Morning Briefing: Ronny Mauricio Makes Winter League Debut
Good morning, Mets fans!
Having recently gained approval from the Mets, Ronny Mauricio is set to play for the Tigres Del Licey, primarily at third base during the Dominican Winter League. The 22-year-old’s journey began last offseason when he earned the LIDOM MVP title, leading the league in various offensive categories. For his inaugural appearance for the Tigres, Mauricio was slotted in at designated hitter and penciled in the second spot in the batting order. In his LIDOM season debut, Mauricio went 0-for-4 but managed to draw a walk.
Now onto the morning briefing!
Ronny Mauricio. John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Latest Mets News
The New York Mets officially announced the signing of infielder Joey Wendle. As reported by Joel Sherman from the New York Post, aside from the $2 million base salary, Wendle has the opportunity to earn an extra $100,000 for achieving milestones at 250, 300, 350, 400, and 450 plate appearances.
Jayson Stark of The Athletic advocates for a long look at former Mets infielder David Wright and his case for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This is Wright’s first year on the Hall of Fame Ballot alongside former infield mate Jose Reyes.
Michelle Margaux of SNY asked Mets legend Mike Piazza on how the Mets and Pete Alonso extension negotiations should play out. Piazza replied by saying, “He’s a great player and guys like him don’t grow on trees… I hope there is synergy there and they’re able to come to an agreement”
Latest MLB News
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Brewers and 19-year-old standout center field prospect Jackson Chourio are poised to finalize the most lucrative contract ever for a player yet to make his major league debut. The anticipated agreement is likely to span eight guaranteed years, approaching $80 million, and will feature two team options.
As reported by Eno Sarris of The Athletic, sources from Britt Ghiroli and him reveals that Sarah Gelles is set to join the Pirates as an Assistant General Manager. Gelles began her professional career with an internship at the Pirates before progressing through the ranks in Baltimore and Houston.
For the third consecutive season, Major League Baseball announced Shohei Ohtani as the recipient of the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. This award, presented annually to the top designated hitter since the introduction of the DH rule in 1973, was renamed in honor of Edgar Martinez in 2004.
Former MetThomas Szapucki, left-handed pitcher, has been re-signed by the Giants on a minor league contract, as noted by the transactions tracker on MLB.com. Despite being non-tendered by the club just a couple of weeks ago, he has now been assigned to Triple-A Sacramento.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Arizona Diamondbacks have addressed their player development director position by appointing Shaun Larkin. Larkin, who served the last eight seasons with the Dodgers, holding the role of field director, steps in for Josh Barfield. Barfield departed the organization in late September to join the Chicago White Sox.
Latest on MMO
On the latest episode of MMO Weekly, our very own Rivka Boord joins the show to discuss the recently announced Luis Severino and Joey Wendle signings, Rivka lays out her dream offseason plan for the Mets (spoiler: it includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto), the latest on Pete Alonso, and much more!
Michael Mayer highlights the Mets latest front office moves.
On This Date in Mets History
1998: On December 1, 1998, Mets GM Steve Phillips orchestrated a three-way trade involving the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles. Todd Hundley was sent to the Dodgers, along with Charles Johnson, in exchange for Roger Cedeño. However, Johnson was quickly traded to Baltimore for reliever Armando Benitez. The Mets, buying low on these players who had fallen out of favor with their original teams, saw both Cedeño and Benitez flourish. Benitez had a standout 1999 season, recording 128 strikeouts in 78 innings with a 1.85 ERA. Cedeño, given the opportunity to play regularly, set a Mets record with 66 stolen bases and contributed to the team’s success, ending a 13-year playoff drought in 1999.
Birthdays: Josh Walker (29), Javier Báez (31), Greg McMichael (57), Julio Machado (58), Herm Winningham (62), Tom Filer (67), Dan Schatzeder (69), Dan Warthen (71), George Foster (75)
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