Mets News and Morning Links - 1/1/2024

 

Good Morning.  Happy New Year and Happy Birthday Fernando Tatis.  Hall of Fame case made for David Wright and CBS Sports gives Mets a "D" grade for this off-season.

Section Links: Mets Links, MLB Links, Winter Baseball, and This Day in Mets History.

Mets Links: 

CBS Sports:

• 2023 MLB offseason grades: Dodgers, Yankees earn 'A' at winter midpoint, Mets, Padres, Astros close to failing - About the Mets they say: "Hire a Brewers executive, have a Brewers offseason. We'll cut David Stearns some slack. He's almost certainly using this winter to assess the franchise's infrastructure and processes and ward off the baseball front office-equivalent technical debt when they shift once more into large-market monster mode. In the meantime, Stearns has made some understated additions, like Luis Severino, who should prove to be useful -- in keeping the Mets respectable and, presumably, relevant at the trade deadline. Grade: D."

Mets.com:

• 6 reasons David Wright belongs in the Hall of Fame Writer Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru makes a number of good points about David getting into the Hall including "... the average Hall of Fame position player also slashed .303/.377/.468 over his career with an .845 OPS and 223 career home runs. Wright (.296/.376/.491 with an .867 OPS and 242 homers) appears right on the money in terms of what he achieved on the field."

New York Post:

• Mike Puma NY Post+: Where, and why, the Mets are looking to have a smaller payroll next season.  "The Mets’ MLB-record payroll last season was $374.7 million...All indications are the team won’t approach that figure in 2024, but it remains likely the Mets will carry a payroll in the $300 million neighborhood (as calculated for luxury tax purposes) that would still rank first, second or third in the major leagues."  Mike goes on to compare the '23 payroll to the projected '24 payroll showing how the Mets will spend less at 2B in '24 (Cano's contract off the books) and starting pitching. (subscription required.)

Metsmerized:

• MMO Roundtable: Favorite Moment From 2023 Mets
• What The Betting Markets Are Saying About The 2024 Mets
• Free Agent Profile: Mike Clevinger, SP

Faith and Fear in Flushing: 

• Lousy Seasons, Redeeming Features

Mets360:

Mack's Mets:

• Tom Brennan - A Fresh Look at In-House Back-End Starters
• SAVAGE VIEWS – HOLIDAY BLUES
• My Spin - Five Starters That Could Be Around at 1.19

Happy New Year! 🎊🍾 pic.twitter.com/Z2XuLHLHH8

— New York Mets (@Mets) January 1, 2024

Happy New Year from the Lindors 🎆

(via katia.lindor/IG) pic.twitter.com/tY2YffXFnQ

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 1, 2024

Happy New Year everybody, thanks for everything in 2023 and I hope you all have your best year ever in 2024! #bluejays #mlb #nextlevel @MillerLiteCA @TimHortons

— John Gibbons (@johngibbons05) January 1, 2024

Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy start to 2024. Happy New Year! 🎆 pic.twitter.com/YeRudGtSN5

— Binghamton Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) December 31, 2023

SportSpyder Mets Links: 

Winter Baseball:

No Games yesterday.  The Mexican Pacific League resumes today.  Other leagues resume tomorrow.

MLB Links:

Remembering those we lost in 2023. pic.twitter.com/B17wyxr6fX

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 1, 2024

MLB.com: 

• Here is one prediction for every team in '24
• 8 things we’re looking forward to in 2024
• These are the best debuts in recent MLB history
• Which CFB Playoff school has the best alums in MLB?
• Pederson getting interest from the Blue Jays (report)

MLB Trade Rumors: 

• Looking For A Match In A Jorge Polanco Trade
• Mets, Yankees Among Teams With Interest In Gio Urshela
• Free Agent Faceoff: Jorge Soler/J.D. Martinez
• Blue Jays Looking To Add Bat-First Players, Have “Strong Interest” In Joc Pederson
• MLBTR Poll: Are The Rangers Done Spending This Winter?
• Red Sox Could Be Looking To Shed Additional Payroll
• Free Agent Profile: Joc Pederson

Yahoo Sports:

• 10 moments that tell the story of baseball in 2023
• Aggressive Braves make a gamble, finally add to rotation in trade

CBS Sports:

• From Kansas City Chiefs to LeBron James to Shohei Ohtani: CBS Sports' top 23 headline-making moments of 2023
• MLB rumors: Red Sox still looking at trades; Blue Jays eye infield help; Angels pick up pitching

FanGraphs: 

• Sunday Notes: A Hall of Fame Ballot (With a Notable Omission) Explained

Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com: 

Born on this date:

• Fernando Tatis (1975)

Died on this date:

• Danny Frisella (1977)
• Larry Bearnarth (2000)

National Pastime.com:

1977	At the age of 30, Milwaukee reliever Danny Frisella tragically dies in a dune buggy accident in Arizona. The right-hander, best known for his first six seasons with the Mets, compiled a 34-40 won-loss record, recorded 57 saves, and had an ERA of 3.37 during his ten-year major league tenure, including stints with the Braves, Padres, Cardinals, and the Brewers.
1979	Lorinda de Roulet replaces the very unpopular M. Donald Grant as the Mets' Chairman of the Board. The daughter of franchise founder Joan Payson became the first woman to direct the day-to-day operations of an MLB club when elected as the team president and named to its board of directors following her mother's death in 1975.

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