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New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is looking forward to better days ahead.

Cohen sent a letter to season ticket holders on Saturday, assuring them that the front office’s recent spate of trades has set up the Mets for a bright future.

In a separate text message to the New York Post, which first reported news of the letter’s release, Cohen promised the Mets would field a strong team in 2024, even though the real fruits of the trade haul might not be seen for a few years.

“We will be competitive in ’24 but I think 25-26 is when our young talent makes an impact,” Cohen wrote. “Lots of pitching in free agency in ’24. More payroll flexibility in ’25. Got a lot of dead money in ’24.”

In the letter, Cohen said how disappointed he was by the 2023 season, in which the Mets had a payroll north of $350 million.

The Mets will play the second of a three-game series on Saturday vs. the Baltimore Orioles, and will do so with a 50-59 record. They are in fourth place in the National League East, and the three teams ahead of them — the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins — are all entrenched in playoff races.

Before the trade deadline, the Mets dispatched Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, and closer David Robinson in trades.

“We added several key pieces to our team, but things have not turned out how we planned,” Cohen said in the letter. “You are rightfully disappointed and so are we.

“This is not where we wanted to be in 2023. Our goal is to be a consistent contender. The only way to do this in a sustainable way is to build a pipeline of high caliber talent in our farm system that will fuel our major league team for years to come.”

Among the players the Mets received in the trades were Double-A infielder Luisangel Acuna, the brother Braves star Ronald Acuna, who is ranked in the top 50 prospects in baseball.

“Our front office was able to acquire young, exciting athletes who excel in multiple facets of the game. These include top prospects, infielders Luisangel Acuna, Marco Vargas, Jeremy Rodriguez, Jeremiah Jackson, outfielders Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, catcher Ronald Hernandez and right-handed pitchers Justin Jarvis, Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux,” Cohen said.

“It’s going to be fun watching them rise through our system as they develop and learn to win together.”

Scherzer made his Rangers debut on Wednesday, and struck out nine batters in six innings en route to a 5-3 Texas victory.

On Saturday, in his first Houston start this season, Verlander allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings, but the Astros lost to the New York Yankees, 3-1.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

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Tigers’ Baddoo to miss start of regular season

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Tigers' Baddoo to miss start of regular season

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo had surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand and will miss the start of the regular season.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Baddoo had more tests done after some continued wrist soreness since the start of spring training. Those tests revealed the hamate hook fracture in his right hand that was surgically repaired Thursday.

Baddoo, 26, who has been with the Tigers since 2021, is at spring training as a non-roster player. He was designated for assignment in December after Detroit signed veteran right-hander Alex Cobb to a $15 million, one-year contract. Baddoo cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo.

Cobb is expected to miss the start of the season after an injection to treat hip inflammation that developed as the right-hander was throwing at the start of camp. He has had hip surgery twice.

Baddoo hit .137 with two homers and five RBIs in 31 games last season. The left-hander has a .226 career average with 28 homers and 103 RBI in 340 games.

After the Tigers acquired him from Minnesota in the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings in December 2020, Baddoo hit .259 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .330 on-base percentage in 124 games as a rookie in 2021. Those are all career bests.

Baddoo went into camp in a crowded outfield. The six outfielders on Detroit’s 40-man roster include three other left-handed hitters (Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Parker Meadows) and switch-hitter Wenceel Pérez. The other outfielders are right-handers Matt Vierling and Justyn-Henry Malloy.

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Dodgers’ Miller has no fracture after liner scare

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Dodgers' Miller has no fracture after liner scare

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller still had a bit of a headache but slept fine and felt much better a day after getting hit on the head by a line drive, manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

Roberts said he had spoken with Miller, who was still in concussion protocol after getting struck by a 105.5 mph liner hit by Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch in the first game of spring training Thursday.

The manager said Miller indicated that there was no fracture or any significant bruising.

“He said in his words, ‘I have a hard head.’ He was certainly in good spirits,” Roberts said.

Miller immediately fell to the ground while holding his head, but quickly got up on his knees as medical staff rushed onto the field. The 25-year-old right-hander was able to walk off the field on his own.

“He feels very confident that he can kind of pick up his throwing program soon,” said Roberts, who was unsure of that timing. “But he’s just got to keep going through the concussion protocol just to make sure that we stay on the right track.”

Miller entered spring training in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation. He had a 2-4 record with an 8.52 ERA over 13 starts last season, after going 11-4 with a 3.76 in 22 starts as a rookie in 2023.

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Brewers OF Perkins (shin) to miss start of season

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Brewers OF Perkins (shin) to miss start of season

PHOENIX — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins is expected to miss the first month of the season after fracturing his right shin during batting practice.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy revealed the severity of Perkins’ injury before their Cactus League opener Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.

“They’re estimating another three to four weeks to heal and a ramp-up of four to six weeks,” Murphy said. “So you’re probably looking at May.”

Perkins, 28, batted .240 with a .316 on-base percentage, six homers, 43 RBIs and 23 steals in 121 games last season. He also was a National League Gold Glove finalist at center field.

“Perkins is a big part of our team,” Murphy said. “The chemistry of the team, the whole thing, Perk’s huge. He’s one of the most loved guys on the club, and he’s a great defender, coming into his own as an offensive player. Yeah, it’s going to hurt us.”

Murphy also said right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas has what appears to be a serious lat injury and is debating whether to undergo surgery. Bukauskas had a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances last year but missed much of the season with a lat issue.

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