1:53 AM EDT, Fri March 29, 2024
Amazin Avenue

J.D. Martinez brings more than just a bat to the Mets

Photo by Norm Hall/ Is Martinez the avatar of the Mets in 2024? Despite what Max Scherzer was told in order to waive his no-trade clause, the Mets always insisted, at least in public, that they were going to attempt to field a playoff team in 2024. This may have seemed like wishful thinking at times, especially without significant signings that act as the most surefire way to hype a fanbase up to expect a winning season. But when J.D. Martinez signed a one-year, $12 million deal late in spring training, the Mets made their most compelling argument for competition this...

Amazin Avenue

An updated vibe check on the 2024 Mets

Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports How are we feeling about the 2024 Mets now that the season is about to start? Back in mid-February, we collected our feelings about the 2024 Mets and put them in a post. But with spring training in the books, Opening Day just about upon us, Kodai Senga starting the year on the injured list, and J.D. Martinez signed and coming soon as the team’s regular DH, we thought we’d take our collective baseball temperature again. Allison McCague In the February vibe check, I lamented how many free agents who could help the Mets remained unsigned...

Amazin Avenue

2024 Mets King of Spring Training, final poll

Photo by Megan Briggs/ It’s time to decide the 2024 KoST winner! I’m going to be honest here, folks. The bats this spring have looked very bleak. And that makes deciding a KoST winner pretty difficult. Almost universally, our pool of candidates on the offensive side declined since our last update. We do add one more name to the list in Zack Short, who was an unlikely candidate to make the team and managed to do so, which gives him some KoST potential. Other than that, the standout performers this spring have pretty much all been pitchers. There we add one...

Amazin Avenue

We’re all rooting for Zack Short

Photo by Rich Storry/ The feel good story of late spring has arrived. On Sunday morning, Zack Short got a phone call that many of us have experienced: his grandmother had passed away. Short, in his first spring training with the Mets, could not join his family in the Kingston area to be with his grandmother as she died. As much fun as it seems like being a pro ballplayer is, this is the downside: you’re a thousand miles away for moments that don’t get a do-over. You miss a lot. But just a few hours later, Short was told that he made the Opening Day roster for the...

Amazin Avenue

Mets Morning News for March 26, 2024

Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Your Tuesday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links. Meet the Mets The Mets concluded their spring training schedule with a 3-0 loss to the Yankees. New York finished spring with a 15-14 record. There was a scary moment when Starling Marte was hit in the head by a Clay Holmes pitch. However, the Mets’ skipper assuaged fears by saying Marte is okay following the incident. The Mets arrived home last night following the conclusion of spring training. The Mets (and Yankees) are not sweating losing their aces to...

New York Post

Francisco Alvarez’s completed Mets spring training goals were bigger than him

And as Thursday’s scheduled season opener against the Brewers at Citi Field approaches, he is confident the improvements in his game will be most noticeable in the manner the Mets perform.

Amazin Avenue

Mets release Phil Bickford

Phil Bickford | Photo by Dustin Satloff/ Picked up during the 2023 season, Bickford’s time with the Mets has ended. The Mets have released 28-year-old right-handed reliever Phil Bickford, having designated him for assignment a few days ago to make room for designated hitter J.D. Martinez on their 40-man roster. Coming into spring training, Bickford was one of several pitchers who had a shot at making the team’s Opening Day bullpen. But he and many of the other relievers in that competition were out of options. Having joined the Mets last year in a trade with the...

New York Post

Starling Marte’s health a Mets spring training win with outfielder open to DH at-bats

Starling Marte arrived in camp feeling as if the questions about his health had been answered. He departed Monday saying nothing had changed.

New York Post

What hints did the Mets give us this spring about how the season ahead could play out?

There are hints — or maybe mirages — around Mets camp after four weeks of spring training games.

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees 3, Mets 0: Schmidt shines in final tune-up

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Schmidt put in an impressive display with the regular season just a few days away. The rosters are mostly set, the bags are starting to get packed, and it’s about time for the 2024 regular season. While you can practically feel Opening Day in the air, there’s still a couple more spring training games left, which included one this afternoon against the Mets. You can tell we’re getting closer to real baseball, because you’re starting to see stuff like regulars playing fairly deep into games, and starting pitchers going a...

Amazin Avenue

Luisangel Acuña begins 2024 in Syracuse with a shot to make his big league debut

Luisangel Acuña | Photo: Chris McShane The 22-year-old stole 57 bases in the minors last year. Earlier this month, the Mets sent Luisangel Acuña to minor league spring training and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse, where he figures to begin the 2024 season. A top-100 prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball Prospectus and MLB.com, Acuña ranked third on our list of the Mets’ top prospects heading into the 2024 season. Having just turned 22, Acuña is the younger brother of Ronald Acuña Jr., arguably the best player in baseball at the moment. Both players...

Amazin Avenue

Max Kranick will begin the year on the IL, possibly serve as rotation depth for the 2024 Mets

Photo by Elsa/ The 26-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in spring training. Back in mid-January, the Mets claimed 26-year-old right-handed pitcher Max Kranick on waivers, a move that might not have registered with most Mets fans ahead of his brief stint in spring training that ended with a hamstring injury. With the team’s Opening Day rotation set, Tylor Megill will begin the year at the major league level with José Butto and Joey Lucchesi starting in Triple-A Syracuse. As things stand, the rotation there figures to be pretty crowded, and whenever Kranick is ready...

Amazin Avenue

Open thread: Mets vs. Nationals, 3/24/24

Photo by Rich Storry/ Luis Severino makes his final spring training start in split-squad action today. Mets lineup lineup to follow Broadcast info First pitch:TV: WPIXRadio: WCBS 880, Audacy

Amazin Avenue

When healthy, Kodai Senga should be the Mets’ ace this season

Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via The righty is coming off a phenomenal rookie season. Heading into camp, Kodai Senga seemed like the one of the two definite pieces of the Mets’ rotation. Coming off an outstanding rookie season, he is unquestionably the team’s ace and would slot in as the team’s number one starter. That all changed when, shortly after spring training began, Senga was diagnosed with a shoulder strain that required a PRP injection. He was shut down, and while he is expected to resume throwing shortly, there is still no specific timetable for...

Bleed Cubbie Blue

The Cubs are reportedly headed to Japan to open the 2025 season

The scoreboard showing the final score of the Cubs’ win over the Mets at the Tokyo Dome, March 29, 2000 | Al Yellon This will be SO awesome. ALBUQUERQUE — I’m currently in New Mexico heading back to Chicago, but about a year from now I hope to be in Japan watching the Cubs. That’s happening, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today: The Chicago Cubs and Dodgers have been privately informed they have been selected to open the 2025 season in Tokyo. The Cubs, who have spring training in Arizona, are expected to return to Arizona after the series and open their domestic...

The Crawfish Boxes

Spring Training Game Thread Saturday March 23

Spring Training. | Photo by Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Astros vs. Mets Cristian Javier pitching today!

Pinstripe Alley

Today on Pinstripe Alley - 3/23/24

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Opening up a split-squad heavy last weekend of spring training. We’ve reached the final weekend of spring training, and it’ll be a busy one. Part of the team will be flying to Mexico City for an exhibition with Diablos Rojos of the Mexican League on Sunday and Monday, while the rest of the squad will remain in Florida for some split-squad action. Right now, the fifth-starter job remains a big story in camp, with both Luis Gil and Will Warren showing well in yesterday’s game against the Mets. It’s anyone’s guess what the...

New York Post

J.D. Martinez’s Mets season will begin with minor league at-bats

Martinez gave advanced consent for a specific minor league stint, likely 10 days, to build the at-bats he missed by being unsigned for almost all of spring training.

Pinstripe Alley

Today on Pinstripe Alley - 3/22/24

Photo by New York Yankees/ It’s Yankees vs. Mets in Tampa today. I often spend these particular days of spring training baseball with my attention divided by Yankees exhibitions and March Madness. Now, at this point in March, the general baseball concern is simply “don’t get injured,” so it’s easier to focus on basketball as long as no one is curled up in a ball on the field. The Yankees succeeded in this goal yesterday! Huzzah. May it continue. Today on the site, Madison will muse on Alex Verdugo crossing enemy lines to join the Yanekes, and David will...

Amazin Avenue

Reed Garrett will start the year in Syracuse as bullpen depth

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports We take a quick look at another reliever who might see some innings with the Mets in 2024. Reed Garrett was part of the Mets’ major league bullpen in 2023, and until fairly late in spring training this year, he was in major league camp. Making the Opening Day roster would have been a pretty significant feat from the outset, as Garrett has options remaining this year—unlike a bunch of the other pitchers trying to claim a spot. It didn’t help, of course, that Garrett had a 6.41 ERA in his time in the big leagues last year. And even if the...

New York Post

Jeff McNeil makes long-awaited Mets spring training debut

Jeff McNeil waited until the last week of spring training, but he finally got into the Mets lineup.

Amazin Avenue

Mets Morning News for March 20, 2024

Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports Your Wednesday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links. Meet the Mets Yesterday’s spring training game could be a sneak preview at the Opening Day lineup. Tim Britton looks at how the Mets should potentially construct their lineup. David Stearns looked ahead to his first year with the Mets in a conversation with Tyler Kepner. Sean Reid-Foley expects to be ready for Opening Day. Phil Bickford is the only Met who went to arbitration and won extra money for it. A handful of players were reassigned to minor league camp on...

Amazin Avenue

Tylor Megill makes Mets’ Opening Day rotation, José Butto optioned to minors

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports The 28-year-old has claimed a spot in the team’s rotation. Earlier today, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced that 28-year-old right-handed pitcher Tylor Megill had made the team’s Opening Day rotation, taking the spot that opened up when Kodai Senga got hurt early in spring training. The spot always seemed to be Megill’s to lose, but he wasn’t alone in trying to claim it. Max Kranick was said to be in the mix before suffering an injury of his own, José Butto pitched very well in spring training after putting up good numbers in...

New York Post

Mets’ Luis Severino glad he’s healthy as season nears: ‘Feel really good’

Luis Severino is looking forward to completing his final spring training assignment and actually starting the season healthy.

New York Post

The remaining big roster decisions Mets face before opener

Team officials had a good idea before camp began of the 26 players they plan to take north. But the X factor is always injuries, with spring training performance also not completely dismissed.

Amazin Avenue

Mets Morning News for March 18, 2024

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports Your Monday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links. Meet the Mets Steve Cohen was at Spring Training yesterday and answered questions about his opinion of the farm system, what a successful season looks like, whether he will personally add to the roster, Citi Field never getting a roof, Our Plan, Pete Alonso’s future, and that 3-5 year projection. Hey Mike, first time long time, do you think the Yankees’ Carlos Narvaez and the Mets’ Omar Narvaez ever get together for dinner or something when they’re both in...

New York Post

SNY announcers stunned by SpaceX rocket launch during Mets’ spring training game

The Mets' spring training game against the Washington Nationals on Friday took a back seat to another event happening in Florida.

New York Post

Jarred Kelenic having an atrocious spring training with Braves

The former top Mets prospect and current member of the Atlanta Braves has been having the worst spring among MLB qualifiers.

WATCH: Jacob deGrom is deGOAT at Mets spring training with A-Rod

New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is having fun throwing live BP sessions to his teammates during spring training in Port St. Lucie, and even had a special guest watching, Alex Rodriguez.

Alex Rodriguez "Meets the Mets" at spring training in Port St. Lucie

Baseball legend Alex Rodriguez stops by New York Mets spring training in Port St. Lucie and catches up with players and coaches, and becomes the biggest star in camp.

Peter Alonso explains why he wanted to face Jacob deGrom

New York Mets prospect Peter Alonso explains to SNY's Steve Gelbs why he wanted to face reigning Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom in a live BP session so early during spring training.