Mets Morning News: MLB lockout panic sets in as calendar turns to February

Meet the Mets

Despite an earlier rumor that the Mets were out of the market for a big free agent bat even before the lockout, Jon Heyman is hearing that the club may still add “another significant pitcher and hitter” once the lockout ends.

Meanwhile, Pat Ragazzo has heard the Mets will prioritize depth and pitching following the lockout.

Steve Adams summed up the latest rumblings on what the Mets might do post-lockout.

Andy Martino explored why Robinson Cano is so disliked when other players who have been tied to PEDs are beloved.

The Mets have five of the top 100 prospects in MLB, according to Keith Law.

Aram Leighton of Just Baseball wrote about the team’s top prospects.

Mike Piazza is the latest Mets alum to express condolences following Jeff Innis’ passing on Sunday.

Steve Cohen’s old Midtown penthouse, which he sold at a 75% price slash, was flipped and sold for $36 million.

Around the National League East

The Nationals will open the first retail sportsbook connected to a Major League Baseball stadium after partnering with BetMGM.

David O’Brien wrote about the rise and fall of some Braves prospects and discussed their 2022 outlook.

Around Major League Baseball

MLB and MLBPA will meet later today, one week after their last in-person meeting to discuss core economic issues affecting the sport.

With their Tuesday meeting, the two sides will hope to build on some of the common ground that currently exists.

Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich collaborated on a piece that broke down just how far apart MLB and the MLBPA are in the current negotiations to end the lockout.

Jesse Rogers wonders when it’s time to start worrying about the MLB lockout as it begins its third month.

Maury Brown believes the time to worry is now, at least with respect to losing spring training games.

Brown’s Forbes colleague Jared Wyllys spoke to MLB’s waning popularity, which is only more noticeable as the NFL presented a slate of exciting postseason games.

R.J. Anderson explored three potential problems with using a WAR-based bonus pool to pay younger players.

Shohei Ohtani will grace the cover of MLB The Show 22. He is the first Asian athlete to make it on to the cover of a video game for one of the four major sports in the United States.

Former MLB outfielder Doug Glanville is okay with Barry Bonds not making the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Carlos Beltran will return to baseball as a broadcaster for the Yankees, and Ken Davidoff looked at the expectations following his absence from the sport and how both sides can benefit from some sort of mea culpa.

This Date in Mets History

Four days after acquiring the ace left-hander from the Twins, the Mets agreed to a six-year contract extension with Johan Santana on this date in 2008. Santana would go on to throw the first (and, to date, only) no-hitter in franchise history, which was well worth the price of the contract by itself.