Mets Acquire LHP Joey Lucchesi from San Diego Padres

Mets LHP Joey Lucchesi (Credits to MetsMerziedOnline.com) The New York Mets acquired LHP Joey Lucchesi from the San Diego Padres today for #14 ranked prospect Endy Rodriguez in a three-team trade that also sent RHP Joe Musgrove to the Padres. Rodriguez is a 20 year prospect from the Dominican Republic who playeed catcher and ceter field in Rookie Ball. Lucchesi struggled in 2020 after he went back and the forth with the Padres alternative training site and main ballclub and pitched in only three games (two starts) with a 7.94 ERA. He pitched better in 2018 and 2019 with eight wins and a 4.08 ERA in 2018 and 10 wins in 2019 with an ERA of 4.18. Lucchesi has shown he can be a durable starter after he made 26 starts in 2018 and 30 starts in 2019. He helps add more depth to the starting rotation and can serve as a fifth starter which could allow LHP Steven Matz and RHP Seth Lugo to move to the bullpen and give manager Luis Rojas more options to use late in games.

Mets Sign 1B/OF Jose Martinez to a split contract

Mets OF/1B Jose Martinez (Credits to MetsMerizedOnline.com) The New York Mets signed OF/1B Jose Martinez to a split contract today. Martinez will earn $1 million with $500,000 in incentives if he is able to make it to the Major Leagues this year and $225,000 in the minors. He has two minor league options left and controllable through the 2022 season. Martinez split time between the Tampa Bays Rays and Chicago Cubs last year. He he had success against left-handed pitching over the course of his career with a .307 average ans a .915 OPS (on base plus slugging) against lefties. Martinez has struggled defensively, so he would benefit if the desiginated hitter (DH) is in the National League this year. His signing helps brings some depth to the Mets roster and he can provide some versatility on the roster if he can play some infield and outfielder as well as serve as a designinated hitter.

Mets Acquire SS Francisco Lindor and RHP Carlos Carasco

Mets SS Francisco Lindor (Credits to MetsMerizededOnline.com) The New York Mets acquired SS Francisco Lindor and RHP Carlos Carasco from the Cleveland Indians today for SS Amed Rosario, SS Andres Gimenez, and prospects OF Isaish Greene and RHP Josh Wolf. Lindor is one of the best players in baseball due to his expectional offense and fantistic defense. He is a four-time all-star from 2016-2019 and also two Gold Glove Awards in 2016 and 2019 and two Silver Slugger Awards in 2017 and 2018. Lindor has .285 over his first six seasons with an average of 40 doubles, 29 homers, 86 homers and 21 steals over the course of 162 games. He has one year left on his contract so hopefully the Mets will be able to resign him long term in the offseason. Carrasco has been named American League Comeback Player of the Year twoce in 2019 after he had been diagnosed with leukemia as well as in 2020. He also lead the American League in wins with 18 in 2017 while also striking out 226 hitters. He won 17 games in 2018 with a career high 231 strikeouts. Carrasco has three more years left of three control with a team option for 2023.

Mets Hire Dave Jaus For Bench Coach

Mets bench coach Dave Jaus (Credits to MetsMerizedOnline.com) The New York Mets announced today that they are hiring Dave Jaus as their new bench coach. Jaus replaces Hensley Meulens who was only bench coach for one year last season. He has previously been the bench coach for four different teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006-2007, Baltimore Orioles in 2008-2009, the Mets in 2010 under manager Jerry Manuel, and the Pirates bench coach in 2016 and continued to serve on the Pirates coaching staff until 2019. He spent this past season as a Yankees scout. Jaus also worked for the Mets in 2011 as coordinator of staff development.

Mets Hire Jared Porter As GM

Mets GM Jared Porter (Credits to MetsMerizedOnline.com) Thw New York Mets announced today that they have hired Arizona Diamondbacks Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager Jared Porter as their new General Manager. Porter began his career in baseball as an intern in the Cape Cod League in 2002 and later went on to the Boston Red Sox and started out there in an intern type role in 2004 before working up his way up in the ranks. He worked with the Red Sox from 2004-2015 as a member of their front office and director of professional scouting from 2012-2015. Before that, his other roles with the Red Sox included Assistant Director of Professional Scouting from 2010-2011, Coordinator of Professional Scouting in 2008-2009, Player Development Assistant from 2006-2007, and an intern in 2004-2005,first at the team's Spring Training facility in Fort Myers FL in 2004 and then with the Red Sox in 2005. Porter was a part of three World Series teams while he was a member of the Red Sox Front Office in 2004, 2007, and 2013. He left the Red Sox following the 2014 season to work in the Chicago Cubs front office as director of professional scouting/special assistant. Porter won another championship with the Cubs in 2016 working under general manager Theo Epstein who he also worked with on the Red Sox. He left the Cubs for the Diamondbacks after the 2016 season and became their Senior VP and assistant GM.

Mets Sign Catcher James McCann

Mets catcher James McCann (Credits to MetsMerizedOnline.com) The New York Mets signed free-agent catcher 30-year old James McCann today to a 4-year deal in the $40 million range according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. McCann is known for his defense behind the plate and calls a great game and throwing out base stealers. He struggled offensively for the first few years of his career on the Detriot Tigers, but since he joined the Chicago White Sox in 2019, he has improved as a hitter. McCann has hit .276 with 25 homers, 29 doubles in 149 games with 587 plate appearances since the beginning of the 2019 seaason. Now that the Mets have signed their catcher, it will be interesting to see what their next offseason move is going to be, since they need to address centefield, third base, starting pitcher and also add another reliever in the bullpen.

Mets Sign Reliever Trevor May

Mets Reliever RHP Trevor May (Credits to MetsMerizedOnline.com) The New York Mets signed reliever RHP Trevor May today to a two-year deal pending a physical. May made his Major League debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2014 and came up as a starting pitcher and had a 7.88 ERA in nine starts. He later moved to the bullpen and then had Tommy John Surgery before the 2017 season. May came back to the bullpen in 2018. He has had a a 3.19 ERA with 153 strikeouts in 113 innings over the last three years. May's fastball has an average velocity of 96.3 mph and and had a career high of 14.7 K/9 this past season. He also struck out nearly 40% of the batters he faced this past year.