Mets Morning News: Return of the Hot Stove

Meet the Mets

The Mets have reportedly had conversations with the Reds about a deal that would net them starting pitcher Tyler Mahle.

Yusei Kikuchi also may be a target for the Mets, but they are apparently not his strongest suitor at the moment.

Another trade target the Mets have reportedly done their homework on is Arizona’s Luke Weaver.

The above rumors certainly indicate that the Mets understand that they need to add to their starting pitching depth.

It is also worth considering whether the Mets would be best served making another big splash on offense.

Teams are making calls to the Mets about their potentially extraneous position players (J.D. Davis, Dominic Smith, and Jeff McNeil), but the Mets aren’t biting just yet.

Buck Showalter was ready to get to work immediately after the lockout officially ended.

Showalter and company will have their work cut out for them in getting their starting pitchers ready to go in a shortened spring training.

There are already a number of questions facing the Mets as they get ready for spring training to begin.

The Mets have their new spring training schedule set, with their first game coming next Saturday against the Nationals.

The Citi Field’s long-awaited Tom Seaver statue will finally be unveiled on April 15th.

A question that Mets fans thankfully don’t have to answer: who would you choose between Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer?

Scherzer has already reported to camp, which means we finally have images of him in full Mets gear.

The Mets will be hosting an intra-squad game that is open to the public prior to the beginning of spring training games.

Around the National League East

The fate of Freddie Freeman is just one of several questions facing the Braves as they head into the 2022 season.

Atlanta has apparently been making back-up plans in case Freeman departs, as they’ve been in touch with the Athletics about first baseman Matt Olson.

Bryce Harper is trying to convince the Phillies to pursue fellow Las Vegas native Kris Bryant.

Derek Jeter’s abrupt departure created a lot of questions about how much money the Marlins have to work with moving forward.

Miami is apparently kicking the tires on a few outfield acquisitions, including the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds and former Met Michael Conforto.

Around Major League Baseball

One of the first major post-lockout signings came from the Giants, who signed starting pitcher Carlos Rodón to a two-year, $44 million deal with an opt-out after the first year.

Clayton Kershaw is sticking with the only team he’s ever played for, signing a one-year deal to remain with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are also apparently making a strong push for Freddie Freeman, and a decision from the star first baseman is imminent.

The Cubs have signed free agent shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a one-year, $4 million deal.

Chicago also made a move to extend manager David Ross through at least the 2024 season.

Veteran pitcher Martín Pérez is returning to the Rangers after signing a one-year, $4 million deal with the club.

The Mariners, Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, and Red Sox are apparently some of the major current suitors for Japanese slugger Seiya Suzuki.

The players union accomplished a lot in their recent negotiations, though there are also some areas where they could have done more.

After being the voice of Fox and the World Series for decades, Joe Buck is joining ESPN as their new Monday Night Football announcer.

After previously signing a deal with Apple, MLB apparently has another deal in place with NBC’s Peacock to stream a selection of Sunday games over the course of the season.

Veteran catcher Stephen Vogt was eligible to sign a minor league contract over the past few months, but decided to forego doing so to support the MLBPA’s fight.

With spring training finally on the verge of beginning, MLB.com provided some initial power rankings of the thirty MLB teams.

In the future, the winner of the Home Run Derby may be the deciding factor in any ties in the All Star Game.

One other new change: the commissioner now has the authority to set the date of the trading deadline anywhere between July 28th and August 3rd.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

David Capobianco made the bold prediction that Pete Alonso will hit a lot of balls very far in 2022.

Vasilis Drimalitis opined that the Mets should pursue Carlos Rodón to fill the last hole in their starting rotation (alas, those dreams would be dashed just a few hours later).

This Date in Mets History

The infamous spring training dust-up between Mike Piazza and Guillermo Mota occurred on this date in 2003.