Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen has made it clear he hopes to add a true center fielder this offseason via trade or free agency -- talking up the need to improve the defense -- and has spoken about using Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo primarily in the corner outfield spots.

As the Mets search for that true center fielder, they can scour the free agent market. While not completely barren, the list of free agent center fielders leaves a lot to be desired, with Brett Gardner (who could be heading back to the Yankees) and Cameron Maybin (whose 2019 might have been fool's gold) highlighting the better options.

This is where Starling Marte comes in.

New Mets manager Carlos Beltran was among those who played a "key role in devising the sign-stealing system" the Astros used in 2017, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. 

According to Rosenthal, Red Sox manager Alex Cora -- who was the Astros' bench coach in 2017 while Beltran was a player in what was the final season of his career -- was among the other members of the Astros to play a "key role" in the sign-stealing.

Rosenthal added that MLB's investigation into the Astros is "virtually certain" to include interviews with current manager A.J. Hinch, Cora, and Beltran.

In a wide-ranging report from Rosenthal earlier this week, former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers and unnamed sources shed light on the elaborate sign-stealing operation the Astros used during their championship season in 2017.

The Mets are open to a reunion with Zack Wheeler, who is an unrestricted free agent. Here's the latest...

Nov. 13, 10:11 PM:

As the GM meetings continue in Scottsdale, Arizona, two more teams appear to have contacted Wheeler in some capacity.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman gave new Mets manager Carlos Beltran a glowing review Wednesday on WFAN with Mike Francesa.

The Mets hired Beltran after he spent his past year with the Yankees as Cashman's special adviser and learned about the game of baseball from the front office's perspective.

Fused with Beltran's 20 years of playing experience, including with the Mets (2005-11) and Yankees (2014-16), the nine-time All-Star's all-around experience has Cashman among the believers as he embarks on his managerial chapter.

As he entered the 2019 season off his first National League Cy Young award, Jacob deGrom did so with the goal of getting another one.

He ultimately reached his pinnacle Wednesday when deGrom received the honor over the Washington Nationals' Max Scherzer and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu, but the path to the repeat wasn't smooth sailing by any means.

When he reflected on his repeat campaign, deGrom thought back to the change in mentality and approach he made after three turbulent starts at the end of April -- three straight losses to the Minnesota Twins (14-8, April 9), Atlanta Braves (7-3, April 14) and Milwaukee Brewers (10-2, April 26) in which the Mets' ace allowed 14 runs on 18 hits (five home runs) and dug himself into a hole.

After the Mets saw one teammate win a National League honor Monday with first baseman Pete Alonso's Rookie of the Year, another award came New York's way Wednesday when right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom earned a second straight Cy Young.

DeGrom received 29 of the 30 first-place votes to dominate his fellow finalists in Washington Nationals righthander Max Scherzer and Los Angeles Dodgers lefthander Hyun-Jin Ryu (received one first-place vote) for the award, which was announced Wednesday and makes deGrom the first Mets pitcher ever to win the award in consecutive campaigns.

From position players such as outfielder Brandon Nimmo and third baseman Todd Frazier to pitchers like righthander Noah Syndergaard and lefthander Steven Matz, the Mets reacted accordingly after the staff's ace repeated.

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

On July 25, Jacob deGrom pitched seven shutout innings against the Padres to get his ERA under 3.00 for the first time since April, and afterward I cornered him briefly in the clubhouse to see if I could get him to confess that he'd been tipping pitches early in the season. 

We went back and forth a bit, as he admitted he'd been made aware of something he was doing in his delivery that may have explained giving up 14 runs over three starts, yet insisted he was to blame for leaving too many pitches in the middle of the plate during that brief stretch. 

Finally, I said to him, "Well, if it wasn't for those three starts, you'd have a good shot at another Cy Young Award."

Mets ace Jacob deGrom followed up his historic 2018 with a brilliant 2019, and the result is another Cy Young award.

DeGrom received 29 of the 30 first-place votes to dominate his fellow finalists in Max Scherzer and Hyun-Jin Ryu (received one first-place vote) for the award, which was announced Wednesday night, making deGrom the first Mets pitcher ever to win the award in back-to-back seasons.

DeGrom joins Tom Seaver (1969, 1973, 1975) as the only Met to win the Cy Young more than once. Other Mets to win the award are R.A. Dickey (2012), and Dwight Gooden (1985).

2019 was the worst season of Noah Syndergaard's career -- the only one of his five big league seasons where his ERA was higher than 3.24. His issues were sometimes mental, sometimes mechanical, sometimes related to bad luck. So how will he turn the page?

"I don't think it's mental," Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday at the GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. "I think it's just a matter of -- a lot of players will struggle with mechanics and repeatability at different points in time over the course of the year. I think Noah has had such consistent performance -- he had injuries in '17 and '18 -- but his performance was exceptionally level."

While Syndergaard's 4.28 ERA in 2019 was ghastly compared to what he did over his first four seasons, his FIP was 3.60 -- an indication that some of what went wrong was due to bad luck.

Twelve years removed from his 16-season playing career, Mike Piazza is back in the game.

The 1998-2005 New York Mets catcher and 2016 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee will manage the Italian national baseball team, he announced Wednesday on Twitter.

Piazza, 51, is set to lead Italy into the 2020 European Baseball Championship and the 2021 World Baseball Classic.

As the Mets embark on the 2020 offseason, there are lots of burning questions, including which free agents they should pursue, which 2019 performances were sustainable, and which players in the farm system (if any) should be untouchable...

Should the Mets sign Josh Donaldson, trade J.D. Davis and make Jeff McNeil a full-time LF?

McNeil, Davis and Jed Lowrie are capable of starting at third base. So, it's difficult to see Van Wagenen shelling out what is likely to be a three-year, $70-80 million deal to get Donaldson.

However, for all of the talk about adding a center fielder or corner outfielder, adding Donaldson would probably be the biggest bang for Van Wagenen's buck.

The fact is, Brandon Nimmo in most comparisons will likely end up being the better option in the field. At the same time, in addition to providing a major upgrade and credibility at the plate, Donaldson will likely be the best option in the field at third base.

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen has said numerous times that the team hopes to improve the bullpen (among other areas) heading into the 2020 season. What does that mean for the embattled Edwin Diaz?

After a tremendous 2018 season with the Mariners, Diaz had a disastrous season in 2019 after being acquired by New York, allowing 15 homers in 58 innings while posting a 5.59 ERA (4.51 FIP) and 1.37 WHIP. He lost his closer job and was at times relegated to being one of the last options in the bullpen.

Still, Van Wagenen said Tuesday during an appearance on WFAN with Mike Francesa that the Mets expect Diaz to be pitching in high-leverage situations in 2020, adding that their "projection systems still believe in Diaz' talent and we know that we've got a guy that's gonna rebound and be an All-Star type performer for us."

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

We all know what we see when Mets ace Jacob deGrom pitches -- nuclear stuff delivered with competitive fire and brains from someone who just might be baseball's best pitcher.

"If he's not, he's certainly in that conversation," says Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, the former Braves and Mets lefty who won 305 games in his career.

And if deGrom wins his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award -- the voting results will be announced Wednesday evening and he is the favorite -- he'll get a different kind of next-level career validation, one that few pitchers in baseball history have enjoyed.

As the Mets' bench coach search rolls on, another name has emerged. Ron Wotus, whose status with the Giants is unclear after the hiring of Gabe Kapler as manager, has interviewed with the Mets, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.

Wotus joins Jerry Narron and Fredi Gonzalez as known candidates for the Mets' bench coach job.

Terry Collins was the preference of new manager Carlos Beltran to be his bench coach, but the Mets will be going in a different direction -- with Collins staying on as a special adviser to GM Brodie Van Wagenen.

The Mets have agreed with Chili Davis on a multi-year deal to bring him back as the team's hitting coach, sources told SNY's Andy Martino.

Tom Slater, who has been the team's assistant hitting coach since 2017, is also being brought back on a multi-year deal, per Martino.

Davis, who was the Mets' hitting coach in 2019, had been a finalist to become Phillies hitting coach, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

With Day 2 of the GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. taking place, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen took the time to speak with WFAN's Mike Francesa on what the team has done to set up their managerial staff and on what's to come on filling out the rest of their coaching staff.

The Mets have many moves to come as they continue to shore up their coaching staff, as well as dealing with free agency. Plus, they just hired Carlos Beltran as their new manager less than two weeks ago, so this team's got a lot going on this offseason.

Speaking of Beltran, Van Wagenen spoke on what the former Met did to separate himself from the other candidates for the manager position: "From Day 1 and all the way till the end of the process, he was the same guy--he never came across like he was selling, he never came across like he was trying to search for the answers that I wanted to hear, he was Carlos Beltran. And he maintained that throughout the whole process and I respected it and the authenticity will play well to our players."

It is Day 2 at the GM Meetings out in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen once again discussed multiple topics regarding his team heading into the offseason. 

Here's what you need to know about what Van Wagenen touched on...

Amed Rosario won't make the outfield shift

Fredi Gonzalez has now joined the discussion to be the next bench coach for the Mets, it was reported by The New York Post's Mika Puma on Tuesday afternoon.

Gonzalez, who has been the third base coach for the Marlins over the last three seasons, is expected to meet with team officials back in New York once the GM meetings are over. 

Gonzalez has been coaching or managing in the majors since 1999, starting his career as a third base coach with the Marlins before moving on to the Braves in 2003. 

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Shortly after the 2019 season ended, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen sought to cut off any rumors about Noah Syndergaard and Edwin Diaz before they began, saying that the plan was for both of them to be part of the team in 2020.

What about Michael Conforto?

Asked on Monday at the GM meetings whether he would put Conforto on a list of basically untouchable players along with Syndergaard and Diaz, Van Wagenen indicated that he would.

They didn't think he could win the Cy Young Award the first time, now Jacob deGrom returns, and is back in the biggest sequel of the summer!

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen has cited the bullpen, center field, and the starting rotation as key areas the team needs to address heading into the 2020 season. But could payroll limitations get in the way?

Asked on Monday at the GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. if the Mets would be willing to exceed the $208 million luxury tax for 2020, Van Wagenen bobbed and weaved a bit.

"Our goal is to identify what the acquisition costs are of players and then make recommendations to the ownership group that we think are going to put the team in the best situation to succeed," Van Wagenen explained. "So we will do that. And if the luxury tax threshold becomes something we have to consider, then we will talk about it at that time."

Just moments after being named the NL Rookie of the Year, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso joined SNY's Baseball Night in New York to talk about his historic first season as big leaguer. 

But when he was asked about his goals for 2020 and beyond, the 24-year-old unsurprisingly kept his answer team-oriented.

"I'm really happy with the season I had," Alonso said. "But the ultimate goal is to win a World Series. I want to win a World Series and help the New York mets hoist that trophy at the end of the year.

Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen already said he's going to take a look at what can be done to improve the team's bullpen this offseason. 

Could that start with someone in their own backyard? 

According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Mets are looking at Yankees' free agent Dellin Betances as an option to bolster their bullpen. 

After speaking with the media at MLB's GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen chatted with SNY's Andy Martino. 

The two touched on what the second-year general manager is hoping to get accomplished both at the meetings this week, and the offseason as a whole.

Moments after Mets first baseman Pete Alonso took home the National League Rookie of the Year Award, New York general manager Brodie Van Wagenen spoke at the MLB GM meetings.

Here are the takeaways from Van Wegenen's discussion with reporters...  

Latest on Zack Wheeler contract negotiations...

"We started dialogue with his camp before the trade deadline last year. We expressed interest in having him be apart of what we're doing moving forward. Obviously he earned the right to explore free agency, he's got a decision to make later this week [on the qualifying offer the Mets extended him]. We'll certainly continue to have those discussions moving forward."

"Wheeler is a good pitcher. That's why we offered him the qualifying offer, we didn't take that lightly. I think he's put himself in a position to be an attractive player. We'll continue to have dialogue."

Pete Alonso was surrounded by family and friends as he learned he was named the National League Rookie of the Year from his parents house in Tampa, Fla. 

Take a look and watch the celebration as Alonso learned he was the sixth Met in franchise history to win the award.

After Pete Alonso was named National League Rookie of the Year on Monday, the congratulations from Mets teammates poured in.

Check out Noah Syndergaard, Dom Smith, Michael Conforto and Steven Matz all took the time to offer their congratulations to Alonso, who came just one vote shy of winning the award unanimously. 

Pete Alonso became the sixth Met to win NL Rookie of the Year on Monday, and was just one vote shy of doing so unanimously. 

Coincidentally, Jacob deGrom also got 29 out of 30 first place votes when he was named the Cy Young Award winner last season, when the San Diego Union Tribune's John Maffei voted for Max Scherzer over deGrom. 

Maffei infamously was uninterested in discussing his decision, hanging up on WFAN's Steve Somers when the radio host attempted to find some kind of explanation for not voting for deGrom.

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

If there was a moment that perfectly summed up Pete Alonso's momentous season, one that was capped off Monday with the announcement of his National League Rookie of the Year Award, I would argue that it wasn't one of his record-breaking 53 home runs, eye-popping as some of them were. 

Instead I'd say it was his bases-loaded walk, of all things, in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sept. 6 that forced home the game-winning run against the Phillies -- largely because it left him doing TV interviews on SNY and then MLB Network shirtless, after his jersey was ripped off him by teammates in celebration.

What has been a fait accompli since the 2019 MLB season ended is now official: Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year. 

Alonso beat out finalists Mike Soroka of the Braves and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres for the award. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, with the other one going to Soroka. Yordan Alvarez won AL Rookie of the Year unanimously.

"I am so grateful to the Baseball Writers' Association for their recognition," Alonso said. "I'm truly blessed and humbled to be part of a group of some of the best to ever play the game. This season was the most special time I've ever had on a baseball field. I'm extremely thankful to the Mets for allowing me the opportunity to prove myself at the major league level this year. I can't wait to get back to work in the spring and make a push for the postseason in 2020."

After meeting with the Mets in at MLB's GM Meetings in Scottsdale on Monday, Chris Fetter has emerged as a "strong candidate," according to SNY's Andy Martino. 

Fetter, 33, currently serves as pitching coach at the University of Michigan and is widely considered to be one of the hot coaching names around the industry He interviewed for the Yankees pitching coach job earlier this month, but eventually lost out to Matt Blake.

He also has experience coaching at the professional level and was the Dodgers' minor league pitching coordinator before leaving to join Michigan's coaching staff.

MLB executives believe at least one of Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor or Kris Bryant will be traded this offseason, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi.

The way I see it, of the three, Betts is most likely to find a new home. And he's a good fit for the Mets.

Bryant fits the Mets, too. I'm not convinced Chicago will end up trading him, though. Like with Lindor, while it's worth it for each team to listen to offers, the Cubs and Indians have these players under contract for more than just next season.

With Pete Alonso on the verge of winning the National League's Rookie of the Year award, we took a look at the Mets first baseman's most memorable moments of the season. 

From his record-breaking blast to the Polar Bear stripping down (kind of), here they are and watch the video above:

April 1:  Alonso hits his first major-league blast, a three-run shot while on the road in Miami.

It's fully expected that Mets first baseman Pete Alonso will win the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year award on Monday night over Mike Soroka and Fernando Tatis Jr., with any actual suspense over it revolving around whether he will take it home in unanimous fashion.

When Alonso is officially crowned, the Polar Bear will become just the sixth Met to win Rookie of the Year.

A look at the other five...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When Brodie Van Wagenen suggested last week that Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman might be in the 2020 rotation, he appeared to telegraph that the Mets were more likely to play in the free agent reliever market this offseason than sign a starter.

That makes sense, when you consider that a better bullpen would likely have delivered the team to the postseason.

That bit of context helps to inform our understanding of the first li'l nugget of the team's post-managerial search offseason, that the front office met Monday morning with the agency that represents both Zack Wheeler and World Series champion reliever Daniel Hudson.

One rival GM predicted the Mets will hire Jeremy Hefner to be their next pitching coach, SNY's Andy Martino noted on Monday, with that GM expressing regret over missing out on hiring Hefner. 

Hefner, who is viewed as a rising star in the industry, is having his interview with the Mets on Monday at the GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., according to The Athletic's Marc Carig.

The 33-year-old Hefner served as the assistant pitching coach for the Twins this past season. He joined Minnesota as a scout in 2017.

The annual GM Meetings take place from Nov. 11-14 in Scottsdale, Ariz. On hand will be Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen and his staff, along with representatives from the 29 other teams.

While the big event of the offseason is the Winter Meetings each December, things often start to take shape at the GM meetings.

Van Wagenen discussed the Mets' offseason plans while introducing Carlos Beltran as manager last Monday, but he didn't go into detail. Here are five questions Van Wagenen should be asked as the GM Meetings begin...

As the only Mets position player to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award, advice from Darryl Strawberry goes a long way for Pete Alonso.

The franchise's former right fielder from 1983-90, Strawberry's 17-year career started in New York, where he earned seven of his eight All-Star appearances and helped led the Mets to the 1986 World Series championship.

So with the NL Rookie of the Year Award set to be announced Monday on MLB Network -- Alonso, Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher Mike Soroka and San Diego Padres shortshop Fernando Tatis are the three finalists -- Strawberry offered advice for the Mets first baseman Sunday through the New York Post's Kevin Kernan.

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

We'll be talking about Pete Alonso and Aaron Judge for years to come, especially if their careers keep soaring from here. How lucky are we to have dueling sluggers with personality plus tearing up the same baseball town at the same time? 
 
Alonso, who broke Judge's rookie home run record last season, likely will add another connection to Judge on Monday, when the National League Rookie of the Year is announced. The Mets first baseman must be the choice, unless there is a significant tear in the space-time continuum or something similarly seismic. Judge won the AL Award in 2017 when he set the homer record Alonso (53 homers) eventually beat by one. 
 
With all these links between the two, comparisons are natural. Who's better? Where will their careers end up? SNY asked some baseball brains to talk about the similarities and differences between the sluggers and we looked at some numbers from their respective rookie seasons. 

Former Mets pitcher Jeremy Hefner will interview for the Mets vacant pitching coach position on Monday, it was reported by The Athletic's Marc Carig late Saturday night.

Hefner will meet with team officials at the general manager's meetings in Scottsdale Arizona, looking to become the second former Mets player to join the staff this offseason, with the team hiring Carlos Beltran to be their new manager earlier this month.

The 33-year-old was the assistant pitching coach for the Twins this past season after having joined the team back in 2017 as an advanced scout.

Former Mets manager Terry Collins is not a candidate to be Carlos Beltran's bench coach, SNY's Andy Martino confirmed Saturday.

The news was first reported by Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Beltran, who was named the Mets' 22nd manager last week, had previously told the team that Collins would be his ideal bench coach, according to Martino. A source told John Harper that Collins would have accepted the job if offered.

Former Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon was recently spotted working out in the gym in a video posted by MLB insider Hector Gomez.

The 46-year-old Colon, who played for the Mets from 2014 to 2017, has yet to officially retire from the MLB, despite not pitching since 2018 with the Texas Rangers.

With MLB free agency starting up in December, Colon could possibly be preparing for his 22nd MLB season if there's a team looking for pitching help.

The Mets farm system as a whole is in a bit of a transition phase. They traded high level prospects Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, Anthony Kay, and Simeon Woods-Richardson over the last 12 months. But they also had a great 2019 MLB Draft where they landed three big time prospects.

New York does not currently have a lot as far as top prospects who are on the verge of making a big league impact. I won't be writing here about the Andres Gimenez types or the David Peterson types who I believe are likely to contribute to the Mets in 2020 but are highly regarded prospects in the system.

Instead, the focus here will be on prospects who might come from out of nowhere a bit to make a contribution to the big league team next season. Here are three under-the-radar prospects I believe you could see contributing in Queens in 2020...

Mets rookie Pete Alonso is expected to take home some hardware on Monday when the Rookie of the Year awards are announced, but he was snubbed Thursday night when it came to another potential honor.

Freddie Freeman of the Braves won the National League Silver Slugger award at first base, given annually to the player in each league deemed the best hitter at each position.

The award is voted on by the coaches and managers.

On Thursday night at his Tru32 charity bowling event "Strikes with Steven", Mets pitcher Steven Matz gave his thoughts on newly hired manager Carlos Beltran.

"It's really exciting," Matz said. "He's very respected in the game. He was a great player himself. I think he brings some great leadership to the team, and he's very passionate about the game. I think we're all excited to have him as our leader."

Matz went on to talk about how Beltran's experience as a recent player should help the team a lot.

Keith Hernandez knows the Mets as well as anyone, calling the games in the SNY booth.

He recently explained what Carlos Beltran will bring as the team's new manager. 

"They're going to look up to him. He will learn on the job," Hernandez said. "He's had the experience in the Yankees' front office, being with Brian Cashman as a special assistant. He learned there, so it's not like he's coming in cold. He's aware of the analytics and that's part of the game, and managers today, you have to work with a more hands-on general manager and that analytic team, which Brodie has.

"I think it's going to be a good working relationship and I think the players are going to look up to him. A manager has to lead, players want to be led, and I think that he'll provide that." 

If Zack Wheeler departs via free agency, the Mets will have a hole to fill in the starting rotation. Should they consider filling it with a former bitter rival?

Cole Hamels, who will turn 36 years old before the 2020 season, had a 3.81 ERA (4.09 FIP) and 1.39 WHIP with 143 strikeouts in 141.2 IP (27 starts) this past season for the Cubs.

At this stage, Hamels -- who spent the first nine years of his career with the Phillies -- is looking to land with a contender. And he's open to inking a one-year deal, he told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

The Mets announced on Oct. 17 that the team would not be renewing the contract of Edgardo Alfonzo, who managed the Short-Season A-ball Brooklyn Cyclones to the New York Penn League Championship in 2019.

Alfonzo had been the manager of the Cyclones since 2017, and is expected to remain with the team as a club ambassador, according to SNY's Andy Martino.

Alfonzo recently posted on his personal Instagram account, reacting to the changes.

Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Every New York sports fan has their one favorite player or coach, past or present, that they absolutely love. They've given years of service to help your favorite team win, and they've done so while playing or managing at the highest level. 

But not every marriage has come to a happy ending in the Big Apple. 

While this city has had its fair share of legends on every team, there have also been some pretty bad breakups throughout each league. And, as agents of chaos in this case, we're here to remind you of some of the ugliest divorces that your favorite teams have seen in recent years.