During their first meeting about 2019, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen and manager Mickey Callaway agreed that their roster needed a well-respected, accomplished, battle-tested player that could handle New York and provide a heavyweight presence in the clubhouse.

According to MLB sources familiar with the deal, Van Wagenen quickly identified Robinson Cano as a possible fit. It was well known the Mariners were eager to move his contract, which -- by the way -- Van Wagenen negotiated for Cano when representing him in 2014.

In return for taking on roughly half of the $120 million left on Cano's current contract, the Mets wanted closer Edwin Diaz. In the end, after shopping a similar deal to other teams, the M's sent Cano and Diaz to the Mets for top prospects Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn, Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, and prospect Gerson Bautista while no longer having to pay roughly $60 million in payroll during the next five years...

We suggested eight days ago that it could make sense for the Mets to carry both Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith on the Opening Day roster, and manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday the team is considering just that.

And If the Mets do carry the right-handed hitting Alonso and left-handed hitting Smith, Callaway suggested it wouldn't be in a straight platoon. 

"I wouldn't classify it as a platoon situation," Callaway said. "I think our main goal would be to put them in the best situation to succeed. ... keep them both healthy and in the game mentally."

The Mets have a challenge ahead of them if they want to make the playoffs this season, being in what is expected to be the toughest division in baseball. Michael Conforto, fully healthy after working his way back from injury in 2018, is embracing it. 

"The division was tough this past year and this year it got a lot tougher," Conforto told Buster Olney during an interview Tuesday on ESPN Radio. "I think we're very lucky to be in a division that's as competitive as it is. The Braves, the Phillies, us, the Nationals, and even the Marlins -- they've got some good young players and you really can't overlook that series you have against them every so often. It's gonna be a battle as well."

Among the biggest moves elsewhere in the NL East were the Phillies adding Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, the Nats adding Patrick Corbin, and the Braves taking a shot on a rebound year from Josh Donaldson. The Mets added Edwin Diaz, Robinson Cano, Wilson Ramos, Jed Lowrie, and more. 

As the Mets continue to work out their catching situation, most of the attention has centered around the competition between Travis d'Arnaud and Devin Mesoraco to back up Wilson Ramos -- but Tomas Nido remains in camp as well.

The Mets have long seen Nido as a potential long-term solution as a backup catcher. No one is deluded about his offensive potential, but Nido is an excellent defender in a role that requires it.

D'Arnaud has also made himself more central to the team's plans this year. He is making progress in his return from Tommy John surgery, and the Mets like what they are seeing from his on-field performance.

The Mets are offering a unique ticket package for Citi Field this season. 

For $39 per month, Mets fans can download the "Amazin' Mets Pass" on their smartphone that will give them access to 78 games this season. The tickets are for standing room, but there is an option to upgrade to a seat Monday-Thursday. All fans have to do is download the tickets for the game from the app, and scan the code at the gate to gain access.

"The program is targeted to the millenial demographic and unconventional audiences," Mets Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales Chris Zaber told The Post's Natalie O'Neill. "It's a greay way to gain access to Citi Field at a low cost. Even if you come to three games a month, it's a great deal.

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell is in town to face the Knicks this week, but the 22-year-old spent some time on Tuesday reminiscing about growing up around the Mets. 

Mitchell's father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., has worked in the Mets front office for several years and is their director of player relations and community engagement. 

Mitchell spent a lot of his time growing up around his father and at Shea Stadium, where he recalled one of his favorite memories -- the Mike Piazza home run after 9/11. 

NEW YORK - March 19, 2019 - SNY, the official television home of the New York Mets, New York Jets and all things New York sports, today announced its 2019 regular season broadcast schedule for the New York Mets featuring 133 exclusive live games including pre- and post-game shows. SNY's Emmy Award-winning Mets broadcast returns Thursday, March 28 at 1:05 p.m. ET, as the New York Mets open the 2019 season on the road against the Washington Nationals.

SNY's broadcast team of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, widely regarded as the best booth in baseball, return for their unprecedented 14^th season together. They will be joined by Mets on-field reporter Steve Gelbs. Gelbs will continue delivering his insightful in-game interviews and features with players, coaches and other personalities. This season, the broadcast team will also be providing content for SNY's social media outlets pre-, during and post-game. The award-winning production team headed by executive producer Curt Gowdy, Jr., senior coordinating producer Gregg Picker, and director Dan Barr, will continue to lead all SNY-produced Mets telecasts.

SNY's Opening Day Lineup will begin with a special 90-minute Citi Pre-Game Live hosted by Gary Apple, who will be joined by former Mets Todd Zeile and Nelson Figueroa and former Mets General Manager Jim Duquette as they take viewers right up to the start of the game with Jacob DeGrom scheduled to take the mound for the Mets.

On the morning after Derek Jeter announced his retirement during spring training of 2014, I happened to be in Angels camp in Tempe, Arizona. At that time, a manufactured storyline was going around that Mike Trout could replace Jeter as the "face of baseball."

As Trout fielded questions about this topic, he was affable, engaging -- and clearly uninterested in being anything other than a great ballplayer for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He was more goofy younger brother than international celebrity, and that seemed fine.

The news on Tuesday morning of Trout's 12-year, $430 million agreement with the Angels, first reported by ESPN, closed off any remaining chance that Trout can ever rise above niche recognition from hardcore baseball fans.

When the Mets acquired Yoenis Cespedes in the waning minutes of the 2015 trade deadline, they had to part with one of their top pitching prospects, Michael Fulmer. 

The deal arguably worked out for both sides in the short term; Cespedes helped lead the Mets to a pennant that year and re-signed with the team, while Fulmer won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2016 and was an All-Star the next season. But the righty regressed in 2018 and had knee surgery in September. 

Now, Fulmer won't see a mound for quite a while. He has been recommended to have Tommy John surgery, the team said Tuesday, after consultating with the renowned Dr. James Andrews, who also performed Fulmer's knee surgery. Additionally, he will seek a third opinion befor making a final decision. 

The nightmare scenario for the Mets of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper landing with the Phillies didn't happen, and the nightmare scenario of Mike Trout joining Harper on the Phillies won't be happening, either.

Trout, who had been due to hit the free agent market after the 2020 season, has agreed to a 12-year deal worth $430 million to remain with the Angels, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. 

The new deal absorbs the two years that were remaining on Trout's existing deal, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale, technically making it a $363.5 million extension that begins in 2021. The deal includes a full no-trade clause and does not contain any opt-outs...

After Tuesday's rainout in Jupiter against the Marlins, Mets RHP Zack Wheeler -- who was set to start -- will instead throw 90 or more pitches Wednesday during an intrasquad game during the team's off day. 

Wheeler remains on track to start the third game of the regular season, but with the rainout pushing his schedule back, he will now be making the start on regular rest instead of an extra day of rest.

Jacob deGrom is scheduled to start on Opening Day -- March 28 against the Nationals -- with Noah Syndergaard starting the second game of the season on March 30 (after a team off-day), and Wheeler getting the ball on March 31.

Mets 1B prospect Pete Alonso hit his fourth home run of the spring on Sunday.

"I felt like last year I had a pretty solid year and I feel like this year I'm composing myself to have an even better year," Alonso recently told reporters in St. Lucie. 

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen and manager Mickey Callaway have repeatedly said they want to leave Florida with the best 25 guys on the Opening Day roster.

David Wright may have never won a World Series with the Mets, but he did win an NL pennant and had some successful seasons, so he knows what it takes to win in the majors and that it is sometimes more than just talent on the field. 

That's how Wright felt about the 2015 Mets and he sees some of that in this year's team. 

The former Mets captain, in Port St. Lucie as special advisor to the GM, listened to a team meeting on Monday and spoke with some players afterward about what it takes to win in this league. 

Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard squared off against one another on the back fields of the facilities at First Data Field in Port St. Lucie on Monday in a minor-league intrasquad game. 

The Mets decided to scratch them from their scheduled starts against the Nationals this week in an attempt to scale back exposure against teams that they will be seeing plenty of in the regular season. 

DeGrom allowed one run on seven hits while striking out 12 in 6.1 innings while Syndergaard allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits and two walks while also striking out 12 in six innings. 

Michael Conforto stayed red hot at the plate and Jeurys Familia served as the opener during the Mets' 6-5 loss to the Nationals on Monday in Port St. Lucie. >> Box score

Five things to know about Monday's game ...

1. Conforto went yard for the third straight day, launching a two-run homer in the first inning for his fourth homer of the spring. The two-run shot gives him 10 RBI in Spring Training.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Negotiations between the Mets and ace Jacob deGrom are ongoing, with optimism in some corners that the sides will reach a deal by next Thursday's self-imposed deadline.

As of Monday morning, an agreement was not imminent, but the Mets and deGrom's reps continued to hammer away behind the scenes. SNY has previously reported that deGrom is seeking a deal of approximately five years and $150 million; it is not known what type of deal the sides are currently discussing.

The tone of this negotiation has shifted a few times over the course of the winter, which is probably to be expected for a potential deal this large. At the winter meetings in December, deGrom's reps at CAA left a meeting with Mets higher-ups expecting an offer.

Michael Conforto seems ready for Opening Day.

The outfielder launched a home run Monday in the bottom of the first inning, his third straight game with a homer. He crushed a 3-2 pitch to right field with two outs to give the Mets a 2-0 lead over the Nationals.

Conforto has four homers and 10 RBI this spring.

Reliever Jeurys Familia will open Monday's Grapefruit League when the Mets take on the Nationals on Monday at 1:10 p.m. on SNY. 

Mets notes

Michael Conforto remains in the cleanup spot after homering in the last two games. He is hitting .255/.314/.468 with three home runs and eight RBI this spring. ... Juan Lagares is back in the lineup on Monday batting second and in center field. ... Robinson Cano enters the game with a .486 average and two home runs. 

Pete Alonso doesn't lack confidence when he steps in the batter's box. At least, he hasn't shown any signs of it this Spring Training. 

But the knock on Alonso throughout his career in the Minor Leagues is that he struggles defensively. The first baseman has worked hard to erase the stigma, however, and simply play the position better. And he's feeling pretty good about his defensive game as the 2019 season beckons. 

"I'm extremely confident," he told reporters Sunday after the Mets' 10-6 loss to the Nationals. "I mean, I feel like I've done a 180 from 2017 to now, because that was my dark year, so to speak, defensively."

Six runs from the Nationals in the first inning set the tone for the game, as they beat the Mets, 10-6, on Sunday at FITTEAM Ballpark of The Palm Beaches. >> Box score

Five things to know about Sunday's game ...

1. For the second straight game, Michael Conforto homered. This time, he drilled a two-run shot off Stephen Strasburg in the third inning. He worked a walked and struck out to raise his Grapefruit League average to .253 with a .782 OPS. 

Jacob deGrom was scratched from his scheduled outing Sunday in a "B" game for the Mets due to a stomach illness. 

It's obviously no reason to sound the alarms, and the silver lining here is noteworthy. To keep the 30-year-old on track to start Opening Day in less than two weeks, deGrom will throw Monday on the back fields. Fellow rotation mate Noah Syndergaard will toe the rubber for the other team in the Mets' intrasquad contest, providing an intriguing matchup, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported.

With a pair of games scheduled against NL East rival Washington for Sunday and Monday -- the two days deGrom and Syndergaard were scheduled to pitch, respectively -- the Mets made the conscious decision to shield them from Major League competition for the remainder of Spring Training. 

For Al Leiter, joining the Mets as a baseball operations advisor for the club and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen was a no-brainer. 

The 53-year-old met with reporters in Port St. Lucie, where he was attending spring training, on Sunday and said he simply felt like it was time for him to return to the organization he grew up rooting for. 

"There's no other organization that would make sense," Leiter said. "There's no B.S. I loved playing here. I had the majority of my success here, as a Met. It's the right thing. There's no other option." 

The idea of a five-man starting rotation for the ages, as predicted by John Smoltz, among others, is but a memory now, with Matt Harvey gone and Steven Matz more mediocre than elite since his rookie season.

But the Mets might still have the best Big Three in baseball, if Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard all pitch with the dominance expected of them. 

How far can that take them? Pretty darn far, if their history is any indication.

Hector Santiago takes the mound for the Mets on Sunday as they head to West Palm Beach to face the Nationals at 1:05 p.m. 

Mets notes

Michael Conforto returns to the cleanup spot on Sunday after going 2-for-3 with a home run on Saturday ... Pete Alonso bats second with his team-leading three home runs this spring while Dominic Smith is the DH as he continues to make his case to be on the Mets' Opening Day roster. 

The Mets jumped out to a 6-0 lead before running into some trouble with their middle relief in a 11-6 loss to the Marlins on Saturday. >> Box score

Five things to know about Saturday's game...

1) Michael Conforto had an impressive day at the plate batting cleanup, blasting a two-run shot in the first inning then singling in a run in the third in a 2-for-3 day at the plate with three RBI. 

Jason Vargas and the Mets face Sandy Alcantara and the Miami Marlins in a Grapefruit League game on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. 

Mets notes

Pete Alonso gets the start at first base and is batting second as he carries a .375 (15-for-40) average and team-leading three home runs into the game ... Robinson Cano (13-for-32) will bat behind Alonso while Travis d'Arnaud (4-for-13) gets the call behind the plate. 

The Mets think the Nationals have seen enough of their major league pitchers this spring. 

The team revealed on Saturday that they will shield their pitchers from Grapefruit League games so that other teams will not be able to get a good look at them, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. 

Jacob deGrom, who was on schedule to start in Sunday's game against the Nationals, will instead pitch in a "B" game on the back fields of the Mets' Spring Training facility along with Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson. 

The Mets fell to the Nationals on Friday, 11-3, at First Data Field in Port St. Lucie, Fla. >> Box score

Five things to know about Friday's game...

1) Steven Matz continued to struggle in what was by far his worst outing of the spring. The left-hander allowed eight runs on seven hits, including four home runs, and a walk in just two innings of work.  

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is having a strong spring.

The 24-year-old reflects on what got him to this point in his career and how he can continue to succeed at the next level. 

Steven Matz' struggles are not getting in the way of his optimism. 

The Mets lefthander had by far his worst outing of Spring Training on Friday, allowing eight runs, including four home runs, on seven hits and a walk in just two innings of work in his latest start against the Washington Nationals. 

Matz, though, knows what the problem is and said that it is better he identifies and works through it now rather than when the season starts. 

Steven Matz and the Mets face Jeremy Hellickson and the Washington Nationals in a Grapefruit League game on Friday at 1:10 p.m. at First Data Field.

Mets notes

Dominic Smith is tied with J.D. Davis for the team lead with eight RBIs. ... Robinson Cano has a .414/.452/.655 batting line with two home runs and six RBIs in 10 games.

The Mets tied the Cardinals. 1-1, on Thursday >> Box score

Five things to know about Thursday's game...

1) Zack Wheeler was dominant for a second-straight start, firing 5.1 shutout innings while allowing two hits, walking none, and striking out four. His ERA is down to 2.25.

Doug Williams and Nelson Figueroa drop an all-new episode of Shea Anything, and they go long on the Pete Alonso vs. Dom Smith debate for first base.

They also go deep on whether or not Amed Rosario will break through with a star-making season in 2019, and try to make sense of the new MLB rules changes.

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN

The NL East is stacked, balanced and expected to be the most compelling division in baseball this season. In large part, this is because the division features several of the league's most dominant starting pitchers and best overall pitching staffs.

For starters, Max Scherzer (Nationals) and Jacob deGrom (Mets) are widely considered to be the top two starting pitchers in all of baseball. According to multiple projection systems and fantasy rankings, the next best 20 pitchers in the league feature an additional five arms from the NL East, including Aaron Nola (Phillies), Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler, (Mets) and Patrick Corbin (Nationals) and Stephen Strasburg (Nationals).

In 2018, among NL pitchers producing at least 2.0 fWAR, six were from the NL East, including deGrom, Scherzer, Nola, Syndergaard, Wheeler and Mike Foltynewicz (Braves). Corbin, who was with the D-backs but has since signed with the Nationals, also finished in the Top 10. If extended to the Top 20, two more Phillies join the list (Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez).

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's desire for more action and less dead time in baseball is at the heart of the rules changes that were announced on Thursday, and with that in mind, here are the three I believe are most noteworthy:

1) The three-batter minimum for relievers, which goes into effect in 2020, and makes for intriguing strategy decisions as well as fewer late-inning pitching changes.

2) A 28-man September roster, as of 2020, which will finally bring an end to the ridiculous practice of essentially having unlimited substitutions in the final month of the season.

Zack Wheeler takes the hill as the Mets face Michael Wacha and the St. Louis Cardinals in a Grapefruit League game on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. in Jupiter, Florida.

Mets notes

Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith are tied for the team lead in hits (13). ... Travis d'Arnaud is 4-for-10 with one home run and two RBIs in his first four spring training games.

The MLB and the MLB Players Association announced an agreement on Thursday that includes changes to the rosters, game play and the All-Star voting process over the next two years.

In 2019, the changes include:

• The elimination of August trades, meaning July 31 will be sole MLB trade deadline.
• The maximum number of mound visits per team will be reduced from six to five.

Noah Syndergaard saved his best fastball for after Wednesday's game.

The flame-thrower was asked following the Mets' 2-1 win against the Astros about his thoughts on the football Giants trading Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns.

"He's special. I don't know what the Giants are doing. We'll find out," Syndergaard said.

The Mets beat the Astros, 2-1, on Wednesday afternoon in Port St. Lucie >> Box score

Five things to know about Wednesday's game...

1) Noah Syndergaard was a bit wild but largely dominant, firing 5.2 scoreless innings while allowing two hits, walking two, and striking out five, lowering his Spring Training ERA to 1.88.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway and GM Brodie Van Wagenen have been consistent this entire offseason stating Jason Vargas would be their fifth starter in 2019.

Against the first batter Vargas faced this spring, he let up a home run. However, he has not allowed a run since, lowering his Grapefruit League ERA 1.08 ERA during his three starts, which is exactly what Callaway had been hoping to see.

"I really think he just needs a regular spring training, which is uninterrupted, to get himself where he needs to be," Callaway told me in January. "The regular schedule allows him to do that to the best of his ability."

Robinson Cano continued his strong Spring Training on Wednesday, launching a two-run homer in the fourth inning off Gerrit Cole to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. The homer was Cano's second of the spring, and as of the sixth inning he's hitting .440 so far.

The Mets (8-10) host the Astros in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday at 1:10 p.m., live on SNY. 

Mets Notes...

Noah Syndergaard looks to bounce back from a subpar outing on Friday against the Marlins. ... Jeff McNeil starts at third base for the third time in four days as it seems more probable by the day that he'll be there on Opening Day. ... Pete Alonso starts at first base as he tries to earn his spot on the roster.

In an effort to land on the best NL East bullpen, I surveyed several baseball insiders, including three MLB scouts and multiple front office and player development members from the National League.

For what it's worth, their consensus is exactly how I see the final rankings, which are as follows...

5. Marlins

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Two-plus years into the Tim Tebow experience -- or is it experiment? -- the outfielder's most notable accomplishment in baseball circles has been turning widespread cynicism about his motives into blanket appreciation for his commitment.

After all, the former Heisman Trophy winner, and now TV star/football god in SEC country, has ridden minor-league buses all over the eastern half of the country for two seasons, making only incremental progress toward prospect status, and still Tebow perseveres.

And so even notoriously hard-bitten major-league scouts preface their harsh analysis of the player with praise for the person.

Mets INF Jed Lowrie's rehab has been going really well, and he noted last week that he would be returning to baseball activity soon. Well, GM Brodie Van Wagenen said he has hit the ground running on that front. 

Van Wagenen explained that Lowrie, who is recovering from a knee capsule sprain, is already throwing and hitting as he works his way back to the team.

"Jed has begun his throwing program and he's also done his hitting program," Van Wagenen told reporters at the Mets' Spring Training game on Tuesday. "he's been hitting in the cages both right and left-handed. We're going to try to build that up as the days go forward."

With Opening Day just over two weeks away, the Mets are dealing with injuries to two infielders and watching as their two main competitors for the first base job -- Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith -- tear the cover off the ball. 

Given the current situation, it's a near-certainty that one of Alonso or Smith will grab the Opening Day job, but the intrigue doesn't stop there -- not with both of them being so young (Smith is 23 years old, Alonso is 24) and full of promise.

Both Alonso and Smith have proven their worth in the minors, and with them appearing to be in prime position to make a big league impact, how will the Mets handle it now and in the future?

The Mets had trouble generating any offense against the Marlins in an 8-1 loss on the road on Tuesday afternoon. >> Box score

Five things to know about Tuesday's game...

1) Jacob deGrom got another spring start, and it was a pretty good one for the Mets' ace. The only blip on his line was a two-run homer allowed to Brian Anderson in the bottom of the third inning. Overall, he allowed those two earned runs on six hits while striking out six and walking none over five innings of work.

It was at the beginning of Mets Spring Training that Jacob deGrom gave the team an Opening Day deadline to work out a contract extension, but there has yet to be word of any traction regarding it. But the Mets' ace is still confident both sides can reach an agreement. 

DeGrom has been staying on the outside of the extension talks with GM Brodie Van Wagenen and the Mets, telling reporters after his start Tuesday that he is letting his new CAA agent, Jeff Berry, "do his thing." And though there are only 13 games left down in Florida before deGrom kicks off the 2019 season against the Nationals on March 28, he still has high hopes that big paycheck will come his way by then. 

"Being a part of the future is definitely something that I would like to be a part of," deGrom said. "That was a goal of mine so I think we're hopeful so we'll just see what happens.

A week after former MLB slugger Jose Canseco pledged to help Tim Tebow, the Mets prospect responded. 

"I appreciate it, anybody wanting to work with me is humbling, he's a great one at it," Tebow told reporters after being cut from camp on Tuesday. "But we have a lot of great coaches here."

Canseco, who admitted to using copious amounts of steroids during his career, saw something wrong with Tebow's swing. And he tweeted repeatedly last week about how he wants to help...