The Metropolitan: Pitchers & Catchers Report to Camp
And another breaking report describes a toxic culture
Good Morning,
🌴 We made it! Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training today, marking the unofficial beginning of the 2021 season. We will get you caught up on everything you need to know as camp opens, but first we start with the news.
And a new report from The Athletic breaking this morning puts the Mets organization in the spotlight again.
⏰ Catch me up in 60(ish) seconds…
BREAKING: Three woman who worked for or who had been previously employed by the Mets complained about sexual harassment from hitting performance coordinator Ryan Ellis in 2018, according to The Athletic. The alleged conduct included unwanted, unsolicited sexual comments and inappropriate texts.
Despite these complaints to the team’s Human Resources department back at the time, Ellis was not fired until last month after the team came under scrutiny for the Jared Porter fall-out.
METS RESPONSE: The Mets provided a statement to The Athletic in which they explain that Ellis was fired on January 22nd of this year after receiving “new information regarding conduct of the disciplined employee in the 2017-2018 timeframe.”
METS’ INITIAL RESPONSE: “In July 2018, a complaint regarding inappropriate conduct by a Mets employee was brought to the attention of Mets management at that time,” the Mets said in their statement today. “The organization initiated an investigation and, as a result, the employee was disciplined, put into a probationary status, and ordered into counseling. We had not received previous or subsequent complaints about this employee.”
NEW REGIME: Since taking over as owner of the Mets, Steve Cohen has had to respond to several prior incidents of misconduct, first by his former GM Jared Porter, who was quickly fired, and later by former manager Mickey Callaway, and now Ellis. Mets president Sandy Alderson was on leave from the team for cancer treatment when the Callaway and Ellis investigations took place. He recently sent an email to employees outlining a new organizational plan to address sexual harassment complaints.
In other news today…
🍎 ROSTER MOVES: The Mets announced that RHP Corey Oswalt has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment, and has now been outrighted to Triple-A, with an invite to Spring Training. And lifelong Mets fan RHP Brad Brach has been released.
40-MAN ROSTER: In order to create roster space for recent signings Jonathan Villar and Albert Almora Jr., the Mets had designated both Oswalt and Brach for assignment.
SERVICE TIME: Since Oswalt has limited service time, once he cleared waivers the Mets could send him to the minors. Brach is a different scenario. As a player with more than 5 years of service, he can refuse an Outright Assignment, in which case the Mets would need to keep him on the 40-man, trade him, or release him. Since no team claimed him on waivers (requiring them to take on his full contract), he was released and New York is on the hook for his $2.075 million salary. They can offset some of that if he signs with another team as a free agent. And they cannot sign him back until May 15.
METS DIEHARD: As some will recall, Brach grew up in New Jersey, specifically wanting to be a Met and even went to the 2015 World Series… as a fan.
🍎 ALWAYS WORKING: New Mets catcher James McCann met with the media on Tuesday and talked about his journey that led to him netting a $40 million contract this offseason.
“I think there’s a point where you figure out your routine, but I think the minute that you think you’ve got it all figured out is the minute your career is about to be over,” McCann said via Justin Toscano. “I don’t think there’s a time where you can sit back and say, ‘I’ve got it figured out. It’s like riding a bike now.’ I just don’t think there’s that point in anyone’s career, honestly.”
🗣 BRYANT WATCH: Cubs president Jed Hoyer told reporters his team has NOT engaged in trade talks in a while and doesn’t expect to do so soon. While 3B Kris Bryant has been linked to the Mets this offseason, Hoyer said any recent reports about a potential trade have been “inaccurate” and “exaggerated.”
🎰 TAKIN’ BETS: The Mets are the most popular World Series bet accounting for “24.6 percent of all tickets and 31.2 percent of total money wagered (aka ‘the handle’) at BetMGM sportsbooks nationwide, more than doubling the runner-up Yankees in both categories.”
📈 PROJECTIONS: The Amazins have also been the projection darlings this offseason with PECOTA estimating they will win 95 games and FanGraphs giving them an 81.2% chance of making the postseason.
🍎 MEET THE PRESS: Manager Luis Rojas will address the media via Zoom on Wednesday at 1:30 PM EST.
Spring Training is Here!
🧓 by Jeffrey Bellone
It’s the warmth of the Florida sun in February that gives the imagination of baseball fans, and the players they root for, a comfortable setting to wander like a dream that finds a sleeping mind.
Forty-three pitchers and catchers will report to camp this week — some with guaranteed roster spots, others looking to catch a scouting eye, and one a quarterback uniquely adept at selling jerseys — all believing this year will be better than the last. A hope that allows us to endure the cold winter that has been particularly biting during these COVID times.
While fans (and reporters) will once again have to follow their teams from a greater distance than usual to start the 2021 season, eventually things will return to normal: anxious tweets will once again manifest into loud cheers and harsh boos; the sounds of baseball will travel to our ears via the wind instead of Dolby surround sound; and Zoom will hopefully become a verb to describe Jonathan Villar on the basepaths.
Until then, we are left with the ceremony that the report date for pitchers and catchers represents. To get you ready for it, let’s discuss how the Mets’ roster looks to start Spring Training.
A roster unfinished?
Like a married couple after Valentine’s Day dinner, we quickly shift from the romantic language of Spring Training to the practicalities of what needs to get done.
The Kevin Pillar signing is not official until the Mets create a roster spot for him (which could come as soon as today if they move Noah Syndergaard to the 60-Day Injured List). But if we include Pillar’s reported salary, the front office has an estimated $27.8 million in breathing room before reaching the initial luxury tax line. While our estimates are liberal in assigning split contract values, the Mets might include a larger buffer for in-season trades in their own accounting, so it’s safe to assume the number they are working with is somewhere in the $20-30 million range.
For free agent targets like Jake Odorizzi or Trevor Rosenthal, that is plenty of space to sign either or both without exceeding the tax in a way they would have, had they secured the services of Trevor Bauer. As we detail in the Spring Training roster below, it is important to remember the team might not be done adding major league talent with guaranteed contracts.
Who is on the Spring Training roster?
Everybody.
Well, not quite. But there are a lot of players who will be reporting to Port St. Lucie over the next several days. The Mets have invited 72 players (three short of the maximum allowed), which includes their entire 40-man roster and 32 non-roster invitees. While Tim Tebow steals a lot of the non-roster headlines, New York also included all of their top prospects and a few intriguing veteran options, such as recent signings RHP Tommy Hunter and LHP Mike Montgomery, along with LHP Jerry Blevins and “I forgot they signed that guy” types, like RHP Jerad Eickhoff.
Since the pandemic cancelled the 2020 minor league season, this will be the first opportunity in a while for fans to catch a glimpse of the Mets’ young players coming up through the system. You can see in the graphic above that all of the top prospects from Francisco Alvarez to Ronny Mauricio to Matt Allan will be in camp.
We should also learn a little more about recent addition Khalil Lee. He reportedly worked on his swing at the Royals’ alternate site last season, trying to improve his contact rate before making the leap to the majors.
Who will make the active roster?
While it’s always good to have a few young players vying for an opportunity, you could argue the teams with the most major league talent are also the most boring in Spring Training because there aren’t a lot of open roster spots for players to compete for. Thanks to some recent depth signings and the lingering possibility the front office will add another pitcher (or two), there are only a couple of places on the roster where it’s unclear who will have their name announced along the foul line on Opening Day.
Due to the renewed health & safety protocols in response to COVID, teams are allowed to carry more than the traditional 13 pitchers on their active roster. This means the Mets could have 2-3 openings in their bullpen (with Seth Lugo almost definitely starting the season on the IL). This could create an opening for RHP Jacob Barnes, who signed a $750,000 contract over the winter and is out of options. It could also lead to a non-roster invite, like Mike Montgomery or Tommy Hunter, finding their way onto the roster. And again, it’s realistic to expect (and advisable for) the front office to continue to monitor the market for free agent or trade supplements.
If the Mets carry only 13 pitchers, that leaves them five spots on the bench. Back-up catcher Tomás Nido is a lock, as are recent-signings (and last-name lookalikes) Jonathan Villar and Kevin Pillar. It would seem left-handed infielder Luis Guillorme would be the fourth piece, leaving one spot for any of Albert Almora Jr., José Martínez, Guillermo Heredia (less likely now), or any of the other 40-man pieces you might like. Of course, if the Mets carry an extra pitcher, there is one less positional roster battle to settle.
What else do I need to know?
The Mets will hold their first workout on Friday. Positional players will continue to arrive through the rest of the week with the team’s first full workout set for next Tuesday.
To limit travel, MLB released a revised Grapefruit League schedule that will see the Mets play only four teams (Miami, Washington, St. Louis, and Houston), with their first game scheduled for March 1st at 1:05 EST against the Marlins.
That’s twelve days away.
While a limited number of fans are expected to be allowed into games in both Arizona and Florida, the Mets web site currently says “check back soon for more information on 2021 Spring Training Tickets.”
And there you have it! After a long winter, it’s time for Mets baseball.
⚾️ San Francisco has signed RHP Aaron Sanchez to a one-year, $4 million deal, per Susan Slusser.
⚾️ Left-hander Brett Anderson and the Milwaukee Brewers are in agreement on a one-year, $2.5 million contract, per Jeff Passan.
⚾️ Bullpen coach Matt Wise will serve as the Angels’ interim pitching coach, replacing the suspended Mickey Callaway.
🔗 Why Mets shouldn’t rush into Francisco Lindor contract extension, by Ken Davidoff, NY Post: “Because committing to someone you barely know remains the biggest risk in team sports. And because being owned by the richest man in baseball means you need not plunge into anything today when you’ll still be able to afford it tomorrow.”
🔗 Several Mets make MLB Network’s Top 100 list, via SNY: “Players No. 40-21 were revealed [last night] with Jeff McNeil coming in at No. 35 and Michael Conforto at No. 34. They join teammates Pete Alonso (No. 66), Dom Smith (No. 67) and Brandon Nimmo (No. 89) already ranked among the Top 100 current players.”
Jacob deGrom and Francisco Lindor still remain on the board as MLB Network prepares to count down the top 20.
And we leave you with this interview with David Peterson…
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