Mets Morning News: No deal (yet), but talks progress and deadline extended

Meet the Mets

Though this scenario looks to be less likely by the minute, Deesha Thosar discussed what would befall the Mets if a month’s worth of games was cancelled.

The Mets officially announced that they hired Elizabeth Benn as Director of Major League Ops.

In addition, the team added four more people to their front office, each of whom have previous ties to GM Billy Eppler.

Taijuan Walker is anxious for the lockout to end, if only so he can know whether he should buy tickets to see The Batman in Arizona or in Florida.

Tomas Nido stayed up well past his bedtime in the hopes that a deal would be reached, and while it was not, he did provide some entertaining tweets along the way.

Around the National League East

Citing differing visions, Derek Jeter and the Marlins have ended their relationship, with the former Yankees shortstop stepping down CEO as CEO of Miami, effective immediately.

Jeter released a statement following the news.

The Hall of Famer reportedly left the team over a $15 million promise and a power struggle.

Prior to all this, it appears the Marlins and Jeter were interested in signing outfielder Nick Castellanos, but it’s unclear if he is too expensive for them now.

Jeter has options, and Randy Miller listed six potential next steps for him.

Braves starter Mike Soroka is still a big arm, but is also a ‘big if’ following his injuries.

Fangraphs dove into Atlanta’s financial profitability last year and explored what those financial statements could tell us about league’s prospects for 2022.

At the height of the drama yesterday, Phillies star. Bryce Harper took to Instagram with a post of himself in a Yomiuri Giants jersey as he looked at his options.

While waiting for the lockout to end, Nationals prospects are learning the “Nationals Way” in camp.

Around Major League Baseball

There was no deal reached yesterday to end the MLB lockout. However, it’s not all bad news, as enough progress was made in the late hours that the deadline was extended to 5:00pm today to get a deal done and save an on-time Opening Day.

This is no way means a deal is certain, but it is a good sign as they will meet again today.

The two sides worked well into Tuesday morning, with reporters cataloging the two sides bouncing back and forth between sides like an intense finals match at the U.S. Open.

At one point, it appeared they were determined to stay all night to get a deal done.

Among other things, the players held firm on a 12-team playoff format over a 14-team playoff format, and they seem to have won out in that respect.

According to Bob Nightengale, the luxury tax penalties will not stray too far from where they were in the last CBA: 20% for first-time offenders, 32% for second-time offenders, and 62.5% for third-time offenders. In terms of the luxury tax threshold, the league upped its offer to $220 million, while the players are still hoping for over $230 million.

According to Jon Heyman, MLB offered a $25 million bonus pool. In terms of minimum salary, MLB is proposing $675,000, while the players are seeking over $700,000.

The MLBPA is reportedly willing to drop their proposal to expand salary arbitration if they agree on the other numbers.

Jeff Passan torched Rob Manfred and the owners over the lockout in a blistering article.

Rob Manfred’s deadline was just another way for him to bully the players.

Matthew LaMar of Royals Review shared a visual comparison of how much wealthier MLB owners are than the median major leaguer.

According to MLBPA financial records, players who served as officers stopped getting paid or stopped accepting payment for their work with the union starting in 2019.

MLB and NBC have held discussions about Peacock streaming some games in the future.

MLB TV will not be billing fans on March 1 or until a new CBA is in effect. This comes after fans scrambled to cancel their subscriptions ahead of the renewal date.

Joey Gallo created a LinkedIn page, just in case the negotiations did not go well.

Tim Britton wondered how and where fans will consume baseball broadcasts in 20 years.

Steve Adams explored the latest Clayton Kershaw rumors.

Matthew Roberson explored the immediate impact of MLB stopping drug testing during the lockout.

The Yankees hired Hensley Mellens as their assistant hitting coach.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

In Episode 157 of From Complex to Queens, the crew discussed the differences between collegiate baseball and professional baseball.

This Date in Mets History

The cracks began to show in Tom Seaver’s relationship with the Mets on this date in 1976. It was then that The Franchise, who won the 1975 NL Cy Young Award, proclaimed that he would not take the mound for the club until the two sides worked out a new contract. The team would go on to trade Tom Terrific to the Reds 15 months later ahead of the 1977 trade deadline.