It's officially baseball season!
Happy pitchers and catchers report day!
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
As pitchers and catchers report to camp the team is counting on a few of their pitchers on staff to have a bounce back season (New York Post)
After being DFA-ed, reliever Austin Adams cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse
DJ Stewart helped give back to the community during the Mets Spring Training 5k (MLB.com)
Five storylines to watch as spring begins… ✍️
With Super Sunday over it is time to turn the page to baseball season. The Mets made no blockbuster moves this offseason but there will be alot of new faces around camp as spring training begins. As they work towards the start of the 2024 season there will be a few storylines to keep an eye on.
What does Carlos Mendoza bring to the team as the new manager?
While spring training is usually low stress before the pressure of the season begins, it will be interesting to see what Mendoza brings to the table as the new skipper, not only on the field but off the field as well.
Buck Showalter developed close relationships with his players, namely Francisco Lindor, so Mendoza will have to work to replicate Showalter’s success in that area. He was highly regarded by the players in the Yankee clubhouse so now he will have to translate those skills to Queens.Can this be a successful rotation?
Kodai Senga is unquestionably an ace and José Quintana will need to step up as a number two, but the rest of the rotation is a big question mark.
Nobody really knows just what the Mets have in Luis Severino, Adrian Houser, and Sean Manaea yet. They will need to prove they are both fully healthy and can be successful in 2024. Spring isn’t always the best indicator of success during the season, but if they falter it might be another long season at Citi Field.Is Edwin Díaz still Edwin Díaz?
Díaz’s injury last year had the snowball effect of putting more pressure on the bullpen and forcing pitchers into different roles, and really let the air out of the balloon before it even left the ground in 2023.
The return of the closer will hopefully bring some stability to the back end of the bullpen. Díaz said he feels good and can pitch without any restrictions so it’s a positive sign that the trumpets will again be blasting at Citi Field after their tune went silent for a season.Who is the DH around here?
There are still external options like JD Martinez that the team could sign, but given David Stearns’s other moves this offseason it appears unlikely that he will make a big move. So that leaves internal options like Mark Vientos, DJ Stewart, or even Starling Marte. Vientos and Stewart are the two most likely options and one will have to win the job by the time spring ends.
Remember - Mets DH’s produced a .403 SLG among 15 different players in 2023. That simply must improve.Will Pete Alonso sign an extension?
There has been very little movement on this front but David Stearns has repeatedly hinted he wants Alonso here long-term.
Alonso’s camp might want to try for a big contract year to get a larger pay day at the end of the season but that is always a risky move. The Polar Bear has always spoken highly of the organization and how much he loves playing in New York.
After a disappointing 2023 season, and an unexciting offseason, an Alonso extension will be an easy win for all parties involved and will give fans something to celebrate before the 2024 season begins.
Hot Stove 🔥
The Pirates signed catcher Yasmani Grandal to a one-year contract
The Phillies reportedly signed righty Spencer Turnbull to a one-year deal worth $2 million (MLB)
The Marlins traded Nick Gordon to the Twins in exchange for lefty Steven Okert
The Padres, Pirates, Twins, Cubs, and Rays are all potential landing spots for Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen (MLB Network)
Not sure, but didn’t Stearns recently indicate that there would be no Alonso extension? They would let him go to free agency and then, like Nimmo, see about signing him?