Today's NY Back Pages and Mets Headlines: 2/28/26

 

Good Morning. Happy Birthday Brian Bannister and Joe Suozzi. 

Section Links: Mets Links, MLB Links, and This Day in Mets History 

Mets Links: 

2/27/2026 Spring Training Box Score: Mets 14 Cardinals 3 Benge RF:  1 for 2; 2 run scored; 1 K; Barnes, A C:  1 for 3; double; 1 run scored; 2 RBIs; Soto, J LF:  1 for 3; double; 1 K; Bae RF:  0 for 3; 1 K; Arroyo 3B:  0 for 1; 1 RBIs; 1 walks; Ewing LF:  2 for 2; HR, 3 run scored; 2 RBIs; 1 walks; Rojas, J 1B:  0 for 2; 1 run scored; 1 walks; 1 K; Reimer 3B:  1 for 2; 1 RBIs; 1 walks; 1 K; Senger C:  1 for 3; 1 run scored; 1 RBIs; Clifford 1B:  0 for 1; 1 walks; 1 K; Melendez, M DH:  2 for 3; 2 HRs; 2 run scored; 4 RBIs; Parada PH-DH:  1 for 1; 2 RBIs; 2 walks; Bruján 2B:  0 for 1; 1 walks; 1 K; Kessinger PH-2B-SS:  0 for 3; 1 K; Villavicencio 2B:  0 for 1; Cluff SS:  0 for 3; 2 K; Mosquera 2B-SS:  1 for 2; 1 run scored; Morabito CF:  0 for 1; 1 run scored; 1 walks; Pache CF:  3 for 3; double; 2 run scored; Peralta, F (W, 1-0): (W, 1-0) 3 innings; no runs; 3 Ks; Williams, D (H, 1):  (H, 1) 1 innings; 1 runs; 1 ERs; 1 hits; Hagenman (H, 1): (H, 1) 3 innings; 2 runs; 2 ERs; 4 hits; 4 Ks; Brazobán:  1 innings; no runs; 1 hits; 2 Ks; Banks:  1 innings; no runs; 2 hits; 1 walks; 1 Ks; 

New York Mets News, Scores, Stats & Standings | New York Post

• MJ Melendez boosts his case for Mets outfield spot with two-homer spring game "Grae Kessinger departed the game with left knee discomfort and will likely have an MRI exam, according to manager Carlos Mendoza."
• Francisco Alvarez has two big Mets goals for 2026 after last year’s ‘frustration’ "Francisco Alvarez will be behind the plate for the first time this spring when the Mets host the Nationals on Saturday at Clover Park... And he has two primary goals for the upcoming season: “I want to stay healthy the whole season, from now until the finish, and I want to go to the playoffs.” 
• Devin Williams’ spring gets off to brutal start with home run on his first Mets pitch "Devin Williams’ first Grapefruit League pitch in a Mets uniform resulted in a ball disappearing behind the fence at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Friday...The cutter, a pitch Williams is still learning, got too much of JJ Wetherholt’s strike zone in the fourth inning."
• Mets tab Freddy Peralta to start Opening Day vs. Pirates after blockbuster offseason trade "He will become the fifth straight different Opening Day starter for the Mets, who gave Clay Holmes the assignment last season in Houston."

Laura Albanese Newsday: "He’s our Opening Day starter — Freddy is,” Mendoza said Friday, hours before righthander Freddy Peralta made his spring training debut at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. And after Peralta’s three perfect innings, including three strikeouts, the verdict very unsurprisingly did not change."

New York Daily News' Mets News

• Mets name Freddy Peralta Opening Day starter

SNY.tv | Latest News

• Mets Notes: Freddy Peralta named Opening Day starter; Francisco Lindor progressing 

Today's Game: 1:10 PM vs. Nationals; Scheduled Starting Pitchers: RHP Tobias Myers, RHP Joey Gerber, RHP Luis Garcia, RHP Craig Kimbrel, RHP Austin Warren

Mets YouTube Channel: Mets 14 Cardinals 3 Game Highlights.

SNY on YouTube: Freddy Peralta, MJ Melendez, Devin Williams, Carlos Mendoza Post Game Reactions

Metsmerized Online

• Mets Top 50 Prospects for 2026: 35-31
• Peralta Shines, Melendez Hits Two Homers as Mets Rout Cardinals
• Spring Training Game Chat: Mets vs. Cardinals, 1:05 PM
• WBC Team Preview: Korea
• Freddy Peralta Named Mets’ Opening Day Starter
• Could Lambert Be Next Mets Bullpen Ace?

Amazin' Avenue

• Mets 14, Cardinals 3: Peralta’s perfect Mets start
• Freddy Peralta named Mets’ Opening Day Starter
• Mets at Cardinals: Spring training lineups, broadcast info, and open thread, 2/27/26
• Matt Turner is another lefty relief option
• Alex Carrillo will look to provide bullpen depth in 2025

Rising Apple Feed

• 5 former NY Mets players who might have to retire if no contract offer comes soon
• How the first 5 NY Mets draft picks from last year performed in 2025
• Another NY Mets Opening Day marquee matchup we can still see without Nolan McLean
• Two swings made the NY Mets RF competition get more interesting
• Former NY Mets player is predicted for a sudden downfall with the Blue Jays
• Something missing from this year’s NY Mets roster they had too much of in 2025

Mets360

• Mets' pen in better shape than a year ago, in part due to SP health

Mack's Mets

• Reese Kaplan -- Sometimes You Need to Read the Real Numbers
• Reese Kaplan -- Is David Stearns Baseball Similar to the de Roulet Era?

MLB and NL East Links:

AP Sports Via the Winnipeg Free Press

• Dodgers don’t expect Snell to be ready on opening day, Yamamoto tunes up for World Baseball Classic
• Blue Jays fans keeping Dunedin economy afloat during turbulent times for tourism
• Lauer tagged for three runs as Rays edge Blue Jays 6-5 in spring training
• Giants scratch Rafael Devers from lineup with tight hamstring against Dodgers
• Max Scherzer’s 8-year-old daughter sent handwritten note to Blue Jays hoping for Toronto return
• Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta to start March 26 opener against Pirates

MLB News

• 2 repeat Cy winners? It hasn't happened in 26 years
• Fans -- and opponents -- watch in awe as Shohei Ohtani takes pregame batting practice in Nagoya 
• Lifers and legends among 18 of the most interesting players on Classic rosters
• How can Spencer Strider regain ace form in ’26?
• Josh Gibson really, may have, hit a ball 600 feet in Puerto Rico
• Yamamoto set for Classic, but how will LA's loaded rotation look Opening Day?
• A complete guide to watching MLB.TV in 2026
• Exhale, Red Sox Nation: Anthony, Rafaela OK after collision
• Yanks' Jones reaches batter's eye with third Spring Training blast
• Cabrera faces 6 hitters in Cubs debut ... and sets each one down
• The reigning king of ABS? He plays for the Reds -- and is lapping the field
• Back in leadoff spot, Witt feeling as comfortable as ever before Classic
• Who is the Ultimate Bandwagon Team for 2026? We investigate
• Slam shows Acuña's ready for Classic; will it launch another MVP campaign?

MLB Trade Rumors

• 6 Teams Dealing With Option Crunches
• Brenton Doyle Battling Wrist Sprain
• Wayne Granger Passes Away
• Tigers’ Troy Melton Delayed By Elbow Inflammation
• Cubs Notes: Crow-Armstrong, Amaya, Rolison
• Dodgers Notes: Snell, Graterol, Miller
• Dodgers Sign Keynan Middleton To Minor League Deal
• Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
• Poll: Will JJ Wetherholt Break Camp With The Cardinals?
• Phillies Sign Connor Gillispie To Minor League Deal
• Seidler Family Weighing Five Offers For Padres
• Royals’ Stephen Kolek Diagnosed With Oblique Strain
• Offseason In Review: Detroit Tigers
• Twins Notes: Lewis, Rotation, Bradley
• The Opener: Lewis, Hoglund, Team Debuts

www.espn.com - MLB

• Does anyone beat Ohtani? Buster Olney ranks the top 10 designated hitters
• MLB's top CF: Where do J-Rod, PCA and Buxton rank?
• Mets to start righty Peralta in opener vs. Pirates
• Dodgers don't expect Snell to be ready for opener
• Giants scratch Devers (hamstring) from lineup

CBS Sports Headlines

• 2026 MLB Opening Day starter tracker: See every team's starting pitcher for Game 1
• Sports betting futures: Expert picks MLB team at over +200 to win their division in 2026
• NFL combine's Day 1 standouts; Max Scherzer re-signs with Blue Jays; NBA Concern Meter
• World Baseball Classic champions: Full list of winners ahead of 2026 tournament
• How Yankees plan to handle Giancarlo Stanton's 2026 playing time, even though he 'can't open a bag of chips'

Today in Mets History

 

Born on this date:

• Tom Spencer (1951)
• Brian Bannister (1981)
• Joe Suozzi (1998)

Died on this date:

• Tom Sturdivant (2009)

Transactions:

New York Mets purchased Dave Kingman from the San Francisco Giants on February 28, 1975.

New York Mets traded Steve Henderson to the Chicago Cubs for Dave Kingman on February 28, 1981.

New York Mets signed free agent Pedro Feliciano on February 28, 2006.

Cleveland Indians signed Juan Uribe of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 28, 2016.

From National Pastime.com:

1975	The Mets purchase slugger Dave Kingman from the Giants. The 26 year-old first baseman/outfielder was drafted by San Francisco as the team's first pick in the initial round of the secondary phase of the 1970 amateur draft.

2014

In an online contest sponsored by the MLB Network, the fans choose Mets' third baseman David Wright as the Face of Major League Baseball. The seven-time All-star, dubbed "Captain America" due to his heroics last season's WBC, narrowly beat out A's infielder Eric Sogard in the bracket-style competition where fans voted on Twitter.