Mets Morning News: Matz tops prospect list, spring training schedule announced

Meet the Mets

The Mets signed right-handed pitcher Stolmy Pimentel to a minor league contract yesterday. Pimentel has pitched in parts of three major league seasons, most recently with the Texas Rangers.

Steven Matz topped Minor League Ball's list of the Mets' 20 best prospects for 2016. The list also included Wuilmer Becerra, who is eligible for the Rule 5 draft on December 10.

The Mets released their 2016 spring training schedule. The Mets will take on the Nationals for the first game on March 3.

The Mets and Nationals are said to be high bidders for free agent Ben Zobrist. Check out our profile of him here.

The Mets used Matt Harvey in a Game of Thrones spoof.

Around the Majors

Fangraphs took a look at Gerardo Parra's defense. Parra has been connected to the Mets in free agency.

Jose Reyes pleaded not guilty to domestic violence charges.

Japanese right-handed pitcher Kenta Maeda requested to be posted to MLB organizations. If the Hiroshima Carp permit this, Maeda would attract significant interest on the open market.

The Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization are expected to post Jae-gyun Hwang on Wednesday.

A pair of backstops found new homes, as the Angels signed Geovany Soto while the Mariners finalized Chris Ianetta's contract.

The White Sox acquired reliever Tommy Kahnle from the Rockies. Kahnle served as Colorado's closer at one point last season.

The Mariners are reportedly looking into the possibility of trading for Marcell Ozuna.

Yesterday at AA

The Mets are said to be looking for left-handed bullpen help.

Brian Salvatore took a look at Dominic Smith's Arizona Fall League accomplishments.

Jason Heyward stands out as a top free agent of this year's class.

We took a look at Kelly Johnson's performance with the Mets in 2015.

This Date in Mets History

On this day in 2010, Kaz Matsui returned to the Japan Pacific League by signing with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Matsui had a largely underwhelming tenure with the Mets, followed by stints with the Rockies and Astros.

Happy birthday to Octavio Dotel, Shingo Takatsu, and Chico Walker!