The Mets got a clean pair of innings from Rick Porcello before ultimately falling to the Marlins 3-1 on Thursday night. >> Box Score

5 things to know from Thursday's game...

1) After pitching just one inning in his spring training debut, Rick Porcello pitched two scoreless innings on Thursday. After striking out Brian Anderson for the second out in the first inning, Porcello allowed back-to-back singles to Corey Dickerson and Jesus Aguilar, but he was able to get Garrett Cooper to ground into a force play to end the inning. Porcello then pitched a perfect second inning, forcing two ground-outs and striking out Ryan Lavarnway to end the inning. 

After being scratched from Wednesday's Mets lineup due to additional cardiac screening, center fielder Brandon Nimmo has been cleared for baseball activities, per general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.

Van Wagenen spoke with reporters in Jupiter, Fla. during the early innings of Thursday's game against the Miami Marlins, and while he wouldn't get into the specifics of the tests, he said that everything was strictly precautionary.

"Just wanted to follow up on the news from Brandon yesterday, make sure I give everybody the good report that Brandon is doing well. All the tests came back in a good fashion. He's been cleared for baseball activities, so he'll be resuming his work tomorrow back in Port St. Lucie and we're ready to get him back.

"We're always looking to be pre-cautious. We never want to put players in harm's way, and I think this was a perfect example of that."

Rick Porcello makes his second spring training appearance as the Mets take on the Miami Marlins in Jupiter, Fla. on Thursday night at 7:05 PM.

Mets notes

Brandon Nimmo is once again not in the lineup, as he contiues to go through cardiac screening. Matt Adams was scheduled to play first base, but he was a late scratch from the lineup.

Brandon Nimmo's late scratch from the Mets' lineup on Wednesday due to a cardiac screening caused many to raise an eyebrow, but the report that came out Thursday saying he had another cardiac-related appointment set up for Thursday was cause for concern. 

Well, Nimmo's wife, Chelsea Jane, wants everyone to calm down. 

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John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Amed Rosario's strong second half convinced the Mets to scrap any notion of experimenting with him in center field, but it hasn't quite convinced scouts of his long-term viability at shortstop -- especially with a couple of top prospects in the organization.

As such the 2020 season seems to loom as crucial for Rosario's future in Queens. 

After all, in Andres Gimenez and Ronny Mauricio, the Mets have two young shortstops ranked in the Top 100 prospects lists by MLBPipeline.com, Baseball America, and Keith Law/The Athletic. And Gimenez is getting close, likely to start the season in Triple-A. 

Seth Lugo hit a small roadblock in his spring training development when he suffered a small fracture in his pinky toe after banging it on something in his hotel room. But, after just five days from the initial diagnosis, Lugo was already back to work -- and that hasn't stopped. 

According to Newsday's Tim Healey, Lugo completed some fielding drills on Thursday, and is set to throw a live batting practice session on Sunday. 

That's what the Mets want to see from Lugo, who is going to be a crucial part of their pitching staff this season, no matter where he's featured. Lugo mentioned over the weekend that the fracture doesn't affect the way he's been pitching. 

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

It can be hard when watching meaningless baseball to not react strongly to a good or bad performance. Despite the outcome of the game meaning nothing and the fact that the players involved in that meaningless game are working on things, stifling fandom and not overreacting one way or the other is not natural.

That takes us to Edwin Diaz and what went down on Wednesday in Port St. Lucie.

Diaz, fresh off a disastrous 2019 season, made his spring training debut and the results of his one inning mirrored the innings he turned in on many occasions last season.

Mets Spring Training is in full swing in Port St. Lucie. Here's what happened Wednesday, in case you missed it...

The Mets got good news on injured J.D. Davis after the MRI on his shoulder revealed no new structural damage >> Read more

Edwin Diaz reacted after his uneven debut, saying he was "a little bit anxious" >> Read more

After his spring training debut, Noah Syndergaard spoke about the connection he had with Wilson Ramos >> Read more

The Astros' electronic sign-stealing scandal rocked MLB right before the 2020 season, with the league's Jan. 13 investigative report revealing that Houston used a live-feed center-field camera in 2017 and at least part of '18.

As teams like the Mets and Yankees prepare for their return to the diamond in the spring, they naturally have a guard up with preventing sign stealing from runners on second base.

Breaking down examples on Wednesday's Baseball Night in New York, SNY's Anthony Recker and Todd Zeile explained to Doug Williams and Andy Martino how pitchers and catchers keep opposing teams guessing by mixing things up.

Tim Tebow is set to play for Team Philippines in the Qualifying Round of the 2021 World Baseball Classic, the premier international baseball tournament announced Wednesday.

The 32-year-old LF/DH, who has been with the Mets since New York signed him to a minor-league contract in September 2016, joins the Philippines squad next month.

The Philippines' qualifiers for Pool 2 run from March 20-25 at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, with five other teams -- Czech Republic, Great Britain, New Zealand, Panama and Spain.

The Mets got a good start from Noah Syndergaard, but a shaky Edwin Diaz outing ultimately led to a 4-2 loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday in Port. St. Lucie. >> Box Score

5 things to know from Wednesday's game...

1) Noah Syndergaard had exactly the kind of performance Mets fans were hoping to see. After an up-and-down 2019 campaign, Syndergaard pitched two scoreless innings in his 2020 spring debut. He allowed one hit and struck out two batters, showcasing that nasty slider that seemed to avoid him for large stretches of last season. 

Noah Syndergaard got his first start on the mound in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday against the Astros, and there were two main focuses heading into it: his connection with Wilson Ramos and his slider.

Both were positives after the short, two-inning outing. 

Starting with Ramos, manager Luis Rojas said that Syndergaard and the Mets' top catcher would be working to improve their chemistry after last season when Syndergaard was open with management about not trusting him behind the plate. Ramos admitted that he was working on his framing this spring as well, one of the areas Syndergaard reportedly didn't like. 

Edwin Diaz had an uneven spring training debut, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out one and walking none in his only inning of work while also flashing a swing-and-miss slider and hitting 98 mph with his fastball.

"I felt good out there," Diaz said after the game through the Mets' translator. "A little bit anxious because it was the first time being out there in a real game and facing real batters. But other than that I felt really good."

After allowing a ground ball single and run-scoring double to Aledmys Diaz to start his outing, Diaz struck out Kyle Tucker swinging with a down-and-in slider before inducing a fly out to right field. Diaz then allowed a run-scoring double down the line before ending his outing by getting a soft ground ball back to the mound.

Mets manager Luis Rojas said after Wednesday's game that he isn't concerned about Brandon Nimmo in the wake of a cardiac screening that resulted in his being scratched from the lineup. 

Rojas referred to the screening as "precautionary," according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, adding that he wasn't sure what caused the additional tests. 

The Mets said earlier Wednesday that Nimmo had been scratched in order to receive "additional cardiac screening."

One month away from the regular season with the March 26 game against the Nationals at Citi Field, the Mets' quest for an NL East Division crown -- and, ultimately, the NL pennant -- is fast approaching.

As the countdown to Opening Day continues, opening odds are out for the Mets and both pursuits, via BetOnline.ag.

The Mets are 11/4 to win the NL East and 8/1 to win the NL. They each rank third in their respective categories.

Hall-of-Famer Mike Piazza arrived at spring training on Wednesday and (among other things) spoke about the Mets ownership situation.

"These deals are complicated," Piazza said. "I think Mets fans -- rightly -- should be interested, obviously (in) the future of the team. The team had a very good second half last year. I was able to talk to Luis (Rojas) this morning. I think they're in good hands. I think it's a very difficult division."

When it comes to how the uncertainty might impact the players, Piazza didn't seem concerned.

Mets INF/OF J.D. Davis had an MRI on his injured left shoulder that did not reveal "a ton of inflammation" or "new structural damage," and will begin rehabbing on Wednesday, GM Brodie Van Wagenen said.

"It sounds like we're in a pretty good spot with it overall," Van Wagenen added, noting that the MRI did reveal what looked like an old labrum injury.

While Davis will begin rehabbing immediately, he will refrain from baseball activity for a week before being reevaluated.

Davis spoke roughly an hour after Van Wagenen, saying he was relieved that the damage revealed by the MRI was old.

Noah Syndergaard gets the ball for the first time this spring, as the Mets host the Astros at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie at 1:10 p.m. on SNY Wednesday. 

Mets notes

After Syndergaard, Edwin Diaz is lined up to be one of the pitchers to go for the Mets. Justin Wilson will also get the ball, along with Tyler Bashlor. 

Mets Spring Training is in full swing in Port St. Lucie. Here's what happened Tuesday, in case you missed it...

J.D. Davis injured his left shoulder while diving for a ball at third base and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday >> Read more

Michael Wacha weighed in on the potential that the Mets could go with an outside the box solution to fill the No. 5 slot in the rotation >> Read more

Scouts and execs weighed in on how Seth Lugo could impact the Mets' 2020 season >> Read more

New York City should expect some hardware to arrive in the next few months, as both Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom and Yankees new ace Gerrit Cole are the favorites to bring home the Cy Young awards in their respective leagues this season.

William Hill sportsbook has both deGrom and Cole as 3/1 favorites to win the award in 2020.

"DeGrom has won two Cy Youngs in a row and is in his prime, and Cole is coming off of one of the greatest pitching years of all time," said Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill's director of trading, according to The Post.

The Mets fell to the Detroit Tigers 9-6 on Tuesday afternoon in Lakeland, Fla., but the loss did not come without some fireworks.

As part of a four-run top of the sixth inning, the Mets launched a pair of home runs, including a two-run blast from Tim Tebow, his first hit of 2020 first spring.

Tebow's opposite-field home run was also his first extra-base hit with the Mets in four years of spring training appearances. Tebow certainly possesses a fair amount of power, as even though he didn't hit for a high average with Triple-A Syracuse last season, he did hit four home runs.

Check out the full highlights from Tuesday's game, including Michael Wacha's spring debut, and more …

The Mets were playing in Lakeland against the Tigers on Tuesday, but Jacob deGrom was still in Port St. Lucie putting in work on the mound.

DeGrom threw two simulated innings, and all went well for the Mets' ace as he threw to big league hitters like Brandon Nimmo and Amed Rosario. He said after the session that his fastball felt great, but his secondary pitches still needed some work.

"Through most of my camps, fastball command is good early on and it's just getting offspeed where I want it. So that's going to be the main work heading into Opening Day," he said. 

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

All eyes may be on Edwin Diaz in spring training, as a return to dominance by the young closer is widely considered crucial to the Mets' hopes of winning the NL East. But is he really the key to bullpen success in 2020? 

Or is it Seth Lugo?

After a couple lopsided innings, the Mets fell to the Tigers, 9-6, in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday. >> Box Score

5 things to know from Tuesday's game...

1) Michael Wacha got his first start of the spring, and pitched well in his two innings on the rubber. He allowed one hit and two walks, but struck out two and didn't allow a run over that span. The radar gun had him topping out around 96 mph, which he said after the game is a "good sign."

Mets INF/OF J.D. Davis left Tuesday's spring training game against the Tigers in the fifth inning after diving for a ball at third base.

Afterward, Davis stayed down for a few minutes before getting up and departing the game.

Davis was evaluated after the game and initial tests said there was nothing wrong, but an MRI on Wednesday will confirm that.

The Mets are "internally discussing" the option of not going with a set five-man rotation when the season starts, according to The Post's Joel Sherman. In fact, the fifth starter may not even be a thing at all. 

One player gunning for that spot is Michael Wacha, who took the mound for his first spring training start Tuesday against the Tigers. He pitched well over his two innings of work, but the main question after his performance was about the report -- something he wasn't aware of and, frankly, didn't really care about. 

"I didn't read anything like that and they have mentioned anything like that," he said. "My focus right now is going out here today, doing what I can out there and competing. Then, control those five days in between my next start, get those mechanics where I need them to be, make those adjustments I wish I would've made out there going into this next one. But I just try not to worry too much about what others are saying."

A version of this story was originally published on Jan. 21, 2020

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

When the offseason began, the thought of Yoenis Cespedes contributing to the 2020 Mets was a pipe dream. Then, he started hitting bombs. Then, his contract was restructured to incentivize him making it back on the field. Then, he started running.

It will be Michael Wacha getting the start as the Mets face Tigers in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday at 1:05 p.m.

While Wacha is thought to be in competition with Steven Matz for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation, it might not be that simple. 

Mets notes

Andres Gimenez, Jake Marisnick, and J.D. Davis are the highlights of the lineup with the Mets traveling to Lakeland. Notable is that Davis, who has been getting lots of reps at third base this spring, is back at the hot corner.

Barring injury, the Mets are expected to enter the season with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, and Rick Porcello in their starting rotation. But the No. 5 spot might not be as simple as deciding between Steven Matz and Michael Wacha.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, among the options the Mets are "internally discussing" is not going with a set No. 5 starter at all.

Instead, the team would choose the best matchup each time it needed the fifth starter -- which will be most of the time once the first few weeks of the season are over. 

Mets Spring Training is in full swing in Port St. Lucie. Here's what happened Monday, in case you missed it...

Wilson Ramos credited his performance against the Nats on Monday to offseason changes >> Read more

Along with Ramos, pitching prospect David Peterson was one of the standouts on Monday >> Read more

After the Mets' win over the Nats, Luis Rojas talked about his developing relationship with Terry Collins >> Read more

Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake are certainly different than their predecessors, and not just because of age. 

Sure, Hefner and Blake's ages don't even combine to that of departed Mets' pitching coach Phil Regan, but both Regan and ex-Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild are baseball lifers. Blake has never been a pitching coach at any professional level, while Hefner was the Twins' assistant pitching coach in 2019.

But both are an indication that the role of a pitching coach has changed, and teams are looking for someone who can blend what a pitching coach needs to bring in-game with preparation and analysis, a background that both Hefner and Blake possess. 

Baseball Night in New York talked about the ever-evolving role of a pitching coach and the challenges that Blake and Hefner might face in their first seasons in the dugout.

"Wilson Ramos hit ball, ball go far" was the mantra for the Mets on Monday in their spring training win over the Nationals. 

Ramos smashed a pitch just foul during his first at-bat, and the ensuing pitch matched it, but this time stayed in play and flew over the left field fence. 

But his day wasn't done there. Ramos also hit himself a double, going 2-for-2 during his team's 2-1 victory. 

Luis Rojas said he was happy with Monday's 2-1 win over the Nationals despite the fact that spring training isn't about results. 

"We know spring training is not about results, but it's good to see the guys shaking hands and all that," Rojas said after the game. "Looked like we were playing really good baseball, once again really good defense. ...Everybody moving around, everybody backing up in position, we turned a double play again, called a good game, pitched a good game. So we played really good baseball today."

Wilson Ramos got things started with a solo home run in the second inning to put the Mets up 1-0, and Rojas took notice, saying he likes what he's seeing from Ramos early.

The Mets took down their NL East-rival Nationals, 2-1, for their first spring training win on Monday.  >> Box Score

5 things to know from Monday's game...

1) Top pitching prospect David Peterson got the start for the Mets, and looked pretty good in his first spring outing. He let up just one single, but no runs. MLB.com's Anthony DiComo also pointed out that the radar gun had his fastball sitting around 93-94 mph, which is up from his previous seasons. That's a good sign for the lefty.

Mets pitching prospect David Peterson took the mound Monday afternoon for a spring training matchup with the Nationals, and put together a solid performance.

On the mound for 2.0 innings, Peterson allowed just one hit and zero runs, while also striking out two batters before a call to the bullpen was made to end his day.

"It was good." Peterson said on his first outing of spring training. "I felt really good on the mound physically and mentally. I thought Buffalo and I were on the same page and it felt good to get out there and compete again."

The following are insights, ideas and notes gathered from recent conversations with team sources, rival executives, reporters, front office assistants, and talent evaluators...

Based on conversations with team insiders, at this early point in the spring, it sounds to me like Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil will 100 percent be kicking off Luis Rojas' lineup in April.

After that, expect Pete Alonso and Michael Conforto and some flip-flopping between Wilson Ramos and Robinson Cano. Amed Rosario seems destine to hit eighth or maybe even ninth on certain occasions, while the J.D. Davis/Yoenis Cespedes situation will impact left field and the heart of the lineup in a way that can't be known yet.

Minor League prospect David Peterson gets the start for the Mets down in Florida at 1:05 p.m. against the reigning World Seres champion Washington Nationals.

Mets notes

Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo will bat first and second in for the Mets, while Pete Alonso bats third as a DH and former Yankee Eduardo Nunez is in the lineup hitting seventh.

With MLB Spring Training well underway in Florida and Arizona, farm systems and their prospects are getting an extra look at this time of the year.

The Athletic's Keith Law put together his Top 100 prospects for 2020, and had four Mets on his list: 

17. SS Ronny Mauricio

Mets Spring Training is in full swing in Port St. Lucie. Here's what happened Sunday, in case you missed it...

Yoenis Cespedes broke his media silence for the first time -- despite saying he would go all season without speaking -- and said he could be ready for opening day. >> Read More

Another Mets Prospect Deep Dive, this time on OF Jake Mangum, whose all-around game could see him rise through minors quickly >> Read More

Day 2 of live spring training action for the Mets ended in the form of Sunday's 3-3 tie with the Cardinals, but two performances highlighted New York's main takeaways from the draw against St. Louis.

Led by a performance on the mound and at the plate with an old and new player, sixth-year LHP Steven Matz and recently-acquired CF Jake Marisnick discussed their respective performances after they respectively flashed over the course of the afternoon at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Toeing the rubber for the first time since Sept. 28's 3-0 win over the Atlanta Braves to end his 2019 regular season, Matz got the start and was happy with how he performed overall.

J.D. Davis had a breakout 2019 season in his first year with the Mets, batting .307 with 22 home runs in 140 games. The Mets acquired him from the Houston Astros on Jan. 6, 2019 after he played just 66 games in two seasons with the team.

Davis spoke to SNY's Steve Gelbs on Sunday during the Mets' 3-3 tie with the St. Louis Cardinals about how he was a different person before coming to New York.

"Me, learning from how I was with the Astros, and my personality, I was kind of the quiet guy," Davis said. "I was a fly on the wall. I tried to blend in, not have any attention towards myself. Coming in here, I wasn't as happy as I was with the Astros. I wasn't really expressing myself. I remember just coming in and being free and loose, and just wanting to at least have a relationship with these guys. And these guys have the same kind of desire as well.

Jeurys Familia put all his offseason work to the test on Sunday, when he made his spring training debut against the Cardinals in the Mets' 3-3 tie in Port St. Lucie. 

Familia got the first two hitters he faced out, and after allowing a single and a walk, he got out of his one inning on the mound without allowing a run. Overall, it was a solid start to his spring, especially with his splitter looking to have that sharp bite back. 

"I was excited to be out there," he said through team translator Alan Surriel after his performance. "It's been awhile since I've been on a mound actually pitching in real game action, to be able to go out there and to throw and to see the results of my hard work this offseason. It felt good."

The Mets and Cardinals worked their way to a 3-3 draw after nine innings of baseball in Port St. Lucie on Sunday afternoon.  >> Box Score

5 things to know from Sunday's game...

1) Steven Matz made his spring debut, pitching in one inning that didn't start the way he wanted. Harrison Bader took a 1-0 fastball over the left field wall to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. Matz discussed it after the game, saying he wanted to hit the glove side, but it stayed too much over the middle of the plate. Other than that, no damage came to the man battling to make the rotation in camp. 

Steven Matz kicked off his 2020 campaign on Sunday, when he took the mound to start against the Cardinals in a spring training matchup in Port St. Lucie. And though it didn't go according to plan to begin, Matz came away happy with the results in the end. 

St. Louis' leadoff hitter Harrison Bader took Matz deep on the second pitch of the game, a middle-in fastball that he turned on to left field. But after that, he settled down and his stuff looked sharp as he finished his inning of work. 

"I'm actually really happy with it. I think my changeup was down, my curveballs were down, arm feels good," he said. "I think the one critique I have on myself is just glove-side fastball. That last out to [Matt] Wieters and the home run, I was trying to go inside to a righty. That's normally my bread and butter pitch. So that's the one thing, but other than that, I felt good with everything."

CF Jake Marisnick blasted his first home run in a Mets uniform in the second inning on Sunday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Marisnick led off the inning, and took Adam Wainwright deep to left center to tie the game at one.

He hit 10 home runs over 120 games in 2019 as a member of the Houston Astros. The Mets acquired him on Dec. 5 in exchange for porspects Blake Taylor and Kenedy Corona.

After drafting Brett Baty, Josh Wolf, and Matthew Allan with their first three picks, the Mets selected Jake Mangum with their fourth-round-pick in 2019, but he could be the first of the bunch to make it to the majors ...

The Skinny

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 179 lbs

Mets OF Yoenis Cespedes said he wasn't going to speak to the media at all this season, but that didn't last very long as he sat in front of the mic on Sunday morning. 

Joined by team translator Alan Surriel, Cespedes got right to the point when asked if he will be ready for Opening Day. His answer?

"If I continue progressing the way that I am, yes," he said. 

Steven Matz will make his spring training debut on Sunday when the Mets face the Cardinals at 1:10 p.m. at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie on SNY. 

Mets notes

Other than Matz, Jeurys Familia, Robert Gsellman, Brad Brach, Tyler Bashlor, and Franklyn Kilome are all scheduled to make an appearance on the mound. 

Mets Spring Training is in full swing in Port St. Lucie. Here's what happened Saturday, in case you missed it...

The latest mailbag from MetsBlog's Matt Cerrone answers questions on non-roster invitees, Luis Guillorme and more >> Read More

SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino goes in depth on what to look for this spring with Steven Matz and Michael Wacha >> Read More

The ribbon cutting ceremony at Clover Park, the Mets' new spring training home, happened on Saturday. Check it out >> Read More