Good morning, Mets fans!
Edwin Diaz threw live batting practice to Matt Adams, Eduardo Nunez, and Jed Lowrie.
Rick Porcello also threw his first live bullpen session as a Met.
Seth Lugo will be shut down for at least a few days and will miss the beginning of the Grapefruit League season due to a pinky toe fracture.
The San Francisco Giants are excluding Aubrey Huff from their 2010 World Series reunion due to his “unacceptable” behavior and comments on Twitter.
Commissioner Rob Manfred once again commented on the Astros’ cheating scandal, saying that the team was indeed cheating during their 2017 World Series run and apologizing for referring to the World Series trophy as just a piece of metal.
Basketball superstar Lebron James shared his thoughts on Manfred’s incompetence here and here.
The Red Sox agreed to a deal with two-time All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy will serve as a depth option behind Christian Vazquez and former Met Kevin Plawecki.
The Astros are being sued by their own season-ticket holders for “deceptively overcharging.”
Utility-man Chase d’Arnaud, brother of former Met Travis d’Arnaud, officially announced his retirement from baseball in a video.
The Red Sox and Padres are reportedly negotiating a deal involving Wil Myers.
Aaron Judge recently had an MRI that showed “not much change” in the soreness that he’s been feeling for a couple of weeks. Yankees manager Aaron Boone maintained that Judge is shut down from hitting for now, but is able to do some work.
The Giants are raising pay for their minor leaguers this season.
Ernest Dove analyzed Mets infield prospect Carlos Cortes, who was ranked as the team’s 15th best prospect by the folks over at Mets Minors.
John Sheridan talked about how Mets reliever Drew Smith has had a tough time recovering from his Tommy John surgery.
Eric Belyea shared his thoughts on Yoenis Cespedes’ denial to speak with the media.
Lindsay Moran discussed Rick Porcello’s hopes for a strong 2020 season.
Birthdays: Miguel Batista turns 49, Alvaro Espinoza turns 58, and Tim Burke turns 61.
1962: The Mets held their first spring training drill at Huggins-Stengel Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
