The Mets came up short in the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes, though not due to a lack of trying. On Thursday, the Japanese ace agreed to a 12-year, $325M contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, an offer New York matched, per the New York Post's Mike Puma.
Yamamoto was New York's top free-agent priority the moment the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball posted him. The 25-year-old could've headlined New York's rotation this season and for years to come. With him off the board, the Mets must pivot to Plan B.
Following the disastrous signings of co-aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, Mets owner Steve Cohen has prioritized signings that set the Mets up for long-term success, as opposed to signings that may pay off only in the short term.
"We’re going to be thoughtful and not impulsive and thinking about sustainability over the intermediate long term, but not focused on winning the headlines over the next week," Cohen told the New York Post after losing out on Yamamoto. "I think there’s a couple of ways to build a team."
The Mets are unlikely to turn to veterans Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery — the best starting pitchers remaining on the free-agent market — due to their age (31 and 30, respectively) and lack of long-term upside. That doesn't mean, however, that New York won't be active in signing players.
Here's a look at three pitchers the Mets can target to improve their rotation:
Though Woodruff probably wouldn't be able to help the Mets in 2024, he'd fit nicely in the team's plan to compete for a World Series in 2025 and beyond. The 30-year-old right-hander is set to miss most, if not all, of this season following surgery on his throwing shoulder.
Woodruff became an ace while pitching for the Brewers, posting a career 3.10 ERA over seven seasons with the club and being named an All-Star in 2019 and 2021. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is familiar with his game, having spent multiple years with him in Milwaukee.
Since Woodruff is likely unable to pitch this season, the Mets could get a sizable discount on a multi-year deal for the top-end starter.
The Mets could pivot to another Japanese pitcher after losing out on one of the best. While Imanaga may not be on the same level of excellence as Yamamoto, he has many desirable traits.
For the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball this season, Imanaga posted a 2.66 ERA with 188 strikeouts and an outstanding 29.5% strikeout rate — a higher rate than Yamamoto's. The 30-year-old left-hander has a strong pitching arsenal that features a fastball in the low 90s and a slider that routinely induces swings and misses.
Imanaga could secure a deal similar to Kodai Senga, another Japanese ace, who signed a five-year, $75M contract last offseason with the Mets and placed second in the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year voting.
New York already has signed a big-name pitcher coming off a down year (Luis Severino, one-year, $13M contract). Now, the Mets could look to add another in Giolito.
The 29-year-old is coming off a disappointing 2023 season in which he went 8-15 with a 4.88 ERA in 33 starts spread across stints with the White Sox, Angels and Guardians.
Giolito has achieved success in the past, however, securing 10 or more wins in every 162-game season from 2018-2022 (2020 was shortened due to COVID-19). He's also durable, making more than 29 starts in a season five times in his career.
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The Milwaukee Brewers looked as though their hot stretch was going to end on Sunday, when the New York Mets jumped to a 5-0 lead. It was certainly not one of Quinn Priester’s best starts, as the right-handed hurler allowed six earned runs on 10 hits (including two home runs) while recording only two strikeouts and issuing a walk across 4 1/3 innings of work on the mound. It was an especially frustrating individual performance for Priester, considering how great he was in a previous start. Last Monday, Priester went seven innings long and gave up just an earned run on two hits in a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on the road. That was his 10th straight pitching win, and the streak appeared to be on the verge of getting broken in the Mets game. Fortunately for Priester, Milwaukee’s bats came alive just in time to secure another team victory — and keep Priester’s streak going. Priester speaks up on Brewers’ thrilling win against the Mets The Brewers managed to pull off a come-from-behind 7-6 victory, capped by a solo, walk-off home run by rookie sensation Isaac Collins. “It’s indescribable,” Priester said after giving up a season-high 11 hits (h/t Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). “They definitely made up for a lot of my miscues today, but it’s a team game. I love being a part of this team, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to smile right now.” On the season, Priester is 11-2 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.24 WHIP through 22 appearances (17 starts). The Brewers have now won their last three series via sweeps, and they will look to keep it going with a three-game set coming up against the National League Central division cellar-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates at home.
A Minnesota Vikings wide receiver's season is already over. The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that wide receiver Rondale Moore is being placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a leg injury that he suffered in the team's first preseason game against the Houston Texans this past weekend. It is a devastating blow for Moore who is now being sidelined for an entire season, before it even begins, for the second year in a row. Moore signed a one-year, $2 million contract in free agency with the Vikings this offseason in the hopes he could return from a different injury that cost him the entirety of the 2024 season. Moore was a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 after being acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for backup quarterback Desmond Ridder. This is now two different teams that Moore has been a part of but will never play a game for them due to injuries. Moore was injured while returning a punt. He began his career with the Arizona Cardinals, catching 135 passes for 1,201 yards over three seasons before being traded. He was never going to be counted on to be a key contributor for the Vikings offense this season, especially given the superstars they already have at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but he still had a chance to be an interesting depth player. Now it is fair to wonder what the rest of his career might even look like. Missing two full seasons due to two different leg injuries is going to be a brutal thing to try to come back from. Missing two seasons for any reason is difficult, but when you add the leg injuries to the equation, it makes the obstacle even steeper.
Country singer Spencer Hatcher is mourning the sudden and heartbreaking loss of his mother, Holly Hatcher, who was killed during a violent home invasion in Virginia on August 3. According to the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, 41-year-old Kevin Walker broke into the Hatcher home and fatally stabbed Holly, 62, a longtime local schoolteacher. Her husband, Michael Hatcher, 65, was also attacked but managed to retrieve a handgun from his vehicle and shoot Walker, killing him in an apparent act of self-defense, ENews said. When deputies arrived, they found Michael injured and Holly with multiple stab wounds inside the home. Authorities say the attack appears to have been completely random, with no known connection between Walker and the Hatchers. Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson described the incident as "highly unusual" and unlike anything he had seen in over 30 years of law enforcement. Investigators later learned that Walker's erratic behavior began two days earlier. He had checked into a campsite at Endless Caverns in the Shenandoah Valley, toured the caverns, and later purchased a sleeping bag and large knife from Walmart. The next day, his vehicle was found abandoned after allegedly ramming into a store at the RV park. Spencer Hatcher Thanks Fans, Asks for Privacy Following Loss Despite a search using patrol units and a drone, authorities were unable to locate him before the fatal home invasion. According to DailyMail, Spencer, 28, announced on Instagram that he would postpone three scheduled performances, including appearances at the VOA Country Music Fest in Ohio and the Rockingham County Fair in Virginia. "It is with a heavy heart and overwhelming sadness that—due to a monumental loss in our family—I must cancel my upcoming shows," he wrote, thanking fans for their support and asking for privacy. Michael Hatcher also spoke publicly on August 7, expressing gratitude for the community's outpouring of kindness. "There's no way for you to know the trauma and the pain... Each of you have made it much more bearable through your love and support," he said, his right arm bandaged from injuries sustained during the attack. Holly Hatcher had served as a teacher in rural Virginia for 19 years. Rockingham County Public Schools remembered her as a devoted educator who "poured her heart into her work" and made a lasting impact on students and colleagues.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has faced questions about some alleged screenshots from his Venmo account, and the school is reportedly investigating the situation. Screenshots and videos that were widely circulated on social media Monday claimed to show multiple Venmo transactions linked to Mateer that contained the phrase “sports gambling.” The two main transactions in question were on Nov. 20, 2022, which was when Mateer was a freshman at Washington State. The alleged transactions that referenced “sports gambling” were between Mateer and a Venmo account for Richard Roaten, who is believed to be one of Mateer’s former Washington State teammates. While some have questioned whether the screenshots could have been altered, there were also videos that appeared to show people actively scrolling through the account that is believed to belong to Mateer. According to a Tuesday report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Mateer has denied to Oklahoma officials that he has ever been involved with gambling. The school is still planning to investigate further, however. Mateer issued a statement on his X account denying being involved in sports gambling, explaining that the descriptions seen on his Venmo account are "inside jokes" with his friends. "The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false," Mateer wrote. "My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends. "I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling." Oklahoma also issued a statement saying it has “no reason to believe” there is going to be an NCAA investigation. Rules prohibit student athletes or team staff from betting on any sports that have NCAA championships. One of the alleged screenshots connected to Mateer had a reference to “UCLA vs. USC” in addition to “sports gambling.” Penalties for an athlete who has been found to have gambled on prohibited sports can include a loss of eligibility. Mateer had his first full season as a starter last year at Washington State. He completed 64.6% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns. Mateer entered the transfer portal after last season as one of the top players available, and he had a disrespectful gesture when announcing his commitment to the Sooners.