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[New York Mets]

International Free Agent Profile: Tatsuya Imai

Tatsuya Imai was born in Kanuma, a city in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture, on May 9, 1998. He attended Sakushin Gakuin High School in Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, and in his third and final year there, he ascended to the summit of the Japanese high school baseball world, helping lead the team to the Summer Koshien championship, defeating Hokkai High School 7-1. Imai pitched in all five games of the tournament and threw 41 innings, allowing 5 runs while striking out 44 batters. The victory meant even more to the right-hander, as his grandfather died a few months prior to the summer competition, and when he took the mound, he wore a necklace pendant that contained a small portion of his grandfather’s cremated ashes.

During Koshien, his fastball topped out at 94.4 MPH, impressing a number of evaluators who were scouting the tournament. Eligible to be selected in the 2016 NPB Draft, the Seibu Lions selected the right-hander with their first pick, and because the pick went uncontested by other teams, Imai became a Lion.

Imai was expected to make the Lions’ starting rotation out of spring training, but he left camp early due to inflammation in his right shoulder. He resumed baseball activities in mid-April, assigned to the Lions’ ni-gun minor league team, but the shoulder inflammation and discomfort lingered throughout the year, causing him to have to cease baseball activities two additional times and limiting him to just 15.2 innings for the entire year in the NPB minor league Eastern League.

In 2018, the 19-year-old began the year suspended, caught smoking in public despite being below the legal age to purchase and possess tobacco in Japan. When the team suspension was lifted in May, he was placed on the Seibu Lions roster, and June 13, made his first professional start, throwing six innings against the Yakult Swallows, allowing one run on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. Imai was moved up and down between the Lions roster and their minor league team a handful of times throughout the year, but he ended up appearing in 15 games, making 14 starts and throwing 78.2 innings in total with a 4.81 ERA, 74 hits allowed, 35 walks, and 65 strikeouts. The right-hander had a similar year in 2019, appearing in 23 games and making 22 starts, and throwing 135.1 innings with a 4.32 ERA, 127 hits allowed, 72 walks, and 105 strikeouts.

In 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic raging around the world, Japan was able to play a mostly full 120-game schedule owing to the nation’s extreme care managing the virus. Cognizant of his control problems- a problem that had plagued him since his high school days- Imai used the semi-condensed season to experiment, tweaking his mechanics to more closely resemble those used by Yu Darvish. Unfortunately for the 23-year-old, the experiment failed, as he posted a 6.13 ERA in 61.2 innings, allowing 72 hits, walking 52, and striking out 44. Following the end of the season, he reached out to Darvish directly to ask the Cy Young Award runner-up for assistance.

In some regards, Imai’s 2021 season was a major improvement; in others, it was another sub-satisfactory season. The right-hander appeared in 25 games and posted a 3.30 ERA in 158.1 innings, allowing 123 hits, walking 99, and striking out 137. On the positive side, Imai led the team in ERA, but on the negative side, he walked an NPB-worst 99 batters.

Early in the 2022 season, Imai sprained his left ankle, and as a result, he missed a considerable amount of time. He returned to the mound at the end of June roughly 5 pounds heavier from upper-body weight training, and the added muscle mass had a profound impact on his success, as did the deadened ball that many players, coaches, and media personalities believe the league surreptitiously began utilizing around that period of time. The 24-year-old appeared in 15 total games and posted a 2.41 ERA in 59.2 innings, allowing 37 hits, walking 34, and striking out 61. Coincidentally or not, he also began growing out his now-trademark long hair upon his return. His success continued into 2023, as the right-hander appeared in 19 games and posted a 2.30 ERA in 133.0 innings, allowing 87 hits, walking 61, and striking out 130.

In 2024, Imai served as Seibu’s opening day starter for the first time in his career due to an injury to fellow right-hander and fellow long-hair enthusiast, Mitsunari “Kona” Takahashi. He continued improving, posting career-bests in multiple pitching categories. Appearing in 25 games, Imai posted a 2.34 ERA in 173.1 innings, allowing 132 hits, walking 70, and striking out 187, his strikeouts the most in all of Nippon Professional Baseball. His 2025 was much of the same, as he posted a 1.92 ERA in 163.2 innings, allowing 101 hits, walking 45, and striking out 178, this time second-most in Japan behind Fighters ace Hiromi Itoh.

Following the conclusion of the season, Imai asked Seibu management to post him, a request that was granted. In an interview with Nikkan Sports upon being posted, the 27-year-old stated that he had not always desired to come to the United States to play baseball, but he felt that baseball in Japan was no longer competitive or fun, and that he wanted to play somewhere where he could be challenged. If he successfully comes to a U.S. team, he will be leaving Japan a three-time NPB All-Star (2021, 2024, 2025) with a cumulative 3.15 ERA in 963.2 innings with 753 total hits allowed, 468 total walks issued, and 907 total strikeouts notched.

The right-hander stands 5’11” and is listed at 175 pounds. Imai has shown no issues throwing innings, logging at least 150 innings in four of his last five seasons and regularly running up high pitch counts, but his slight stature may still potentially be a red flag. As has been the case with many pitchers coming to the MLB from Japan, he will have to adapt to pitching on a more demanding rest schedule, toeing the mound once every five days as opposed to simply once a week.

He throws from a low three-quarters, almost sidearm, arm slot, dropping and driving off the mound, lowering his release point further. Control has long been an issue for the right-hander. While he has improved upon it over the last few years, Imai was perennially among the league leaders in walks in the first half of his career. Since 2021, the right-hander has nearly cut his walk rate in half, going from a 14.5% rate to a 7.0% rate this past season. During his posting press conference, he made mention of this issue that he has made great strides on, stating that he believed that teams would often intentionally not take swings against any of his pitches, simply using at-bats early on in games to run up his pitch count and eventually force him to leave games.

Imai is arguably a two-pitch pitcher, primarily relying on his fastball-slider combination. He mixes in his change-up often enough for batters to be forced to watch for it, and less frequently throws in a cutter, curveball, splitter, and sinker, but he is mainly a fastball-slider pitcher. Since 2021, he has thrown his fastball at a 45.6% rate, his slider at a 29.4% rate, his change-up at a 13% rate, with his other pitches making up the remaining 12%. In his last two seasons, he has used his fastball at a 47% rate, his slider at a 36% rate, his changeup at an 8.4% rate, with his other pitches making up the remaining 10%.

The right-hander’s four-seam fastball averaged 94.9 MPH last season and has averaged 94 MPH since 2021, putting him in the 90th percentile among NPB pitchers. In general, he works a little lower than that when the bases are empty and can dial it up to 99 MPH when runners are on and he needs swings-and-misses and strikeouts. His low release gives his fastball a very flat vertical approach angle, and this deception is very pivotal to the pitch’s success, as his four-seam fastball shape is actually fairly suboptimal, with an average of 2180 RPM, below-average for a four-seam fastball. Imai can throw the pitch for strikes, generally peppering the middle and lower thirds of the strike zone and not throwing much to the top of the zone. By itself, the pitch does not fool many batters, with below-average swing-and-miss rates both inside and outside of the zone. Since 2021, the pitch has averaged +4.7 RAA.

His slider has unique gyroscopic motion and might better be classified as a screwball, as he pronates such that the pitch has slight arm-side movement, rather than the glove-side movement that a right-handed slider normally would have. The pitch has averaged 85 MPH and features roughly two inches of vertical drop and roughly two inches of arm-side movement. The pitch is Imai’s main strikeout offering and he generally throws the pitch outside of the zone to get batters to chase. As such, the right-hander has well above-average swing-and-miss rates outside the zone, and roughly an average swing-and-miss rate with the pitch inside of it. Since 2021, the pitch has averaged +7.2 RAA

His changeup has averaged 86.5 MPH since 2021. While Imai throws the pitch much less than his fastball or slider, his changeup has had strong results, with its above-average vertical and horizontal movement giving it slightly above-average swing-and-miss rates, especially in the zone. Since 2021, the pitch has averaged +1.6 RAA.

Key to much of Imai’s success has been his ability to limit home runs. In 163.2 innings thrown in 2025, he allowed 6 home runs; in 173.1 innings in 2024, he allowed 8 home runs. Since 2021, he has thrown 688.0 innings and has allowed 43 total longballs during that period of time, a 0.6 HR/9, with the past two seasons 0.4 and 0.3 HR/9 rate, respectively.

In general, the right-hander has been successful keeping the ball in the park, on the ground in particular. Since 2021, he has an 18.5% line drive rate, a 47.5% groundball rate, and a 34% flyball rate. The preponderance of balls kept out of the air has allowed his defense to work its magic behind him, as Imai has posted BABIPs of .257, .238, .235, .281, and .236 since 2021, numbers that are all but guaranteed to balloon facing major league hitters.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...agent-profile-rhp-tatsuya-imai-pitching-japan

 

[New York Mets]

International Free Agent Profile: Kazuma Okamoto

Kazuma Okamoto was born in Gojo, a city of roughly 27,000 within Japan’s Nara Prefecture, on June 30, 1996. With multiple high schools interested in him attending their institution and actively “scouting” him, Okamoto decided on in Chiben Gakuen High School, a school known for baseball success and having multiple players eventually get drafted as professionals. While he was unable to help lead the school to a championship in the Spring or Summer Koshien over the three years he was enrolled there, he still made his mark, slugging 73 home runs over his three years there and becoming one of just 19 players in the 110-year history of Koshien to hit two home runs in a single tournament game.

Considered one of the top high school players available for the 2014 NPB Draft, and certainly the one with the most overall power potential, Okamoto was selected by the Yomiuri Tokyo Giants with their first-round selection. No other team selected him, meaning that the Giants were free to sign the young infielder, as opposed to the pick being contested and going to a draft lottery, and the two sides agreed to a ¥80 million signing bonus (roughly $520,000).

The 19-year-old started his professional baseball career on the Giants’ ni-gun minor league team in the NPB Eastern League, working on his defense and baserunning. On August 28, 2015, the Giants called him up to the majors for a late-season cup-of-coffee and he appeared in 17 games for the rest of the season, hitting .214/.290/. He spent the majority of the 2016 and 2017 seasons on the Giants’ ni-gun minor league team as well, logging a total of 18 games and 41 at-bats with the Giants during that period during intermittent call-ups.

In 2018, during spring training, hitting coach Tomohiro Nioka suggested that the 22-year-old infielder lower his hands and stand taller at the plate. He had a strong spring, and when the season began, he was named the Giants’ starting first baseman, replacing former captain and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Shinnosuke Abe, who was pushing 40 and winding down his career. In his second game of the season, he went 4-4 with a home run. The following day, he hit a game-winning three-run homer. As the season went on, the hits and home runs kept coming. He ended up appearing in 143 games for the Giants, hitting .309/.394/.541 with 26 doubles, 33 home runs, and 72 walks to 120 strikeouts and became the youngest player in NPB history at 22 to hit over .300 or better, slug 30 or more home runs, and drive in 100 or more runs in a single season.

In 2019, Okamoto faced some adversity, as while he was still hitting home runs, his batting average dropped precariously, hovering around .250 for much of the first half of the season. Making some mechanical adjustments to utilize his legs more, he recovered in the second half of the season and ended up hitting .265/.343/.485 with 29 doubles, 31 home runs, and 62 walks to 132 strikeouts.

Unlike the United States, which had a truncated 2020 season, Japan was able to better manage the COVID-19 pandemic and Nippon Professional Baseball was able to resume in June with a 120-game schedule, cutting only 23 games from the normal 143-game schedule. Okamoto hit .275/.362/.545 with 26 doubles, 31 home runs, and 55 walks to 85 strikeouts, his 31 homers and 97 RBI most in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League.

Over the next few years, Okamoto would become not just a steady presence in the Giants’ line-up, but he would be a high-level, borderline elite one. In 2021, he hit .265/.341/.530 in 143 games with 19 doubles, 1 triple, 39 home runs, and 57 walks to 108 strikeouts. In 2022, he hit .252/.336/.469 in 140 games with 21 doubles, 1 triple, 30 home runs, and 58 walks to 94 strikeouts. In 2023, he hit .278/.374/.584 in 140 games with 31 doubles, 41 home runs, and 72 walks to 111 strikeouts. In 2024, he hit .280/.362/.501 in 143 games with 37 doubles, 27 home runs, and 66 walks to 97 strikeouts. During this period of time, he was named Giants captain, won two Best Nine Awards (Third Base and First Base, the latter the first time since Sadaharu Oh in 1979 that a Giants first baseman won the award) and won three Mitsui Golden Glove Awards- generally awarded for overall performance, not defense- two at the third base position and one at first base.

He also plied his craft on an international stage in 2023, playing on Team Samurai Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, appearing in 7 games for the eventual winners and hitting .333/.556/.722 with 1 double, 2 home runs, and 8 walks to 4 strikeouts.

In 2025, the 29-year-old Okamoto was off to one of his best starts in years, hitting over .300 with 8 home runs through the beginning of May. On May 6th, he was involved in a collision at first base with Hanshin Tigers infielder Takumu Nakano and injured a ligament in his left elbow. He returned to the Giants in mid-August and ended up batting .327/.416/.598 in 69 games, hitting 21 doubles, 15 home runs, and drawing 33 walks to 33 strikeouts. While he put up solid when he was able to get on the field, the elbow injury snapped his streak of seven-consecutive years appearing in 115 or more ballgames and logging at least 440 at-bats as well as his seven-year streak of logging at least 25 home runs or more.

In late October, the Yomiuri Giants announced that they would be making Okamoto available to MLB clubs via the posting system, the first position player they posted in franchise history. If he elects to come to play baseball in the U.S., he will be leaving Japan with a cumulative .277/.361/.521 batting line over 11 seasons, with 212 doubles, 3 triples, 248 home runs, 13 stolen bases in 19 attempts, and 481 walks to 769 strikeouts in 1074 games.

At the plate, Okamoto stands slightly open, standing tall and extending his arms to hold his bat far from his body, angling the bat-head nearly perpendicular to the ground. He swings with a leg kick, and has a long, rotational swing that lifts the ball. Since becoming a full-time player in his breakout 2018 campaign, the infielder has a 10.8% BB% and a 17.1% K%, with both numbers trending up- a higher BB% and a lower K%- over the last few seasons. He does not expand the zone much, with an O-Swing rate of 28.1%, a bit less than the MLB average, while he swings at pitches in the zone at a 71% rate, a little bit more than the MLB Z-Swing average. On pitches that he does go after, he has a 59% O-Contact rate and a 86.2% Z-Contact rate, in line with the MLB averages for those particular stats. His 10.8% SwStr rate is in line with MLB averages, while his 15% CStr rate is a bit lower than average.

In his abbreviated 2025 season, he posted a 24.3% line drive rate, a 32.6% ground ball rate, and a 43.1% fly ball rate. These numbers were more or less within career norms, as he posted a 18.2% line drive rate, 36.2% ground ball rate, and 45.6% in the previous seven seasons. He pulled the ball a little less in 2025 and used the rest of the field a bit more, but over the course of his career, Okamoto has a 44.8% pull rate, a 33.2% up-the-middle rate, and a 22% opposite field rate. His best offensive seasons have coincided with the years where he was pulling the ball more and when he was hitting more fly balls.

Despite the length to his swing, and his general intent to lift-and-pull the ball, Okamoto has not particularly shown weaknesses against fastballs, showing strong enough wrists and quick hands to get into proper hitting position. That does come with something of a caveat, though: Over the course of his entire NPB career, his 2015 cup-of-coffee and brief call-ups in 2016 and 2017 included, the average four-seam fastball velocity that Okamoto faced was 89.5 MPH, well-below the modern MLB average fastball of 93-94 MPH. While Japan does have pitchers who throw with elite velocity, they are far and few in-between, especially compared to pitchers who can do so in the U.S. Since 2021, the infielder is +1.75 runs above average/100 against four-seam fastballs, +0.98 runs above average/100 against two-seam fastballs/sinkers, and -0.17 runs above average/100 against cutters, good for a cumulative +0.85 against anything in the fastball family.

Despite the long swing, Okamoto has not shown any major problems against any secondary pitches, either. Against sliders, he is +1.74 runs above average/100 and against curveballs, he is +2.68 runs above average/100, good for a cumulative +2.21 against breaking pitches. Against changeups, he is +2.78 runs above average/100, and against splitters/forkballs, he is +0.49 runs above average/100, good for a cumulative +1.64 against off-speed pitches.

In 2025, Okamoto’s average exit velocity (92.4 MPH) and 90th percentile exit velocity (105.2 MPH) more or less equaled or exceeded the MLB averages for both stats (89.3 MPH and 105.1 MPH, respectively), but his max exit velocity lagged a bit behind the MLB average, 108.9 MPH to 111.3 MPH.

Defensibly, Okamoto has primarily played first base and third base, occasionally playing left field as well. At all three, he is adequate at best, with first base being his strongest fit due to the relative lack of defensive ability needed to passably play the position and left field being his weakest fit, not possessing the requisite athleticism and speed to roam in the outfield for prolonged periods of time.

At the hot corner, where he is most likely to be played due to his experience and the position’s placement on the defensive spectrum, he is not particularly rangy, but he paints over the fact with some natural agility, throwing his body at the ball and making contortionist throws from odd angles in order to complete plays. According to Deltagraphs UZR figures, Okamota has been a +4.5 fielder in 3,762.2 innings played at third base since 2021, and a +1.8 in 1633.1 innings played at first base over that same period of time.

He has a better first step and range to his right towards foul territory than he does towards his left. His throws are accurate and he throws true, but his arm strength is fringy. He reads the ball well off the bat, on the grass, and in the dirt, and is known for being a playmaker, getting to what he can get to and clearly fielding virtually everything, making few errors.

Should Okamoto not come to terms with a club within the designated MLB-NPB Posting System joint agreement, he will earn unrestricted international free agency eligibility upon the completion of the 2026 season, allowing him to sign anywhere he chooses without restriction for the 2027 season.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...l-free-agent-profile-kazuma-okamoto-infielder

 

[New York Mets]

Mets News: Juan Soto finishes third in National League MVP voting

Mets right fielder Juan Soto has finished third in National League MVP voting, as Shohei Ohtani was the unanimous first choice for the award, his second-straight National League MVP award, third-straight MVP award overall, and the fourth of his career.

As for Soto, his excellent .263/.396/.525 line at the plate and career highs of 43 home runs and 38 stolen bases saw him finish the year with 5.8 fWAR and 6.2 bWAR. He won a Silver Slugger for his work at the plate this year, and this marked the third season in which he’s finished in the top three of MVP voting, though he hasn’t won the award yet.

Comparing just the position player side of things, Soto finished fairly well behind Ohtani’s 7.5 fWAR and ranked seventh in the National League in that metric. On the bWAR side, Geraldo Perdomo actually led the way with 7.0, while Ohtani finished with 6.6 and Soto with 6.2.

WAR clearly wasn’t the driving force in MVP voting this season, though, as Kyle Schwarber was the other finalist for the award, finishing second in the end as he hit .240/.365/.563 with 56 home runs and a 152 wRC+ as the Phillies’ designated hitter.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-york-mets-news/87614/mets-juan-soto-mvp-finish

 

[New York Mets]

Brandon Nimmo is past his peak years but still productive for the Mets

In his 2025 Brandon Nimmo season preview, Michael Drago wrote, “…while there will always be concerns about what a player will look like in their late-30s, Nimmo is still at an age where it’s not unreasonable to expect him to be a productive player in 2025.” And in evaluating his 2025 output, it’s safe to say that “a productive player” is exactly what the Mets got from Nimmo, even if the underlying numbers and trends are not entirely encouraging.

Nimmo made a name for himself predominantly for his on-base prowess. His greatest value was giving the Mets close to elite on-base numbers during his prime years. Nimmo, now 32 years old and decidedly beyond his peak, has seen a dip in his OBP, which has slightly hurt his overall value. But what he’s lost in walks, he’s gained in power, as he’s added that element to his game over the past two years. All that makes the totality of Nimmo’s overall impact a bit hard to properly summarize.

Thankfully, Nimmo did not seem noticeably plagued by the plantar fasciitis issues that derailed the second half of his 2024 season. After emerging as a player perpetually plagued by injuries during the early part of his career, played in a career high 155 games in 2025, making it the fourth consecutive season where he played in 150+ games for the Mets. Over the past four years, he’s played in just under 94% of the team’s games, after appearing in just 60% of the team’s games from 2017-2021.

After putting up near All-Star numbers in the first half of 2024, he tailed off as the Mets made their improbable push for the World Series. And while he experienced a bit of a dip in production in the second half this year, his overall numbers were fairly close; Nimmo posted a .259/.321/463 slash line with 18 homers and a 120 wRC+ in the first half and a .268/.328/.397 slash line with seven homers and a 106 wRC+ after the break.

When we scrutinize his numbers a bit more closely, the two biggest trends are the jump in power and the decline in his walk rate and on-base percentage. He set a career high with 25 home runs, making it the third straight year that he hit at least 23 long balls. He also set a career best with 92 runs batted in, two more than he had in 2024. Much of that is the result of a) hitting in the middle of the order as opposed to the top of the lineup and b) hitting behind guys like Lindor and Soto who posted high on base clips in 2025. He also scored 80 runs for the third straight year and reached double digits in stolen bases for the second straight season after failing to do so at any point in his career.

But with his uptick in power came a decline in what made Nimmo so valuable in the first place: his keen eye, selectivity, and overall ability to get on base. He posted a 7.7% BB% in 2025, the lowest of his major league career and a nearly 4% drop from 2024, when he posted an 11.6% BB%. He also posted a career-worst 0.35 BB/K. That that contributed to a career-low .324 OBP that was 40 points lower than his career average of .364, and a continuing trend after he posted a .327 OBP in 2024. He did strike out a little below his career average, posting a 21.6% K% (career average: 22.3% K%).

As a result, his 114 wRC+, while being slightly higher than his wRC+ in 2024, was the second-lowest he posted in a full season after posting a wRC+ of 148 in 2018, 149 in 2020, 135 in 2021, and 132 in 2022. His OPS in 2025, meanwhile, was .760, which is a jump from his .727 OPS in 2024 but decidedly lower than when he was regularly posting an .800+ OPS between 2018 and 2023.

In examining his Baseball Savant profile, this was the first time Nimmo posted an average BB% in his career, dropping from 91st percentile in 2024 to the 44th percentile in 2025 after regularly being in the 75th percentile or higher. He still achieved a better-than-average chase rate, posting a 24.2% Chase%, which is in the 74th percentile—a career low, but still decidedly in the upper range of the league. He also posted an elite average exit velo (91.8, 88th percentile) and hard hit% (50.2%, 88th percentile) However, his whiff rate (23.8%), K%, (21.6%), bat speed (72.3) and Barrel% (8.8%) are all squarely average or below average.

Meanwhile, on defense he remained league average as he transitioned from center to left field. Moving from center to the corner also makes him slightly less valuable than he was when he initially signed that eight-year deal. He posted a -1 OAA but did finish with 4 DRS in left (and a -1 DRS in 15 innings in center). He no longer seems capable of patrolling center and will continue handling left, but a transition to DH or first base—depending on what happens with Alonso’s free agency and how the club manages their offseason—is not out of the question in the near future.

Overall, Nimmo’s season was…fine. Going into next season, the big question is whether he will rediscover his selectivity at the plate and go back to posting high on base numbers, or if this is the Nimmo the Mets will get from now on. While the power is nice, he has lost what made him so uniquely special. The club could try to move him, but he won’t be easy to unload with five years remaining on his contract. With David Stearns hyper focused on run prevention, Nimmo is starting to seem like an odd roster fit.

So barring anything unforeseen, fans can expect to see Nimmo’s name in the lineup, and while he is a far different player now than the ones Mets fans initially fell in love with, he still produces and provides value to the club on a nightly basis.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-york-mets-season-review/87486/mets-nimmo-2025-season-review

 

[New York Mets]

Mets Morning News: McNeil had surgery, Mets to induct three new team HOF members

Meet the Mets​

Jeff McNeil was struggling with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome late in the season and had surgery to address it after the season ended.

The Mets announced that Carlos Beltrán, Bobby Valentine, and Lee Mazzilli will be inducted into the team Hall of Fame next year.

Juan Soto finished third in National League MVP voting.

Soto supports bringing back Pete Alonso and Starling Marte.

The Mets’ first meeting with Alonso reportedly went well, but Jon Heyman says that he has some surprise suitors coming off his 2025 season.

Edwin Díaz said he’d like to return to the Mets and gave it a 50-50 chance of happening.

Joel Sherman wrote about some moves the Mets could make to get them closer to a Dodgers organization that Steve Cohen openly hoped to emulate.

Around the National League East​

Cristopher Sanchez finished second in National League Cy Young voting, and the Good Phight takes a look at whether or not Justin Crawford can help the Phillies’ offense next year.

The Braves claimed Carson Ragsdale and former Mets reliever Josh Walker off waivers from the Orioles, and Battery Power wonders if Chris Sale might have won the Cy Young if not for the injury he suffered this year.

Federal Baseball writes that the Nationals’ starting rotation is full of uncertainty heading into next season.

Around Major League Baseball​

Coming off a 2024 season that saw him win National League Rookie of the Year and finish third in National League Cy Young voting, Paul Skenes won the Cy Young this time around.

For the second time in as many years, Tarik Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award.

Aaron Judge was named American League MVP, his second-straight and third time overall.

As the general manager meetings were held at a casino in Las Vegas this week, Scott Boras had more of a spine about addressing the issues baseball is facing from prop bets than several active general mangers.

Here are some trade and free agency takeaways from those GM meetings.

The Seidler family is exploring its options as owners of the Padres, and a sale of the team is a possibility.

The great Sarah Langs was honored with the Iron Horse Award at the 2025 Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala.

Rosters for the RD-PR showdown, which is set to be played tomorrow afternoon at Citi Field, have been announced.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue​

Steve Sypa profiled international free agent Kazuma Okamoto, who was recently posted by the Yomiuri Giants.

This Date in Mets History​

Bing Devine took over as the Mets’ president and de facto general manager on this date in 1966.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...s-news-soto-mcneil-beltran-valentine-mazzilli

 

[New York Mets]

Mets Morning News: Has Alexa played Narco for the last time?

Meet the Mets​

It’s possible that the stage is being set for Edwin Díaz to sign with another team in free agency.

A few things were clarified about the Mets’ intentions this offseason at this week’s general manager meetings.

The Mets added to their organizational depth by signing infielder Jackson Cluff to a minor league deal.

Around the National League East​

The Phillies have met with Kyle Schwarber’s representatives as they look to re-sign their slugger while simultaneously working towards other moves.

The Braves have brought back catcher Chadwick Tromp on a minor league deal.

Agustin Ramírez will be looking to build on a very impressive rookie season for the Marlins.

Federal Baseball opined that the Nationals should hold off on trading shortstop CJ Abrams.

Around Major League Baseball​

The looming possibility of a lockout next offseason is on the minds of baseball executives and agents.

ESPN looked at some of the takeaways for each team at this week’s GM meetings.

MLB.com tried to pick one free agent that each team could sign this offseason.

There are a number of strong starting pitching options available on the free agent market.

The Astros are one of the teams interested in trading with the Cardinals for Brendan Donovan.

The Angels are interested in pursuing multiple starting pitchers, bullpen help, and some offense (preferably left-handed). Other than that, not much.

Multiple members of Congress are asking Major League Baseball to provide answers regarding their recent betting scandal.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue​

Vasilis Drimalitis reviewed the 2025 season of a declining but still productive Brandon Nimmo.

This Date in Mets History​

The Mets got as close as they’ve ever gotten to one of their players winning an MVP award on this date in 1988.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...or-last-time-edwin-diaz-baseball-new-york-mlb

 

[New York Mets]

Mets to induct Carlos Beltrán, Bobby Valentine, and Lee Mazzilli into team Hall of Fame

The Mets announced today that the organization will induct three new members into its team Hall of Fame: outfielder Carlos Beltrán, manager Bobby Valentine, and utility man Lee Mazzilli.

Beltrán remains one of the most significant free agent signings in franchise history, as the then-27-year-old agreed to a seven-year, $119 million contract with the Mets ahead of the 2005 season. From there, he turned into one of the best position players the team ever had, hitting .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs and a 127 wRC+ while playing outstanding defense in center field for the first few years of the contract. His 29.4 fWAR currently ranks fifth, as Beltrán was just surpassed by Francisco Lindor for fourth place on that list this year. Beltrán did that in just 839 games with the Mets, and among position players in the top thirteen spots on the list, only Lindor has appeared in fewer games as a Met than Beltrán did.

Following the 2019 season, Beltrán was hired as the Mets’ new manager, but he wound up stepping down from the job just a couple of months later when news of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal broke. While Beltrán has continued to work in baseball, including his developmental role with the Mets in recent seasons, he hasn’t gotten another shot at managing since then.

That scandal has likely been the primary reason for Beltrán’s delayed entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but having received 70.3 percent of the vote in his third appearance on the ballot in 2025, he’s poised to be inducted there next summer, as well.

Valentine remains a beloved figure among Mets fans, and it’s not hard to see why. Over the course of his time as manager of the Mets, he racked up a 536-467 record, as he was a the helm for back-to-back playoff appearances that saw the Mets get to the NLCS in 1999 and advance to the World Series in 2000.

And while Mazzilli was never quite on the level of someone like Beltrán as a player, the New York City native hit .264/.357/.396 with 68 home runs and a 112 OPS+ in his 979 games across two stints with the Mets. That performance has him in the top thirty position players in franchise history in fWAR, and like Valentine, he’s beloved by Mets fans who got to see him in action.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-york-mets-news/87606/mets-hall-fame-hof-beltran-valentine-mazzilli

 

[New York Mets]

Mets Morning News: Offseason approach speculation

Meet the Mets​

Are the Mets worse off than they were one year ago? Joel Sherman considers this question and what David Stearns has to do to build a contender in 2026.

Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com breaks down four possible approaches David Stearns could take to address the Mets’ rotation this offseason.

Carlos Beltrán told SNY’s Chelsea Sherrod that the Mets’ top priorities this offseason are retaining Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso and improving the team’s defense.

Around the National League East​

The Phillies are receiving trade interest on their left-handed relievers, according to reporting by Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

While the Phillies remain hopeful they can retain Kyle Schwarber, they “made it clear they do not expect to be bidding” on Ranger Suárez, who will likely be wearing another uniform next season.

Federal Baseball explores some ways the Nationals can overhaul their bullpen this offseason.

Paul Toboni and Blake Butera are both in their 30s and new Orioles manager Craig Albernaz is just 43, signaling a youth movement among the DMV’s baseball teams.

Around Major League Baseball​

MLB.com takes a look at offseason questions facing the 2025 playoff teams that fell short of a World Series title.

The Rockies can simply never be normal, despite their best attempts, writes Mario Delgado Genzor of Baseball Prospectus.

Free agent right-hander Dustin May says his elbow is feeling great and “fully back to normal” after dealing with neuritis the final month of the season.

This Date in Mets History​

The Mets’ iconic skyline logo was unveiled on this date in 1961.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...on-david-stearns-rotation-alonso-diaz-defense

 

[New York Mets]

Mets utility player Jeff McNeil underwent surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

In a bit of surprising news today, Mets utility player Jeff McNeil underwent surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome after the conclusion of the 2025 season. He’s expected to be ready for the beginning of spring training.

McNeil was reportedly feeling the effects of the condition late in the season, and he struggled throughout the month of September. In 84 plate appearances that month, he hit just .187/.274/.240 with a 53 wRC+.

Before then, McNeil had put together a very nice bounce back season as he was coming off a pair of so-so seasons at the plate. Even with the September struggles included, McNeil hit .243/.335/.411 with 12 home runs and a 111 wRC+, and he was worth 2.3 fWAR.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome has been a far more common injury for major league pitchers than position players, and it’s been a particularly devastating injury for many of those pitchers. Given the difference in role, however, it’ll be interesting to see how much it affects McNeil’s performance moving forward.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...f-mcneil-tos-surgery-thoracic-outlet-syndrome

 

[New York Mets]

Mets Morning News: First Domino

Meet the Mets​

With the a first baseman being the first name off the big free agency board, it’s only fair to ask once again where on Earth Pete Alonso ends up in 2026.

Around the National League East​

Five years after trading him to Pittsburgh, the Nationals brought minor league pitcher Eddy Yean back on a minor-league deal.

The Good Phight provided the easiest possible answer to the question of which left-handed relievers the Phillies should part with this offseason.

Craig Kimbrel pitched in one game for the Atlanta Braves this year! Remember that?

Around Major League Baseball​

Financial figures aren’t immediately available, but what is known is that Josh Naylor will be heading back to first base for the Mariners on a five-year contract.

It’s officially Hall of Fame season as the 2026 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot will be revealed at some point today and nearly two months voting will follow.

In order for Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani to stop winning every single MVP award that gets handed out, some guys are going to have to come from behind and put up indisputably amazing seasons of their own.

In a very 40-man roster move, the Dodgers and Mariners exchanged Tyler Gough and Robinson Diaz.

This Date in Mets History​

Happy birthday to two legendary Mets: Tom Seaver and Val Pascucci.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-york-mets-morning-news/87671/mets-morning-news-first-domino

 

[New York Mets]

Six former Mets on 2026 Hall of Fame ballot

Former Mets Carlos Beltrán, David Wright, Francisco Rodriguez, Daniel Murphy, Bobby Abreu, and Rick Porcello are all on the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot. Joining the half-dozen ex-Mets are returning players Andruw Jones, Chase Utley, Félix Hernández, Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, Mark Buehrle, Torii Hunter, Omar Vizquel, and first-year eligible Ryan Braun, Shin-Soo Choo, Edwin Encarnación, Gio Gonzalez, Alex Gordon, Cole Hammels, Matt Kemp, Howie Kendrick, Nick Markakis, and Hunter Pence.

Players need to receive 75% of the votes to be elected to the Hall of Fame. If they receive less than 5%, they fall off the ballot. If they do not get elected in ten years, they are removed from the ballot. Other committees, such as the Contemporary Era Committee, may take up their cases in later years.

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Beltrán appears the most likely candidate to get in, Met or otherwise, as he topped out at 70.3% last year. This is Beltrán’s fourth year on the ballot. Beltrán’s career shouldn’t need a recap for Mets fans, as he hit .280/.269/.500 with 149 home runs and 100 stolen bases, along with five All-Star Game appearances, two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and down-ballot MVP votes thrice in his seven seasons playing for the Mets. For his career, Beltran put up 70.0 bWAR.

Murphy and Porcello are the only first-ballot Mets this season. Porcello ended his career with the Mets, making 12 starts in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. His 5.64 ERA and 76 ERA+ weren’t exactly up to his career norms, but Porcello was never an incredibly dominant starter, despite his 2016 Cy Young Award.

Murphy, an occasional Mets color analyst, played seven years for the Mets, playing second base, left field, third base, and first base for the club while putting up 13.1 bWAR. He was a key member of their 2015 World Series run, having an incredible playoffs that led to him signing a three-year deal with the Nationals that took him away from New York. After having his best two years in the majors in his first two years in Washington, his career fell off a cliff and after signing a bad deal with the Rockies, he was out of baseball after 2020.

Murphy will likely be remembered for comments he made after the late Billy Bean visited the Mets as MLB’s ambassador of inclusion in 2015. As he told NJ.com:

“I disagree with his lifestyle. I do disagree with the fact that Billy is a homosexual. That doesn’t mean I can’t still invest in him and get to know him. I don’t think the fact that someone is a homosexual should completely shut the door on investing in them in a relational aspect. Getting to know him.

“That, I would say, you can still accept them. But I do disagree with the lifestyle, 100 percent. Maybe, as a Christian … we haven’t been as articulate enough in describing what our actual stance is on homosexuality. We love the people. We disagree (with) the lifestyle. That’s the way I would describe it for me.

“It’s the same way that there are aspects of my life that I’m trying to surrender to Christ in my own life. There’s a great deal of many things, like my pride. I just think that as a believer, trying to articulate it in a way that says just because I disagree with the lifestyle doesn’t mean I’m just never going to speak to Billy Bean every time he walks through the door. That’s not love. That’s not love at all.”

Of the other former Mets, last year Wright received 8.1% in his third year of eligibility, Abreu received 19.5% in his seventh year, and Rodriguez got 10.2% in his fourth year. Rodriguez was twice-arrested during his playing career; once on an assault charge from an incident involving his father-in-law at Citi Field, and once from on a domestic violence charge with his girlfriend while playing for the Brewers.

Wright had his number retired at Citi Field earlier this year.

Although only six of the players on the ballot suited up for the Mets, a seventh was in their system for a scant eight games in 2019 when Matt Kemp played briefly for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/mlb-ne...26-ballot-mets-beltran-wright-murphy-porcello

 

[New York Mets]

Juan Soto made an immediate impact in his first season with the Mets

Last offseason’s biggest name in the free agent market was superstar Juan Soto. Fresh off a top three finish in the American League MVP race, accumulating his career best fWAR and home runs, he headed into free agency looking for one of the biggest contracts in the history of sports. And he got that and more, receiving the largest contract in the history of professional sports from the New York Mets.

So needless to say, expectations were high heading into the season. For a team that was two games away from the World Series the year before, the addition of Juan Soto only increased the already lofty expectations for 2025. And while the Mets as a whole failed to live up to their success the year prior, Juan Soto had yet another brilliant campaign, despite coming up a bit short of his transcendent 2024.

Juan Soto accumulated 5.8 fWAR, with 43 home runs, 105 RBI, and a National League leading 38 stolen bases, more than triple his previous career high and leading to his first 30-30 season. He had a 156 wRC+, led the National League with a .396 on-base percentage and led the entire major leagues with 127 walks.

And even though most of his topline numbers were either equal or down, the underlying metrics tell the whole store. According to Statcast, Soto was in the 99th percentile of batting run value and the 90th percentile of baserunning run value. He was in the 95th percentile or better of expected wOBA, expected batting average, expected slugging, average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, chase percentage and walk percentage. Looking under the hood, he was just as good this season, if not better than before.

HIs baserunning was the headline of his season though, an improvement very few people saw coming–at least, in that order of magnitude. Leading the National League in stolen bases and very nearly getting a 40-40 season was so out of the blue but showed the amount of work he put in to create another impressive area of his game this season. Despite having a 13th percentile sprint speed, he was able to make himself into one of the league’s biggest base stealers.

Now, as always with Soto, the one area of his game with major flaws was his defense, and 2025 was no exception. He had -12 outs above average, despite having pretty decent arm strength. But this is a known part of Juan Soto as a baseball player. Other than one or two seasons earlier in his career, he’s always been a below average fielder, and often a well-below average fielder. While he might be able to be a little better than he was this season, becoming a primary designated hitter probably isn’t too far off into his future.

His season wasn’t good all the way through, of course. Much was written and spoken about his disappointing start to the season, and to be fair his first two months-plus with the Mets were a very shaky start to a near-billion dollar contract set to last for the next decade and a half. But starting in June, other than a slow July, Juan Soto was the superstar he’s been known to be. Especially his June, where he had 226 wRC+ and a 1.196 OPS, was as transcendent a run as he’s ever had. And as the season started to slip away from the Mets, he became even better trying with all his might to put the Mets on his back and carry them to the postseason. For the last two-plus months of the season, he didn’t have a wRC+ below 180, hitting eighteen home runs, driving in 43 runs and stealing more than half of his season total.

All of this culminated in a top three finish for MVP in the National League, coming in third behind Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber. He won his sixth Silver Slugger award and made yet another All-MLB First Team. He was the National League Player of the Month in June, and just missed making the All-Star Game in a somewhat controversial result. Not bad for the first of fifteen years in Queens.

Juan Soto has played just one of his fifteen years in Queens, and it was about as good a start to his tenure as one would have hoped. Despite the overall disappointing season as a team, Soto showed he is exactly the player they wanted when they signed him, being an offensive force to be reckoned with and attempting to pull the team along with him when they were scuffling. After a top three finish for MVP, the sky’s the limit for the young superstar in orange and blue.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-york-mets-season-review/87652/mets-season-review-juan-soto-2025

 

[New York Mets]

Mets designate Frankie Montas for assignment

The Mets have designated Frankie Montas for assignment, according to reports.

The Mets signed Montas last offseason to a two-year, $34 million contract in order to bolster the rotation, but his stint in Queens did not play out how he or the Mets envisioned. After his first bullpen of spring training back in February, Montas suffered a high grade lat strain that ended up costing him the first three months of the season. He made his season debut on June 24 but struggled to the tune of a 6.68 ERA in seven starts. He lost his rotation spot and made two relief appearances before being shut down yet again with what turned out to be a UCL tear requiring Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in August. Montas’ 2025 season ended with a 3-2 record and a 6.28 ERA in 38 2/3 innings of work.

Montas’ contract included an opt-out after 2025, which he did not exercise, given his injury-riddled season and opportunity to rehab in 2026. However, that rehab will not happen with the Mets.

The timing of this roster move is notable, as 6:00pm this evening is the deadline for teams to set 40-man rosters and eligible players left off their teams’ rosters will be subject to the Rule 5 draft. Though Montas would spend the 2026 season on the 60-day injured list if he stayed with the Mets and thus not taking up a spot on the 40-man roster, he would not be able to be placed on the 60-day IL until Opening Day. The Mets cutting Montas, who will not play this season, frees up a spot on their 40-man roster to protect players from the Rule 5 draft, such as Nick Morabito, who the Mets plan to add to the roster ahead of tonight’s deadline. More roster moves by the Mets between now and 6:00pm tonight are potentially forthcoming, but in the meantime Frankie Montas’ stint as a New York Met has come to an unceremonious end.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...news-frankie-montas-designated-for-assignment

 

[New York Mets]

Starting today, comments and Feed posts on Amazin’ Avenue will have activity notifications

When you post on SB Nation, we don’t want you to miss all the conversations and responses that follow.

So starting today, whenever a user replies to your comment or to your post on the Feed, you’ll see a notification at the top right corner of the page.

And of course, this means that when you engage with other community members, they’ll get an alert too.

Our goal is to create more and better conversations on Amazin’ Avenue and elsewhere across the SB Nation network. Anytime someone engages with your comments or Feed posts on another SB Nation community, you’ll see it in your notifications.

For instance, here’s what your notifications might look like on sbnation.com if you were getting replies across Arrowhead Pride, MMA Fighting, and sbnation.com. You will see the same expandable stack of notifications on any site in the network where you were logged in.

If you want to dig into more of how this will work across the network and what’s next, head over to this post on sbnation.com from SB Nation’s Head of Product Ed Clinton.

You can log in or sign up here. Logged in users get fewer ads along with the ability to join the conversation. Jump into the comment section below or post on The Feed to see notifications in action.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/genera...mazin-avenue-will-have-activity-notifications

 

[New York Mets]

Mets name 2026 coaching staff

Earlier today, the Mets announced the entirety of their 2026 coaching staff. Alongside returning manager Carlos Mendoza, the only coach remaining with the team in his 2025 role is bullpen coach José Rosado. Last year’s coaching assistant Rafael Fernandez was promoted to Assistant Hitting Coach, and last year’s Assistant Coach Danny Barnes will now be the team’s Quality Assurance Coach.

Previously reported hires Kai Correa (Bench Coach) and Jeff Albert (Director of Major League Hitting) are joined by rumored hires Troy Snitker (Hitting Coach), Tim Leiper (Third Base and Infield Coach) and Justin Willard (Pitching Coach). The Mets filled out the staff with three promotions from within the system.

On the pitching side, Dan McKinney was promoted to Assistant Pitching Coach. McKinney is a three-year veteran of the Mets’ system, having been a pitching coach for St. Luicie in 2023, Brooklyn in 2024, and Binghamton in 2025.

On the other side of the battery, J.P. Arencibia is the Mets’ new Catching Coach. He spent the last three seasons as bench and assistant hitting coach for the Syracuse Mets. He’s also a six year MLB veteran, having caught for the Blue Jays, Rangers, and Rays.

Rounding out the staff is Gilbert Gomez as the First Base and Outfield Coach Gomez managed High-A Brooklyn last season, and has been in the Mets’ organization since 2018, managing and coaching in the lower levels of the Mets’ system and has also managed internationally in the Dominican Winter League.

For more on all the new hires, check out the official Mets’ press release here.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...ng-staff-mendoza-albert-korea-snitker-willard

 

[New York Mets]

The 2025-26 AAOP: The Finalists

We’ve gone through the AAOP entries and made up our minds on the finalists. Several Amazin’ Avenue writers and authors chipped in to come up with the list of finalists, and now it’s up to you, the community, to vote for the champions. The finalists, in no particular order, who found ways to make the Mets’ offseason good, fun, or both are:

• Bring the Mets to Life by The Elusive Sage
• Honey, We’re Selling the Farm by willsmith11
• The Sentimental Edition by irishmets
• A Tale of Two Citis: A New Shea in Metsville by cpins
• What’s new, Skubal-Doo? by IMissFatRex

Voting will remain open until 11:00 PM EST on Sunday November 23, 2025, and we’ll post the winners the next morning. Best of luck to all, and thanks to everyone who took the time to submit an AAOP. This contest wouldn’t be the same if participation weren’t as strong as it is every year.

Prizes​

• First place: New York Mets Sugar Skull Dugout Mug by Dugout Mugs
• Second place: One t-shirt of your choosing from this BreakingT collection
• Third place: A copy of the forthcoming book Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People’s Team by A.M. Gittlitz, to be delivered upon release in March 2026.

All entries are subject to the official rules, found here.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/aaop/87483/amazin-avenue-offseason-plan-contest-aaop-2025-2026-finalist

 

[New York Mets]

A quick look at the Mets’ tender decisions ahead of tomorrow’s deadline

The MLB tender deadline is approaching. Teams have until 5 PM EST on Friday to decide whether to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players or cut them loose into free agency. Eight Mets will be eligible, and there are one or two tricky decisions to be made.

All projected arbitration salaries are from MLBTR

No-brainer tender decisions​

• David Peterson (5.089): $7.6M
• Francisco Alvarez (2.164): $2.4M

Both Peterson and Alvarez are clear-cut tender decisions. Peterson pitched above his true talent level for most of the year, then significantly below it right at the end (potentially while dealing with injuries). Realistically he’s a solid #3/#4 starter who will be under contract at a bargain relative to market rates in his final year of arbitration. He’s a very possible trade candidate – the Mets could look to capitalize on his value ahead of free agency while clearing the way for a better arm – but he’s absolutely going to be tendered a contract.

Alvarez, meanwhile, quietly had a 124 wRC+ last year in roughly half a season of at bats. He keeps dinging up his hands, and the major league hitting instruction did him no favors (evidenced by his immediate improvement when demoted to Triple-A), but he’s also pretty clearly a top-10 catcher at this point with potential additional juice. It should be very exciting to see what he can do with the help of the revamped major league coaching staff this coming season.

Complementary players​

• Luis Torrens (5.105): $2.2M
• Tyrone Taylor (5.093): $3.6M
• Huascar Brazoban (2.170): $1.3M

All three of these players are likely to be tendered, but you can construct an argument as to why they shouldn’t be. Torrens’ actual line continues to lag his expected metrics (turns out hitting the ball the other way all the time isn’t a great idea), and his defense is pretty horrible. On the other hand, he’s an entrenched backup and is a favorite of the manager with a cheap contract. He seems more likely to be back than not.

Taylor is perhaps the most interesting player to discuss here. Most fans are probably a bit sick of him after his extended run as the centerfield starter last season, one that saw him lose time first to Jeff McNeil and eventually to Cedric Mullins. If that’s you, take a look around the league; centerfield is generally a disaster, and the list of reasonably available upgrades is slim to none. Moreover, Carson Benge is coming for this spot, perhaps as soon as opening day. That’s not someone you want to block, and Taylor is either an affordable, viable bridge or a reasonably priced fourth outfielder in an organization sorely lacking in high-minors OF depth.

Finally, Brazoban was up and down in 2025, but he’s dirt cheap and optionable. He also seems a safe bet to be tendered and play a similar role in middle relief in 2026.

Injured pitchers​

• Tylor Megill (4.031): $2.6M
• Max Kranick (3.011): $1M
• Reed Garrett (2.143): $1.4M

All of these arms are likely out for the entirety of 2026. They also, on talent, are all worth hanging on to. The problem here is roster space. Players can’t be placed on the 60-day IL until spring training, meaning that the Mets will need to allocate three spots on their 40-man roster to injured arms for the entirety of the offseason. That’s a challenge, particularly given the amount of churn David Stearns and the Mets leverage at the back of the roster.

In the scenario that the Mets decide they need to open up some space, Kranick is the most likely arm to get squeezed out. Don’t be surprised if the Mets try to immediately scoop him back up on a minor league deal, however, assuming another team doesn’t swoop in and grab him first.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...dline-peterson-alvarez-torrens-taylor-kranick

 

[New York Mets]

Mets Morning News: The rumors persist, but so do I

Meet the Mets​

The Kodai Senga market is taking shape as the Mets listen to offers, writes Jon Heyman.

The Mets have not asked Brandon Nimmo about waiving his no trade clause despite reports that they are shopping the left fielder.

Jorge Castillo explored all the potential fits for Pete Alonso.

The Mets were not among the teams to meet with Framber Valdez at the GM Meetings.

Anthony McCarron ranked the top five free agent relief pitcher for the Mets to target.

Jay Jaffe analyzed Carlos Beltrán’s Hall of Fame credentials.

The Mets are reportedly planning to non-tender Danny Young.

Safe to say Adam Ottavino is not a big fan of Carlos Mendoza’s bullpen usage.

Bryan Kalbrosky of USA Today looked at how Steve Cohen sold a functional gold toilet for $12.1 million.

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Around the National League East​

The Phillies inked outfielder Bryan De La Cruz to a minor league deal.

Travis Sawchik outlined two reasons to be optimistic about how Kyle Schwarber might age.

Around Major League Baseball​

Rob Manfred addressed a potential lockout and gambling issues as the owners’ meetings.

Jim Bowden imagined five potential packages for Tarik Skubal, one of which involved the Mets.

Mark Feinsand wrote about a player at each position who could be traded.

He also broke down the five tiers of free agents who are available this offseason.

Thomas Harrigan identified 12 intriguing players who may soon end up on the free agent market.

Kazuma Okamoto and Kona Takahashi have officially been posted for MLB free agency by their respective NPB clubs.

The Giants are showing interest in Tatsuya Imai.

Andrew Simon ranked the top ten free agent hitters.

Jared Greenspan explored a potential AL East rival which could be brewing for Kyle Tucker.

The Angels have ‘checked in’ on Cody Bellinger.

Erik Swanson has announced his retirement following a brutal offseason.

Rawlings has added a 30-foot tall gold glove statue that weighs 35,000 pounds to its St. Louis headquarters.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue​

Lukas Vlahos analyzed the team’s tender decisions ahead of today’s deadline.

Lukas also revealed the AAOP finalists!

This Date in Mets History​

Tommie Agee became the first Gold Glove award winner in franchise history on this date in 1970.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...s-morning-news-the-rumors-persist-but-so-do-i

 

[New York Mets]

Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World Series, Episode 218: The Tepid Stove

Welcome to Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World Series, the new/old favorite from Chris McShane and Brian Salvatore.

This week, Brian and Chris talk trade rumors, more new coaches, and debate the (now decided) non-tender deadline.

Chris’s Music Pick:

Yuma Abe – Hotel New Yuma

Brian’s Music Pick:

Pulp – More

You can listen or subscribe to all of our wonderful Home Run Applesauce podcasts through Apple Podcasts, where we encourage you to leave a review if you enjoy the show. It really helps! And you can find us on the Stitcher app, Spotify, or listen wherever you get podcasts.

If you’ve got questions that you’d like us to discuss on the air, email the show at [email protected].

Visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and to help directly support the podcasters whose work you’ve enjoyed for years.

Brian and Chris are on social media @ChrisMcShane (⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠), and @BrianNeedsaNap (⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠)And, until next time, Let’s Go Mets.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/podcas...-rumors-non-tender-coaches-nimmo-mcneil-senga

 

[New York Mets]

Mets Morning News: Teams make decisions ahead of non-tender deadline

Meet the Mets​

The Mets made several roster decisions ahead of the non-tender deadline, giving 2026 contracts to everyone but Max Kranick, José Castillo, and Danny Young.

After Adam Ottavino’s recent public rant, The Athletic contemplated whether Carlos Mendoza’s bullpen usage deserves criticism.

Mark Vientos spoke about once again needing to prove himself.

ESPN looked at the best possible fits for Pete Alonso.

John Harper argued the Mets should pursue a trade with the Rangers for Corey Seager.

SNY.tv ranked the top infield targets for the Mets this offseason.

Around the National League East​

The Phillies tendered contracts to all but two of their eligible players.

Dylan Lee has been tendered a contract by the Braves.

The Nationals are bringing back all of their arbitration-eligible players.

The Marlins sent outfielder Joey Wiemer to the Giants in exchange for cash.

All of the Marlins’ arbitration-eligible players are pitchers, and they’re all being brought back by Miami.

Around Major League Baseball​

Several new players have reached the free agent market after being non-tendered by their teams.

The Cubs made one of the first meaningful bullpen signings of the offseason, inking former Met Phil Maton to a two-year deal with a club option for a third year.

Another former Met landed a contract yesterday, as James McCann signed a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks.

Another star player from Asia will be available this offseason, as Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song will be posted by the Kiwoom Heroes.

The Angels have added Brady Anderson to new manager Kurt Suzuki’s coaching staff as the hitting coach.

MLB.com ranked the available free agents into five different tiers.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue​

Brian Salvatore and Chris McShane discussed the early happenings of the offseason on the latest episode of Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World Series.

This Date in Mets History​

Terry Collins—who would go on to manage more games than any other manager in Mets history—was hired on this date in 2010.

Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...ead-non-tender-deadline-baseball-new-york-mlb