The Mets fell to the Miami Marlins 5-3 in a split-squad outing in Port St. Lucie on Saturday, but the offense looked strong to get things started.

In the top of the first inning, Jeff McNeil slapped a single to left field to get things going, setting the table out of the leadoff spot. After loading the bases, Wilson Ramos drove in a pair with a wind-blown ground-rule double down the right-field line.

Check out the full highlights from Saturday's game with the Marlins...

The Mets played two split-squad games on Saturday afternoon to kick off their spring training schedule. With one group staying in Port St. Lucie, the other group took the field in Jupiter, Fla. against the St. Louis Cardinals.

In that game, the Mets handed the ball to Marcus Stroman to get things started. 

In the first inning, Stroman gave up a one-out single to Matt Carpenter, but he followed that up by striking out both Paul Goldshmidt and Yadier Molina on sliders down in the zone.

The Mets' split squad in Port. St. Lucie got this year's spring training schedule started with a 5-3 loss to the Miami Marlins. >> Box Score

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

1) Rick Porcello got the first spring training start for the Mets in Port. St. Lucie. The right-hander pitched only the first inning, with some mixed results. Porcello allowed a single to Monte Harrison with one out, and after stealing second, Harrison came around to score on a Garrett Cooper single. He did strikeout Isan Diaz on three pitches in the inning as well.

Both teams struggled offensively as the Mets lost 2-0 on Saturday in a split-squad contest against the Cardinals. >> Box score

4 things to know from Saturday's game...

1) Marcus Stroman got the ball and pitched a solid first inning, allowing a hit but striking out both Paul Goldschmidt and Yadier Molina. But Tyler O'Neill led off the second with a home run to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. Stroman got Tommy Edman to ground out on a comebacker, but after a walk and a single, Stroman's day was done after 1 1/3 innings pitched.

After suffering a small fracture to his pinky toe in his hotel room Monday night, Seth Lugo returned to the Clover Park mound on Saturday to throw a bullpen session, and said he's suffering minimal ill-effects from the minor injury.

"It felt pretty good," Lugo said. "Pitches were coming out real good. I felt a little soreness when I got done but that's to be expected. Hopefully tomorrow that's gone."

Lugo informed the Mets after arriving at the ballpark on Tuesday that he had hurt the toe while banging it on something in his hotel room, and an X-ray revealed the small fracture.

Clover Park is the spring training home of the Mets, and the newly-renovated facility hosted its first game as the team welcomed in the Marlins on Saturday.

Mets COO Jeff Wilpon was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with Port St. Lucie mayor Gregory Oravec.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

PORT ST. LUCIE -- The competition between Steven Matz and Michael Wacha for the final spot in the rotation represents one of the few unsettled questions in Mets camp. If all six starters remain healthy, and if Rick Porcello performs competently, either Matz or Wacha will have to move to the bullpen.

Despite their need to win a job, both pitchers are tasked with the typical spring training project of prioritizing process over results, especially in their early appearances. They won't be judged exclusively on performance, but on their adherence to personal goals set with new pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

If you're watching closely enough, you can find clues to how each is progressing. Here's a guide for what to watch, based on a chat with both Matz and Wacha.
 

In his latest Mets mailbag, Matthew Cerrone weighs in on non-roster invitees, Luis Guillorme and youngsters around the NL East.

The calendar has turned from Hot Stove to sunshine and palm trees.

Not surprisingly, so have questions being sent to me for my weekly mailbag post.

Here are answers to the most common questions to come in, all of which focus on the farm system, prospects and guys that can help the big-league team.

Marcus Stroman gets the start for the group of Mets traveling to Jupiter, Fla., Saturday at 1:05 p.m. for a split-squad matchup against the Cardinals. The other half of the team is hosting the Marlins in Port St. Lucie.  

Mets notes

Amed Rosario and Brandon Nimmo will bat first and second in for the Mets, while former Yankee Eduardo Nunez is in the lineup hitting fifth.

Rick Porcello will make his first appearance in a Mets uniform as he gets the start on the mound in one of two split-squad games on Saturday. The other half of the team will face the Cardinals at 1:05 p.m.

Mets notes

Pete Alonso will hit second in Saturday's lineup against the Marlins, while newcomer Jake Marisnick will play center field and hit sixth. Tim Tebow will be available off the bench.

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

When the 2019 season began, it appeared pitchers had found an up-and-in hole in Brandon Nimmo's swing about the size of Wyoming, his native state, and they pounded away at it to the tune of 26 strikeouts in his first 61 plate appearances of the season.

At which point he crashed into the fence in Atlanta on April 14th, causing a neck injury that also messed with his swing and eventually forced him to the sidelines for four months. 

Luis Rojas spoke in Port St. Lucie Friday afternoon just a day before the Mets kick off their first game of spring training, and discussed the progress he's seen out of injured outfielder Yoenis Cespedes so far this offseason.

On what he saw from Cespedes this week and how long until he's ready

"Well I think it was a really big week for him. He's advancing, he's progressing, he's doing things everyday that just impress you. He's out there taking fly balls with the rest of the outfielders -- obviously limited in the movement laterally and covering ground -- but he's out there, he's moving, getting behind balls, making throws in. He threw a couple to home plate yesterday, he made a couple of throws after a cutoff in relays. Facing live pitching."

"He's basically going through the schedule at lets say 75 percent of it, 80 percent of it from what everyone else is doing. So that's big news for us and the timelines not...we don't know yet. He's got to go through this progression. And our performance staff is working close with him, and he's doing a good job responding to it."

Most anybody and everybody who knows pitching, it seems, still believes Noah Syndergaard can be one of the best pitchers in baseball, based on his talent. But what does he need to do to make it happen after 2019, the worst season of his career? 

Opinions on that varied among the several people I spoke to about the Mets' righthander, most centering around pitch selection and/or mental approach, something Syndergaard copped to himself in Port St. Lucie last week, saying his struggles last season were at least partly a case of "paralysis by analysis; thinking too much." 

However, Bob Ojeda, the former Mets pitcher, who has also worked as a minor-league pitching coach and SNY analyst, delivered a harsher critique that was aimed at Syndergaard's Thor persona, if you will.

Josh Wolf is a projectable 6-foot-3, 170-pound power arm with more room to physically mature. Here's what to know about the Mets prospect...

The Skinny

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 170 lbs

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

With Mets Spring Training kicking off, we're about to go from "best shape of his life" stories that often don't matter to game results that never matter >> Read more

Yoenis Cespedes and Jacob deGrom faced off against each other in live BP >> Read more

One of the most memorable moments for the Mets in 2019 came on August 9 against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.

With the Mets in the midst of a 12-wins-in-13 games streak, Washington pushed out to a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. But the Mets refused to go down quietly against Nats closer Sean Doolittle, and after Todd Frazier tied the game on a three-run shot, it was Michael Conforto who later singled in Juan Lagares to give the Mets the win. 

The Mets then celebrated in style, as Pete Alonso led the charge to rip Conforto's jersey off in the middle of the field.

J.D. Davis had a breakout 2019 season in his first year with the Mets, batting .307 and hitting 22 home runs in 140 games.

He talked to SNY's Todd Zeile at spring training about his swing and how he prepares for games. Zeile noticed Davis' ability to hit the ball to right field and stay off breaking balls.

"I started really tuning into that right-center or at second base probably by college, it's just the way my swing worked," Davis said. "It helped me stay more on the fast ball and not really pull off on any offspeed."

There's been plenty written and said about Pete Alonso's rookie season.

And rightfully so, as the Mets first baseman slugged an MLB rookie-record 53 home runs and drove in 120. 

But as Mets spring training gets underway in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Alonso is now looking ahead to the new season, and he's got some lofty goals for this 2020 group.

On Thursday night, Mets' Jeff McNeil joined the Mets Hot Stove at Duffy's in Port St. Lucie.

McNeil reflected on his 2019 All-Star season, what caused his power surge in the second half of the season, and how he feels about being the everyday third baseman.

Jacob deGrom was on hand at Mets spring training on Thursday putting in some bullpen work before going out to face live hitters in his first live BP session. 

And among his opponents was Yoenis Cespedes. 

As Cespedes continues to work his way back, the matchup against deGrom wasn't the most fair, with the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner blowing some pitches by him.

Here's what else happened at camp down in Port St. Lucie...

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

With the Mets kicking off their spring training schedule on Saturday when they open Grapefruit League play with split squad games against the Marlins and Cardinals, we're about to go from "best shape of his life" stories that often don't matter to game results that never matter.

While it will be fun to see Pete Alonso taking his hacks against another team's pitcher and Jacob deGrom's glare 60 feet, six inches away, it's important to enjoy these games for what they are: fun distractions on the march to the first game that actually matters, when the Mets host the Nationals on Opening Day on March 26 at Citi Field.

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

Yoenis Cespedes tracked fly balls with the rest of the outfielders as he continued to progress toward a return >> Read more

Seth Lugo talked about his injured toe and updated his timeline >> Read more

J.D. Davis will take 50 percent of his spring training reps at third base, where he is most comfortable >> Read more

Mets manager Luis Rojas was not ready Jan. 25 to definitively say RHP Edwin Diaz would be the team's closer, but the fifth-year reliever is preparing for whatever comes his way in 2020.

Ahead of Year 2 in New York after what was a disappointing 2019 debut, going 2-7 with a 5.59 ERA and 99 strikeouts against 22 walks and four hit batsmen in 58.0 innings pitched over 66 appearances, he's prepared to bounce back.

"Once last season ended, that was last season," Diaz told SNY's Steve Gelbs through Mets communications assistant and Spanish language translator Alan Suriel in an interview Wednesday. "So what I did, I took the positives from that season, I brought that with me, left all the negative in the back and I just try to continue to stay positive and I put a lot of work in to have a good season this year."

After an unforgettable rookie year in 2019, Mets 1B Pete Alonso looks for more at the plate as he prepares for his second MLB season. With those aspirations in mind, Alonso approaches 2020 accordingly.

Down in Port St. Lucie, Fla. for Spring Training, Alonso provided SNY's Todd Zeile with an inside peek at that process. Alonso, who slashed .260/.358/.566 with an MLB rookie single-season record 53 home runs and 120 RBI, reported Saturday to Port St. Lucie and has hit the ground running.

During Wednesday's 1-on-1 segment with Zeile, an SNY analyst and former Met himself from 2000-01 and in '04, Alonso broke down how he carries his practice routine into game situations.

Mets ace Jacob deGrom has reached the pinnacle of pitching, from an individual standpoint, two years in a row. 

But as he looks to potentially take home his third straight NL Cy Young Award, putting him in rarefied air, deGrom is also focused on team success, and he believes the 2020 Mets are as good as anyone in the NL East.

"I think we're right there at the top," deGrom said on Wednesday's Mets Hot Stove. "Great rotation, a lot of depth, really good position players. You look at it, our plan is to win the East and win the World Series, so everybody in there Is pulling in that direction, and you got a good group of guys doing that. I think we've got a good shot."

Brett Baty was the Mets' first round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. And while he's years away from the majors, he has joined Francisco Alvarez, Ronny Mauricio, and Matthew Allan as one of four blue chip prospects the Mets currently have...

The Skinny

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 210 lbs

MetsBlog's Matt Cerrone makes some over/under predictions for the upcoming Mets season...

86.5 - Total wins

Over.

The roster is strong on paper, which is seconded by fan polls, expert commentary and reflected in countless prediction systems. My view is the same.

Yoenis Cespedes was part of a group of Mets outfielders (Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Davis, and Michael Conforto among them) tracking fly balls in the outfield on Wednesday as he continues his progression toward a return.

Cespedes participated in the Mets' first full squad workout earlier this week but broke off to do individual work with the performance staff when the rest of the outfielders split up into two groups. Wednesday was different.

It should be noted that the other outfielders in Cespedes' group on Wednesday seemed to be getting balls hit to them that were farther away/tougher to track than Cespedes' were, but there is plenty of time for that to ramp up.

J.D. Davis' struggles at third base for the Mets in 2019 were so bad that he was basically rendered unplayable at the position.

He was worth -9 DRS at third base (per FanGraphs) in just 220 innings. And when you extrapolate that over a full season, it's easy to see why Davis was used mostly in left field, where he was below average but playable.

But Davis said on Dec. 4 when talking about where he would play in 2020 that he preferred third base to left field, explaining that he felt more natural there.

Executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association Tony Clark was down in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday to talk with the Mets, but also took time to answer some questions about the Astros sign-stealing scandal. 

MLBPA released a statement following MLB commissioner Rob Manfred's comments saying the union had pushed back after the league wouldn't rule out disciplining players when trying to make progress within the investigation. Clark said that anything regarding the obstruction of the investigation "is completely untrue."

Clark continued to comment on the immunity situation, saying that disciplining players wasn't even in the initial conversations before the investigations began. 

Mets reliever Seth Lugo talked about his fractured left pinky toe on Wednesday, explaining that he suffered the injury when he stubbed it on the ottoman in his hotel room Monday night, and updated his progress toward a return.

Lugo noted that there was a slight miscommunication on Tuesday and that he has not stopped throwing entirely -- he has only stopped throwing from the slope of the mound for now.

Adding that he is not too concerned, Lugo said he would continue his throwing progression.

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

Seth Lugo is dealing with a small fracture of his left pinky toe but the Mets are not concerned >> Read more

Brodie Van Wagenen detailed what's ailing Jed Lowrie and touched on what his chances are of being ready for Opening Day >> Read more

As the Mets' 2020 season comes more into focus, it's only natural to start thinking about how the everyday lineup will look under new manager Luis Rojas.

And that lineup intrigue starts right at the top. 

Perhaps Jeff McNeil, who was in play for the NL batting title last season, is the perfect choice. SNY's John Harper recently spoke to scouts about whether or not McNeil will be an on-base machine again or whether he could see an uptick in power numbers.

Or maybe Brandon Nimmo is the right man for the Mets' leadoff spot. The left-handed hitting outfielder has started 106 games as the Mets' leadoff hitter over his career, by far the most time he's seen anywhere in the order. He also has a career OBP of .387, so even with a career average of just .254, he's still done a great job at getting on base over his first four years.

Mets new manager Luis Rojas was emotional when he addressed his team for the first time in full Tuesday.

Appearing on Tuesday's Mets Hot Stove down in Port St. Lucie, Fla, Rojas discussed how he felt to speaking to what has now become his team, after being a part of the organization for many years.

"Being in the organization so long, 15 years, and growing up here as a coach and becoming the manager as well, I think there's a lot of emotions in the mix. I mean, there's a lot of guys in the room that share some of that history, that journey to get to here,"Rojas said on Mets Hot Stove. 

"So it was really special to be in the room talking to the guys and exchanging emotions, you know exchanging our ambitions that we have for the season and what we're going to do in spring training, preparing as we started yesterday, and then taking that into the season and being successful, which is what we want."

Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen is very excited about his club's outlook for the 2020 season. 

Appearing Tuesday's Mets Hot Stove, Van Wagenen expressed his confidence in the current roster, highlighting the team's strong second-half effort in 2019.

"We have talent, we have experience, and we have a team that's returning from last year that's carrying a great deal of momentum and confidence," said Van Wagenen. "So, we're very excited to get these guys in camp.

"The first half of the year last year, we were in a lot of close games and we couldn't figure out how to win those games. Second half of the year, that changed. The team had a better focus. The team had better chemistry and understanding of the small margin of error between winning and losing, and I think the goal is that they can carry that over into this year."

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

On July 6 last season, Jeff McNeil went 4-for-5 against the Phillies, lining four singles through or over the infield, into left, center, and right. At that point he was hitting .356 for the season, looking like a young Wade Boggs.

Or Tony Gwynn. Or even Pete Rose. Indeed, to scouts of a certain age who cringe at the number of strikeouts in today's game, McNeil was a throwback to an era when hitters prioritized contact over power.

"He was my new favorite hitter," one long-time scout recalled by phone on Monday. "I loved the way he choked up on that bat with the fat handle and hit the ball where it was pitched. Around the All-Star break I remember thinking he was going to hit somewhere between .340 and .350 and win the batting title."

Mets reliever Seth Lugo has a small fracture in his left pinky toe that he suffered in his hotel room on Monday night, manager Luis Rojas said on Tuesday.

Rojas said there is "no concern at all" and that Lugo will refrain from throwing for roughly three days before ramping back up again.

"It's probably gonna take a little later until he starts participating in games, but we're not concerned about it. ... they're doing a padding on his spikes," Rojas added. "He was testing it walking around today and everything. It's his left foot, so landing on it the next three days we'll see how it progresses and then he'll start throwing."

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Spring Training is in full swing for the Mets in Port St. Lucie, with games starting in just four days.

While every member of the team has arrived in camp, some (Jed Lowrie and Yoenis Cespedes to name two) don't appear to be on track to be ready for game action when the bell rings on Saturday.

Going by the above, listening to manager Luis Rojas talk, and reading between the lines, here's our roster prediction 3.0...

Jed Lowrie has been participating in all drills at spring training while wearing a large brace on his left knee, and Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen -- who said the team is encouraged by Lowrie's participation -- elaborated Tuesday on what exactly is ailing Lowrie.

"The left knee injury that he had coming into spring training last year has just continued to give him problems," Van Wagenen told SNY's Gary Apple during an interview that will air in full on Mets Hot Stove Tuesday at 6 p.m. on SNY. "A lot of the issues that he had last year were muscles on the left side of his body, on the lower half that were attributed to the knee.

"What he's doing is he had some instability and he had some laxity in the knee that we've tried to stabilize with the brace. The brace has allowed him to do his rehab, it's allowed him to do strength work, it's allowed him to do baseball activities. Now we're gonna try to see how that brace can correlate into competition."

Mets 1B/OF Dominic Smith is heading into the 2020 season aiming to stay on the 26-man roster throughout the year, and make big contributions like his walk-off homer that ended the 2019 season on the highest note.

The journey up until this point for the former first-rounder has had its ups and downs, but in an exclusive 1-on-1 with SNY, Smith discussed that journey and explained why he's so excited to see what this Mets team can do this year. 

SNY: We were just talking about how we were in Las Vegas, which was 3-4 years ago, but it feels like a lifetime ago I'm assuming for you? 

It's another day at Mets spring training, and the players are all out getting their work in as games begin at the end of the week. 

Wilson Ramos took some hacks in the batting cage, and infielders like Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil corralled some grounders as fans looked on. Check it out above.

Below is some batting practice action from Tuesday:

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

Yoenis Cespedes participated in the Mets' first full squad workout of spring training, which included taking live batting practice >> Read more

Prior to taking the field, Cespedes said he wouldn't be talking to the media at all this season >> Read more

Yoenis Cespedes spoke to the media in Port St. Lucie on Monday, but only say that he wouldn't be speaking to them at all for the remainder of the season. 

"Not today, not tomorrow, not at all this year," he said.

On Baseball Night in New York, Doug Williams, Anthony Recker and John Harper gave their thoughts on Cespedes' comments and discuss what role he could play for the Mets in 2020.

MLB Network has released its Top 100 Players Right Now, and four Mets make an appearance on the list.

Jacob deGrom leads the way for the Mets at No. 8, coming off of his second straight NL Cy Young Award. DeGrom led the National League in strikeouts with 255, and posted an 11-8 record with a sparkling 2.67 ERA. He's the second-highest pitcher ranked on the list, slotted just below new Yankees acquisition Gerrit Cole, who came in at No. 7.

Coming off of an historic rookie season, Pete Alonso debuts on the Top 100 Right Now list at No. 24. After winning NL Rookie of the Year and setting the single-season rookie home run record with 53 dingers, Alonso comes into his second season with sky-high expectations, but has done his best to downplay his personal goals early in spring training. 

The Mets bullpen struggled last season, but righty Brad Brach was a bit of a bright spot. 

Signed in August after the Cubs DFA'd him, Brach threw 14.2 innings with a 3.68 ERA for the Mets over the final two months of the 2019 season. He added another 15 strikeouts as well. 

After his revitalization, the 33-year-old was re-signed by the Mets in December for $850,000 in 2020, with a $1.25 million player option for 2021. 

Mets manager Luis Rojas spoke on Monday after the team's first full squad workout of spring training. Here are the takeaways...

Jed Lowrie has "no limitations"

Lowrie has been participating in all drills at camp while wearing an enormous brace on his left knee, but he has "no limitations," according to Rojas.

"Lowrie went through the day, he did everything with the team," Rojas said. "He was out there doing the plays -- the bunt plays, first and thirds, took ground balls at second base, he did some covers there as well. He was in the live BP facing (Robert) Gsellman on field 5. He looked good, he's moving good. He's got that brace, it works for him to do all his movements."

Yoenis Cespedes was among the participants Monday morning when the Mets had their first full team workout of spring training. And his swing was looking pretty good during live batting practice. 

Facing off against Michael Wacha, Cespedes almost went yard, but the ball went foul. His first swing was also a slight mishap, as it flew over the dugout out of his hands. Overall, it was good to see the veteran outfielder back in the batter's box. 

Check out the rest of the Mets warming up with Yo...

Approached Monday morning by reporters at his locker at Mets spring training, Yoenis Cespedes said he wouldn't be speaking to the media this season.

"Not today, not tomorrow, not at all this year," he said.

Asked why he wouldn't talk, Cespedes said "because I don't want to."

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

Jed Lowrie showed up at spring training wearing an enormous brace on his knee, would not comment on what his specific ailment is, and would not commit to being ready for Opening Day >> Read more