The exclusive pre-sale for Mets Season Ticket Holders starts Monday, February 27 at 10:00 AM at Mets.com. The Plan Holder pre-sale begins Tuesday, February 28 at 10:00 AM ET.

In addition, three new ticket packs will go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 AM ET at Mets.com.

For more information on ticket packs, check out Mets.com.

According to Sherman, numerous players could become available at that time because of a new clause in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which basically states a player who has been in the league for six seasons and signed minor league contracts this off-season must be given a spot on the 25-man roster five days before the start of the regular season. Otherwise, they must be given a $100,000 bonus to be sent to the minor leagues and the right to opt out of those contracts by June 1.

Sherman says “It is unlikely many — if any — teams will agree to the $100,000 bonus. Thus, in late March, you can expect a layer of player movement that did not exist previously.”

Left-handed hitters falling into that category include Russell Branyan, Rick Ankiel, and Carlos Guillen. Such pitchers include Zach Duke, Jeff Francis, Livan Hernandez, Aaron Cook, Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla.

Of course, the risk is these players make their respective teams and don’t become available, and an internal candidate does not emerge, leaving the roster in flux. But in certain situations, such as the one surrounding Ankiel and the potential of Bryce Harper making the team out of camp this year, it’s reasonable to believe external options could emerge at the beginning of April for the Mets if an internal candidate doesn’t.

“I have seen him snap,” David Wright told Martino, who says Bay might walk into the clubhouse and go bonkers, Paul O’Neill-style, after a bad at bat. ”When no one is looking, and when there are no cameras around, and the younger players can’t see him, he will let it out.”

Bay told Martino he still believes ’100 percent’ that he can again hit 30 home runs in a season.

Bay, who has a full no trade clause, will earn $16 million each of the next two seasons, after which he has a $17 million option that kicks in with 600 plate appearances in 2013 or 500 in both 2012 and 2013, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

By the way, this is an outstanding report by Martino. Read it. It’s very good, and it’s the type of work newspapers should be focusing on and producing more of given their level of access and staffing.

To read Martino’s full report, click this link and read the Daily News.

Here are results from a poll on MetsBlog.com in January asking: “How many home runs do you expect Jason Bay to h it in 2012?”

“I felt like I was so close to being there, and now I’m kind of in stall mode. It was hard to sit on the couch and watch my teammates play. It was frustrating not being out there, as it is with any injury. But being in the middle of a big year like that, it was a little more frustrating, for sure.”

DiComo suggests if Neiuwenhuis had stayed healthy and continued to develop last year, it’s possible the Mets would not have acquired Andres Torres from the Giants.

However, DiComo says Nieuwenhuis could serve only as a placeholder while Matt Den Dekker develops in the minor leagues.

Nieuwenhuis, 24, hit .298 with a .403 OBP, six home runs and 14 RBI in 188 at-bats for Triple-A Buffalo in 2011. He had shoulder surgery in July and missed the remainder of the season. However, in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, Nieuwenhuis was added to the 40-man roster in November.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com recently named Nieuwenhuis as the organization’s 11th best Mets prospect to watch.

As far as Nieuwenhuis’ future is concerned, it’s difficult right now to project where he might end up defensively. Jason Bay presents the biggest obstacle for all of the Mets outfield prospects because, assuming he isn’t traded, Bay will likely be the team’s left fielder through 2014 (given his easily attainable option). But, if Nieuwenhuis hits, the Mets presumably have to find a place for him, and a lot will depend on how Den Dekker, Lucas Duda, and later, Brandon Nimmo develop. In a way, this surplus is a very good problem for the organization.

If the deal goes through, the current B-Mets owners are expected to purchase the Class-A Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League, which is not affiliated with the Mets (the Brooklyn Cyclones are their New York-Penn League affiliate).

The Mets affiliation agreement with the Binghamton club expires after 2012 and, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, their Double-A affiliate could be in New Britain, Connecticut beginning in 2013. The Mets have been affiliated with Binghamton since 1992.

However, B-Mets President Michael Urda told the Binghamton Press-Sun Bulletin:

“The Binghamton Mets have not been sold, and we have not been contacted by anyone interested in our club,” Urda angrily said. “There’s 12 teams in the Eastern League and we have to address it every single week … Enough’s enough.”

In September, 2006, the Mets announced their 38-year relationship with the Tidewater/Norfolk Tides had concluded, and that they had reached a two-year affiliation agreement with the New Orleans Zephyrs for their Triple-A team. After the conclusion of that agreement in 2009, the Mets signed a two-year agreement with Buffalo and became affiliated with the Buffalo Bisons. In 2010, that agreement was extended through the 2012 season.

For more on this, check out Toby Hyde’s post to Mets Minor League Blog.

Prepping for trip. Bought 4 like-new tires at chop shop across from Citi. He threw in free wiper fluid. Better than the Wheeler deal!

— Sandy Alderson (@MetsGM) February 10, 2012

Today, Picard responded publicly to Ownership’s request to dismiss the case, according to the Daily News. Also today, Capital New York ran a story about a woman’s testimony that accuses Ownership of knowing about the Ponzi scheme.

So, I always assumed that when actual news occurs – and it will – when an actual conclusion is reached – and it will be – when a ruling is handed down and the dust settles – because, eventually, it will – I will read it, talk to experts and insiders, try to understand and then weigh in on how I feel it impacts the New York Mets and their fans (because, in the end, the roster and fans is what I care about). Until then, I just can’t pick through the details and speculate, because a) every expert in law and finance I know keeps telling me not to bother, because even people close to the situation don’t know what’s going to happen or what it means, and b) it’s just not that interesting to me.

However, that’s not necessarily fair to you, or other people who rely on MetsBlog to keep them in the loop on things. Plus, I realize there are some fans who are very obsessed with this story, and that’s totally cool too. It’s just not where my brain is at, as we’re finally just two weeks away from pitchers and catchers and that’s what I want to enjoy.

Nevertheless, if you want links and paraphrasing and updates on every little report and back-and-forth news item that is published between now and the trial in late March, I’ll post them. Of course, I probably won’t synthesize them or explain them in any detail, because, frankly, I’d need someone smarter than me to do that for me. So, instead, I will try to bring on a lawyer and finance expert to do it and post their reaction to the blog to help make these posts more credible and insightful.

On the other hand, if you don’t care about each bit of news, every day, as it happens, if you prefer I focus on baseball and only relay hard and relevant news as it pertains to Ownership, Maddoff, etc., that’s also fine by me. But, I’d rather you make the call… so, please, vote here and leave comments to let me know what you think is best.