Bo Bichette's journey at third base has begun
Also - Carson Benge is starting to feel like an x-factor for this team, and he hasn't debuted yet
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was encouraged by Bo Bichette’s first workout at third base (NY Post)
David Wright gave his thoughts on the turbulent offseason in Queens (SNY)
Rumor Mill 💨
RHP Zac Gallen currently has a robust market (Foul Territory)
The Cubs have expressed interest in trading for Dodgers RHP Bobby Miller (Foul Territory)
Eugenio Suárez still does not yet have a strong market (Foul Territory)
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Carson Benge is starting to feel like this team’s X-Factor ✍️
The Mets winter makeover feels pretty much complete following the acquisition of ace right-hander Freddy Peralta late last week.
The Mets now have the frontline starter they were desperately needing. In adding Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, and the recently signed Craig Kimbrel, they’ve now brought in a variety of arms with closing experience to hopefully offset the disappointing departure of Edwin Díaz, including Luke Weaver and Luis García. All of these new faces will join Brooks Raley and AJ Minter along with perhaps Huascar Brazobán, Justin Hagenman, Tobias Myers, Dylan Ross, Jonathan Pintaro, and Austin Warren in various combinations over the course of the regular season.
Luis Robert brings a tremendously high upside to center field, and even if he struggles offensively, he’ll dramatically help this club’s outfield defense.
Jorge Polanco is a proven veteran piece and a noticeable lineup upgrade from Jeff McNeil, and while Bo Bichette is a much different type of right-handed hitter than the departed Pete Alonso, he’s obviously an elite offensive player in this league.
Even if the positions on the field don’t directly correspond, the Mets have clearly done an admirable job of replacing the offense left behind by their longtime core players through both free agency and trade. These are not perfect fits, and in some cases, hardly ideal, but the front office clearly has faith in their processes and their corresponding ability to make the transition to these foreign positions as clean as they can at the big league level.
But wait, Justin, you didn’t talk about Brandon Nimmo.
You’re right.
The Mets’ longest tenured player was the first core player exiled from Queens this winter—on my wife’s birthday no less (thanks, Mr. Stearns).
And it’s also directly visible that the team has not brought in an everyday outfielder to replace him in left field. That’s not an oversight, although as we know, they tried with their pursuit of Kyle Tucker.
All winter, David Stearns has vocalized the fact that the team’s top prospect, Carson Benge, will have an opportunity to win the starting job during spring training. Part of it is Benge’s perceived ceiling, but also Stearns’ continued effort to create runways to the big leagues for their prospect pipeline.
The Mets are exceptionally high on their first-round pick from the 2024 draft, and three weeks before spring training camp opens, it feels like it would be an upset if he is not with the big league team on opening day.
In 116 minor league contests in 2025, Benge slashed .281/.385/.472 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI, 25 doubles, seven triples, and 22 stolen bases.
He played mostly center field in the minors, but it’s believed he profiles best long-term in left, and having Robert next to him will certainly help him defensively (while also helping Juan Soto in right).
The Mets not so quietly believe this kid is going to be a star, and while he doesn’t have to be the focal point of this team’s offense with the likes of Bichette, Juan Soto, and Francisco Lindor leading the charge, there’s a confident belief he’ll soon emerge as a cornerstone piece.
New York is confident Robert will rebound from a disappointing offensive season in 2025. The club believes Brett Baty can build on his success last season and that Francisco Alvarez can break out. A lot of the sort of peripheral players in this everyday line-up, the team knows what to expect while also hoping for improvement.
Benge feels like a real wild card as it’s hard to predict how a kid will make the transition to the sport’s highest level. But if Stearns and company are right about what he’s going to be, as early as this season, it would dramatically raise both the floor and ceiling of what this team can accomplish.
If he isn’t ready, the Mets appear comfortable giving innings to Baty and Tyrone Taylor in left field while they wait for Benge to round into big league shape. Taylor has proven to be a “less is more” player while Baty is expected to be rostered now as a “jack of all trades” player, someone who will play third base, left field, first, and second base. He has played third in the minors but, as we all know, his best position on the field is third and the place where he really began his second half ascent last season.
The Mets can conceivably bet on the combination of all three providing a top third performance in some way, shape, or form over the course of the season. But as was the case last season at third between Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos, the Mets really need one of the three to take left field and run with it, and it’s more likely one of Benge or Baty will do that over Taylor at this point.
And for that reason, I struggle to think of anyone other than Benge being more worthy of being called this club’s 2026 X-Factor.
If he reaches that ceiling, the Mets will have closed their gap in the outfield and will have cultivated a legit rookie of the year candidate by the end of the year. If not, they could very well be scrambling in July to find an outfielder to get them to the end of the season, which will only cost them more prospect capital to resolve.
Around the League 🚩
The Giants inked former Mets OF Harrison Bader to a multi-year free-agent contract (The Athletic)
The Angels have signed veteran Trey Mancini to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp (The Athletic)
RHP Héctor Neris is going to the Royals on a minor league deal (NY Post)
1B Trey Mancini and the Royals have agreed to a minor league contract (The Athletic)
The Cubs and OF Dylan Carson are in agreement on a minor league deal (Baseball Tribune)
Mancini to the Royals? Angels? Lol
We have our squad, I think. If Benge can step up right away, that makes things that much easier, but if he can't we should be all right.
Looking across the current roster, this could be a really, really fun team to watch. We could be playing some baseball this year, yessiree bob.