Scott Hairston Days To Go, Everybody! Applesauce: A Dozen Days Until Pitchers & Catchers Report, Team Assigns Numbers to New Players, Rusty To Be Inducted Into the Canadian Hall of Fame, Eh?

Meet the Mets

On Tuesday, the Mets assigned numbers to players who were previously numberless. This group includes big league free agent signings, minor league non-roster signings with spring training invites, minor leaguers added to the 40 man roster and minor league prospects invited to spring training as non-roster players.

There's still plenty of reaction to Monday's news of Howard Megdal's credentials being revoked by the Mets. One of the best pieces I've read on the topic of the organization's decision is from the great Metstradamus.

Longtime Met star Rusty Staub is going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame...the Canadian Hall of Fame, that is. What's that all aboot, you ask? Staub, raised in Louisiana, played for the Expos from 1969-71 and then again in 1979.

It looks as if new announcer Josh Lewin will be taking over for Wayne Hagin behind the WFAN mic alongside Howie Rose, so you might as well learn a little more about him. Here's a firsthand account of Mr. Lewin's abilities from roving Mets blogger Paul Festa.

Toby Hyde keeps rolling through his Top 41 prospect list. Clocking in at #27 is LHP Robert Carson, while at #26 is RHP Collin McHugh.

In a guest post to Baseball Prospectus, NBC Hardball Talk's Aaron Gleeman revisits the Johan Santana trade and predictably, the trade looks like a bomb for both sides. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20 but just imagine if the Twins had taken the Red Sox package back then. Wow.

A couple of interesting notes to pass along from Joel Sherman: first, he heard that the team has stopped pursuing lefty hitting outfielders for the bench. Then he announced that the organization is planning a prospects vs. veterans exhibition to be played in early March in Port St. Lucie.

Around the Majors

We saw some contract extension news break around the league on Tuesday. The Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw agreed to a two year contract extension worth $19 million. Then, the Rangers and Elvis Andrus agreed to a three year extension valued at $14.5 million. Finally, Oakland A's GM Billy Beane, after writing a book about himself and then turning his book into an award-winning movie, is close to giving himself a contract extension through 2019.

Cuban outfielder and pig roasting phenom Yoenis Cespedes has arrived in Miami to visit with the Marlins. The Fish are considered the favorites in the Cespedes derby. Meanwhile, Dave Cameron runs down the ten best transactions of the winter.

At The Hardball Times, Dave Studeman put together an interesting study on the correlation between wins and payroll during the free agency era. The article, complete with graphs and charts, demonstrates that we're living in a baseball world where currently, a gigantic payroll does not necessarily correlate well to winning.

Are you jealous that MLB does not have its own polarizing Tim Tebow-esque character? Personally, I'd rather not have all of that hoopla surrounding baseball. However, in case you are, Grant Brisbee conducts a search for baseball's own Tebow or Jeremy Lin and comes up with a familiar name to Mets fans.

As observers of the game today, we know that some front offices lean towards heavy analysis (Red Sox, A's, Rays for example) while others lean towards the old school (Dodgers, Giants, White Sox). Which teams are on which side of the coin and which ones fall in the middle?

John Sickels took a look back at the position player prospects he rated as elite from 2003 through 2006 and how their careers have fared thus far.

Hey fellow sabergoons: want some saberporn? I've got something good for you, then. Check out these aesthetically pleasing triple slashes, as put together by Brandon Warne over at NotGraphs.

Facepalm of the Day: On Tuesday, CBS Sports introduced a new fantasy baseball game specifically targeted at women, called "Baseball Boyfriend". According to the game's site, BBBF is "a single draftee, fantasy baseball, mini game designed for those who love baseball players. Pick your first BBBF at the beginning of the 2012 Baseball Season. Every time your boyfriend plays, you accumulate points based on his stats for the day. If he can’t perform, dump him. Then pick up a new BBBF. The one with the most points at the end of the season wins." You can read more about this atrocity at the link provided (and believe me, that description only scratches the surface. There's plenty more where that came from) as I'm just speechless at how hilariously dumb an idea this is.

Mets Video Highlight of the Day: I'm selfishly stealing this segment from my colleague Jeffrey Paternostro today, but for a very good reason: Tuesday was the birthday of legendary former Met Endy Chavez, so I would be remiss if I did not link up Mr. Chavez' greatest Mets moment for you all again. Watch and enjoy a time when Mets baseball was still so simple and joyous!