Morning Briefing: Lindor Wants Alonso Back With Mets

Good morning, Mets fans!

Just a couple days after Steve Cohen’s outspoken remarks on negotiations with Pete Alonso’s camp, the Mets are once again “back in conversation” with Alonso, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman also writes that he believes Alonso “desperately hopes to return” to New York.

Francisco Lindor also has informed the Mets’ front office that he prefers that the Polar Bear returns to Queens.

Latest Mets News

Now in his 20th year with the Mets organization, Luis Rivera will manage the St. Lucie Mets in 2025 after serving as the team’s infield instructor in 2024.

The Mets may be interested in Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle as a potential replacement for Pete Alonso.

David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza, talking on SN,Y suggested that Ronny Mauricio would probably start the 2025 season in the minors.

Latest MLB News

Adam Frazier and the Pittsburgh Pirates are reuniting, per Jon Heyman. Additionally, Mark Feinsand of ESPN reports that Frazier will receive a $1.525 million guarantee. Frazier, now 33, hasn’t posted an above-average offensive season since his last stint with Pittsburgh way back in 2021, when he hit .305 and earned an All-Star nod.

The Chicago Cubs officially welcomed new closer Ryan Pressly to Wrigley Field. To make room for the former Astro, the team announced that 2024 Met Matt Festa was designated for assignment.

Former Oakland Athletic Abraham Toro has inked a minor league deal with the Red Sox, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. He’ll receive an invite to major league spring training and earn $1 million if he makes the team. Though he struggled to a .240/.293/.643 line last year, Toro showed glimpses of the potential the Astros once saw in him, with a strong start of 2024.

The Seattle Mariners announced Tuesday that southpaw Tyler Jay has rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma. He’ll opt instead to test the open market. In 7 2/3 big league innings, he posted a 4.70 ERA, but he remains a viable depth option after recording a 3.02 ERA over 56 2/3 minor league frames.

Sources told Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase on Tuesday that catcher Elías Díaz agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the incumbent Padres. Montes adds that the contract includes a mutual option for 2026 and is pending a physical.

Kirby Yates has passed his physical and is now officially a Los Angeles Dodger, reports Mark Feinsand. Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets that the deal is for one year and $13 million, with a performance bonus that can get him up to $14 million.

On WFAN, Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave some important tidbits on his team: Cody Bellinger will play center while Jasson Domínguez will slide over to left, because Boone prefers to keep Domínguez in one spot. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is currently penciled in as the starting second baseman, while DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza will fight for the hot corner. Finally, Everson Pereira is healthy and expected to factor into the outfield mix.

The Padres continue to face internal battles over ownership, with Matt Seidler (the brother of the late Padres owner Peter Seidler) filing a response this week against Sheel Seidler (Peter’s widow), who recently filed a lawsuit to try to gain control of the team. Matt’s response states: “…the trust agreement precludes Sheel from ever serving as a successor Trustee under any circumstance.” Ideally, this internal power struggle won’t affect the Padres’ on-field performance, but there’s a possibility that the outcome could produce a decision to relocate the team.

Weeknight baseball is ending earlier than ever. Over the past four seasons, with MLB teams’ increasingly earlier weekday start times, and the league’s improved pace of play, nearly 88% of weekday games in 2024 finish before 10:00 p.m. — almost double the rate from 2021.

Dodgers part-owner Magic Johnson announced that team owner Mark Walter and the Dodgers Foundation will donate $100 million to support Southern California’s wildfire recovery and rebuilding efforts.

For the first time in franchise history, MLB The Show will feature three cover athletes for its 2025 edition: Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson.

Latest on MMO

Jorge Eckardt took a deep dive into the Miami Marlins’ farm system.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki profiled Padres righty Michael King as a trade candidate.

On This Date in Mets History

1989: The statistic of the “game winning run batted in” (GWRBI) was discontinued. Therefore, Keith Hernandez was cemented into history with the most GWRBI over his career (129) and in a single season (24). The stat was used from 1980 to 1988 and was defined as “the RBI that gives a club the lead it never relinquishes.”

Born on This Date: Sergio Ferrer (1951), Kevin Roberson (1968).

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