Your Monday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links.
Meet the Mets
“Once I got the news that we got Pete back — big smile on my face,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said in an interview on MLB Network Radio on Sunday.
John Harper of SNY asked some folks in the industry (with no affiliation with the Mets, Braves, or Phillies) who the favorites in the NL East are in the aftermath of the Mets’ reunion with Pete Alonso. There was a lack of consensus on which team will emerge as division winners, but scouts and execs agree that the division is shaping up to be a competitive one again this year. “The Phillies and Mets are all you need to know about how it’s all about playing well and riding momentum late in the year, with the way the playoff format is now,” said one team executive. “So for me, the point is more that the Braves, Mets, and Phillies are all playoff-caliber teams. The bigger question may be whether any of them can beat the (Los Angeles) Dodgers.”
Around the National League East
Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia asks if the Phillies have built baseball’s deepest rotation, as the city celebrates the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory.
Around Major League Baseball
With the Super Bowl over and spring training underway, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic takes a look at which teams had the largest increases and drops in payroll, wonders if all the Dodgers’ moves might be overkill, assesses the Orioles’ outfield logjam, and expands on more news and notes from around baseball.
The Brewers unveiled uniform patches they will be wearing this season to honor the late Bob Uecker. They feature plaid accents as a tribute to the colorful sport coats he wore on The Tonight Show.
The Dodgers re-upped with superutility man and fan favorite Kiké Hernández.
Ben Weinrib of MLB.com takes a look some at current Top 100 prospects who are looking to have a bounce back season after injury.
The Cubs had a busy offseason and may not be done adding yet, as there is an air of excitement around their camp this spring.
This Date in Mets History
On this date in 1982, Frank Cashen made his first major trade as GM of the Mets, sending P Greg Harris, P Jim Kern, and C Alex Trevino to Cincinnati for former MVP George Foster. Of course, this didn’t end up working out for the Mets, but enough of Cashen’s moves did work out that I think we can forgive him.