Mets In The News Today
- Steve Cohen walked into Port St. Lucie and chose violence (the polite billionaire kind). No captain. Not now, not ever. His line was blunt: “As long as I’m owning the team, there will never be a team captain.” He also admitted the quiet part out loud: “I think table stakes is making the playoffs.” Translation: spare me the “good vibes,” win games.
- Cohen’s “never again” stat is the one that still makes your eye twitch. He referenced the Mets going 0–70 when trailing heading into the ninth inning and basically shrugged it off as baseball chaos, while also sounding like a man who’s done being patient: “each year that goes by, I get more annoyed.”
- Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto sound like they’re already rewriting the clubhouse story. Lindor said he’s looking forward to one thing most: “just have a lot of friends.” Soto put last year in a body bag: “2025 is in the past… focus on 2026.” The tone is clear: less soap opera, more grown-man ball.
- Christian Scott’s comeback is officially real, and it comes with a new toy. Scott hit 95 mph in live BP, and Mendoza called out a specific difference-maker: the cutter. Mendoza: “the cutter was really good.” Scott kept it simple and confident: “I feel like I can get anybody out at this level when my stuff is on and I’m competing in the strike zone.”
- Nerd note: a legit cutter gives him a “steal strike” pitch early in counts and a weapon vs barrels late, which is how you turn “nice arm” into “six-inning problem.”
- Mike Tauchman is the sneaky, adult-at-the-party signing. Minor-league deal, but the profile plays: .263/.356/.400 in 2025, 11.7% walk rate (84th percentile), 23.8% chase rate, 0 OAA (league-average defense), and a .360 OBP over the last three seasons. That’s not flashy. That’s useful. The right-field competition just got more annoying for everyone else.
A Trip Around Major League Baseball
- Nationals bring in former Met Drew Smith on a minor-league deal with performance incentives.
- Padres go bargain hunting with minor-league deals for Walker Buehler and Ty France.
- Pirates DFA Jack Suwinski, opening a roster lane that looks like it’s tied to a big add (the kind that makes fanbases do math at 1 a.m.).
- ABS era continues to creep in, even down to how broadcasts show pitches on the strike-zone box. Tiny change, huge argument fuel.
NL East News & Notes
- Mets: Cohen is done with “close enough.” No captain, playoffs required, excuses denied.
- Braves: Hurston Waldrep is out indefinitely with loose bodies in his elbow. Spring training always collects a payment.
- Phillies: Bryce Harper reacted to Dombrowski’s “not elite” comment like any superstar would, with a mix of disbelief and “why are we doing this publicly?”
- Marlins: Ownership’s message is basically “W-I-N” spelled like a motivational poster. The roster still has to do the winning part.
- Nationals: Drew Smith deal adds bullpen depth, and yes, it will become a “former Met revenge inning” at some point. Nature’s law.
Mets History Today
- 1962: The Mets held their first-ever spring training, the official start of this beautiful, chaotic franchise ride.
- Born today (Mets edition): Roger Craig (1930), Juan Padilla (1977), Stephen Tarpley (1993).
- Roger Craig later became the first Mets manager, which is either a fun fact or a warning label depending on your mood.
- One of the best parts of Mets history is how it always circles back to pitching, hope, and someone saying “this year feels different.”
- Forty years ago this season: 1986 is still the standard, still the bar, still the thing Cohen clearly wants to stop hearing about.
Stats You Should Know
- 0–70 trailing into the ninth (2025): that’s a once-in-a-generation level of “nope.” The odds of repeating are microscopic, which is exactly why Cohen brought it up.
- Tauchman’s discipline profile: 11.7% BB% and 23.8% chase is instant lineup glue, especially in a spring where roster spots get decided by who refuses to give away at-bats.
- Christian Scott velocity marker: touching 95 this early matters because it pairs with his cutter work. Velocity without a weapon is noise. Velocity plus a weapon is rotation math.
- Cohen’s KPI for 2026: “table stakes is making the playoffs.” Everything else is decoration.
