Steve Cohen on being annoyed, his views of a captain, the Dodgers, etc.

Plus, there's an under the radar addition making a big opening impression in Port St. Lucie

What’s Up with the Mets? 🌴

• The Mets held their first full squad workout of spring training on Monday in front of a packed house on President’s Day in Port St. Lucie

• The Mets signed veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman to a minor league deal (The Athletic)

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Steve Cohen’s news conference 🎙️

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Mets owner and CEO Steve Cohen met with the media at Clover Park on Monday morning and essentially said the following:

• There will never be a named captain while he is the owner - he feels the clubhouse needs to define itself rather than designating a leader

• The goal is for the Mets to meet and then beat the Dodgers in the playoffs

• He thought the way the Dodgers maneuvered to sign Edwin Díaz was really clever, and suggested the Mets might have had a better offer for him

• 40 years is “too long” since the club’s last championship, and he gets “more annoyed” with each year that passes without a championship

• He expects the Mets to be a playoff team in 2026, and noted not making it two years in a row wouldn’t be good

• He feels there’s a new and positive energy with this team and likes the way the team is built around contact and clutch hitting, noting that the club’s 0-70 record last year when trailing after eight innings was incredible

Watch the whole news conference here.

“[The Dodgers are] formidable, right? They have the ability to spend — so do I, by the way. They have built a great team. But I think we’ve built a great team, and I think we’re going to be really competitive this year, and the goal is to meet them somewhere along the way in the playoffs.”

~ Steve Cohen

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What I’m Reading 🗞️

• RHP Christian Scott reminding Mets of his potential (SNY)

• Steve Cohen sets a no-nonsense approach for 2026 (SNY)

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Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

In the latest episode of the Just Mets Podcast, Rich answered all of your questions with Spring Training getting underway in full this week.

SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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MJ Melendez has the potential to pay big dividends ✍️

@perfectframephotographynj

When the Mets signed veteran MJ Melendez last week, the move largely flew under the radar. Pitchers and catchers had already reported for spring training, and so much of the attention around Mets camp centered around some of the team’s big-name new faces and the reported drama in last year’s clubhouse.

Melendez’s addition was met with general approval but limited enthusiasm from casual observers, but I’m here to insist it could pay much larger dividends.

Drafted by the Royals in the 2nd round of the 2017 draft, Melendez cruised through Kansas City’s minor league system and led all of the minor leagues with 41 homers in 2021.

He debuted in the Majors the following May, and impressed as a rookie, slashing .217/.313/.393 with 18 home runs, while doing a lot of the catching for the Royals.

That earned him an everyday role in 2023, and while his batting average was still a modest .235, he improved both his OBP and SLG%, while homering 16 times, driving in 56 runs, and doubling 29 times.

By 2024, the Royals had made him a full-time outfielder, and while he still produced decent power numbers, his slash line was decidedly heading in the wrong direction.

Then came last season, where the 27-year-old essentially hit rock bottom in Kansas City. He got off to a miserable start, got passed on the Royals depth chart, was sent to Triple-A, and stayed there for the majority of the season. He did produce well in the minor leagues, but in 60 at-bats with Kansas City, he slashed just .083/.154/.167, which led the Royals to non-tender him this winter.

If there was ever a candidate that would fit the “needs a change of scenery” cliché, it would be Melendez, and both he and the Mets are hoping he’s found that in Queens.

And during the early days of camp, he’s making quite an impression—while making new friends along the way.

On Sunday, Melendez impressively crushed a long left-on-left home run against bullpen hopeful Joe Jacques during live BP. He’s been a vocal and engaged participant during his teammates’ BP rounds, and he’s arguably been the most friendly and available player with the Mets fans gathered at the back fields at Clover Park.

His path to making the Mets opening day roster is certainly not direct, but it’s not hard to see a pathway.

For starters, while many pundits—including most of us on this platform—anticipate uber prospect Carson Benge coming north with the Mets in late March as their everyday right fielder, that is far from a guarantee. If the club determines their top prospect could use some additional time in Syracuse, that would almost certainly plug Melendez into significant playing time at position number nine, potentially as part of a platoon with Tyrone Taylor.

There’s also the fact that while it’s currently the elephant in the room at camp, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Mets simply have an infield logjam. It is difficult to foresee a way for Carlos Mendoza to get all of Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio enough at-bats if they’re all on the roster at the same time.

Vientos, especially, has been the subject of consistent and persistent trade rumors, and I don’t think anybody would be surprised if something materialized before the conclusion of spring training. Even if he is still here, the Mets’ projected bench locks—Taylor, Vientos, and Luis Torrens— are all right-handed. Melendez could conceivably slot in as the only left-handed hitter of the group and position himself well to get pinch-hit opportunities.

As we know, things can change quickly during spring training, but early in camp, Melendez feels like one of those overlooked moves that end up making a huge impact.

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Around the League 🚩

• Angels star Mike Trout would like to move back to center field in 2026 (Orange County Register)

• The Padres signed longtime Colorado righty German Marquez, RHP Walker Buehler, and Ty France (ESPN | SD Union Tribune | Athletic)

• The Padres also announced a multi-year extension for GM A.J. Preller (Official)

• Twins righty Pablo Lopez is headed for imaging after experiencing elbow soreness during live BP (MLB.com)

• The Angels brought Adam Frazier to camp on a minor league deal (MLB.com)

• Former Mets righty Drew Smith signed with Washington (SNY)