Mets Morning News: David Wright's shoulder on the mend

Meet the Mets

David Wright is continuing to rehab from the shoulder injury that caused him to be shut down at the end of last season. He has begun to swing a bat now three months removed from the end of his 2014 season and he intends to meet with new hitting coach Kevin Long.

At this point the Mets will probably head into the 2015 season with Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada as the starting and backup shortstops. However, they are still monitoring the thin free agent market. Marc Carig has reported that they would potentially be interested in Stephen Drew or Everth Cabrera on one-year deals, while Jon Heyman believes they would also be interested in Asdrubal Cabrera.

Baseball America released its list of the Mets' top ten prospects. The lists boasts a good mix of talent with four pitchers and six position players. It is headed by right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard.

Terry Collins told the New York Post that Matt Harvey will probably not be the Opening Day starter for the Mets. This will be a part of the Mets' efforts to limit his innings this season as he works back from Tommy John surgery. There is also a chance he will be shut down for a few weeks during the season to give him extra rest.

Around the NL East

The Nationals were involved in a three-team trade with the Padres and Rays. They acquired shortstop Trea Turner and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross, both prospects in the Padres system. To complete the deal, they shipped out Steven Souza and Travis Ott.

The Braves traded pitcher Anthony Varvaro to the Red Sox in exchange for minor league pitcher Aaron Kurcz. The deal came after Varvaro was going to be designated for assignment to make room for Alberto Callaspo.

The Marlins are reportedly likely to trade pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. This past season the 24-year-old had a 4.37 ERA over 33 starts. He became expendable as the Marlins have acquired several other veteran starting pitchers.

While the Phillies had a quiet day, speculation about the future of Cole Hamels has continued. Over at The Good Phight, Justin Klugh humorously analyzed his quotes on the matter.

Around the Major Leagues

The Royals signed starting pitcher Edinson Volquez to a two-year $20 million contract. Volquez had a bounce-back 2014 season with the Pirates in which he had a 3.04 ERA over 192 innings.

Right-handed relief pitcher Sergio Romo has re-signed with the Giants. His deal is worth two years and $15 million. The 31-year-old lost his position as closer but ultimately finished with 3.72 ERA over 58 innings for the World Series champions.

Veteran starting pitcher Jake Peavy apparently has multiple suitors. Ken Rosenthal reported that the Marlins, Braves, and Giants have all expressed interest. Peavy began the season poorly with the Red Sox, but was traded to the Giants where he finished strong and lowered his season ERA to 3.73.

The Cubs and Mariners struck a deal that most significantly saw outfielder Justin Ruggiano move from Chicago to Seattle. The Cubs received minor league pitcher Matt Brazis.

The Diamondbacks' trading of pitcher Wade Miley may have had something to do with strife between him and the front office. Apparently the two parties butted heads on the subject of Miley's conditioning. He was traded to the Red Sox last week.

Today in Mets History

Joe Orsulak signed a three-year $2.4 million deal with the Mets in 1993. While with the Mets, he played in the outfield and at first base. His best season with the club was his first in which he hit .284/.331/.399.

Yesterday at AA

Jeffrey Paternostro wrote an in-depth recap of the Mets Rule 5 draft. While the names involved were largely unexciting, he believes lefty Sean Gilmartin has a chance to stick with the Mets, though he is unsure if the Mets' most significant loss, Logan Verrett, will be able to stick with the Orioles.