And by releasing Bobby Bo and signing the deal, the Mets freed up $6 million to sign free agent Mike Hampton, who went on to become the 2000 NLCS MVP. And when Hampton left after the Metropolitans lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series, the team was awarded the draft pick that would become team legend and former captain David Wright.

Happy Bobby Bonilla Day!

A Florida minor-league Mets affiliate’s Fourth of July fireworks went up in flames Thursday night.

The inferno broke out during the High-A St. Lucie Mets’ post-game pyrotechnics display, following a 4-1 victory over the Daytona Tortugas.

Photos posted to social media show smoke billowing from the blaze as it consumed trees beyond the outfield wall at First Data Field in Port St. Lucie.

This isn’t the first time the St. Lucie Mets have have been connected to a conflagration — a similar fire occurred after the team’s fireworks night in April 2017, burning four acres.

Tempers are flaring at Citi Field. A tumultuous Mets season took another strange twist, with general manager Brodie Van Wagenen punctuating a heated meeting with the team’s coaching staff by throwing a chair, according to club sources.

The incident occurred following Friday’s 7-2 loss to the Phillies in which closer Edwin Diaz imploded in the ninth inning, allowing four runs in his latest meltdown. An irate Van Wagenen assembled manager Mickey Callaway and the coaching staff in the coaches room immediately after the game, according to a source, and lashed out at the individuals present, bemoaning the fact Jacob deGrom’s strong performance had been wasted. Accompanying Van Wagenen at the meeting was assistant GM Allard Baird.

During a win against the Braves on May 5, Mets RHP Victor Zambrano removed himself from the game due to pain in his elbow…

…this had to be one the funniest, saddest, most frustratingly hilarious things i have ever seen, in that zambrano literally pulled himself from the game, said nothing, and just ran off the mound, down the steps of the dugout and in to the clubhouse, never speaking to a single person…

…if you were watching the game, i assume you had the same, ‘huh,’ look on your face as i did…

The Mets then placed Zambrano on the 60-day disabled list with a tear in his flexor tendon, announcing that he’d miss the remainder of the season…

I've said it before and probably in this thread, but it might be less embarrassing for the Mets if they thought they were trading for Carlos Zambrano and got the stats mixed up.

Three full seasons have elapsed since Scott Kazmir pitched in a Major League game, but the veteran left-hander is set to launch another comeback attempt at 36 years of age. Kazmir recently tweeted a video of himself throwing in a bullpen session, and the former Rays, Indians, Angels, A’s and Dodgers southpaw confirmed to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he hopes to return to the big leagues in 2020.

Kazmir, who’s open to a minor league contract and a chance to prove himself in Spring Training (as he’d need to be after such a lengthy absence), tells Topkin he’s still in the process of rebuilding his arm strength and fastball velocity. He’s worked out with Driveline this winter and recently topped out at 90.9 mph in a bullpen session. That’s already a far sight higher than the 86 mph at which his heater sat when he first began throwing with an eye toward a big league return. Kazmir’s fastball sat at 91.4 mph in his final season with the Dodgers in 2016, so he’s not quite yet even topping out at his previous fastball average. However, he also has nearly two months before the season would begin.

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets outfielder Michael Conforto was scheduled to be examined by a doctor in New York after tweaking his side while making a catch in a recent spring training game.

The slugger had an MRI in Florida but left camp and was sent to New York on Monday night to meet with the team's medical director, Dr. David Altchek, for further evaluation, the Mets said.

Assuming he's not back on the field until mid-2021, he'll probably have to wait another year for the big free agent deal that people were anticipating.

Stroman, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, was hit in the calf with a line drive during an intrasquad game on Friday, manager Luis Rojas said. But the former Patchogue-Medford star shook it off and kept pitching.

In an abbreviated 60-game season which begins Friday, the worst-case scenario is Stroman has pitched his last game for Mets, but for now the team says the right-hander is “week to week.”

Scott Kazmir completed an incredible comeback effort in May, reaching the big leagues for the first time in five years. The veteran bounced on and off the Giants’ roster a couple times, ultimately making five MLB appearances and starting twelve times with Triple-A Sacramento.

Kazmir finished the season on the injured list after straining his right hamstring during the final week of the regular season. The 37-year-old (38 in January) tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he’s returned to full health a little less than a month later. Kazmir adds that he intends to continue pitching next season, assuming he receives interest from teams.

The New York Mets on Wednesday told reporters that right-hander Max Scherzer is going on the 15-day injured list. Scherzer exited his last start Saturday with what was described as fatigue in his left side. Earlier this season, Scherzer missed almost two months because of an oblique strain in that same left side.