Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |
In light of what Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen called a "non-baseball" injury in which Yoenis Cespedes fell into a hole on his ranch and fractured an ankle, can the Mets get out of the remainder of his contract?
The answer, according to agents and executives not connected to Cespedes or the Mets, is that it depends on the specifics of how he was injured, and whether they violate certain contract language.
Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen met with the media on Monday at Citi Field and threw his support behind embattled manager Mickey Callaway. But that support came with an asterisk.
"We called a meeting today with the coaching staff and with the players," Van Wagenen said after arriving late to the press conference due to the aforementioned meeting. "The puirpose of this meeting had many different aspects to it. First and foremost, to make clear to the coaches make clear to Mickey, and make sure that the players understood that I, the front office, and the entire ownership group has support of Mickey Callaway as our manager. Mickey is our manager now, Mickey is our manager going forward," Callaway said.
After adding that there is confidence among the players, Van Wagenen explained why he thinks Callaway remains the right man for the job.
Yoenis Cespedes was involved in a "violent fall" at his ranch in Port St. Lucie over the weekend and sustained right "ankle fractures," according to Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen.
Van Wagenen said that Cespedes is being evaluated at a hospital in New York and they will need more information on doctors before fully understanding the severity of the injury.
The GM added that Cespedes did not fall off a horse, but did fall and step in a hole in which he "twisted and put his leg and foot" in a bad position.
Even though the Mets have struggled to a 20-25 record through late May, GM Brodie Van Wagenen still believes his current group of players has what it takes to be contenders.
"I don't have regrets from this offseason," Van Wagenen said at a press conference Monday. "When I said publicly and privately that I believed that we could create a contending team, I believed that wholeheartedly. I believed it then and I believe that there is still enough talent in this room to get back in contention this year."
The day after his second inexcusable transgression on the bases, Robinson Cano is not in the Mets' lineup Monday night as they open a series against the Nationals at Citi Field.
Instead, Jeff McNeil gets the start at second base while J.D. Davis starts in left field.
Asked why Cano is out of the lineup, manager Mickey Callaway -- the day after making excuses for Cano -- listed three reasons.
Amidst a tornado of bad news on Monday, the Mets got some good news on Michael Conforto, who has been symptom-free for the last three days after being diagnosed with a concussion.
GM Brodie Van Wagenen said that the team is awaiting the results of tests to determine what type of activities Conforto is cleared to begin.
Conforto was placed on the 7-day concussion DL on Friday after leaving Thursday's game against the Nationals in the bottom of the fifth inning after getting hit in the face by Robinson Cano's shoulder while both of them were trying to field a fly ball.
The Mets (20-25, 6.5 GB in NL East) will look to end their five-game losing streak against with a matchup against the Washington Nationals on Monday at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field.
The Mets have lost five games in a row and are looking to get back on track against the Nationals at Citi Field where they are 9-8 this season and have won their last three games. ... The Mets have gone 19 innings without scoring a run, which last came in the eighth inning on Friday. ... Carlos Gomez is playing his first game in Citi Field as a Met, where he owns a .417/.509/1.071 slash line with four doubles, a home run and six RBI.
The Mets were dealt another blow on Monday when they announced that reliever Seth Lugo was placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder tendinitis.
Left-hand pitcher Hector Santiago was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to replace Lugo on the roster.
Lugo, 29, has been effective out of the bullpen this season, pitching to a 2-0 record with a 3.12 ERA,1.00 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched this season. He began to feel discomfort in his shoulder during his outing on Sunday, in which he allowed a solo home run to Curtis Granderson in an inning of work, and will be shut down for a few days before being re-evaluated.
After considering Drew Gagnon as their spot-starter for Monday night's series opener against the Nationals at Citi Field, the Mets have instead chosen Wilmer Font.
Font, who pitched relatively well in his first start with the Mets (allowing two runs in 4.0 innings), got shellacked by the Nationals in his second start, allowing five runs on six hits while walking two and striking out two in 2.1 innings.
While Gagnon has pitched very well out of the bullpen for the Mets lately, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings over his last five appearances, he hasn't thrown more than 26 pitches in any of them.
Doug Williams and Andy Martino drop a Monday podcast after a rough weekend for the Mets. They sort through the uncertainty surrounding manager Mickey Callaway, as the speculation grows about his status with the team. They also dive into the Robinson Cano controversy, and how his "running" issues are playing out in relation to Mickey and the struggles of the squad.
Click below to listen...
Every Monday, we'll be taking a look at how the Mets' top prospects (their MLB.com Mets Top 10 rankings are in parenthesis) are faring.
The 20-year-old Gimenez -- who is the Mets' No. 1 prospect now that Pete Alonso's prospect status has expired -- is viewed by most minor league experts as one of the best 50 or so prospects in baseball.
The Mets (20-25, 6.5 GB in the NL East) return home after a nightmare trip to face the Nationals at Citi Field on Monday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
Here's what went down on Sunday, in case you missed it:
As the Mets were swept by the Marlins, they managed just two hits -- making Sunday the first time since 1967 that they were held to two hits or fewer in consecutive games >> Read more
A little more than a week ago, we heard that Mickey Callaway's job was safe -- and word on Sunday evening, following an embarrassing sweep in Miami, was that nothing had changed yet.
Make no mistake, the subject of Callaway's job security won't go away unless the team starts to win, and quickly. But after Sunday's game, Mets higher-ups had not reached the point of firing their manager.
Having said that, the team believes that its roster is severely underperforming...
If this story seems familiar, it's because it is.
One day after Mets manager Mickey Callaway explained why he didn't bench Robinson Cano for failing to run out a ground ball double play (something Cano blamed on the scoreboard operator), Callaway had to explain why he didn't pull Cano from Sunday's game after failing to run at all on another double play ground ball.
And Callaway seemed to be making excuses for his second baseman.
It's not all bad in Mets land.
While the big league team continues its troubling ways, Tim Tebow finally hit his first homer of the season in the Minors. Batting eighth and playing left field for Syracuse, Tebow followed David Thompson's solo shot with one of his own off Columbus' Asher Wojciechowski.
Tebow jumped on the first pitch and drove it over the right-field wall.
For all of the speculation regarding Mickey Callaway's job status, one prominent locker room voice expressed his displeasure in the "will-they-won't-they" dance.
Noah Syndergaard went so far as to call rumors regarding Callaway's insecure job status "bulls---" after the Mets were shut out by the Marlins, 3-0, and swept by the last-place team.
"I respect the hell out of Mickey," said Syndegaard, who took the loss Sunday despite pitching well. "Mickey has tremendous leadership values. It's kind of bullshit what's going on right now with this speculation that there could be a change, because we're so early in the season."
After the Mets were blanked by the Marlins for the second-straight day as Miami completed a three-game sweep, manager Mickey Callaway spoke as questions about his job security continued to swirl.
And while GM Brodie Van Wagenen was in Miami on Friday and Saturday, he was not there after Sunday's game -- with Callaway saying Van Wagenen was "never scheduled" to be in Miami Sunday.
Callaway, who said he expected to talk with -- as he usually does -- Van Wagenen and ownership ("we always touch base") before the team opens a homestand on Monday, said he doesn't think the weekend sweep will cost him.
The Mets fell to a season-worst five games under .500 with their offense close to a total no-show as the Marlins completed a three-game sweep. After getting one hit on Saturday, the Mets managed just two hits -- making Sunday the first time since 1967 that they were held to two or fewer hits in back-to-back games. >> Box score
1) With manager Mickey Callaway's job potentially on the line, the Mets' offense reached a new low -- with Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara reaching the eighth inning having thrown just 62 pitches. Yes, 62 pitches. Alcantara faltered a bit in the eighth, but came back out for the ninth with only 78 pitches under his belt and retired the side in order to complete the shutout. It took him 89 total pitches. The game took one hour and 59 minutes.
Two days after not running hard on a 1-6-3 double play and using the excuse that he thought there were two outs instead of one, Mets second baseman Robinson Cano didn't move at all on another double play he hit into.
This time, Cano hit a ball right in front of the plate and stared directly at it while not running at all.
The play happened in the top of the fourth inning with J.D. Davis on first base and one out. Cano swung and tapped the ball, with it winding up right in front of the plate and rolling slightly down the first base line. While Cano was staring at the ball and not moving, the Marlins turned an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.
The Mets have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. Every week, we'll take a look at how some of those former Mets are performing with their new teams...
The 19-year-old Kelenic, the prized prospect the Mets included in the Diaz/Cano deal, has cooled off over the last two weeks as his triple slash has dropped from a ridiculously good .340/.441/.630 to a still-impressive .314/.397/.529.
In 39 games this season for Seattle's Low-A affiliate, Kelenic has six homers, 13 doubles, one triple, and seven stolen bases.
The Mets (20-24, 5.5 GB in NL East) will look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the MLB-worst Marlins on Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
The Mets have lost four games in a row and are looking to prevent their first five-game losing streak since June of 2018. ... The Mets haven't been swept in a three-game series by the Marlins since September of 2017. ... The Mets have been outscored 8-0 in the first inning over their last four games. ... After winning seven of their first eight road games this season, the Mets have gone 4-15 away from Citi Field.
The Mets (20-24, 5.5 GB in the NL East) look to avoid what would be a pathetic sweep at the hands of the Marlins on Sunday afternoon in Miami at 1:10.
Here's what went down on Saturday, in case you missed it:
A listless Mets squad managed just one hit as they were shut out by the Marlins, losing their fourth-consecutive game to fall four games under .500 for the first time this season >> Read more
Baseball people know a dead team when they see one -- and here's a sampling of words offered via text from several veteran evaluators, executives and former players during Saturday's 2-0 loss to the historically bad Miami Marlins:
"Listless."
"No energy."
The Mets lost their fourth-straight game on Saturday, and this loss was a special kind of awful: They were one-hit by the MLB-worst Marlins a day after being shellacked by the same Marlins.
With Mickey Callaway's job potentially at risk and those questions not going away even if the Mets win on Sunday to save face, the manager was asked by SNY's Steve Gelbs after Saturday's loss if the team was playing with the requisite amount of urgency.
"I don't think the results have been there," Callaway said. "I think they come to play every day, I truly do. I think that tonight we didn't score any runs. Heck, we could hardly get a hit. We led off the game with a hit and then they just kind of shut us down."
Following the Mets' fourth-straight defeat, a 2-0 loss to Miami in which they mustered just one hit, players in the locker room weighed in on the team's recent struggles and gave their thoughts on Mickey Callaway's performance.
"I think he's doing a great job," Todd Frazier said. "He can't go up there and hit. He makes the lineup, he puts the guys in at the right time, and we're not producing. At the end of the day, he makes the lineup, he does his job, he's a great manager, and our focus is on winning games and we're not doing that for him ... If we're not producing, it's kind of on us.
"We've just got to step up, that's the bottom line, as hitters, as a collective group ... Let's get our focus on what we're good at and hopefully that gets us going."
The Mets fell to a season-worst four games under .500 after failing to muster any offense or fight on Saturday in Miami. >> Box score
1) With manager Mickey Callaway's job status potentially in a precarious spot, the Mets gave an absolutely listless performance as they managed just one hit while losing their second-straight game to the MLB-worst Marlins. It was their fourth-straight loss overall. After Jeff McNeil led the game off by doubling off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez, 14 consecutive Mets were set down as he settled into a groove. This was the same Pablo Lopez the Mets scored 10 runs against last week.
After not running hard to first base in the seventh inning Friday night during an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play, Robinson Cano was not benched Saturday for the transgression.
And before Saturday's game, Mets manger Mickey Callaway simply said that he doesn't bench players to send a message.
"We talked about it and he understands that can't happen again," Callaway explained. You don't just reprimand people to send a message to the rest of the team."
The Mets (20-23, 4.5 GB in NL East) will try to even up the series with the Marlins (11-31, 13 GB) on Saturday at Marlins Park at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.
The Mets have dropped three games in a row and are now 11-16 on the road this season ... Steven Matz, who was placed on the IL with left forearm irritation on May 5th, makes his return to the mound for the Mets ... Matz has been dominant at Marlins Park, posting a 3-0 record with a 0.93 ERA in five career starts in South Florida... Pete Alonso's 14 home runs through his first 43 career games is tied for the seventh-most in MLB history dating back to 1908.
Yoenis Cespedes was with the Mets Friday in Miami as he met the team while he continues to work his way back from dual heel surgeries. And he just took a big step.
Cespedes has started running, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said, though he added that he's not yet doing any "explosive" running. Cespedes also took batting practice with the team Friday.
However, while Cespedes is making progress, Van Wagenen said "time will tell" whether Cespedes would play this season.
John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter | : Benching Robinson Cano against the Marlins on Saturday wouldn't be a cure for everything that is wrong with the Mets these days, not even close.
But for a manager whose neck is on the line it might be the only way he can make a statement that he's going to demand better from one of his so-called leaders. At the very least it would be an indication Callaway is willing to make his players accountable rather than always telling them everything will be all right.
Above all, it would be an acknowledgement that these Mets are at a crisis point in this season already, and he's not going to just sit around waiting to get fired.
The Mets (20-23, 4.5 GB in the NL East) lost the opening game of a three-game set against the Marlins 8-6. They try to bounce back on Saturday in a late afternoon matchup in Miami.
Here's what went down on Friday, in case you missed it:
Jacob deGrom imploded against the worst team in baseball and a late rally proved to be too little too late in an 8-6 loss to the Marlins. The right-hander took accountability for the loss after the game.
Jacob deGrom just didn't have it on Friday, and he put the Mets in such a hole that by the time the bats came alive late in the game, it was too little, too late.
The ace gave up a season-high seven runs (six earned) in five innings in the Mets' 8-6 loss to the Marlins, allowing nine hits -- including a two-run homer -- while striking out just three. His ERA jumped to 3.98 through nine starts.
"Not able to locate after the second inning. Felt good the first two, and then things got kind of out of control. Tonight's on me," deGrom said. "I did a terrible job out there. These guys did nothing but battle, and I let it get out of hand."
Jacob deGrom just wasn't himself in Miami on Friday night, as he was smacked around in an 8-6 loss to the Marlins. >> Box score
1) Coming into the game, the Mets couldn't have had a better pitcher on the mound in Jacob deGrom. He had owned the Marlins in the first two outings of the season, but this outing was a major outlier. DeGrom imploded, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits while striking out three and walking none over five innings. It was deGrom's worst outing of the season, and it couldn't have come at a worse time.
Pete Alonso provided the Mets with an early spark on Friday night against Miami, smashing a home run to right-center field in the top of the second inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.
Alonso's blast was his 13th home run of the season, adding on to his team lead. The ball got out of Marlins Park in a hurry, traveling 417 feet to give the Mets an early edge in South Florida.
Zack Wheeler is kind of, sort of having a good season. He's made nine starts, given up four or more runs in four of them, while allowing three or fewer during the other five.
Wheeler, 28, will be a free agent after this season, during which he's looked like a more advanced version of himself at times, but also resembles the pitcher he had been in the past.
For instance, Wheeler historically landed around 95 mph with his fastball. This season, though, his four-seam fastball is a couple of ticks quicker. Among starting pitchers, Wheeler's four-seamer has the second-highest average velocity in the game, trailing only Noah Syndergaard's.
The Mets (20-22, 3.5 GB in NL East) begin a new series this weekend against the Marlins (10-31, 13 GB) on Friday at Marlins Park at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
The Mets fell two games under .500 after dropping the rubber game against the Nationals on Thursday afternoon. ...A few roster moves were made before the start of this series, as Keon Broxton was DFA'd, Carlos Gomez and Paul Sewald were promoted from Triple-A, and Michael Conforto officially hit the IL with a concussion. ...The Mets are 14-10 against the NL East this season. New York has won seven straight against Miami.
Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen sat in front of the media at Marlins Park in Miami on Friday to issue a slew of roster moves, and answer any burning questions they might have.
And Mickey Callaway's job status was on that list.
The Mets have been faltering lately, falling two games under .500 after their series loss to the Nationals this week. But Van Wagenen said his unwavering support for Callaway will continue as it has since the beginning...
Keon Broxton's struggles at the plate have finally reached a breaking point as the Mets decided on Friday to designate the 29-year-old outfielder for assignment while selecting the contract of Carlos Gomez to join the team as an extra outfielder.
The Mets also placed Michael Conforto on the 7-day IL for a concussion and recalled pitcher Paul Sewald from Triple-A Syracuse.
GM Brodie Van Wagenen announced the moves prior to Friday's game against the Marlins in Miami, where Gomez was in the lineup playing fight field and batting sixth.
Carlos Gomez is making his return to the Mets.
The outfielder was informed after his Triple-A Syracuse game on Thursday that the Mets were selecting his contract and joined the team in Miami on Friday, batting sixth and playing right field.
Gomez replaces Keon Broxton, who was designated for assignment. GM Brodie Van Wagenen said he believes Gomez gives the Mets a better chance at winning games in the short-term
New York Mets at Miami Marlins
Moneyline: NYM -205/MIA +175
Over/Under: 6.5
Series: NYM -350/MIA +280
First pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
Probable pitchers: Jacob deGrom (3-4, 3.26 ERA) vs. Trevor Richards (0-5, 4.46 ERA)
When the Mets saw Miami last weekend, they entered that series having lost five of six to drop below .500, and in need of a cure-all.
The Mets (20-22, 3.5 GB in the NL East) lost the rubber game of a three-game set against the Nationals 7-6. They begin a three-game series against the Marlins on Friday night in Miami.
Here's what went down on Thursday, in case you missed it:
Outfielder Michael Conforto suffered a concussion and will be further evaluated in New York after a collision with Robinson Cano in Thursday's game.
Mets fans can get rowdy. Even at golf events.
David Wright, who is serving as the Honorary Ambassador at the PGA Championship this week at Bethpage Black on Long Island, was walking the grounds during the first round of the tournament following Tiger Woods' group. And along the way, he heard "Let's go Mets" chants from the Mets faithful.
New Yorkers don't play around no matter the sporting event, and Wright loved every second of it...
So how did David Cone go about trying to impress his new teammates upon being traded to the Mets in 1987? By "surfing" on an airplane.
Cone joined the Baseball Night in New York crew to talk about what it was like joining those "crazy" Mets, as he describes in his new book Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher.
During the Triple-A Syracuse Mets game tonight, OF Carlos Gomez left midway through the game, which could mean it's time for a call-up.
Michael Conforto was diagnosed with a concussion following a bad collision with Robinson Cano during the Mets' loss to the Nats on Thursday afternoon. Concussion protocol will be seven days for Conforto, and the Mets may be looking for some reinforcements.
Granted, SNY's Andy Martino points out that Gomez left in the seventh inning of a 12-2 game. While he points out it is possible he could be on the move, it won't be happening tonight.
It was déjà vu for Keon Broxton in Washington.
The bases were loaded, two outs were on the board, and the Mets were down one run. Broxton, who was filling in for Michael Conforto after he left with what was diagnosed a concussion, came to the dish with a chance to tie or take the lead against the division rival. It was the same situation that presented itself against the Phillies last month.
And unfortunately for the Mets, the same result transpired...
Michael Conforto left Thursday's game against the Nationals in the bottom of the fifth inning after getting hit in the face by Robinson Cano's shoulder while both of them were trying to field a fly ball.
After the game, Mets manager Mickey Callaway said Conforto had been diagnosed with a concussion and will be traveling back to New York via train to be evaluated further.
During the play where Conforto was injured, Cano called for the ball and then had it nick off his glove and land in fair territory. Conforto was also calling for the ball late.
Mets INF Jeff McNeil left Thursday's game against the Nationals, as he felt abdominal tightness. Luckily, it doesn't appear to be anything to worry about.
McNeil told reporters after the game that it is a tightness he's felt in the past. He explained that it is due to scar tissue that built up in the area from sport hernia surgery he underwent in the past.
"It [was] just kind of a pain -- pain I had throughout the day," he said. "When I was running to first base, once I got there it just kinda felt tight. I've had the four hernia surgeries basically, so it's just probably some tightness and scar tissue that's irritating me."
Zack Wheeler struggled on the bump while Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto had to leave the game, as the Nats took down the Mets, 7-4, in Washington on Thursday afternoon. >> Box score
1) Coming into this game, Wheeler had been solid in his previous two starts. He allowed just four earned runs over two, seven-inning starts while striking out 21 hitters over that span. But it wasn't the same result against the division rival. He was hammered in a four-run first inning, and though he settled down, two more runs came across in the fifth when Gerardo Parra went deep. Overall, Wheeler went six innings, allowing six earned on 11 hits -- the most allowed all season -- with six strikeouts and two walks as well.
The Mets put themselves in a hole early when the Nationals took a 4-0 lead to start the game on Thursday afternoon.
But Michael Conforto brought them right back in it with a three-run homer to right field to tie the game...
