Latest news with #WillSammon
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mets mock trades, could Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, or Ronny Mauricio be on the move?
On Mets Off Day Live, host of The Mets Pod Joe DeMayo, The Athletic's Will Sammon, and host Chelsea Sherrod discuss the Mets' sweep of the Angels, potential trade deadline moves, and the team's upcoming west coast trip.
Newsweek
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Mets Reportedly Willing To Move Youth For Upgrades As NL East Race Heats Up Down Stretch
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The New York Mets are looking to capture the National League East for the first time since their trip to the World Series in 2015 and entered Monday a half-game back of the Philadelphia Phillies. Entering the trade season, the Mets are willing to trade their young infielders to upgrade their roster for the final stretch to overtake the Phillies, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 19: Mark Vientos #27 of the New York Mets hits an RBI single during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field on July 19, 2025 in... NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 19: Mark Vientos #27 of the New York Mets hits an RBI single during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field on July 19, 2025 in the Queens borough of New York City. More Photo byThe Mets have a handful of young infielders at their disposal on the major league roster, and with Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor locking down half of the infield, there aren't enough spots to go around. This is likely to have prompted the Mets to look to use those assets in a trade at the July 31 deadline. The Mets bullpen needs multiple upgrades, especially with the amount of injuries they have endured this season. With four infielders fighting for two spots on the infield, they have a deep enough unit to make some moves. Infielders Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, and Luisangel Acuña are all viable trade options for a reliever, and even trading two of them should net them a handful of upgrades in the bullpen. The Mets have a surplus of talent in the infield but not enough in the bullpen, and now the team has to make the tough decision on which of the four to trade if it comes to that. With the Mets trying to chase down the Phillies, they line up to be extremely active in the reliever market as they prepare for the stretch run. More MLB: Twins Predicted To Cut Ties With Former Gold Glove Outfielder
New York Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
MLB trade deadline watch: Bubble teams have execs prepared for slow-developing market
MLB trade deadline watch is a collection of news and notes from our reporting team of Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal. As major-league executives prepare for the looming July 31 trade deadline, an uncertain market remains a point of frustration. Club officials have lamented the lack of clarity regarding this year's market, pointing towards an influx of bubble teams as the reason. With a weekend of play remaining before the All-Star break, only a handful of teams have emerged as true buyers or sellers. The rest remain mired in gridlock. Advertisement Several teams are hovering right at or above .500. Others are a few games below, but remain in the hunt for a postseason spot. The congestion in the standings has created a logjam. The result? Instead of committing to a direction, many teams remain in a holding pattern. Or, as one executive said to his staff recently: 'Don't count on this being a super exciting deadline for us.' Heading into play Friday, seven teams were separated by seven games in the National League wild-card standings. The American League is a bit more spread out, but multiple sub-.500 teams are fewer than five games out of the final two spots. Either way, the sentiment remains. The number of teams hovering near contention will make for a slow-developing market, multiple executives said. 'I do think it's going to be late,' one AL official said. 'It's going to be challenging. The bunch of teams is why you're not seeing much discussions taking place right now.' Some of the established buyers know what they need. The Philadelphia Phillies will again target bullpen help and a right-handed bat, but unlike years prior, they could be willing to move bigger prospects to net a better return. New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he'll be 'going to town' at the deadline and will look to add a starting pitcher and perhaps some help at third base. The Chicago Cubs need starting pitching as well. The Tampa Bay Rays need relief help, as advertised by their acquisition of Bryan Baker from the Baltimore Orioles — a team that could emerge as a more serious seller. But the already-established sellers don't have much to offer, lament multiple executives. The Colorado Rockies are fairly picked over. The Washington Nationals likely won't make any franchise-altering moves with an interim general manager. The Chicago White Sox could once again dangle Luis Robert Jr., but it's hard to maximize the return for an oft-injured player who's hitting .185. The Miami Marlins have desirable pitching in starters Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera, but they own the leverage in what is always the most coveted area at the deadline. Advertisement For the market to be fully defined, bubble teams will have to commit. The Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks (despite being ravaged by injuries) have hung around .500 for most of the year. The Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers are all under .500, but they are all fewer than four games out of a wild-card spot. The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of baseball's more surprising teams, and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said he'd be willing to head into the final 72 hours before making a decision. He's far from the only executive willing to wait. 'I think that's why the trading deadline has become so much fun,' Mozeliak said. 'In the past, those bubble GM types would just stay put. Now, you're seeing a lot of moving parts. Part of that is because they are kind of in, kind of out.' Fun is one way to describe it. Complex is another. Multiple officials floated the idea that acquiring 'rentals' might not be as prominent this year, citing that teams will instead have to be creative due to a lack of options. Some bubble teams will declare themselves over the next couple of weeks. The timing of MLB's annual amateur draft on Sunday and Monday also pauses discussions. 'The way the calendar is set up with the draft, there's sort of this awkward (break),' Mozeliak said. 'But right after the draft, there will start to be a much more feverish pitch.' Just how feverish remains to be seen. The Royals are in the market for a bat and likely won't deviate from their starting-pitching surplus, but they probably won't be as aggressive at this deadline compared to last season. Their division counterparts, the Twins and Cleveland Guardians, look like holders, for now. The Orioles and Atlanta Braves, two teams expected to be contenders this year, might be headed in different directions. The Braves could be inclined to view their disappointing season as a one-off and hold on to talent, while Baltimore's trade of Baker could signify a sell-off that the team did not envision at the start of the season. Advertisement St. Louis is another club that could alter the outlook of the market, should it decide to sell. 'The Cardinals can be a linchpin for a lot of teams,' one executive mused. 'They have a lot of players teams are interested in.' Once the second half begins, the outlook on most fringe teams will hinge on performance. Officials believe the final week of the deadline will bring much more clarity to the market and expect a frenzy to occur. Until then, don't expect much traction. 'There's three or four teams that think they're going to buy,' one league source said. 'They're going to sell. There's a lot of teams at that margin that are going to flip.' (Top photo of Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB rumors: Padres, Diamondbacks refuse to sell at trade deadline
The post MLB rumors: Padres, Diamondbacks refuse to sell at trade deadline appeared first on ClutchPoints. The National League West has already been a fascinating division with plenty of intriguing storylines, and it seems as though two teams in the group will remain in the postseason race despite mixed results. A recent report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic suggests that the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks will not be pure sellers at this summer's MLB trade deadline. Advertisement 'For all their mediocrity the past two months, the Padres currently hold the third NL wild-card spot, and the Diamondbacks are only three games back,' the report says. 'Imagine where the Padres might be if ace right-hander Dylan Cease's ERA wasn't 4.69. Imagine where the D-Backs might be if ace right-hander Zac Gallen's ERA wasn't 5.19. Both of their expected ERAs are lower. But neither has resembled the top-five NL Cy Young finisher each was in two of the past three years.' Beyond performance, both teams have dealt with injuries that have limited their ability to keep up with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. This latest report comes less than a week after the Giants traded for former Red Sox star Rafael Devers. On Arizona's end, starter Corbin Burnes and reliever Justin Martinez recently underwent season-ending surgeries. In San Diego, ace Yu Darvish has not pitched this season due to elbow inflammation, and starter Joe Musgrove is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last October. The report suggests that each club could look to add more pitching, but also indicates that each could simultaneously buy and sell. Advertisement 'Both clubs feature two quality starting pitchers who are eligible for free agency, one of whom is an underperforming ace,' the report says. 'And both are run by general managers who are more inclined to buy than sell, and ultimately could end up doing both.' Padres general manager A.J. Preller has not publicly stated that the club will look to add talent prior to the deadline, but he has been known for his aggressive stances. Meanwhile, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has openly shown his cards. 'Look, as long as we're playing well, and I believe that this team has the gas in the tank to go get it, we're going to try to add to this team,' Hazen said. It appears that the NL West could look much different by the end of the season. Related: MLB rumors: Rival exec suggests Red Sox make Brewers trade Related: Fernando Tatis Jr., Shohei Ohtani pelted, managers go at it in Padres-Dodgers clash
New York Times
06-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Mets mailbag: Roster role for Luisangel Acuña, the next core of pitching prospects
We asked (for questions), and you answered (with questions, that we will now answer). In the first week of May, the Mets sit atop the standings in the National League East. However, the past week and a half brought some tumult with a 5-6 record over the last 11 games, and significant injuries to A.J. Minter, Danny Young and Jesse Winker. So Tim Britton and Will Sammon are here to address the most pressing issues. (Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.) Do you think Acuña will be the second baseman for the rest of the season? — Jbeningo1 Tim Britton: No, I don't. That's the short answer. The longer answer is that Carlos Mendoza and the Mets already have a blueprint for how this could work as a time-share from last season, when Jeff McNeil and José Iglesias split time at the keystone. McNeil and Iglesias shared second over a 69-game stretch last season. It started in mid-June, by which point Iglesias had shown he was off to an excellent start offensively. And it continued until McNeil's regular-season-ending injury in early September. In that stretch, McNeil made 36 starts to Iglesias' 33 at second base. Their versatility, though, permitted them to be in the lineup elsewhere: McNeil made 17 outfield starts and Iglesias 10 at third base. We're already seeing this play out now with McNeil and Acuña. In 11 games since McNeil's return, Acuña has made seven starts and McNeil four at second base. Acuña has also played third once, and McNeil the outfield four times. The injury to Jesse Winker does suggest more outfield time for McNeil is coming, but I don't think Acuña will be the everyday second baseman that entire time. Are the Mets eligible to receive a draft pick through the Prospect Promotion Initiative if Acuña wins NL Rookie of the Year? — Bryan G. TB: No, to be eligible for the PPI, a player must be a top-100 prospect at two of Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline. Acuña did not land on any of those lists. Why hasn't Brandon Sproat gotten any of the depth starter spot starts? — Sam G. Will Sammon: There are a few reasons. The pitchers chosen ahead of him outperformed him. The opening in the rotation didn't correspond well with his next start date. And he's been inconsistent. While Sproat has dominated previous levels, he has struggled in Triple A at times. He has a 5.48 ERA (23 innings). Unlike Blade Tidwell, who also had a high ERA but strong walk and strikeout rates, Sproat has 12 walks and 17 strikeouts. The stuff remains exciting. But I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Sproat switch up his usage and lean more on his secondary pitches. From 2020 to 2023, Brandon Nimmo was a center fielder. By 2023, he was considered an above-average defensive CF. After the 2022 season, we signed him to a huge contract partly because 'you have to pay CFs.' And then, after that contract, he is seemingly not allowed to play CF. What happened? Why can't he play CF anymore? — John F. TB: Major credit goes to the Mets and Nimmo for making him a serviceable and, yes, above-average center fielder in 2021 and 2022. But two important things happened since then, John. First, Nimmo was back to average or below in 2023, based on which metrics you prefer. And the decline in his sprint speed (smaller from 2023 to 2024, larger from 2024 to this season) suggests he would only regress more in center into the future. And second, the Mets changed heads of baseball operations, going from Billy Eppler (who signed Nimmo to that eight-year deal) to David Stearns (who didn't). This isn't to say Stearns doesn't like Nimmo as a player; however, Stearns has a track record of valuing defense in center field more than his peers (and more than Eppler). In Milwaukee, two of his biggest free-agent contracts were for Lorenzo Cain and Jackie Bradley Jr. So it was not a surprise when he surveyed the outfield landscape in the offseason after 2023 and thought the most prudent upgrade would not be a mashing corner outfielder — I was pushing Teoscar Hernández, which you have to admit would have been pretty wise — but an outstanding defensive center fielder. He landed on Harrison Bader with Tyrone Taylor as a backup plan, and he ran that plan back this year with Jose Siri replacing Bader. Nimmo can play center if needed, but it's pretty noteworthy that the Mets have opted for the inexperienced (and slower) McNeil there over him in the last couple of weeks. What are the chances that Ronny Mauricio gets some reps at center field as he works his way back up through the minors? — D.R. WS: Mauricio will stay on the infield until he's up to full speed. Mauricio's rehab assignment with St. Lucie started last week. He has played five innings each at second base, shortstop and third base. The Mets view him as an infielder. But a necessity in the outfield could cause Mauricio to spend some time there. Thirty-eight strikeouts in 21 innings? How long until Jonah Tong gets promoted to Triple A? — Chris T. WS: The Athletic's Keith Law ranked Tong as the Mets' eighth-best prospect. In Double A, he has a 3.38 ERA with — yes — 38 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings. But he also has 14 walks. He needs to throw strikes more consistently. Sometimes, he gets on a good stretch and piles up strikes only to quickly lose that flow. Also, he's 21 and lacks pitching experience compared to someone like Sproat or Nolan McLean, who recently earned a promotion to Triple A. Mark Vientos has been struggling, both in the field and at the plate. If this level of performance continues, when might the Mets make a move to platoon him or possibly even get him back in the minors? — Emilie F. WS: We received several questions regarding Vientos. Over the long term, I'm interested in learning how long the Mets stick with him at third base because his defensive numbers remain dim. But I don't anticipate any drastic changes this early. I also don't agree with the sentiment of many questions regarding his offense. Yes, he is off to a slow start. But the notion that his numbers are worsening is wrong. Over his past 19 games heading into the Mets' series in Arizona, Vientos owns a .288/.346/.521 slash line with four home runs and a 23.5 percent strikeout rate (high, but still better than his 29.7 percent figure from last year). It's early May. He's 25. He hit 27 home runs last season. I understand the concern, especially on defense, but I wouldn't be panicking yet. Who do you see as the Mets' next potential pitching development breakout? — Ithti U. WS: Felipe De La Cruz, a 23-year-old lefty in Triple-A Syracuse. There's a real possibility he cracks the Mets' bullpen this season. In his Triple-A debut last week, De La Cruz tossed six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. He allowed one hit. He is a great athlete who throws a four-seamer, two-seamer and slider. His fastball usually averages about 95 mph. Some evaluators suggested he may be capable of sitting at 97 mph in shorter stints. The Mets signed him in 2021 out of the Dominican Republic. At the time, he had minimal pitching experience. He has steadily improved over the last couple of years. Before his promotion, he had a 1.98 ERA in Double A with 20 strikeouts and just three walks in 13 2/3 innings. (Top photo of Luisangel Acuña: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
