Andy Green, Zac Thornton, and the Baby Mets

Plus, Juan Soto’s big hit powers the Mets to a series-tying win over the Phillies and snaps the skid

What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets snapped their five-game losing streak after beating the Phillies 6-3 at Citi Field on Friday night (box)

• LHP Zac Thornton had another strong outing on the mound, allowing just two earned runs on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts over six innings

• LHP Nate Lavender gave up a solo home run in the seventh before retiring his next four batters, while RHP Dedniel Núñez was perfect over 1.1 innings to record his first save of the year

• RF Carson Benge hit an RBI single and CF A.J Ewing recorded a two-run single, both in the first inning, to give the Mets an early 3-0 lead

• LF Juan Soto then put the game out of reach with a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Soto also recorded a double with one run scored and three RBIs

• INF Mark Vientos has made clear that he still wants to be a New York Met with his future very much up in the air (MLB.com)

• The Mets will officially retire Carlos Beltrán’s number 15 jersey and induct the former outfielder into the Mets Hall of Fame in a ceremony prior to today’s game

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Roster Moves 📰

• INF Jared Young placed on the 7-Day Concussion Injured List

• INF Ronny Mauricio recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

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Injury Updates 🏥

• 1B Jared Young (concussion) has been discharged from the hospital and is doing as good as expected or hoped for with the Mets getting back the “right kind” of test results. Young has full motion of his arms and legs and is able to walk, but is experiencing some short-term memory loss and a pretty bad headache. His season is officially over.

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Play of the Game ⭐️

That’s what they pay him the big bucks for.

With the Phillies making it a 3-2 game in the top of the sixth, it was on the Mets to respond in the bottom of the inning.

Respond they did.

With two runners on and two outs, Juan Soto came to the plate and did what all great players are supposed to do: come through for their team.

Soto blasted a three-run home run that travelled 428 feet to effectively wrap up the game for the Mets and even the series.

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The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

In the latest midweek edition of The Just Mets Podcast, Andrew Claudio and Rich MacLeod debate how bad David Stearns, Steve Cohen and Mets fans looked after Pete Alonso made his return to Citi Field during an emotional and vitriolic series vs. the Baltimore Orioles...

SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• RHP Justin Hagenman (Triple-A): 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 K

• 2B Vidal Bruján (Triple-A): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBIs, HR

BOX SCORES

Triple-A SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (70-84) vs. Phillies (85-69)

Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY

Starters: RHP Christian Scott (4-5, 3.76 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Painter (3-9, 5.54 ERA)

When: 4:10 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Opening the notebook with the finish line fast approaching ✍️

Robert Sabo - NY Post

Well, there was plenty to like from last night’s game, including the offense showing some life after being ice cold throughout the five-game losing streak.

What I really liked, however, was another encouraging performance from Zac Thornton. I think we’re at the point now where we can safely say that the rookie has earned a spot in the 2027 rotation.

Going up against a team firmly in the playoff race, Thornton again showed the tough edge he has. He has no fear, he will attack whoever is at the plate, and he has an ability to just shake off tough moments and gut out starts.

Those kinds of intangibles are exactly what you want from a player who has the potential to be a really reliable starter at the heart of the rotation.

Now, Thornton doesn’t have as much flash as Nolan McLean and Christian Scott, but that doesn’t matter because you need different kinds of starters in a successful rotation. What Thornton does have is bucketloads of toughness, resiliency, and aggression, with the latter backed up by the fact that Thornton has walked two or fewer hitters in 13 of his 14 starts, joining Mike Bruhert as the only pitchers in franchise history to accomplish that feat.

I’ve seen enough from Thornton to know that I would be more than comfortable with him getting handed the ball every five days in 2027. He isn’t going to wilt on the mound, he’ll give you six solid innings more often than not, and I just love his mentality. He’s like a cold-blooded assassin out there and I think that’s exactly what the Mets need.

Thornton has proved himself, as has McLean and Scott, and now it is on the Mets to go out and surround those three with proven arms to fill out the rest of the rotation. They could opt to go out and sign Tarik Skubal to pair with McLean at the top of the rotation, or they could sign a couple of mid-tier arms - like a Clay Holmes, perhaps - to really give this young trio of pitchers the help they deserve.

But, all in all, I’m quickly becoming a huge fan of Thornton because of his fearless approach to pitching, and I think he can get even better.

Bill Kostroun - NY Post

Now, I won’t spend a lot of time on this next topic because we’ve already talked about it a lot, but man, I do wish Andy Green would change his mind and consider managing this team in 2027 and beyond.

I just don’t know how you would be against Green getting the gig on a full-time basis.

He clearly has earned the respect of the entire clubhouse already. His comments and how he handled the scary situation with Jared Young showed his compassion and his ability to deal with the players as human beings. He quite obviously gets it and cares a lot. He’s a baseball savant and, more importantly given where the Mets are, he knows how to motivate and develop young players.

Go and check out Green’s comments on Thornton in the wake of last night’s game. Green talked about the need for Thornton to keep his foot on the gas, while challenging the rookie to go and unlock another level during the offseason. I’m not in the clubhouse so I don’t know for sure but, if I were to hazard a good guess, I’d say the young players would run through a wall for Green.

He knows how to challenge them in the right way and he knows the right buttons to push in terms of developing them. It is also obvious that Green knows how to communicate just as effectively with the veterans, and that isn’t always an easy thing to do.

If I were the Mets, I’d be moving heaven and earth to get Green to change his mind, because he seems to be the right voice for this team at the right time.

Okay, I want to finish with some rapid-fire thoughts on the Baby Mets.

Corey Sipkin - NY Post

I think it is imperative that the organization draws a hard line in the sand when it comes to Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Francisco Álvarez this offseason. I don’t know if the team can afford to spend another year wondering if these guys are going to put it all together.

We know who Vientos is, and it is no doubt the right decision to move on from him this winter. I’d be compelled to move Baty too, unless you can find him a full-time role and position. Alvarez is a harder discussion, but with that said, we can’t keep hoping that his talent is going to take over. It hasn’t up until this point, so why should we be confident that it will in the future?

I mean, Alvarez has been a black hole offensively for most of the second half of the season, and he seems to be going backwards. While I changed my mind about moving him at the Trade Deadline, I’m now no longer sure again if the juice is worth the squeeze anymore. I just don’t think he’s going to become the player we all thought he was capable of becoming. The Mets were able to go and find Luis Torrens out of nowhere, and look at the player he’s become, so I’m sure the front office could find a solid defensive catcher with a little pop to back up Torrens if they decided to move on from Alvarez too.

Given the state of the major league roster and what’s now in the pipeline, uncertainty now around Bo Bichette, it’s hard to spend another year waiting in hope that they will come good when there is enough evidence to suggest that all three are fool’s gold. It is imperative the Mets get back to contention status in 2027, and the fewer question marks they have in key areas the better.

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Around the League 🚩

• The Nationals signed RHP Cade Cavalli to a four-year, $47 million contract extension with a club option for the 2031 season (MLB.com)

• The Braves punched their postseason ticket for the eighth time in the last nine years after beating the Astros 6-2

• RHP Gerrit Cole bounced back with six strong innings to help the Yankees beat the Diamondbacks 9-2, while OF Aaron Judge was placed on the IL with a right calf strain

• The Padres blasted two home runs on the way to beating the Marlins 8-2, moving into a tie for the first Wild Card spot in the NL

• OF Roman Anthony had a home run and a two-run single in the Red Sox’s 4-2 win over the Rays

• The Tigers scored nine unanswered runs to beat the White Sox 11-8, while the Guardians beat the A’s 5-3 to move atop the AL Central

• SS Mookie Betts hit a pair of home runs to power the Dodgers to an 8-2 win over the Giants