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Giants execs Buster Posey, Zack Minasian reflect on Tony Vitello hiring process originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Weeks removed from introducing Tony Vitello as the new Giants manager, president of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian had time to reflect on the process at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas last week. 

The confidence in the move has only grown within the Giants’ front office.  

“He’s so good with the media and he’s got a great presence about him, and I think it’s something that he enjoys doing,” Posey said of Vitello to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic on the “Giants Talk” podcast. “That’s a good thing, because he’s about to do it a lot coming up here in his first season.” 

From star MLB pitchers to Hall of Fame quarterbacks, there has been no shortage of praise for Vitello. His popularity has made an impression on Posey.

“I’ve heard from a lot of people about him,” Posey said. “It seems that he knows a lot of different people in a lot of different walks of life. We’ve all seen it over the last couple of weeks.”

Although Minasian hasn’t been a GM for too long, he has been a part of many interview processes. He worked with the Milwaukee Brewers in the scouting department during the hirings of Ron Roenicke and Craig Counsell, and with the Giants in a similar role when the team hired Gabe Kapler and Bob Melvin. 

In his second offseason as Giants GM, Minasian has seen an evolution in interview processes, which now include interviews over Zoom and through phone calls in addition to in-person meetings. 

While some interviews test candidates with in-game situations, the Giants did not put Vitello through that. 

“I know there’s some interview processes where there has been legitimate game situation video up and the potential manager is being asked what they would do in a certain situation,” Minasian recalled. “We didn’t go to that extent with Tony.” 

The Giants were sold on Vitello’s proven relationship and leadership skills. Situational-based decision making will be developed as a collaboration between the new MLB coach and the front office. 

“I think we’re all pretty open to Tony entering a little bit of a different world from what he’s experienced,” Minasian noted. “We talked about it, we all acknowledged it, but we didn’t necessarily try and test his knowledge on when do you want to flip the left-hander to the right side, and when you’re bringing this reliever in …

“I think those are things, hopefully, that we can collaborate on and have good conversations during the spring and even in the offseason.” 

The Giants have built a brain trust of franchise legends such as Posey and former managers Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy, who all will lend a hand to Vitello in his quest into uncharted MLB territory. 

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him even more since we made the hire,” Posey said. “Still very, very excited about him.” 

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The easiest and cleanest way for the Mets to add a top-of-the-rotation starter to their staff this offseason is to turn to the free agent market, where the headliners are Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, and Ranger Suarez.

Ahead of his age-32 season, Valdez is the oldest of the available top starters. And he'll be seeking a huge deal.

Suarez, who turned 30 in August, might be the safest bet -- but he's also the least imposing. He has allowed 8.6 hits per nine during his eight-year career, is not a big strikeout guy, and has never thrown 158 innings or more in a season.

Then there's Cease, whose upside is sky high.

Entering his age-30 season, Cease has finished in the top-four in Cy Young voting two of the last four seasons. And he eats tons of innings. However, he's coming off a campaign where he had a 4.55 ERA, and has been maddeningly inconsistent.

With Suarez not an ideal fit, Valdez in line for a monster contract, and the up-and-down Cease possibly looking at a deal as long as six years, could a trade for a top starter paired with a signing of King make the most sense for a Mets team in need of serious rotation reinforcements?

Here are the pros and cons of signing King... 

PROS

King, who will be entering his age-31 season in 2026, was tremendous for the Padres in 2024 as he transitioned from relieving to being a full-time starter. 

Over 173.2 innings in 2024 -- which was nearly 70 innings more than the career-high he tossed in 2023 -- King had a 2.95 ERA (3.33 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP while striking out 201.

King was still effective in 2025, but his season was interrupted twice due to injuries.

In 73.1 innings spanning 15 starts this past season, King had a 3.44 ERA (4.42 FIP) and 1.20 WHIP while striking out 76.

While King has the ability to pitch near the top of the rotation when healthy, questions about his durability could result in the contract he signs this offseason being short.

That could mean a three-year contract. Or perhaps King bets on himself and takes a one-year deal with an eye on hitting the market again next offseason and cashing in.

Either way, he will almost certainly not get anything close in terms of years or average annual value to what Valdez, Suarez, Cease, or even Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai will get.

On a three-year deal, King would be a medium-risk, high-reward proposition. 

On a one-year deal, the risk would be incredibly low. 

CONS

King dealt with a nerve injury in his throwing shoulder last season, and also lost time due to a knee injury.

While with the Yankees in 2022, he suffered a rare elbow injury in July that ended his season.

King has less mileage on his arm than most starting pitchers his age since he only recently transitioned to starting, so that's a plus. But it's also a double-edged sword of sorts since it means he isn't used to the rigors of starting every fifth day.

A look at King's advanced stats also show a precipitous drop from 2024 to 2025 in lots of key areas.

Most importantly, his pitching run value went from near the top of the league to near the bottom. 

Meanwhile, after King's xERA, chase percentage, whiff percentage, and barrel percentage were all elite in 2024, he was below average in each of those metrics in 2025. 

Looking at King's stuff, while he has a legitimate four-pitch mix (sinker, four-seam fastball, changeup, and sweeper) and also tosses in a slider every now and then, his sinker and four-seamer are noticeably down in velocity.

In 2022, King's sinker averaged 95.5 mph. In 2025, it averaged 92.7 mph.

In 2022, King's four-seamer averaged 96.4 mph. In 2025, it averaged 93.7 mph.

VERDICT

For a Mets team that needs more consistency in the rotation after their 2025 season was derailed because their starting staff faltered, King is arguably too big of a question mark.

Perhaps he could make sense on a one-year deal if he's paired with a top-of-the-rotation addition. But saving that, the Mets should be focusing their attention elsewhere. 

Can Giants find solutions in this offseason's international free agent class? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Watching Game 7 of this year’s World Series was painful for just about everybody in the Giants organization. But for a few front office employees who were heavily involved in courting Yoshinobu Yamamoto two years ago, there was an extra layer of discomfort. 

For all of the attention that was paid to Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto was a more realistic addition. The Giants were crushed when they were told that they were out of the bidding, and then they watched as Yamamoto opted to join Ohtani in Los Angeles on a record $325 million deal. So far, the right-hander has been worth every penny. 

Giants general manager Zack Minasian led the organization’s pro scouting efforts at the time and made plenty of trips to Japan to see Yamamoto and others. At the GM Meetings last week, Minasian said watching Yamamoto in the postseason brought back some flashes from those scouting trips. This type of success is what he envisioned when he tried to bring Yamamoto to San Francisco.

“It still stings a little bit,” he said on the “Giants Talk” podcast. “But I think one of the things about losing and seeing your rival win, as tough as it can be — we have to turn it into a positive. If it pushes us to go beyond our comfort zone, to challenge ourselves and be more creative about getting players, then so be it.”

The nice thing about being in charge of finding talent is there’s always another class coming, and this offseason is no exception. It’s not considered a particularly strong free-agent group overall, but there are several potential standouts who are expected to come over from Japan. 

Right-hander Tatsuya Imai is considered by many to be one of the top-10 players on the market and infielder Munetaka Murakami is right there with him. They could be joined by third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, right-hander Kona Takahashi, Taiwanese right-hander Jo-Hsi Hsu and others. There also are several former big-league pitchers who had success in either Japan or South Korea and are looking to come back, led by former Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Cody Ponce. 

Teams will even get another crack at Shota Imanaga — who came over in 2024 and just had his team option declined by the Chicago Cubs — and infielder Ha-Seong Kim, who loomed as an obvious option for the Giants last year before they signed Willy Adames. 

The international market has exploded in recent years, and the Giants want to be right in the center of it, or at least right there with any team outside of Dodger Stadium. Earlier this year, president of baseball operations Buster Posey joined Minasian on a five-day trip to Asia to scout some players and lay the groundwork for potential future deals. 

“We most definitely want to have a presence there,” Posey said on “Giants Talk” last week. “You can see the impact that Japanese players have had on teams, really, I guess you can go back the last decade now. We know how important it is to try to land those guys and just how talented they are. 

“When I was over there I was impressed with the pitching. The pitching didn’t feel like it was too, too far behind. I’d say the hitting is probably a little bit behind still, but (there are) a lot of really good players.”

While the Giants have done a lot of work on Murakami over the years, most of that was before Posey traded for Rafael Devers, which gives them long-term starters at first and third (Matt Chapman), with Bryce Eldridge also in the mix with Devers at first and designated hitter. Some Giants people think Murakami can handle the outfield, but he’s expected to have plenty of big-market suitors who can play him on the dirt. 

Imai stands out as the much cleaner fit this offseason, and he is expected to be posted soon by the Seibu Lions, opening a 45-day window to negotiate with MLB teams. The 5-foot-11 right-hander had a 1.92 ERA in Japan last year with 178 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings. He always has limited homers and has dramatically cut his walk rate in recent years, pairing a splitter and slider with a fastball that touches the upper 90s. 

One of the reasons the Giants were so willing to go to $300 million for Yamamoto was his age, and Imai will hit the open market at 27. He is right in his prime, and Posey and Minasian happened to see him during that trip to Japan.

“We’d like to be a destination for those teams and for those players,” Minasian said. “We’d like the NPB and the KBO to look at the Giants as one of the premier Major League Baseball franchises (which) is how we see ourselves.”

The Giants point to their community and fan base as draws. While Jung Hoo Lee hasn’t fully broken out on the field, he certainly has become a fan favorite, and the Giants have put a good support system around him.

Of course, they still are playing catch up. The Dodgers are Japan’s team, and they added Roki Sasaki to Ohtani and Yamamoto last offseason. They always will be mentioned first when a Japanese star is posted, although they might not be a great fit for Imai this time around. 

You can never have too much pitching, but it isn’t a need for them this offseason, when they likely will first look to bolster their bullpen and outfield. Any Japanese pitcher intent on joining the Dodgers might find himself behind Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki in the rotation, along with Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and others.

Whether it’s Imai or someone else this year, or a future free agent, the Giants hope to have others from Asia join Lee on their roster. They spent years bolstering their efforts in Latin America and that’s starting to pay off, with Josuar Gonzalez signing last year and another big class on the way this offseason.

Teams on the West Coast often have an advantage with stars from Japan or South Korea, and the goal is for the organization to be able to go head-to-head with the Dodgers when a player is the right fit. Minasian said he doesn’t view it as convincing those players not to choose the Dodgers. He wants them to see all that San Francisco has to offer.

“(We) basically just put our best foot forward about who we are, how we can treat them, how we can take care of them, the things that we can do that separate ourselves from those other clubs,” Minasian said. “We’re pretty fortunate in San Francisco to have such a great fan base, a diverse fan base that appreciates what those players in particular can bring, so I think things of that nature hopefully mean something to Japanese players and Korean players going forward.”

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The hot stove had been safe to touch for a few days, but that may be starting to change.

The first big domino in the market for first basemen fell on Sunday night as Josh Naylor and the Seattle Mariners reached an agreement on a five-year contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Naylor, acquired at the trade deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks, batted .299 with an .831 OPS in 54 games after being dealt. He was even better during Seattle's run to the ALCS, with five extra-base hits (three home runs) and five RBI while batting .340 with a .967 OPS in 12 postseason games. This made re-signing the first baseman one of Seattle's highest priorities this offseason.

Naylor, who turned 28 in June, now becomes the first big-name signing of baseball's offseason a year after hitting 29 doubles, 20 home runs, driving in 92 runs, and slashing .295/.353/.462 for an .816 OPS (128 OPS+) across 147 games. He was also 30-for-32 stealing bases, despite being one of the slowest players in MLB.

Naylor's quick exit from the market means Pete Alonsois the lone top-notch free-agent first baseman on the market and will have very little competition for that claim. Entering the offseason, the class was thin after Alonso and Naylor, with a big drop to other domestic options, including Ryan O'Hearn, Carlos Santana, Luis Arraez, Paul Goldschmidt, and Rhys Hoskins.

A great bounce-back season with the Mets that saw him win a Silver Slugger, in which he slashed .272/.347/.524 with 41 doubles, 38 home runs, and 126 RBI while playing in all 162 games, Alonso is hoping to turn that into a long-term deal. And after opting out of the deal he signed with New York last offseason, Alonso is reportedly seeking a contract of at least seven years. This could be tough as Alonso will soon turn 31, over two years older than Naylor, who took only a five-year deal.

Of course, the Mets and the slugger were able to work through their differences as he sought a long-term deal last offseason. And all indications are that Alonso's free agency will last quite a bit longer than Naylor's,

And after the Alonso and Juan Soto, 1-2 punch worked combined for 81 homers last year, Soto made it known that he would like to run it back.

“I hope nothing but the best, and I’m excited to see where he’s going to end up," Soto told the media this past week. "He’s one of the best power hitters in this generation. I really enjoyed my moment with him in a Mets uniform and I hope we can have more times to come. We can have fun together.”

Carlos Beltran agrees.

“Pete Alonso is another guy that is going to be on the market, I hope we can bring those guys back," Beltran said on Saturday, referring to closer Edwin Diaz, another free agent. "The front office and the team upstairs are going to do the best we can to make that happen.”

The New York Rangers are set to play the Detroit Red Wings tonight at 7 PM EST at Madison Square Garden. 

Here’s all you need to know ahead of this matchup: 

Projected Lineup:

Forwards:

Will Cuylle - Mika Zibanejad - J.T. Miller

Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafrenière

Conor Sheary - Noah Laba - Jonny Brodzinski

Adam Edström - Sam Carrick - Taylor Raddysh

Defensemen:

Vladislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox

Carson Soucy - Braden Schneider

Matthew Roertson - Scott Morrow 

Goaltenders: 

Jonathan Quick 

Igor Shesterkin 

Notable Storylines: 

• Jonathan Quick is set to start for the Rangers. 
• The Rangers are coming off of a 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. 
• The Rangers called up Scott Morrow from the Hartford Wolf Pack and sent Gabe Perreault back down.
• Will Borgen is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. 
• The Rangers currently hold a 10-7-2 record. 
• The Red Wings are coming off of a 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Team USA interested in Giants ace Logan Webb for 2026 World Baseball Classic originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There seems to be a good chance that Giants ace Logan Webb will toe the rubber for Team USA during the 2026 World Baseball Classic in March.

The right-handed star is “close” to joining the Red, White and Blue, The San Francisco Standard’s John Shea reported in an article published Friday, and has full support from Team USA manager Mark DeRosa.

“Logan Webb’s participation is definitely something we are interested in,” DeRosa said. “We want him 100 percent. He would be a great addition if everything lined up.”

A two-time MLB All-Star, Webb undoubtedly would be impactful. Shea, though, reiterated that the anticipated partnership remains unofficial. 

“Before any official announcement is made, procedural hurdles would need to be cleared, as is the case with any player that Team USA takes on from a Major League Baseball team,” Shea wrote.

Webb, who finished the 2025 MLB season fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting, intended to pitch during the 2023 WBC. 

Shea added that Webb ultimately passed on the initial opportunity to “help change” the Giants’ culture during spring training. Webb also signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension with San Francisco that April.

But as the next WBC nears, Webb is better positioned to pitch for his country, especially as new Giants manager Tony Vitello seems to be handling the team’s culture-changing duties.

Plus, Team USA simply could benefit from the seven-year veteran’s experienced arm.

Paul Skenes, who won the 2025 NL Cy Young Award, is the lone pitcher committed to Team USA. He is joined on the developing roster by electric position players Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Bobby Witt Jr. and Corbin Carroll.

Webb finished 2025 with a 15-11 record — tying his career-high in wins — and a 3.22 ERA. And in his third consecutive season of 200-plus innings pitched, Webb led MLB with 207 innings tossed and 34 starts.

He clearly can help Team USA return to glory after its loss to Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan in the 2023 WBC Final.

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His game may not be flashy, but Vladislav Gavrikov has provided the New York Rangers with exactly what they brought him in for. 

During the offseason, the Rangers signed Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract with the hopes he can blossom into the team’s defensive anchor. 

Through 18 games, Gavrikov’s presence has been valuable for the Rangers. 

The 29-year-old defenseman does so many of the little things that go unnoticed to the casual eye. 

In his own zone, Gavrikov is defensively sound, always in the right positions while he plays a physical brand of hockey. 

Mike Sullivan has also given Gavrikov important responsibilities. With Sullivan attempting to take a defensive load off of Adam Fox, more of that work goes onto Gavrikov’s plate. 

He’s been playing a critical shorthanded role and he continues to take the defensive burden off of Fox, which allows him to engage more offensively. 

Gavrikov is averaging 22:34 minutes, ranking second amongst all Ranger players in that category and he leads the team in plus/minus rating at +6. 

Will Borgen Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury Will Borgen missed the New York Rangers’ practice on Friday, as he’s dealing with an apparent upper-body injury. 

If a player wants to get to Igor Shesterkin, they’ll have to get through Gavrikov. During the Rangers’ 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday afternoon, Scott Sabourin took a whack at Shesterkin and Gavrikov threw him to the ice in retaliation. 

It’s those kinds of plays that catch the attention of Sullivan.

“For sure it does,” Sullivan said on if Gavrikov’s defending of Shesterkin caught his attention. “He's a team guy, and he'll do whatever it takes to help his teammates. I think that goes a long way with his teammates. It certainly goes a long way with his coaching staff.”

The Rangers added a defensive anchor with the addition of Gavrikov and his contributions to the team should surely not go unnoticed.

Carlos Beltran received the call earlier this week. 

The Mets announced on Thursday evening that the outfielder will be inducted into the team Hall of Fame next season, along with Bobby Valentine and Lee Mazzilli as part of their first class since 2023. 

SNY’s Chelsea Sherrod met up with Beltran in an exclusive one-on-one interview to discuss the honor prior to Saturday night's Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico Showdown at Citi Field. 

“First of all, I’m super,” he said. “I feel that it’s a confirmation of all the effort that you put in as a player. In the seven years that I was here, there’s no doubt I went through ups and down, but at the end of the day, when I look at the numbers, I feel proud.

“Being able to be accepted into any team Hall of Fame is a beautiful thing, so I’m super happy and grateful for the opportunity.”

Beltran doesn’t know what to expect as far as his emotions when the big day comes, but he’s hoping to be able to keep things in check so he can deliver a good speech for the fans, his family, and his teammates. 

The slugger had many memorable moments during his seven-year stint in orange and blue, but some of his favorites came during the 2006 campaign, which was one of his best with the club. 

“Going to the playoffs was a beautiful moment,” he said. “I was also able to win my first Gold Glove with the Mets; being able to receive that call was an incredible thing because I worked so hard in Kansas City to try to win and never won it -- I got to experience that and a lot of other good things with the Mets.”

Some of those good things include five All-Star appearances, two more Gold Gloves, and a pair of Silver Sluggers. 

Beltran also slashed .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs, 208 doubles, 559 RBI, 551 runs scored, and 100 stolen bases during his time with the Mets. 

The Mets had seven prospects participate in the Arizona Fall League this year. 

That group helped the Scottsdale Scorpions, who were managed by former Mets catcher Rene Rivera, finish with an 18-10 record which was good enough for first place in the AFL.

The Scorpions were, however, eliminated in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday night.

While they didn't take home the championship, there were plenty of positives to take from the exhibition meetings. 

Two of the biggest Mets standouts were Nick Morabito and Chris Suero.

Both youngsters were able to continue their strong showings from the minor league season, and they performed well enough to land a spot in the Fall League All-Star game. 

Suero once again showcased his dynamic two-way game, going eight-for-eight on stolen base attempts and finishing tied for second in the league with five homers. 

He also hit an impressive .283 and had a .353 OBP to help him finish with a .920 OPS. 

The versatile 21-year-old Bronx-native saw playing time at all three of his positions (C, 1B, LF) during the 15 Fall League games he appeared in.

Chris Suero belts his 5th homer of the Arizona Fall League!

The @Mets' No. 15 prospect is now batting .275 with a .921 OPS in the AFL. pic.twitter.com/QHxKftcDgG

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 5, 2025

Morabito also put together a strong showing in what is a big offseason for him. 

The former second-round pick is Rule 5 eligible for the first time, so the Mets will have to decide soon if they want to leave him exposed or add him to the 40 Man roster.

Morabito certainly used this as a strong showcase for New York, or the other 29 organizations. 

He reached base at a terrific clip of .450 and continued showing off his game-changing speed on the bases, racking up the third-most stolen bases in the AFL (16 in 19 attempts). 

Morabito also hit an impressive .362 with a .914 OPS, two doubles, a triple, and a homer. 

It’ll be interesting to see what David Stearns and the Mets decide to do with the outfielder ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. 

Outfielder Nick Morabito has had a big Arizona Fall League

Tonight he hit his first home run in the AFL. 109.4 mph off the bat and 442 feet pic.twitter.com/La5m37e6Zv

— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) November 3, 2025

Another year, another unanimous MVP award for Shohei Ohtani. Baseball’s unicorn added another major accolade to his already crowded mantel, winning his fourth MVP award Thursday. Ohtani continues his reign as the best player on the planet with the latest MVP honors, but this one puts him in a different conversation.

Barry Bonds has always stood alone when it comes to MVPs. MLB’s all-time home run leader holds the record with seven MVP trophies and was the only player in history with more than three. Those days are no more as Ohtani notched his fourth, and is well on his way to doing what many believed impossible — catching Bonds.

When Bonds was in his prime, it was a challenge to pry the award away from him. And as the feared slugger was hitting well over. 300 every season with over 40 homers, stolen bases and Gold Glove defense, you could see why. But unlike Bonds, Ohtani has a skill set that makes him one of a kind, and makes his quest to catch Bonds’ seven MVPs more probable than any player in history. Not only is he one of the two most feared hitters in baseball, he’s also an ace on the mound, giving him a huge edge over other MVP candidates every season. 

This past season, the Dodgers’ $700 million man hit .282 with a career-high 55 home runs and an NL-leading 1.014 OPS. An offensive season like that would usually launch a player into being a frontrunner for MVP,  but it’s only half the résumé for Ohtani. He made his much-anticipated return to the mound in 2025 after his second UCL surgery and showed that he’s not only one of the game’s best hitters, but one of its best pitchers too.

[Get more Dodgers news: L.A. team feed]

Ohtani returned to the mound, going 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts. While many of his outings were abbreviated as L.A. worked him back into its rotation, it didn’t take long for him to look like an ace again and become another weapon on the team’s starting staff. 

Now that Ohtani is well over a year removed from elbow surgery and has a full offseason without rehab to prepare for 2026, it’s not foolish to think he could hit another level as a pitcher over a full season.

Let’s be very clear: When Ohtani has a normal year for him, he will win MVP.

The one thing you’d worry about that could prevent Ohtani from catching Bonds outside of injury would be fatigue. But the BBWAA writers who vote haven't let Ohtani’s greatness work against him. Not only did he receive all 30 first-place votes in this year‘s NL MVP balloting, he’s won unanimously all four times he’s taken home the award.

Ohtani, the AL MVP winner in 2023, is the first to win three consecutive MVPs since Bonds won four straight with the San Francisco Giants from 2001-04. The Dodgers’ superstar is also the first back-to-back winner in the National League since Albert Pujols did it in 2008-09 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

For some time now, Ohtani has been firmly entrenched as the world’s best player and after another remarkable season, the Dodgers’ two-way superstar is adding to an already mind-blowing legacy. In two years since signing his 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers, Ohtani has won two league MVPs and two World Series championships. The five-time All-Star also has three Silver Slugger Awards and the 2018 AL Rookie of the year on his résumé with plenty of hardware before he hangs it up.

When it’s all said and done, Ohtani may not only be the best player ever, but also one of the most decorated.

Ohtani’s excellence shouldn’t be taken for granted. When he came to the States from Japan, many believed his two-way ability was a gimmick that wouldn’t last. Now sitting on four MVPs and finally winning championships, Ohtani is better than anybody could have ever envisioned or imagined. 

As Ohtani enters his prime already more than halfway to Bonds’ seven MVPs, the chase is not only on, but well within reach.

The Mets have signed Jackson Cluff to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to big league spring training.

Cluff, 28, got time at all four infield positions last season while playing for the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate. 

He got most of his starts at shortstop (71) but also started games at second base (16) and third base (six).

During his six-year minor league career, Cluff has hit .219/.324/.363 with 42 home runs, 75 doubles, 15 triples, and 86 stolen bases in 498 games.

Here is the latest news and buzz surrounding free agent closer Edwin Diaz and his chances of returning to the Mets...

Nov. 23, 9:25 p.m.

On the day the Mets made another big change this offseason, trading Brandon Nimmo to Texas in exchange for Marcus Semien, reports around another big change could happen as well.

According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, "contract length is a sticking point in talks" between Diaz and the Mets.

Diaz is reportedly looking for a deal similar to the one he signed in November 2022 – five years, $102 million. The Mets, Sammon noted, are "inclined to prefer something shorter, perhaps three years."

With the possibility of the Mets not coming to an agreement with Diaz, the organization has already contacted the camps of free-agent relievers Devin Williams and Robert Suarez, Sammon added.

Nov. 14, 10:57 a.m.

The Blue Jays met with Diaz's agents during this week's GM Meetings, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Rosenthal adds that the Jays are "signaling a willingness" to "spend big and lose draft picks if necessary" this offseason.

Losing picks is something that will happen to any team that signs Diaz (other than the Mets), since he is attached to the qualifying offer, which he will reject.

As it pertains to Toronto and Diaz, Rosenthal reports that the rotation is a bigger priority than the bullpen, where Jeff Hoffman is the current closer.

Nov. 13, 8:15 p.m.

The Mets and Diaz have had discussions about a new deal, but nothing concrete has been talked about yet.

Diaz, who was at the MLB Awards on Thursday night, reiterated that he would "love" to remain a Met.

"I love New York. I would love to stay in New York, but if I have to go another place, I would be happy," Diaz told reporters, including Newsday's Laura Albanese. "I want to win a ring, so wherever I go, I want to win a ring and enjoy the time.

"I like the organization. You know, if they came with the best deal for me, I’d enjoy to stay with them, but at the end of the day, I don’t know what they’re thinking."

Nov. 12, 8:44 a.m.

With Diaz a free agent and the Dodgers searching for a high-end reliever, it seemed they might be a big threat to lure him away from the Mets.

Maybe not.

While the Dodgers are indeed seeking a jolt for their bullpen, they could be deterred by the fact that Diaz has a qualifying offer attached to him, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Per Ardaya, with the Dodgers already owing draft penalties due to exceeding the luxury tax, it could "dissuade" them and other teams in similar situations from making a run at Diaz.

According to The Athletic, Los Angeles has made free agent reliever Devin Williams a target. Williams, who spent last season with the Yankees after being acquired from the Brewers via trade, was eyed by the Dodgers before that deal.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post also reported on Diaz and the Dodgers, noting that "they may not be a big player" for him.

Per Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the contract Diaz is seeking is "essentially the same one" the Mets gave him after the 2022 season.