Mets Morning News: 500k retweets

Meet the Mets

She did it! Callie Quinn, a 17-year-old high school senior from Staten Island, has gotten her wish of prom photos at Citi Field after getting 500k retweets in response to a challenge posed by the Mets via DM. A Mets fan is now the author of one of the most viral tweets in history.

Why sign Lorenzo Cain when you have Juan Lagares? Joel Sherman thinks that if Lagares can be successful in adjusting his swing, then the next Lorenzo Cain may already be in Flushing.

Ken Davidoff summarized the Mets’ injury mishaps in a scathing review, indicative of a high-pressure culture focused on the short-term rather than the long-term. But the Mets seem to be at least taking the first steps to change that. Time will tell if there is substance behind the promise.

Around the National League East

The Phillies signed former Met Francisco Rodriguez to a minor league deal. He will earn $2.5 million plus incentives if he makes the big league roster.

The MLB Players’ Association has apparently filed a complaint regarding the Marlins’ (and Pirates’) offseason activities, but Major League Baseball is unconvinced there is anything fishy happening (see what I did there?).

While it may seem counterintuitive, Joel Sherman gives a few reasons why the Marlins should perhaps consider perusing the free agent market.

The Braves, uh, debuted their new mascot.

Around Major League Baseball

While there was some optimism that the flurry of activity that culminated in the Lorenzo Cain signing—the biggest contract inked so far this offseason—would result in the hot stove finally becoming, well, hot, it hasn’t taken long for speculation to resume about why it has been so frustratingly cold. Jon Heyman lays out the all the theories, from wariness about signing older players to the power of tanking to cautious GMs and “superteams.”

On that note, the Dodgers all but admitted that they are out on Yu Darvish due to their desire to stay under the luxury tax threshold.

The Orioles announced that Manny Machado will be moving to his natural shortstop position in 2018, with Tim Beckham manning the vacated hot corner.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1967, the Mets drafted Ken Singleton who was eventually traded for Rusty Staub.