An important evaluation is ahead for the Mets

With Jonah Tong re-emerging in the minor leagues, his performance down the stretch could help shape the Mets rotation for 2027

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets lost to the Astros on Sunday by a score of 6-3 (box)

• LHP Zac Thornton was solid over five innings, allowing just two runs with five strikeouts, but the bullpen sprung a leak behind him - RHP Jonathan Pintaro and LHP Jefry Yan combined to allow four runs (three earned) in the sixth and seventh innings

• SS Francisco Lindor and LF Juan Soto accounted for the bulk of the Mets offense on Sunday with back-to-back home runs in the first inning

• 1B Jared Young committed a costly throwing error in the seventh inning which allowed two runs to score

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Play of the Game 😡

Lamont Wade Jr. hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning to put the Astros up over the Mets 4-3, but it was Jared Young’s throwing error in the following inning that allowed two runs to score and put this game well out of reach for the Mets and their struggling offense.

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The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

In the latest edition of the Just Mets Podcast, Andrew and Rich recapped a disappointing week for the Mets in their two series against the Brewers and Astros, as well as AJ Ewing’s sluggish second half and how that should play into his role in 2027.

SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• INF Mark Vientos (Triple-A, MLB rehab): 4-for-5, 3 HR, 5 RBI

• INF Jefferson Rojas (No. 1 prospect, Double-A): 3-for-6, 2B, HR, 4 RBI

• INF Sammy Stafura (No. 8 Prospect, High-A): 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI

• OF Aiden Robbins (Single-A): 2-for-5, 4 RBI, R

Six Syracuse pitchers combined to throw the franchise’s first nine-inning no-hitter since 1971 as the Mets shut out the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 8-0.

BOX SCORES

Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (61-76) at Rays (82-54)

Where: Tropicana Field — St. Petersburg, FL

Starters: RHP Robert Stock (0-3, 7.40 ERA) vs. LHP Ian Seymour (9-5, 4.21 ERA)

When: 6:40 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Jonah Tong, Sean Manaea and how their next starts can impact 2027 ✍️

Getty Images

OK! Less than a month to go here.

Yep, I am counting down at this point. I can’t wait for this miserable season to be over. There are 26 games left, which seems hard to believe for me, and that’s surprising because usually bad seasons feel like they take forever, but this one, for whatever reason, has breezed by.

That was a rough week for the Mets. Sure, they played the Brewers and won a fun game to start the homestand, but they weren’t particularly competitive in the final two games and didn’t hit a whole lot against the Astros, either. They scored 16 runs in the six games against Milwaukee and Houston, which is pretty anemic and the biggest reason they lost four out of six to these two teams.

But, I am not really evaluating the Mets on their ability to win games at this point. That was out the window for me pretty much in late May when it was clear this team was going nowhere fast in 2026.

I am evaluating the Mets mostly on an individual basis at this point, which is what I mostly do in the early parts of Spring Training. I think what we are seeing right now offers a lot of good with their promising rookies, what some of these no-name relievers are demonstrating in what we thought was a completely empty bullpen post-trade deadline a month ago, but none of that masks the holes and weaknesses the Mets have to address this coming winter.

Now, as far as the pitching problem is concerned, it’s going to be interesting to see how they go about fixing that. On paper, they absolutely need some starting pitching. The obvious move for them is to go for Tarik Skubal, but they’re also going to have to decide how much they trust Sean Manaea to be a part of this rotation in the final year of his three-year, $75 million contract.

And, the reason I say that is because there’s been a sudden re-emergence of Jonah Tong in the minors. He nearly threw a no-hitter on Saturday for Triple-A Syracuse (who turned around and used six pitchers for a no-hitter on Sunday), but that’s a stamp on what has been a dominant run at Triple-A for Tong over his last four starts, during which he has a 0.84 ERA with 23 strikeouts against 10 walks and 11 hits in 21.1 IP.

I think he will be here in a few days and pitching in this rotation down the stretch, and his performance will matter for sure. It’s a critical time for Tong along with an opportunity for him to show he can be a part of their solution.

After all, Tong is and has been a top prospect and, outside of this season, has been a dominant minor league pitcher. So, what should the Mets believe with Tong? The longer track record of success in the minors, or the inconsistent measurement against stiffer competition over the last year at Triple-A?

All of that matters, and will matter in how they blueprint their off-season and the future of this rotation. How he fares over this next month might not only impact his standing as a member of the rotation going forward, but also Manaea’s.

NY Post

In other words, if Tong has a good September as a starter, that might push Manaea back into a long relief role or off the roster entirely. If Tong has a mediocre September, that could increase Manaea’s value on this roster and factor him in more as this club’s fifth starter, at least out of the gate in 2027.

Manaea is also a big part of the clubhouse dynamic, and that has value for this organization, especially in a time when there’s about to be another period of seismic change in the room. That’s not to say the Mets should keep someone around because he’s a good guy, but the Mets seemed to take a new appreciation for team chemistry last winter after the reported issues in the room in 2025. Ultimately though, if they don’t think Manaea can be a five-inning arm who can face a lineup twice anymore, he can’t be in the rotation going forward.

But for now, having Manaea and Tong in the rotation to evaluate is fine, and again, I fully expect Tong’s next start to be in the big leagues. And in a way, this is the path I am rooting for as it’s best for any future Met rotation to be largely built from within.

LA Times

None of that, to me anyway, serves as a variable for a potential pursuit of Skubal, mind you. That is an independent situation which, while it could be a long shot, the Mets have to not only be all-in for, but have to find a way to win over the Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, and the other big players.

I know there will be a Plan B to Skubal, but that’s really like a Plan D or E since the drop-off is so massive from Skubal and anyone else they’re likely able to procure, outside of maybe Sandy Alcantara, who may or may not become a free agent this winter depending on whether or not the Marlins pick up his $21 million option (that’s a steal, but we are talking about the Marlins here). They can always try and bring back Clay Holmes when he inevitably opts out of his deal, but I’d bet that ship sailed when they didn’t show a lot of interest in extending him before dealing him to the Cubs.

Another alternative might include having both Tong and Manaea in the same rotation in 2027, which wouldn’t be ideal and certainly doesn’t help limit the risk issue Steve Cohen recently spoke about with this roster.

There’s a universe where Tong, Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Zac Thornton can be blue-chip arms for this franchise for the next 5-7 years at least if they can finish off their development and keep them healthy all at the same time. Take that group, add in Skubal, and they’d have a next-level rotation during that span which can be championship caliber.

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Around the League 🚩

• RHP Tyler Mahle pitched into the seventh inning as the Braves edged the Rockies 3-2

• RHP Zack Wheeler allowed a run over six innings and both Of Edmundo Sosa and C JT Realmuto homered in the Phillies 5-2 win over the Angels

• RHP Max Scherzer struck out 10 batters over seven innings in the Blue Jays 7-0 win over the Mariners - Scherzer is no ninth all-time in career strikeouts

• The Yankees put up a five-spot in the fifth and a nine-spot in the eighth to wallop the Red Sox 16-1 - the Yankees hit four home runs and notched 18 hits in the win