27th in franchise history. Adding another 92 to his current total would put him at 402, enabling him to pass Michael Conforto (400) for 16th all-time.

Just for reference, Wright is also the Mets’ career leader in this category with 949 runs scored.

Wins Above Replacement

Would you be surprised to hear me say that Wright’s 51.2 fWAR is the most among Mets position players? You shouldn’t be. It’s also not close, as Strawberry is second all-time… with 35.5 fWAR.

Alonso’s 11.9 career fWAR ranks 26th all-time. If we add his Steamer projection of 4.2, he’d be at 16.1, which would be the 17th-highest mark in franchise history. He’d pass names like Gary Carter, Robin Ventura, Tommy Agee, and Daniel Murphy.

It hasn’t been too long, but Alonso has already made his mark with the Mets. This could just be the beginning, so long as New York signs him to an extension so he can stick around for the long haul.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Where Pete Alonso could be on Mets franchise leaderboards after 2023 | Elite Sports NY

Wright’s case is already agonizing because his career was cut short due to injury. Between 2004 and 2013, you could argue the right-handed hitter was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He had seven All-Star Game appearances, two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and three top-10 finishes in National League MVP voting.

During this 1,374-game period, Wright averaged 22 home runs, 34 doubles, 88 RBI, 85 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases while slashing .301/.382/.506. This included six campaigns of 20-plus homers (two with 30-plus) and five seasons of 100-plus RBI. Wright also completed a 30-30 season in 2007.

But after 2013, things started to unravel for Wright from the standpoint of health. He appeared in 134 games in 2014 (his age-31 campaign) but was a shell of his former self. Wright hit .269/.324/.374 with eight homers and 63 RBI in 586 plate appearances. He then appeared in just 77 regular-season games between 2015 and 2018 before officially hanging up his spikes.

The start of his career may help him stay on the ballot for more than one year (he needs to get 5% of votes to stick around). But, it’s hard to see how he eventually gets elected by the writers.

Now that Rolen is in, it’ll make Wright’s time on the ballot that much more agonizing because their overall production was quite similar for a significant period. On all Baseball-Reference player pages (toward the very bottom), there is a section for “Similarity Scores“. Here’s the explanation of it:

Similarity scores are not our concept. Bill James introduced them in the mid-1980s, and we lifted his methodology from his book The Politics of Glory (p. 86-106). To compare one player to another, start at 1000 points and then subtract points based on the statistical differences of each player.

Can you guess who Wright is most similar to between his age-28 and age-33 seasons? Yea, Scott Rolen:

David Wright's "Most Similar By Age" from 28 to 33. Keep in mind that Wright was, effectively, done half way through his age-31 season. pic.twitter.com/cUsQHieQfi

— Dan Lewis (@DanDotLewis) January 25, 2023

Mets fans already wonder what could’ve been if Wright stayed healthy. His debut on the Hall of Fame ballot will just be a reminder of that. In an ideal world, Rolen being part of the 2023 class would’ve paved the way for Wright having a legitimate case to eventually get in.

That (most likely) won’t be the case, though. Even with an abbreviated career, Wright is Mets royalty and is littered across most position-player leaderboards. He’ll be in the Mets Hall of Fame at some point, and his number 5 should get retired in the near future. Those are tremendous honors he surely won’t take lightly. However, it’s hard to not wonder what could’ve been if his career ended differently.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: This tweet makes Mets’ David Wright’s Hall of Fame case more agonizing | Elite Sports NY

General manager Billy Eppler is still hunting for roster upgrades, but the heavy lifting is complete. Instead of continuing to dissect everything we see on social media, let’s pick apart New York’s player projections for 2023, shall we? It’ll feel a little more productive, at least.

After the Mets’ 101-win campaign in 2022, New York has now had 13 teams finish with a winning record since 1997. After checking out the individual fWAR projections for each pitcher expected to be in manager Buck Showalter’s rotation, I’ll look to past seasons and tally up the number of 2.0-plus fWAR and 3.0-plus fWAR hurlers to see if there are any trends.

Current projections for Mets’ 2023 staff

The Mets are heading into this upcoming season with what appears to be enviable depth in the starting rotation. If New York decides to keep Carlos Carrasco, the Amazins will have David Peterson and Tylor Megill as their sixth and seventh starters. Assuming everyone remains healthy throughout Spring Training, of course.

Many teams have to use seven, eight, nine, or even more starting pitchers throughout a season. So, while it seems like Peterson and Megill may not get a chance in the rotation, they’ll probably rack up more starts than many are currently expecting.

Regarding the current rotation mix, here’s what each hurler is projected for this season in terms of fWAR and innings pitched, according to FanGraphs’ Steamer Projections:

• Justin Verlander: 4.0 fWAR in 180 IP
• Max Scherzer: 4.3 fWAR in 191 IP
• Kodai Senga: 2.2 fWAR in 156 IP
• Jose Quintana: 1.9 fWAR in 158 IP
• Carlos Carrasco: 1.7 fWAR in 150 IP

Just for the record, Megill is projected for 1.1 fWAR in 78 innings pitched. Meanwhile, Peterson is tabbed for 0.9 fWAR in 64 frames.

For the top five, the only real unknown is Senga. He’ll be pitching in the big leagues for the first time after spending his entire career in Japan. When it comes to the co-aces in Verlander and Scherzer, though, those numbers are attainable based on previous production and assuming general health.

The same could be said for Carrasco and Quintana. Since 2014, Carrasco has thrown at least 130 innings on six occasions. He’s never produced an fWAR lower than 2.4 in those campaigns. Quintana has thrown 130 innings nine times. The only years he produced an fWAR below 1.9 was in 2012 (his rookie season) and 2018 (1.6 in each year).

Comparing this to past winning seasons

As I mentioned before, the Mets have produced 13 winning seasons since 1997. Outside of 2001 (82-80) and 2005 (83-79), they’ve registered at least 86 wins the other 11 times, which includes nine seasons of 88-plus victories.

Going back through the individual starting-pitcher production for each of these squads, I tallied up the hurlers with 80-plus innings pitched who accumulated at least 2.0 fWAR that year. Then, I wanted to see how many of those performances resulted in 3.0-plus fWAR. Here are those findings.

The only year the Mets didn’t have multiple 2.0-plus fWAR pitchers in their rotation was 1999. Outside of that and 2022, New York’s 2006 squad was the other top regular-season performer. While they had three pitchers accumulate 2.0 fWAR, none of them surpassed 3.0.

But of course, we know that team was carried by a top-tier offense and bullpen.

Looking ahead to the Mets’ upcoming year

This data shows the importance of getting a certain level of production from New York’s rotation in a winning season. An elite unit would be terrific, but it doesn’t have to be full of Verlanders and Scherzers (I’d be open to that, though).

Of these 13 winning seasons, only six squads finished in the postseason (1999, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2022). The 1999 campaign stands out as the lone year without multiple 2.0 fWAR pitchers. However, the only time they produced three hurlers with 3.0 fWAR was in 2000.

Between ’99, ’06, ’15, ’16, and ’22, there have been just five total pitcher seasons of 3.0-plus fWAR in a Mets rotation. The rotation’s 2023 production will likely be top-heavy thanks to Verlander and Scherzer. What will make it hit another level, though, is how the rest of New York’s starters perform. Of these six postseason teams, four of them (2000, 2015, 2016, 2022) had at least four starters accumulate 2.0-plus fWAR.

As we can see above, the 2022 squad had five hurlers surpass that number. That’s tied for the most in one season within this sample. It’s also the first time they reached that number since 2001.

More things have to go right for the 2023 Mets than just having a productive rotation. However, it clearly appears that a fully functioning unit is important to the organization’s recent success more times than not.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Comparing Mets’ 2023 rotation projections to past winning seasons | Elite Sports NY

From The Post:

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s Point72 hedge fund generated more than $2.4 billion in profits for investors last year.

Point72, whose headquarters are located in Stamford, Conn., posted a 10.3% net gain in 2022 despite economic headwinds, according to data from LCH Investments, which was cited by Financial Times.

Cohen, whose net worth has been valued by Bloomberg at nearly $13 billion, pocketed $1.7 billion in personal capital gains from his hedge fund, according to Institutional Investor.

Remember: Cohen paid only $2.4 billion for the team. The guy is clearing roughly $5 million a day. He can go get a new quality setup man for the bullpen every other day if he wants.

MORE: Who could Giants cut this offseason to free up cap space?

Nothing is ever guaranteed with the markets, of course. But this stuff has to make Manny Machado, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and their respective armies of representatives salivate. They just had better hope their medicals check out if and when the time comes.

The Mets’ projected 2023 payroll is sitting in the $330 million range after the Carlos Correa deal fell through. And then you tack on the luxury tax payments and we’re looking at close to $500 million. What a world. The Wilpons feel like a century ago.

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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Steve Cohen’s Mets war chest has already been replenished | Elite Sports NY

On Monday morning, the 2022 MLB batting champion snapped a picture outside Citi Field and shared it to his Instagram story. There wasn’t a caption included, allowing us to take the meaning of it in precisely one million different directions. As usual, Jomboy’s Jack Oliver (AKA Jolly Olive) said out loud what pretty much everyone was already thinking. Or hoping, at least:

Finalizing his extension? pic.twitter.com/fJ38PyuXjm

— jack (@Jolly_Olive) January 23, 2023

Will Sammon of The Athletic said on Twitter McNeil was in town for a Little League appearance. However, it’s easy to see why people would perk up at the sight of this picture.

MLB teams had until Friday, January 13th to agree to 2023 contracts with arbitration-eligible players. The Mets had seven dudes who needed new contracts, and six of them got done before the deadline. McNeil was the only one that didn’t. His camp filed at $7.75 million and the Mets filed at $6.25 million.

While a deal for the upcoming season is obviously necessary, many are hoping both McNeil and Pete Alonso get long-term extensions in the very near future (myself included). They could currently be in the works… or not, depending on how you interpret general manager Billy Eppler’s recent comments. Here’s what MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported after a conference call with the media last week:

Eppler politely brushed aside a question regarding potential contract extensions for Alonso and McNeil, two homegrown stars who each have two years remaining under team control. The window for locking up either player on a team-friendly deal likely closed several years ago, back before Alonso and McNeil had established themselves as middle-of-the-order hitters in their primes. But the Mets should still have interest in discussing new contracts for both, considering their importance to the franchise.

Eppler not commenting on the status of both Jeff McNeil and Alonso makes me feel like they’re trying to get something done. But then again, that’s just my own interpretation and speculation. But now we have this picture on McNeil’s Instagram story.

Could it mean an extension is getting finalized with the Mets’ resident Hit Machine? Or is he just stopping in at the park for something normal and not exciting? The lack of a caption makes me think there’s something exciting happening that he can’t specifically talk about yet.

But then again, I thought Correa’s son wearing an “I Love NY” shirt meant an agreement was coming. So, what the heck do I know, right? But still, we’ve got 23 days until pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie. New York’s offseason is essentially done, meaning we need to find a way to stay busy until players start taking the field. This will help distract us for the time being.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Let’s speculate about Mets 2B Jeff McNeil’s Instagram story | Elite Sports NY

Last week, MLBNerds continued its preseason rankings for each position by looking at the game’s top 50 relievers (in their eyes). New York has several hurlers on this list, but three are ranked between 40 and 50: Brooks Raley (45), David Robertson (46), and Ottavino (49).

The right-handed hurler wasn’t amused by his ranking:

Where were you when Adam Ottavino cooked MLB Nerds pic.twitter.com/2VS9QhxLRI

— jack (@Jolly_Olive) January 19, 2023

I don’t see many places ranking the top 50 relief pitchers in baseball. This is probably how football players feel when new Madden ratings get released, though.

That would’ve been enough, but Otto wasn’t done folks. While this might’ve already been on his profile, my guess is he added it after seeing these rankings:

Adam Ottavino is a savage for having his own Savant link in his IG bio pic.twitter.com/tiSGQbGH8H

— Mets'd Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) January 19, 2023

Ottavino has a point when looking at his Statcast metrics.

The Mets signed him last March to a one-year, $4 million deal, and not many of us thought much of it. This seemed like a decent depth signing to fortify the rotation a bit. But he ended up being one of the bullpen’s most dependable relievers, along with acting as a crucial part of the bridge to closer Edwin Diaz.

He turned that 1.1-fWAR and 2.06 ERA performance into a two-year, $14.5 million deal to stay in Flushing. The second year is a player option.

How much can he improve on this ranking in 2023? Probably not too much, and mostly because ranking the top 50 of anything feels just about impossible — especially relievers. But we now know Otto has no problem letting loose on Instagram when he sees an injustice being done against him.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets reliever Adam Ottavino is looking for some respect on Instagram | Elite Sports NY

The former Mets first baseman announced that his SNY deal was up while chatting with Gary Cohen and Ron Darling toward the end of last season. Right around the holidays, we heard he was still unsigned, which led to some appropriate groans about the Wilpons being cheap, as they still own the network.

There haven’t been many updates about Hernandez’s contract negotiations since then, until earlier this week from Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Keith Hernandez’s contract talks with SNY have been on hold – they were initially scheduled to resume last week. But talks are expected again soon. The two sides were a distance apart on contract terms following an initial offer to Hernandez before the holidays.

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) January 18, 2023

Mets pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Port St. Lucie in 26 days as of Friday. Despite that, a crucial part of New York’s TV broadcasting trio remains unsigned. How worried should people be?

This seems like it’s taking a little while, but it’s not too far outside the ordinary. If we look back at Keith’s last two agreements, they both happened around this time of the year.

In 2016, Hernandez agreed to a four-year deal. News of this agreement hit the Twitter machine on January 12th. By the time 2020 rolled around, Keith and SNY were back at it trying to strike a new deal. This is the contract that just expired, which was worth $2.4 million. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, that agreement was getting finalized around January 15th.

So, yes — the current negotiations have dragged on a little longer than they normally have. And, much longer than many fans are comfortable with. But if talks resumed last week as expected, maybe we would’ve heard about an agreement by now.

It’s still annoying, though. As we saw with the Carlos Correa fiasco, the longer this drags on, the possibility for things to go haywire increases. However, I still refuse to believe there’s any scenario where Hernandez isn’t back in the SNY booth in 2023 and beyond with Ron and Gare, unless it actually happens.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: The Keith Hernandez, SNY contract ordeal is a movie we’ve seen before | Elite Sports NY

Not so fast, folks. At least that’s what SNY’s Andy Martino is saying. In discussing the Mets’ outfield situation, he also threw in a tidbit about Alvarez that has ruffled some feathers:

Mets made offers to McCutchen and Duvall. Here's why those 2 chose elsewhere, why Tommy Pham appears very soon to become a Met, and why Francisco Alvarez will not, repeat will not, be the DH.https://t.co/I4GznMoaQj

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) January 18, 2023

If you read the full article, it’s not just a hot take. It actually makes sense based on everything we know about the Mets’ long-term plan. Here’s what Martino said:

One decision they have already made: Power-hitting catching prospect Francisco Alvarez is not in the full-time DH mix. The way the organization sees it, Alvarez needs to continue to develop as a catcher, which he will probably do in Triple-A at the beginning of the year. He might DH a bit in the big leagues, but cannot be counted on to fill the position on a daily basis.

Alvarez is 21 years old. While he made his big-league debut in 2022, he’s spent just 45 games at Triple-A. He’s the best catching prospect in baseball (according to MLB.com) and the Mets clearly want him to stick at that position for a while.

James McCann now plays for the Baltimore Orioles, but Tomas Nido has been joined by Omar Narvaez on the big-league roster at catcher. That already signaled New York didn’t think Alvarez was ready for everyday catching duties. It’s fair to say the young backstop disagrees, though.

Alvarez is confident his time is now (quote via SNY):

My defense is ready for the major leagues. What the Mets asked me to do was improve my English so I could communicate with the entire pitching staff.

As if that wasn’t clear enough, he also went on record saying he’s “100% sure” he’ll be on the Mets’ Opening Day roster.

These feelings could be based on conversations he’s had with New York’s decision-makers, or it could just be his confidence coming to light. Either way, it’ll be an interesting storyline to follow throughout Spring Training.

The Mets will report to Port St. Lucie with some questions on offense. The hope will be that Eduardo Escobar keeps the momentum going from his strong finish to 2022 and Narvaez gives the lineup more than McCann did at catcher. But, designated hitter is once again a legitimate question.

It’s easy to see the Mets’ rationale for not having Alvarez in the big leagues to be the full-time DH. They want to keep developing the whole package. But for Alvarez to make good on what he’s saying here, there’s only one option. Tear apart Grapefruit League pitching so much that the only choice is to put him on the roster.

What would that take? First of all, New York’s current DH options — which include Pham, Darin Ruf, and Daniel Vogelbach — would need to generally struggle during camp. Alvarez would also have to rip the cover off the ball from start to finish.

While it was a different situation, Pete Alonso’s 2019 Spring Training performance comes to mind. He should’ve gotten promoted to the majors at the end of 2018, but it didn’t happen. Alonso entered camp the following spring with a chance to be the starting first baseman. The slugger had to prove he was ready for it, though.

He proceeded to slash .352/.387/.620 with 10 extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple, four homers), 11 RBI, four walks, and 12 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances. That won him the job, and things went pretty well from there.

All MLB teams want their top prospects to get the appropriate amount of development before getting their chance at the game’s highest level. Things don’t always go according to plan, though. Players sometimes force their respective teams to make a decision. It appears the stars will have to align for Alvarez to be on the Mets’ Opening Day roster. However, the blueprint to make it happen is there.

And, even if he and Brett Baty begin 2023 in Triple-A, they’ll probably be the first ones called upon to join Buck Showalter’s club if an offensive jolt is needed.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Francisco Alvarez will have to force Mets’ hand in Spring Training | Elite Sports NY

And then this interesting nugget is unearthed via manager Buck Showalter’s sit-down with NJ.com:

Q: Losing deGrom started this chain rotation. In retrospect, was it inevitable that he’d leave the Mets? Or was there ever a chance he’d stay?

A: Everyone would’ve liked to have Jake. We had a chance and took steps to make it happen. But Texas made him a lengthier offer.

Q: Was it just a matter of getting out-bid, though? Did you feel Jake was all that happy in New York?

A: Yes, I do. I just talked to him the other day. He said, “someday I’d like to sit down with you and explain what really happened. I really thought I’d be back there.”

I’ll take him at his word, but I think it’s pretty simple: the Rangers made him an offer that was light-years ahead of everyone else. Plus there’s no state income tax (in Texas) and he was looking for a place to spread out. He’s got it. Jake will be happy there and he’ll pitch well. He was great to have around, he was always good with me. But the thing is, Jake is from rural central Florida. He just wants to be left alone to pitch. We’ll miss him, but I can’t dwell on it at this point.

MORE: Mets’ official website features egregious typo (we hope)

We agree with Showalter’s assessment. The Rangers made deGrom a substantial — some would say reckless — offer he could not refuse. The Mets did not want to match it given his injury history. And that was that. But who knows? Maybe there is some shocking behind-the-scenes explanation. Hopefully Buck and Jake can grab a beer down the road and hammer it out if so.

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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Jacob deGrom told Buck Showalter there’s a ‘real’ story behind Mets exit | Elite Sports NY

Since then, Mets targets had come off the board because of agreements with other teams.

First, it was Andrew McCutchen. New York pursued him hard, but Cutch opted for a return to the Pittsburgh Pirates (plus more guaranteed playing time). Then, it was Trey Mancini, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. The Mets’ preferred list of options took another hit on Wednesday, too. The Boston Red Sox agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Adam Duvall.

Not long ago, we listed four players the Mets were interested in for this fourth-outfielder role. Three of them have signed elsewhere, leaving Jurickson Profar as the only free agent left. As options have gotten crossed off the list, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported New York was also kicking the tires on Tommy Pham.

That’s exactly the guy they landed on for this role, according to Michael Mayer of Metsmerized and others. This is not a perfect fit by any means, but at this point in the winter, not many perfect fits are left on the free-agent market.

There were two reasons why I would’ve liked to see New York find an option other than Pham. One is his lack of defense. The soon-to-be 35-year-old ranked in just the ninth percentile of Statcast’s Outs Above Average (OAA) metric last season. Then there was the whole fantasy football fiasco that resulted in Pham slapping Joc Pederson.

SNY’s Andy Martino reports the Mets did ample background work on Pham and felt he’d be a positive in the clubhouse. So you’d have to hope the vetting was thorough enough and that’s true. And it’s not like he’s going to be playing every day on the field. The defense appears subpar, but it ideally won’t be experience for prolonged periods of time.

His offensive numbers show why he was a player the Mets pursued. Sure, he slugged 17 homers in 2022, but it was accompanied by a 0.6 fWAR, 89 wRC+, and .686 OPS. The biggest draw was likely his performance against left-handed pitching. He posted a .784 OPS and 115 wRC+ against southpaws last year. Those numbers are .832 and 132, respectively, for his career.

If you look around Mets Twitter, people are annoyed New York didn’t land any of the other options listed above. But it takes two to tango. Both Cutch and Duvall are joining teams that are guaranteeing playing time for them. That’s something the Mets couldn’t do. They tried to convince them otherwise, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Dwindling outfield market leads Mets to signing Tommy Pham | Elite Sports NY

These dudes don’t have their official jersey numbers yet. It’s pretty much a formality for Ottavino, though. He was with the Mets in 2022 and sported a “0” on his back. It’s a number he’s worn since 2013, so there’s no reason to think it’ll change now.

Things are a little more unknown for Narvaez. He’s worn number 10 for the Milwaukee Brewers for the past three seasons. Eduardo Escobar donned that jersey number in 2022 for New York, so something needs to change here. If you check out the active roster on the Mets’ official website, there’s a “10” next to both of their names. But if you click on each individual player, that’s where hearts start to race.

Here’s what Narvaez’s page looks like:

And here’s what Escobar’s page looks like:

Do you see the problem here? Yes, that’s right — Escobar is currently number 5. You know, David Wright’s number. It’s not retired (yet), so it’s technically up for grabs, but Wright’s position in Mets history should obviously take it out of circulation for eternity. Even before it officially gets hung next to the others at Citi Field.

It’s easy to love Escobar’s personality. His strong finish to 2022 made it easier to love him. Heck, even if Carlos Correa did sign with New York, I didn’t think it was wise to trade him away. But this is just ridiculous, folks.

I know this is a typo. Team owner Steve Cohen has made it a priority to honor Mets history more than the previous regime. There’s no way this will actually happen. But it’s just not right. It looks like this has been up on the site since Tuesday, too.

There doesn’t need to be an explanation for this. We know this is a technical glitch. And we know Escobar would never try and angle for number 5 knowing the team he plays for. But it’s hurting my eyes and needs to get fixed. Like, yesterday. Literally.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets’ official website features egregious typo (we hope) | Elite Sports NY

We haven’t even gotten to the 2023 season yet, but some are already thinking about the top players set to hit the open market next winter. Unless he signs an extension with the Los Angeles Angels (or gets traded and signs one with his new team), Shohei Ohtani will be the best and most fascinating player available. The other is Manny Machado. He doesn’t have to be a free agent, but another MVP-caliber performance for the San Diego Padres could spur him to trigger his opt-out.

As the Correa saga reached its final stages, rumors began circulating that New York was considering a Machado pursuit next winter. And based on Cohen’s propensity for signing top free agents, both will be in the Mets’ sights.

Since he’s the richest owner in baseball and is clearly not scared of having a high luxury-tax bill, many will say, “Well, why not both?”

While this sounds like a ridiculous thought, this winter has proved that nothing is out of the realm of possibility for the Mets. If they feel that’s the best way to supplement the team, that’s what they’ll try to accomplish. Both Ohtani and Machado would be interesting fits for New York, too.

Shohei Ohtani

We know Ohtani will be starting 2023 with the Angels. However, there’s no guarantee he’ll be ending the year with Los Angeles. If the Halos are out of contention by the summer, there should be some legitimate trade rumors swirling around the two-way superstar.

One would imagine Ohtani would like to reach free agency over signing an extension because the pursuit of him will surely be the most fascinating in baseball history. The Mets will reportedly be in on him, as will the Dodgers. We can also add the Padres to this list of serious potential suitors. You’d think San Diego’s pursuit would intensify if Machado opts out and wants to go elsewhere, too.

It’s easy to see how Ohtani would fit in Queens. The rotation is full of short-term solutions (Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, and Jose Quintana). New York also still doesn’t have a legitimate solution for designated hitter. Ohtani would satisfy both of those needs quite easily.

Having Kodai Senga in Flushing could be a draw, and general manager Billy Eppler was the guy who signed Ohtani to the Angels in the first place.

Manny Machado

If Machado indeed opts out, he’ll probably want a raise from his $30 million annual average value. However, it’d be attractive to the Mets because he’s not only an elite player, but Machado also wouldn’t be looking for a 10- or 12-year deal like Correa.

He’s spent the majority of his career playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at third base. And unlike Correa, Machado brings a proven track record of hitting 30-plus homers in a season. He also has a relationship with manager Buck Showalter. Their paths crossed during the first part of his career in Baltimore.

Machado would be entering his age-31 campaign in 2024. In addition to securing another big payday, the veteran would probably also be prioritizing a chance to win a World Series before he hangs his spikes up. The Mets would qualify as a team that’d give him that opportunity.

So, which one should the Mets focus on?

You can’t go wrong in this scenario. Machado and Ohtani are both game-changers in their own ways for any roster they occupy.

If New York has to pick one, I’d rather them focus on Ohtani. His contract will probably be longer and more expensive, but he fills multiple needs. He provides the big power bat while also adding an elite arm to the rotation. You can’t beat that.

And by the end of the 2023 season, the Mets may not even think they need to pursue Machado based on how things play out with top prospect Brett Baty. Whenever he gets back to the big leagues for good, I’m sure the organization would love to see him run with the opportunity, giving them a cost-controlled option with lots of upside for the future.

The Mets’ focus in next year’s free-agent market is anyone’s guess at this point. A lot of it will be determined by how the season plays out. But if the past two offseasons have set any precedent, another big Mets splash is coming. The only other question would be…how many big splashes will New York make?

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Should Mets focus on Shohei Ohtani or Manny Machado next winter? | Elite Sports NY

How positive is Alonso? Even when the Mets were in the midst of that horrific second-half tailspin out of first place in 2021, he continually made statements about how the club was going to turn it around and get to the playoffs.

Obviously, that didn’t happen. In a game of failure like baseball, though, it’s important to have confidence in yourself and your teammates. If you don’t, then it’ll be hard to go out and actually have success on the diamond. Alonso spoke with the media before his “Battle of the Bay” Home Run Derby event in Tampa, and he said lots of stuff that isn’t surprising to many Mets fans.

Among the things he discussed was the immediate outlook for New York (quote via Tampa Bay Times):

I think that we have a great core of kids. We have great talent. And I feel like we made some really positive additions. So it’s going to be really exciting.

I feel like we’re on the brink of something extremely special. And I know that we don’t just want to win one (championship). We want to win multiple championships. And in order to do that, we’ve got to perform. We definitely have the talent to be able to do that.

If I had to guess what Alonso would’ve said about the Mets’ future, this is pretty much what I’d think he’d say. Unlike the second half of 2021, though, he’s got legitimate reasons to feel this way. Sure, New York was eliminated from the postseason way too soon, but it was still a banner year. After all, the last time the Mets won at least 100 regular-season games was in 1988. And there were many moments throughout the year when it felt like something special was brewing in Queens.

That ultimately didn’t happen, but Alonso likely thinks it’s still the foundation for a special run. Mets fans will just take one World Series title right now. It’s been a long wait since 1986. But once that first one is finally achieved, more would be cool, too.

During this media availability, Alonso was asked if he and the Mets have had discussions about a potential contract extension. He’s fresh off setting an arbitration record for first basemen with his $14.5 million contract for 2023, and that’s all he was willing to talk about at the moment.

If the Mets are smart, they’ll find a way to extend Alonso (and Jeff McNeil) before the first pitch is thrown on Opening Day. Even if it doesn’t happen within the next few months, there’s no way Alonso wants to be anywhere else. There are many Mets fans that feel the same way about the Polar Bear.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Pete Alonso: Mets are ‘on the brink of something extremely special’ | Elite Sports NY

The Amazins are fresh off a 101-win campaign and a premature exit in their first postseason appearance since 2016. There are a few players with a little extra something to prove in 2023. Here are five who land in that category and why.

Max Scherzer

There’s no way around it — Max Scherzer’s influence on the Mets was incredibly positive throughout 2022. And I’m talking about both on the field and in the clubhouse. That’s what happens when a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and notorious grinder joins your club.

Overall, Scherzer’s numbers were predictably dominant. Despite two Injured List trips, the right-hander posted an 11-5 record with a 2.29 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 30.6% strikeout rate, and 4.2% walk rate in 145.1 innings pitched. With Jacob deGrom limited to just 11 starts last year, Scherzer’s mostly consistent presence (23 starts) was huge for New York’s rotation.

But as good as those numbers were, there was a sour taste left in his mouth (and fans’ mouths) thanks to his last two starts. First, it was his start against the Atlanta Braves in the second-to-last regular-season series. He allowed four runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings. This included two homers, which was the first time he allowed more than one homer in a start since May 1st. Then, of course, came his disastrous Game 1 start against the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series. Scherzer allowed seven runs in 4.2 innings while surrendering four homers.

He can have another great regular season, but fans will want to see Scherzer finish the job and be just as dominant in September and October. Especially since he’s earning more than $40 million per year.

Eduardo Escobar

For about three weeks, many Mets fans thought Carlos Correa would be playing third base in Flushing this spring. If that deal actually got finalized, Eduardo Escobar would’ve been on the trade block (which I didn’t think was a good idea anyway). Now that Correa has officially re-signed with the Minnesota Twins, the Mets’ third-base situation looks just about identical to what it did at the end of 2022.

Escobar appears to be entrenched as the starter for now. However, Brett Baty will probably be taking his place sometime in the near future. If Baty doesn’t force the issue immediately, it’ll be up to Escobar to provide the offense he did in September, not what he did from April through August last season.

Through August 28th (413 plate appearances), Escobar hit .214/.266/.380 with 12 home runs, 44 RBI, and 41 runs scored, which sussed out to an 83 wRC+. His final 129 trips to the plate yielded a .328/.388/.595 line with eight home runs, 25 RBI, and 17 runs scored. Those numbers produced a 176 wRC+.

Escobar doesn’t need to replicate his late-season performance throughout 2023 (although that’d be nice). But, he could produce a 3.0-fWAR campaign if his offense is a little more consistent. His personality has endeared him to the fan base, and he’d be even more beloved if he can come close to repeating his finish in 2022.

Drew Smith

When the offseason began, the only pitcher in the bullpen with significant big-league experience was Drew Smith. Thankfully, other impact arms joined him in short order. This includes Edwin Diaz, Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, and David Robertson.

Smith took some steps forward in 46 innings pitched last season. He posted a 28.3% strikeout rate with an 8.0% walk rate, making his 20.3% strikeout-to-walk ratio a single-season career-high mark. His 3.33 ERA and 1.15 WHIP were solid for his role out of the ‘pen, but the right-hander also finished with -0.1 fWAR. Part of that was due to allowing 1.76 home runs per nine innings of work.

The 29-year-old has two years left before hitting free agency. He enjoyed some solid stretches throughout 2022, and Smith could get a greater role within middle relief as a bridge between the rotation to the back of the bullpen. The righty now gets a chance to show he’s capable of putting it all together from start to finish.

Francisco Alvarez

It’s hard for Mets fans to not fall in love with Francisco Alvarez. His top-prospect pedigree helps, but I’m talking more about his confidence. He’s just 21 years old and shows his personality has the sizzle necessary to play (and succeed) in New York.

Despite not playing above High-A entering 2022, Alvarez’s goal was to make it to the big leagues. He accomplished that goal. What about 2023? Alvarez expects to be on the Opening Day roster. After whiffing on a major upgrade for the offense this winter, the young catcher could be an X-factor for New York.

He may not be donning the tools of ignorance most days of the week, but he could make an impact as a designated hitter. At the moment, those duties are to be shared by Darin Ruf and Daniel Vogelbach, which has the potential to be a problem (again) for New York.

It’s been said the Mets need more thump in their lineup. Alvarez has shown promise in that department while tearing apart minor-league pitching. Is he ready for the bright lights of New York despite just 45 games in Triple-A and a cup of coffee in the big leagues?

Alvarez will report to Port St. Lucie with all the top-prospect hype. He also must prove now is his time to be a crucial piece for the Mets.

Brandon Nimmo

Outside of Aaron Judge, Brandon Nimmo was the best outfielder available on the free-agent market. So, it was great news that the Mets re-signed him, even if some think his $162 million price tag was too high. Talent isn’t a question for Nimmo. He’s dramatically improved his center-field defense while being an above-average leadoff hitter.

Projections expect Nimmo to produce another year of 4.0 fWAR. The only question here is whether he can stay on the field for the majority of the year again. Since debuting in 2016, he’s appeared in more than 92 games just twice. One happened in 2018 and the other was in 2022, conveniently right before he hit free agency.

He’s produced at least 4.8 fWAR in each of those campaigns. So the results speak for themselves — when Nimmo plays regularly, he’s going to put up numbers. He just needs to stay on the field. Putting together another healthy season will help him shed any “injury-prone” labels associated with the outfielder.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: 5 Mets players with something to prove in 2023 | Elite Sports NY

During his Twins press conference, Correa and agent Scott Boras both shared thoughts on what’s ended up being a crazy offseason. Correa was “surprised” that both the San Francisco Giants and Mets weren’t comfortable finalizing a deal. And then there’s Boras, who seemed annoyed that the Mets consulted with the same doctor the Giants did about his client’s ankle.

We know how badly owner Steve Cohen wanted to sign Carlos Correa. So if New York ended up walking away altogether, you had to think the concerns were legitimate. That was evidenced by reports of their negotiations with the infielder. An agreement on a 12-year guaranteed deal went down to six years while Correa’s camp and the Mets negotiated. And, while New York was reportedly open to guaranteeing those six years, part of their proposal was to reportedly have each following year guaranteed only after taking (and passing) an end-of-season physical.

Why did the Mets play hardball like this? ESPN’s Michael Kay shed some light with information he received about the Mets’ concerns with Correa’s ankle:

New inside info from @RealMichaelKay on the Mets not signing Correa…

“The Mets felt he had 3 or 4 years at best before they thought that the ankle was going to go…if it goes, he’s not going to play again. The surgery would be to correct it so that he would have a normal life”. pic.twitter.com/wdRKYq3syi

— Brad Badini (@celeBRADtion) January 13, 2023

This is… eye-opening. We heard many times throughout this ordeal that Correa’s ankle has never given him an issue as a big leaguer. However, it was repaired in 2014. With so much time between then and now, a concern was that it’d be an issue soon. Maybe not this year, the year after, or the year after that, but soon enough for someone signing a decade-long contract.

The second part of what Kay shared is even more surprising. If the ankle did need repairing, maybe he’d be out for a year, come back, and be able to finish out his deal. That’s not what doctors and the Mets’ front office thought, though. But then again, if the condition of Correa’s ankle was this serious, why would the Twins guarantee him $200 million?

It seems like things only went on as long as they did because Cohen really wanted to make it work. However, he ultimately listened to what the doctors and his baseball people had to say.

Time will tell if Correa’s ankle gives out and becomes a huge issue for him and the Twins. It may end up never being an issue, but in this case, the risk outweighed the reward for the Mets. And while I initially thought the potential of conditionally guaranteeing the first six years of his deal sounded ridiculous, it makes more sense if this information is legitimate.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: ESPN’s Michael Kay shares scoop on why Mets-Carlos Correa talks fizzled | Elite Sports NY

A quick recap: First, it was Correa for 12 years, $315 million. A flagged medical report later, it was only six years and $157.5 million with incentives and options. Correa eventually returned to Minnesota for six years and $200 million, plus $70 million across four vesting options.

The Mets look strong headed into 2023, but we all know owner Steve Cohen at this point. Much like John Hammond and his ill-fated park, he’ll spare no expense to make champions of the Mets.

Enter Manny Machado, six-time All-Star infielder and Padres fan favorite. He’s also expected to opt-out of his 10-year, $300 million contract and co-headline next winter’s free agency class with Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani. Even with Brett Baty entrenched at third base, we have to assume Cohen will try and ink Machado.

Why? Well, for one, as I write this, the Mets’ depth chart on ESPN still lists Correa as their starting third baseman:

Clearly, the Mets might also think Baty is outfield bound because they were (at least at one point) ready to commit hundreds of millions of dollars to Correa.

Why not invest that same money (and perhaps more) in Machado? His 7.4 fWAR led the National League in 2022 and he’s a consistent threat to hit at least 30 home runs. Machado is also an elite glove at third base. His career defensive runs saved (DRS) at the hot corner is a robust +97. Machado can play shortstop in an emergency too and has never missed significant time with an injury.

So should Mets fans prepare for Machado to sign that same 12-year, $315 million contract?

Let’s slow our roll. First, Machado turns 31 in July. He’s unlikely to get a deal for over 10 years even if he has a career year in 2023. He’s not so larger than life like Aaron Judge either that he’ll soon earn $40 million a year, though he will certainly command it.

This still won’t intimidate Cohen. Anyone who knows baseball knows Machado is a legitimate superstar. He’s practically perfect for New York. Moreover, signing with the Mets and winning a World Series with them would be the ultimate revenge against the Yankees for not making him an offer in his first free agency in 2018.

A 12-year contract isn’t happening. Not when Machado’s already past 30 years old.

Yet, perhaps a strong nine-year, $345 million offer will get the job done. The Mets get the elite corner infielder they need, and Machado plays out the rest of his career in baseball’s biggest media market.

Follow ESNY on Twitter @elitesportsny

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: With no Carlos Correa, should Mets pursue Manny Machado in 2024? | Elite Sports NY

I mean, do you remember the whole Carlos Correa thing? How he was going to play next to Francisco Lindor for the next decade? No, I don’t remember that either (I’m kidding).

After things fell apart and Correa re-signed with the Minnesota Twins, the Mets were left with the same mixture of guys for the hot corner. Eduardo Escobar is the veteran, while Mark Vientos and Brett Baty are the prospects with experience there.

Baty is viewed as the future at the position for New York. But when will the future officially start? Baty landed in the big leagues on August 17th last season, making his presence felt by hitting a home run in his first plate appearance.

He appeared in 11 games for the Mets before needing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. In 42 plate appearances, Baty slashed .184/.244/.342 with a 71 wRC+. Nothing worth drooling over, but it was interesting to get a glimpse of the sweet swing everybody talks about.

Looking ahead to 2023, it’s all but a certainty that Baty will be in big-league camp during Spring Training. One would imagine New York will give him every opportunity during Grapefruit League action to see if the 23-year-old is deserving of an Opening Day roster spot. But if that doesn’t happen, when could we see Baty in the big leagues again?

As part of a mailbag, MLB.com prospect expert Jim Callis provided some insight on Baty’s defense and his immediate future:

Brett Baty’s ability to hit for average and power made him the 12th overall pick by the Mets in the 2019 Draft and has established him as one of the best young offensive prospects in baseball. When he was a Texas high schooler, there were questions about whether he’d be agile enough to remain at third base or outgrow the position. He has answered them by working to become a capable defender at the hot corner, where his strong arm is his best asset and his range is decent.

Baty won’t win any Gold Gloves at third base, but he’s can play there for a while. Among Mets prospects who could wind up at the hot corner, he’s a lesser defender than Ronny Mauricio but better than Mark Vientos. New York should give him its third-base job at some point in 2023 because he’d offer more offense and at least as much defense as 34-year-old incumbent Eduardo Escobar.

Callis isn’t reporting any breaking news from a source here or anything. However, this might be what the Mets try and do with Baty this season. Mostly because it’s what they did in 2022.

If Baty doesn’t light the world on fire in Spring Training and make the Opening Day roster, he should play every day in Triple-A. While he did make the jump to the majors last year, Baty pretty much got there straight from Double-A. After slashing .312/.406/.544 in 89 games for Binghamton, he made a quick six-game pit stop in Syracuse before meeting New York in Atlanta.

Between that and the unimpressive numbers during his big-league cup of coffee, he could benefit from more time in Triple-A. This would let the Mets see how the offense looks and if Escobar’s strong 2022 finish carries over to 2023.

If the Mets need another jolt of offense, Baty could provide that by getting promoted in the late spring/early summer. And if he can run with the job, it’d make Escobar a valuable utility player who could still accumulate consistent at-bats as the designated hitter.

MORE ON ESNY:
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• Mets showing interest in 4 free-agent hitters. Who fits best?
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Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: What might Mets’ 2023 plan be for Brett Baty? | Elite Sports NY

The Mets, Yankees, and every other MLB team have until Friday to reach agreements with their arbitration-eligible players. If the deadline passes without an agreement, both sides (the team and player) will submit the number they feel is deserving to an arbitrator, who will then decide which is more appropriate.

Both New York squads have several players who are arbitration-eligible for 2023. MLB Trade Rumors does a terrific job of projecting these salaries each year. They released the most recent version in October, but it’s worthwhile to revisit them to remind us approximately what kind of money these guys could be making this year.

Mets arbitration salary projections

The Mets have both shed and added arbitration-eligible players this winter. The most obvious non-tender candidate was Dominic Smith. He was let go and will now be playing for the Washington Nationals.

Instead of going through arbitration, New York exercised Daniel Vogelbach’s $1.5 million team option. Southpaw Joey Lucchesi and the Mets have already agreed upon his $1.15 million salary for 2023, as well. The following players are still in need of an official contract for the upcoming year. The MLBTR salary projections are also included:

• Pete Alonso: $15.9 million
• Jeff McNeil: $6.2 million
• Tomas Nido: $1.6 million
• Luis Guillorme: $1.5 million
• Drew Smith: $1.2 million
• Elieser Hernandez: $1.8 million
• Jeff Brigham: $800K

I’ve been banging this drum for the last month or two (as have many others), but let’s hope the Mets approach Alonso and McNeil about extensions this spring. They’re both set to hit free agency following the 2024 season. It’d be nice if they joined Brandon Nimmo as the next lifelong Mets.

Yankees arbitration salary projections

On the other side of town, the Yankees have plenty of arbitration situations they’ll try settling before the exchange deadline. Unlike the Mets, the Bronx Bombers non-tendered nobody ahead of the deadline in November.

Tom Locastro is now on the Mets, though, and Lucas Luetge was designated for assignment before getting sent to the Atlanta Braves. Isiah Kiner-Falefa also already agreed to a $6 million salary in his last year prior to hitting free agency. The same could be said about Lou Trivino, who is set to make $4.1 million.

After taking those four away, New York still has 10 arbitration-eligible players on the roster. Here they are with MLBTR’s salary projections:

• Wandy Peralta: $3.1 million
• Frankie Montas: $7.7 million
• Gleyber Torres: $9.8 million
• Clay Holmes: $2.9 million
• Jonathan Loaisiga: $2.1 million
• Domingo German: $2.6 million
• Kyle Higashioka: $1.7 million
• Nestor Cortes: $3.5 million
• Jose Trevino: $2 million
• Michael King: $1.2 million

We’ll see how many of these players for both the Mets and Yankees come to agreements before Friday’s deadline. And, in the Yankees’ case, how many remain on the roster come Opening Day (*cough* Gleyber *cough*).

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Here are salary projections for Mets, Yankees arbitration-eligible players | Elite Sports NY

At the moment, the only primary outfielder on the roster other than the three starters (Mark Canha, Brandon Nimmo, and Starling Marte) is Khalil Lee. He hasn’t had much big-league experience, and the 24-year-old also just slashed .211/.326/.366 with an 89 wRC+ in 418 Triple-A plate appearances in 2022.

So, it’s not shocking that the Mets are on the hunt for more of a sure thing. Plus, Lee bats left-handed and New York is in search of a right-handed hitter.

Pretty soon after the Carlos Correa situation resolved itself, general manager Billy Eppler went back to work. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the Mets’ interest in Andrew McCutchen. SNY’s Andy Martino also mentioned the team has reached out to Adam Duvall and Trey Mancini. Last, but most certainly not least, Metsmerized’s Mike Mayer added Jurickson Profar’s name to this list.

Duvall, Mancini, and Profar are three hitters I mentioned a couple of weeks ago as potential fits for what the Mets are looking for. Cutch is a new name to add to this bunch.

Mayer quickly mentioned why certain players would fit better (or worse), but let’s dive into it a little more.

Adam Duvall and Jurickson Profar

These two are bunched together because they’re still out on the open market with hopes of landing a regular role for 2023.

Duvall was limited to 86 games last year due to injury. But in 2021, he racked up career highs in home runs (38) and RBI (113) while helping the Atlanta Braves win a World Series. His 2.7 fWAR during that campaign was also a single-season career-high mark. So, even though his 2022 numbers (87 wRC+, 0.9 fWAR) aren’t much to write home about, his agent can point to those big numbers.

But, even with all that, his 2021 offensive performance was just about league average (103 wRC+). Duvall has slugged 30-plus homers three times, but he also carries a career 89 wRC+ and a 30.9% strikeout rate with him into 2023.

Profar had his best overall year in the big leagues for the San Diego Padres in 2022. The 29-year-old slashed .243/.331/.391 with 15 homers, 58 RBI, and 82 runs scored. His performance led to a 110 wRC+ and a career-high 2.5 fWAR. He spent the majority of his season in left field for San Diego, but Profar has played all over the diamond.

There are several teams pursuing Bryan Reynolds. So, depending on how that situation plays out, an outfield-needy team may turn in one of their directions. That’s probably what they’re both hoping for.

Trey Mancini

Mancini switched teams at the trade deadline and won a World Series with the Houston Astros. That was certainly worth it for him, but his individual performance suffered. The right-handed hitter posted just a 77 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR in 186 plate appearances following the trade deadline.

A couple of things are attractive about a potential Mancini-Mets union. He’s consistently shown the potential to slug 20-plus homers, and manager Buck Showalter is familiar with him during their days in Baltimore. He could also take Darin Ruf’s job as the primary backup for Pete Alonso while grabbing DH at-bats.

Mancini has been an everyday player throughout his career. His numbers against left-handed pitching (.790 OPS, 112 wRC+) are nearly identical to his performance against right-handed pitching (.786 OPS, 111 wRC+). He could run with full-time DH duties, which would lengthen the bench by making Daniel Vogelbach more of a pinch-hitter.

Andrew McCutchen

Andrew McCutchen has a terrific MLB resume, but his best days as a player are behind him. However, signing him would be immaculate for the vibes.

He’s another veteran with a great clubhouse presence that would certainly be a positive for New York. On the field, Cutch’s 98 wRC+ and .700 OPS in 2022 were both career-low marks. The other thing to think about would be how he’d adjust to not playing every day. Outside of his rookie year (2009), 2019 when he got hurt, and the 2020 pandemic-shortened season, he’s played in at least 130 games per season during his career.

Who fits the best for the Mets?

This is a question that can be answered in a couple of different ways. Each of these players brings defensive versatility to the table, which is something the Mets value. None of them is a perfect fit as that extra bat the team needs. But, that’s what happens at this point in the offseason.

Profar is attractive because he had the best overall year in 2022. He doesn’t provide the type of power New York probably wants, though. McCutchen would be a good clubhouse presence and a legit fourth outfielder if he were open to such a role. Mancini and Duvall would make the most sense given their propensity for power and ability to play multiple positions.

If I had to power rank these four hitters when it comes to how they’d fit on the Mets, it’d be Duvall, Mancini, Profar, and McCutchen. Depending on how things shake out in the free-agent market, it may be down to Mancini or McCutchen. I’d prefer Mancini over Cutch, but it’s possible the Mets end up with the former National League MVP.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets showing interest in 4 free-agent hitters. Who fits the best? | Elite Sports NY

We’re not just talking about his managerial skills, either. You can add his good looks to the long list of ways he’s made an impact during his career.

After steering the Mets to a 101-win campaign in 2022, Showalter won his fourth Manager of the Year Award. He’s won this award for four different teams and in four different decades. Before heading down to Port St. Lucie for the 2023 season, though, Showalter gets to feature another award on his mantle: MLB’s most handsome manager.

WFAN noted that each big-league skipper was evaluated by the Golden Ratio face app, which analyzes a person’s facial symmetry and structure, amongst other things. We don’t know what the exact scale is here, but Showalter’s 8.65 mark was the best in baseball. Rob Thomson of the Philadelphia Phillies came in second at 8.56.

Add that to the National League East rivalry, folks.

In case you were curious, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone finished 13th in the league at 7.53.

Knowing how Showalter operates, it’s valid to question whether he even knows about this honor yet or not. Someone absolutely needs to ask him about it during Spring Training, though. This feels like a prime opportunity for the skipper to use his dry sense of humor to get a laugh out of everyone within earshot.

Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets’ Buck Showalter wins another award thanks to his good looks | Elite Sports NY