Morning Briefing: Mets Complete Meeting with Rōki Sasaki

Good morning, Mets fans!

SNY’s Andy Martino was the first to report that the club met with Japanese star pitcher Rōki Sasaki on Thursday. One of the highest-profile free agents this offseason, the Mets are only the second organization known to have either scheduled or completed a meeting with him alongside the New York Yankees.

Sasaki has a deadline of Jan. 23 to sign with his new team, and he isn’t allowed to do so until the next international amateur period commences on Jan. 15.

Given that he is under 25-years-old and has not accrued six years of service time in a foreign professional league, Sasaki is only eligible to be signed to a minor league contract while teams must abide by bonus pool restrictions in their offers to the right-hander.

In parts of four seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines, he recorded a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts over 64 games and 394 2/3 innings.

Now onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, several intriguing storylines are unfolding around the league. Teams are reportedly hesitant to commit to a long-term deal for Pete Alonso, but see significant value in him over the next few years, with the Mets remaining in the conversation. Alex Bregman could be in line for a $200 million contract, and the Mets are mentioned as a possible landing spot. Additionally, Starling Marte is said to be available on the trade market. Meanwhile, New York is focused on adding pitching depth and are expected to pursue a high-impact arm later in free agency as the market develops.

The Mets have officially announced the signing of pitcher Griffin Canning on a one-year, $4.25 million deal. This move aligns with David Stearns’ apparent strategy for building a starting rotation: targeting veteran pitchers looking to rebound after rough seasons. Last offseason, the team brought in Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, and Adrian Houser, a trio with mixed recent performances—two of whom panned out. This year, that approach has continued with the additions of Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and now Canning, who struggled during his time with the Los Angeles Angels last season. For a deeper dive into Canning’s background and potential, check out our full profile on the newest Mets pitcher.

NYCFC released their 2025 season schedule, which includes games at Yankee Stadium and five at Citi Field.

As noted by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, former Met and SNY analyst Todd Zeile took on the role of Santa Claus at this year’s Mets holiday party, spreading joy to local schoolchildren. He was joined by “Elf” Reed Garrett and his wife, Mary.

Latest MLB News

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes about the unique plan to sell Michael Lorenzen as a two-way player on the open market.

Rosenthal also reported that the Athletics have agreed to a deal with free-agent third baseman Gio Urshela, pending a physical. He was released by the Detroit Tigers in August and was later signed by the Atlanta Braves, where he posted a .711 OPS. This will be his sixth team in five seasons, though he remains an above-average defender at the hot corner.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Josh Naylor has come up in trade discussions between the Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are exploring multiple options to bolster their offense at first base, with Naylor being one of the names on their radar.

As reported by Jesse Rogers of ESPN, former Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa, who has long been estranged from the organization, released a statement addressing his past. In part, he said, “There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games. I never broke any laws but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.” See Sosa’s full statement here. Cubs owner Tom Ricketts released his own statement in response to Sosa, expressing support and welcoming him back to the organization.

According to sources shared by Mark Feinsand and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the Philadelphia Phillies are finalizing a one-year deal with outfielder Max Kepler, pending a physical. He had played his entire 10-year MLB career with the Minnesota Twins up to this point.

Feinsand also reports that pitcher Hoby Milner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers.

Latest on MMO

Sean Kenny profiles free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim.

On This Date In Mets History

1996: The Mets traded Robert Person to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for John Olerud. In 1998, Olerud set single-season franchise records for batting average (.354), on-base percentage (.447), walks (125) and times on base (309). He also holds the team’s career records for batting average (.315), on-base percentage (.425) and OPS (.926).

2002: Cliff Floyd agreed to a four-year, $26 million deal with the Mets. During his four seasons in New York, he batted .268 with 81 home runs and 273 RBIs.

Born On This Date: Erik Goeddel (1988), David Wright (1982)

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