Tag Archives: New York Mets

Miguel Cairo & Carlos Mendoza Make MLB History as First Venezuelans to Manage Against Each Other

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Miguel Cairo and Carlos Mendoza have made Major League Baseball history.

The 51-year-old Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder and current interim manager for the Washington Nationals and the 45-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball manager for the New York Mets became the first Venezuelans in MLB history to manage against each other.

Miguel Cairo & Carlos Mendoza“It’s two countrymen, friends, and now to be exchanging the lineup at home plate, we’re excited about it. We’re proud to represent the Latinos in the United States, represent our country in the United States, and of course represent our organizations,” Cairo said before his club’s 8-1 loss. “To me, it’s a dream come true.”

Mendoza was hired by the Mets after the 2023 season, becoming the third Venezuelan manager in major league history. Cairo became the fourth when Washington promoted him to interim manager in July after firing Dave Martinez.

“It’s just an honor for both of us,” Mendoza said. “I’m humbled by it. You know, this is a big deal back home. I didn’t recognize that until it was brought up to me.

Before the game, Cairo and Mendoza posed for photos behind the plate with their arms around each other’s shoulders, then embraced before returning to their respective dugouts. After the first pitch, the game ball was taken out of play, bound for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cairo and Mendoza both have ties to the New York Yankees organization. The Yankees were one of nine teams Cairo played for during a 17-year career, and Mendoza was a longtime coach with the organization before the Mets hired him. The two overlapped when Cairo worked as a Yankees minor league infield coordinator.

Ozzie Guillén was the first Venezuelan to manage in the majors. He led the Chicago White Sox from 2004-11 and won a World Series title in 2005, then managed the Miami Marlins in 2012. Al Pedrique was Arizona’s manager for half of the 2024 season, but the Diamondbacks and White Sox did not play each other that year.

Asked if he was surprised the milestone had not come sooner, Cairo said the path to becoming a big league manager was difficult for everyone.

“You have to through the minor leagues, you have work your way up. You have to really work,” he said. “Nothing is easy and you’ve got to earn it. And, you know, he earned it. I think I earned it.”

 

Pete Alonso Breaks Darryl Strawberry’s New York Mets Franchise Record for Most Career Home Runs with Team

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Pete Alonso is officially the New York Mets No. 1 career home run hitter…

The 30-year-old half-Spanish American professional baseball player, nicknamed “Polar Bear,” hit his 253rd career homer on Tuesday night, breaking the New York Mets franchise record held by Darryl Strawberry for 37 years.

Pete AlonsoAlonso drove a 95.1 mph fastball from Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider just over the wall in right-center for a two-run shot in the third inning.

Alonso’s 27th homer of the season lifted the Mets to a 5-1 lead.

And he wasn’t done there, either.

In the sixth inning, Alonso connected for a solo home run to give New York an 11-5 lead.

After the third-inning shot, the Mets celebrated the accomplishment with a scoreboard graphic with the number 253 alongside pictures of Alonso and polar bears in honor of the slugger’s nickname.

Alonso embraced Brandon Nimmo, who scored ahead of him, and another longtime teammate, on-deck hitter Jeff McNeil, before doffing his cap and blowing kisses to a near-sellout crowd that included New York owner Steve Cohen.

Led by manager Carlos Mendoza, the Mets poured out of the dugout to exchange embraces with Alonso as the crowd chanted his name. Alonso emerged for another curtain call during McNeil’s at-bat.

Following the inning, the Mets played the theme from The Natural and Alonso again doffed his cap as the camera lingered on Strawberry’s No. 18 hanging above foul territory in left field at Citi Field.

The Mets also released a video on social media featuring a message from Strawberry.

“I just want to say congratulations on breaking the home run record,” Strawberry said. “You have worked hard, you have stood up in the pressure of New York City, and you have played well. It is well deserved. You are a homegrown player. Again, congratulations and continue to have great success.”

The Mets hammered the Braves for six home runs in a 13-5 victory Tuesday night. The power display was so great that the team had to post on the Citi Field jumbotron that it ran out of fireworks.

Alonso had tied Strawberry’s record by going deep against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

A homegrown star, Alonso broke into the big leagues with a bang in 2019, hitting 53 home runs to set a major league rookie record and establish a franchise high for a single season.

The five-time MLB All-Star has reached 40 two other times and been one of the most consistent sluggers in baseball since his arrival. After a protracted negotiation, he returned to the Mets as a free agent in February on a $54 million, two-year contract that includes a $24 million player option for 2026 that he likely will decline.

The only other active players who lead their current franchise in home runs are Manny Machado (Padres) and Mike Trout (Angels).

Giancarlo Stanton, now with the New York Yankees, holds the Miami mark with 267 for the Marlins.

Strawberry broke the previous Mets record with his 155th home run on May 3, 1988, passing Dave Kingman. The sweet-swinging outfielder hit 252 in 1,109 games for New York during his first eight major league seasons from 1983 to 1990. He later played for the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees, finishing his 17-year career with 335 homers.

Alonso played his 965th regular-season game Tuesday. The durable first baseman has played in 372 straight, a team record.

New York Yankees Acquire Amed Rosario from Washington Nationals

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Amed Rosario is heading to the Big Apple.

The New York Yankees have acquired the 29-year-old Dominican professional baseball utility player from the Washington Nationals in exchange for two minor leaguers, giving the club a versatile right-handed hitter it had coveted before Thursday’s trade deadline.

Amed Rosario A former top prospect with the New York Mets, Rosario is batting .270 with five home runs and a .736 OPS this season. But he’s hitting .299 with an .816 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season and the Yankees are expected to use him primarily against lefties.

Defensively, he gives manager Aaron Boone a multipurpose player.

Rosario has started 20 games at third base and 13 at second base this season and has also made starts at each outfield position and at shortstop during his nine-year career.

The move comes a day after the Yankees completed a trade with the Colorado Rockies for veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon.

Unlike McMahon, who is under contract for the next two seasons for $32 million, Rosario will become a free agent after this season.

The Yankees will pay Rosario the balance of the one-year, $2 million deal he signed with Washington in January.

“When I heard where I was going, I kind of didn’t believe it,” Rosario said in Minnesota after the Nationals’ game vs. the Twins on Saturday. “I mean, at some point I kind of knew I was going to get traded, but I didn’t know it was going to be today.”

The Yankees nearly signed Rosario before last season, but he chose to sign a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays instead. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in late July and finished the season with the Cincinnati Reds after being claimed off waivers.

“He’s actually been a guy who we’ve tried to kind of get the last couple of years to varying degrees,” Boone said. “Provides some defensive versatility, speed and really gets lefties, so I think it kind of makes our bench and the balance of our roster a little more workable.”

This is the third straight year Rosario has been moved close to the trade deadline.

The Yankees will be his sixth team since the end of the 2023 season.

“I feel great, because whenever teams are in playoff contention they always acquire me towards the end,” Rosario said. “I just feel really good about that.”

Rosario cost the Yankees right-hander Clayton Beeter, a 26-year-old right-hander in Triple-A who has made five major league relief appearances, and Browm Martinez, an 18-year-old outfielder in the Dominican Summer League.

The Yankees acquired Beeter, a second-round pick in 2020, from the Dodgers for Joey Gallo in 2022. He made his major league debut last season and gave up six runs in 3⅔ innings across two relief appearances this season.

Martinez is batting .404 with a 1.139 OPS in 18 games this season, his second in the Dominican Summer League. He signed with the Yankees for $130,000 last year.

New York Mets Acquire Gregory Soto from Baltimore Orioles

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Gregory Soto is headed to New York.

The New York Mets have acquired 30-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher, a left-handed reliever, from the Baltimore Orioles  in exchange for two minor leaguers in what could be the first of multiple moves by New York to bolster its bullpen before the trade deadline Thursday.

Gregory SotoThe trade, which sent Class A right-hander Wellington Aracena and Double-A right-hander Cameron Foster to Baltimore, gives the Mets a hard-throwing left-hander to complement the club’s only lefty on the roster, Brooks Raley, who returned from Tommy John surgery last week.

Soto, who is 30 and was an MLB All-Star with the Detroit Tigers in 2021 and 2022, has posted a 3.96 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate in 45 appearances this season.

The Mets will be his fourth team since the 2022 season.

On Monday, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns plainly signaled that upgrading the bullpen for the stretch run is his top priority.

The need is clear. Injuries and overuse have depleted a relief corps that led the majors in bullpen ERA through May 31. Since June 1, the group has posted 4.52 ERA, good for 23rd in the majors.

Aracena, 20, is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 17 games for St. Lucie. The Orioles said he is one of two pitchers in the minors this season to have thrown at least 60 innings without surrendering a home run.

Foster, 26, is 5-2 with two saves and a 2.97 ERA while pitching at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

New York Mets Recalling Francisco Alvarez From Triple-A

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Francisco Alvarez is se to return to major league play…

The 23-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball catcher, a former top prospect, is set to return to the New York Mets a month after being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, according to a report in The Athletic.

Francisco AlvarezThe Mets reportedly intend to recall Alvarez ahead of their matchup against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

New York optioned Alvarez after the team’s game on June 21. At the time of his demotion, he was batting .236 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs in 35 games.

As a rookie in 2023, Alvarez belted 25 homers and hit .209 across 123 games.

Over the past month, however, Alvarez has shown notable improvements. Since joining Syracuse, he batted .299 with 11 home runs, including a long ball Sunday that was his third homer in three days and seventh in 19 at-bats.

According to the report, Alvarez’s defense and framing — which ranked in MLB‘s bottom 9 percent, according to Baseball Savant — earned rave reviews from coaches and pitchers in Syracuse.

Alvarez was considered the No. 1 prospect in 2022, but wrist and hand injuries hampered him after his rookie season. Since debuting with the Mets in 2022, Alvarez has batted .223 with 40 home runs and 122 RBIs in 263 games.

The Mets stumbled out of the MLB All-Star break, posting back-to-back home losses to the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.

New York avoided the series sweep Sunday, escaping with a 3-2 victory.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Agrees to 14-Year, $500 Million Contract Extension with Toronto Blue Jays 

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is celebrating a massive pay day…

The 26-year-old Dominican-Canadian professional baseball first baseman, a four-time MLB All-Star and son of Baseball Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension, pending a physical, per ESPN.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,The no-deferral deal keeps the homegrown star in Toronto for the rest of his career, and comes as the 6-5 Blue Jays are in the midst of a road trip that took them to Fenway Park to meet the Boston Red Sox on Monday. Guerrero went 2-4 with a run and a walk in that game, a 6-2 Toronto victory.

Guerrero had said he would not negotiate during the season after the sides failed to come to an agreement before he reported to spring training. But the sides continued talking and sealed a deal that is the third largest in Major League Baseball history, behind only Juan Soto‘s 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets and Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Blue Jays, snakebit in recent years by Soto and Ohtani signing elsewhere, received a long-term commitment from their best homegrown talent since Hall of Famer Roy Halladay.

They had tried to sign Guerrero to a long-term deal for years to no avail. Toronto got a glimpse of Guerrero’s talent when he debuted shortly after his 20th birthday in 2019 and homered 15 times as a rookie. Guerrero’s breakout season came in 2021, when he finished second to Ohtani in American League MVP voting after hitting .311/.401/.601 with 48 home runs and 111 RBIs.

Guerrero followed with a pair of solid-but-below-expectations seasons in 2022 and 2023, and in mid-May 2024, he sported an OPS under .750 as the Blue Jays struggled en route to an eventual last-place finish. Over his last 116 games in 2024, the Guerrero of 2021 reemerged, as he hit .343/.407/.604 with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs.

With a payroll expected to exceed the luxury tax threshold of $241 million, the Blue Jays ended the season’s first week atop the American League East standings. Toronto dropped to 5-3 on Friday after a loss to the Mets, in which Guerrero collected a pair of singles, raising his season slash line to .267/.343/.367.

Between Guerrero and shortstop Bo Bichette‘s free agency after the 2025 season, the Blue Jays faced a potential reckoning. Though Bichette is expected to play out the season before hitting the open market, Guerrero’s deal lessens the sting of Toronto’s pursuits of Ohtani in 2023 and Soto in 2024.

Toronto shook off the signings of Soto and first baseman Pete Alonso with the Mets, left-hander Max Fried with the New York Yankees and infielder Alex Bregman with the Boston Red Sox to retool its roster.

Toronto gave outfielder Anthony Santander a heavily deferred five-year, $92.5 million contract, brought in future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer on a one-year, $15.5 million deal, bolstered its bullpen with right-handers Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garcia, and traded for Platinum Glove-winning second baseman Andres Gimenez, who is hitting cleanup.

Toronto’s long-term commitments will allow for significant financial flexibility. In addition to Bichette and Scherzer, right-hander Chris Bassitt and relievers Chad Green and Erik Swanson are free agents after this season. After 2026, the nine-figure deals of outfielder George Springer and right-hander Kevin Gausman also come off the books.

Building around Guerrero is a good place to start. One of only a dozen players in MLB with at least two seasons of six or more wins above replacement since 2021, Guerrero consistently is near the top of MLB leaderboards in hardest-hit balls, a metric that typically translates to great success.

Like his father, who hit 449 home runs and batted .318 over a 16-year career, Guerrero has rare bat-to-ball skills, particularly for a player with top-of-the-scale power. In his six MLB seasons, Guerrero has hit .288/.363/.499 with 160 home runs, 510 RBIs and 559 strikeouts against 353 walks.

Originally a third baseman, Guerrero shifted to first base during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Had the Blue Jays signed Alonso, they signaled the possibility of Guerrero returning full time to third, where he played a dozen games last year.

With the extension in place, the 6-foot-2, 245-pound Guerrero is expected to remain at first base and reset a market that had been topped by the eight-year, $248 million extension Miguel Cabrera signed just shy of his 31st birthday in 2014.

Yoan Moncada Among Record 26 Cuban Players on MLB’s Opening Day Rosters

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Yoan Moncada is officially part of part of Major League Baseball Opening Day history.

The 29-year-old Cuban professional baseball third baseman made his Los Angeles Angels debut at his former home, Rate Field, drawing a walk in his only plate appearance during the opening game.

Yoan MoncadaIn the process, Moncada helped his native Cuba make MLB history, with a record 26 players on MLB‘s Opening Day rosters.

Cuba’s total topped its previous high of 23 in 2016, 2017 and 2022.

In all the percentage of Opening Day players born outside the 50 states remained at 27.8%, matching its lowest level since 2016.

There were 265 players from 18 nations and territories outside of the 50 states among 954 players on Opening Day active rosters and injured, restricted and inactive lists, the commissioner’s office said Friday.

The Dominican Republic led countries outside the U.S. with 100, down from 108 last year and 110 in 2020.

Venezuela was second at 63, followed by Cuba (26), Puerto Rico (16), Canada (13), Japan (12), Mexico (11), Curacao and Panama (four), South Korea (three), Aruba, Australia and Colombia (two) and Bahamas, Brazil, Germany, Honduras, Nicaragua and South Africa (one apiece).

Philadelphia Phillies‘ Jesús Luzardo was listed as “miscellaneous.” Born in Peru, he’s of Venezuelan descent.

The Houston Astros and San Diego Padres topped teams with 16 international players each, with the Astros having a share of the lead for the fifth straight season

They were followed by the Atlanta Braves (14), the New York Mets (13) and the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins (12 each).

Pete Alonso Agrees to Two-Year, $54 Million Contract with New York Mets

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Pete Alonso won’t be leaving the New York Mets anytime soon.

The 30-year-old half-Spanish American professional baseball player, nicknamed “Polar Bear,” and the New York Mets are in agreement on a two-year, $54 million contract, per ESPN, ending a lengthy free agency with a return engagement to the only team for which he has played.

Pete AlonsoThe deal, which is pending a physical, includes an opt-out after the first season, sources said. Alonso will make $30 million this year.

Alonso, whose 226 home runs since his 2019 debut are second in Major League Baseball (MLB) behind Aaron Judge‘s 232, heads back to Queens to join a lineup that added outfielder Juan Soto on a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract this winter.

Though New York considered pivoting away from Alonso after discussions on a deal with him reached an impasse, talks resumed amid a market that did not value him similarly to the long-term deal he sought at the outset of free agency. First basemen in their 30s who hit and field right-handed are seen by teams as risky — even ones who have consistently produced like Alonso.

After hitting a rookie-record 53 home runs in 2019, Alonso’s consistent run production helped buoy the Mets through lean years and made him a fan favorite and franchise cornerstone. Alonso rejected a seven-year, $158 million contract extension from the Mets in the summer of 2023, hoping to strike riches on the open market, even when saddled by draft-pick compensation after turning down a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Mets.

A long-term deal never materialized, leaving Alonso with limited choices. Though the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays were among the teams that expressed interested in Alonso, coming back to the Mets was always the likeliest possibility, even as owner Steve Cohen publicly expressed frustration with the trajectory of negotiations.

Alonso’s production declined over the past three seasons, with his OPS decreasing from .869 to .821 to .788. His FanGraphs wins above replacement dropped from 3.8 to 2.8 to 2.1, and his 34 home runs in 2024 were a career low for a full season.

Still, Alonso remained capable of special moments. With the Mets facing elimination, trailing 2-0 in the ninth inning of a wild-card series game against Milwaukee in early October last year, Alonso tattooed a changeup from Brewers closer Devin Williams to the opposite field for a three-run home run that held up to send New York to a series against Philadelphia. Alonso homered twice against the Phillies and once more in a six-game NLCS loss to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Alonso’s postseason bona fides — a .278/.429/.574 line in 70 plate appearances — added to his allure for the Mets, who now can lead off star shortstop Francisco Lindor and bat Soto, Alonso and emerging star third baseman Mark Vientos in the 2-3-4 holes. The Mets’ deep roster includes outfielders Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Tyrone Taylor, catcher Francisco Alvarez, second baseman Jeff McNeil, young infielders Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna and Brett Baty, as well as Jesse Winker (who re-signed as a free agent) and Jose Siri (acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay).

Dominican Teen Elian Peña Signs with New York Mets for $5 Million Bonus

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Elian Peña is celebrating a deal for the ages…

The 17-year-old Dominican shortstop has agreed to a $5 million bonus with the New York Mets; it’s the largest amount on the first day of the 2025 international signing period.

Elian PeñaPeña was rated the No. 3 prospect in the international class for this year by MLB.com behind Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who must agree to a deal by January 23, and Dominican shortstop Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, who agreed with the San Francisco Giants to $2,997,500.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, all hoping to sign Sasaki, did not finalize any contracts with bonuses of more than $10,000, which count against their signing bonus pools.

Just half of the 30 teams finalized deals of more than $10,000 in the opening hours of the signing period.

Dominican outfielder Cris Rodriguez, ranked fourth, signed with the Detroit Tigers for $3,197,500, and Andrew Salas, a shortstop and outfielder ranked fifth, signed with the Miami Marlins for $3.7 million. Salas was born in the U.S. and moved to Venezuela.

Hoping to become a two-way player just like Shohei Ohtani, 18-year-old Shotaro Morii made the rare decision to bypass Japanese professional baseball entirely and agreed with the Athletics at $1,510,500.

Other agreements included Dominican infielder Johan De Los Santos and the Pittsburgh Pirates ($2.25 million), Venezuelan catcher Gabriel Davalillo and the Los Angeles Angels ($2 million), Venezuelan infielder Brayan Cortesia and the Washington Nationals ($1.92 million), Dominican infielder Darell Morel and Pittsburgh ($1,778,600), Venezuelan infielder Leon Santiago and the Minnesota Twins ($1,697,500), Dominican outfielder Maykel Coret and the Tampa Bay Rays ($1.6 million), Venezuelan outfielder Breyson Guedez and the Athletics ($1.5 million), Dominican outfielder Elian De La Cruz and the Arizona Diamondbacks ($1.1 million), Dominican shortstop Christopher Acosta and the Milwaukee Brewers ($1.1 million), Dominican infielder Raymer Medina and Tampa Bay ($1.1 million), Venezuelan catcher Daniel Hernandez and Washington ($1.1 million) and Dominican infielder Warel Solano and Tampa Bay ($1.05 million).

Players born from September 1, 2007, through August 31, 2008, are eligible to sign during this year’s period, which ends December 15.

Teams have signing bonus pools ranging from about $5.1 million to $7.6 million; signing bonuses of $10,000 and under don’t count against a team’s cap.

Amed Rosario Agrees to One-Year Contract with Washington Nationals

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Amed Rosario is heading to The District.

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with the 29-year-old Dominican professional baseball and utility player on a one-year contract.

Amed RosarioFinancial terms haven’t been disclosed, but MLB.com reported the deal is worth $2 million.

Rosario, 29, batted .280 with three home runs, 32 RBIs and 13 steals in 103 games between the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds in 2024.

A versatile defender, Rosario manned several different positions — including playing 27 games at second base, 26 in right field, 15 at third base and 14 at shortstop last season.

Rosario is a career .273 hitter with 63 homers, 366 RBIs and 449 runs scored for the New York Mets, (2017-20), Cleveland Guardians (2021-23), Dodgers (2023-24), Rays (2024) and Reds (2024).