…first off, tomorrow is the start of a new year…and, wow, i’m very excited about putting 2007 behind us…way, way behind us…while looking forward to the 2008 season…
…lastly, thank you for reading MetsBlog.com…it’s been a great year for this site, complete with a new partnership with SNY and a strong, loyal and growing readership…in [...]

…from what i can gather, the Mets will not have a Media Caravan this off-season, just like they did not do last off season…which is a bit disappointing, frankly…i always enjoy that day, while getting to hear what every one has been up do, how they’re approaching next season, etc…however, i sense it is just [...]

“Even though he is entering his first year of arbitration eligibility, there’s already talk that Scott Kazmir’s days as a Ray are numbered,” writes the St. Petersburg Times.
According to the report, the Rays approached Kazmir about a long-term extension last year, ‘but nothing developed.’
In early November, in the New York Post, citing ‘an executive familiar [...]

…i was cleaning out a closet over the weekend and found an old video tape from my childhood that featured a bunch of Mets highlights through the mid-1980s…great stuff…it’s very sporadic and random, but entertaining nevertheless…
…so, i did some additional searching on YouTube and found the following clips…hope they bring back a few memories for [...]

…MLB Offices are closed through January 2…my sense is that the off-season may pick up steam again during the middle of this month, since pitchers and catchers will be only four weeks away from reporting at that point…
…from what i can gather, the Mets remain oddly confident regarding their talks with the Twins about Johan [...]

According to a weekend report in the Allegheny Times, free-agent RHP Matt Clement may look to sign with the Indians or Pirates - in an effort to remain close to his home in Pennsylvania.
If you recall, Mark Prior recently signed a one-year contract with his home-town Padres, despite getting ‘lucrative offers’ from the Mets and [...]

The Mets signed minor-league free agent RHP Andy Cavazos, reports Joel Sherman in the New York Post.
He played in the Rangers system from 1999 through 2002, after which he spent five years in the Cardinals organization.
In 17 games for the Cardinals last season, the 26–year-old Cavazos allowed 25 runs, while walking 16 in 20 innings [...]

According to Jerry Crasnick earlier this week at ESPN.com, the Mets are still interested in acquiring A’s RHP Joe Blanton, but not at the expense of Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey and Aaron Heilman.
In a recent post to Athletics Nation, Nico writes the following about Blanton…
“It’s difficult to say exactly how good Joe Blanton is….He has [...]

…a friend of MetsBlog, who i trust, recently bumped in to Phillies OF Pat Burrell while at dinner in Arizona…her table was introduced to him as a group of Mets fans…he was much nicer than she expected he would be…however, according to burrell, he would be open to playing for the Mets when they enter [...]

In today’s New York Post, Joel Sherman writes that the Red Sox remain the ‘strong favorite’ to acquire Johan Santana from the Twins.
According to Sherman, a) the Yankees are still unwilling to trade Phil Hughes and are reluctant to give Santana a six-year contract extension, while b) the Mets lag because Minnesota still wants to [...]

In a column for the Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch breaks down who is Hot and who is Not in baseball as we head in to 2008.
Regarding the Mets, Klapisch lists Omar Minaya under the Not category, while writing…
“Unless the Mets can somehow pry Johan Santana away from the Twins, they’ll go into ‘08 without significantly [...]

According to the Daily News, the Mets have expressed interest in free-agent LHP Jon Lieber.
Lieber’s agent, as quoted by the Daily News…
“We’ve been in contact with the Mets, but as we sit here today it’d be wrong to suggest something is imminent.”
…as the report suggests, multiple reports during the last week or so have linked [...]

According to Jayson Stark at ESPN.com today, citing ‘one source with knowledge of the discussion,’ it may be ‘several weeks’ before the Twins make a trade involving Johan Santana.
Stark continues to write…
“The most surprising aspect of those talks to some baseball people is that the Mets remain in the mix. It may be because [...]

In a post to his outstanding blog for Newsday, media-watchdog Neil Best wrote about the partnership between this site, MetsBlog.com, and SNY, the regional sports television network.
For more on MetsBlog’s relationship with SNY, click here.
Best concludes by writing…
“It’s another variation on a recent theme of ‘mainstream’ outlets bringing popular independent blogs and message boards into [...]

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Mets and Rangers each made ‘lucrative proposals’ to Mark Prior, who, instead, chose to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal to play for the Padres in his year-round home of San Diego.