What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets dropped the opening game of their series against the Dodgers with a 4-2 loss at Citi Field on Friday night (box)
LHP Sean Manaea enjoyed a strong outing on the mound, allowing just one earned run on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts over six innings
It was the bullpen that let the Mets down with LHP Brooks Raley giving up the insurance run, before LHP A.J. Minter allowed a two-run home run to OF Kyle Tucker to seal the loss
CF Luis Robert Jr. homered in the bottom of the second inning to open the scoring, and C Francisco Alvarez hit a solo blast in the eighth to represent the only two runs scored by the Mets
1B Jared Young was the only Met to record more than one hit, with the offense striking out a total of 11 times and going 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position
Injury Updates 🏥
OF Juan Soto left Friday’s game in the sixth inning with continued left calf soreness and will undergo an MRI on Saturday
Rumor Mill 💨
The Mets have reportedly been involved in trade discussions regarding C Francisco Alvarez and are open to moving him if the right deal comes together (NY Post - link unavailable)
Play of the Game 🙃
Sean Manaea held up his end of the bargain by largely shutting down the vaunted Dodgers lineup. In what was a close game, it was up to the bullpen to keep it that way and give the offense every chance to break out in the late innings.
However, it didn’t exactly pan out that way.
After Brooks Raley allowed the go-ahead run to score, it was up to A.J. Minter to prevent any further damage from happening. Instead, with one runner on and two outs in the eighth, he proceeded to give up a two-run bomb to Kyle Tucker that effectively secured the win for the Dodgers.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
ICYMI: Trade season is upon us, and in the latest Patreon episode, Rich and Michael took on the hottest takes the Just Mets faithful had to offer. Enjoy a preview above, and subscribe to our Patreon to hear the full conversation!
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
David Stearns Speaks 🗣️
Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns spoke to the media prior to Friday’s game in his regular homestand availability. Here are the highlights from what he had to say…
The biggest nugget to emerge was when Stearns was asked about ruling out Francisco Lindor being dealt at the Trade Deadline. Stearns responded by refusing to “rule out or in any specific player on anything.” He did add that the team has a group of young players and potential future Hall of Famers that the front office views as the franchise’s core.
Clay Holmes spoke to the media on Friday and admitted that there hasn’t been a “ton there” in terms of progress on contract talks. When asked about those comments, Stearns declined to answer.
Stearns spoke about the franchise’s desire to compete in 2027, explaining that the Mets have to keep that in mind when making deals, while also making moves that are “right for the organization.”
He is “extremely disappointed” about how this season has gone, he is the one responsible for doing what is best for the team right now.
Catching is in high demand with both of the Mets’ catchers coming up in trade talks, and while Stearns refused to get into specifics, he did note that the team is “very fortunate” to have two really good catchers.
With Carlos Beltran set to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend, Stearns praised the job Beltran has done as special assistant, while revealing his excitement for Carlos and his family ahead of what will be a special weekend for the former Met.
Interim manager Andy Green to return to the front office after the season, while noting that the looming lockout hasn’t had any impact on trade discussions.
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Jonah Tong (No. 1 prospect, Triple-A): 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K
SS Ronny Mauricio (Triple-A): 2-for-5, 1 R, 4 RBIs, 1 HR
RHP Noah Hall (High-A): 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
SS Mitch Voit (No. 5 prospect, High-A): 3-for-4, 1 RBI
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK (GM 1 | GM 2) | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (43-61) vs. Dodgers (66-38)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Nolan McLean (7-6, 3.34 ERA) vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-6, 2.78 ERA)
When: 7:15 PM EDT
Where to Watch: FOX
What now for Robert Jr., Holmes, and Álvarez? ✍️
Well, Friday night was yet another lesson in sheer ineptitude by the Mets.
The offense did nothing outside of two home runs, the bullpen gave the game away, and, oh, Juan Soto was forced to leave because of that troublesome left calf. It might be best at this point to consider shutting Soto down for the rest of the year in order to fully heal the ailed area.
It’s not like there is anything left to play for at this point.
There was one positive with Carson Benge showing his elite defensive chops with two outfield assists, becoming the first Mets rookie since Juan Lagares with two assists in the same game. Plus, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Benge reached 100.0 mph on his second assist, which is the Mets’ fastest recorded outfield assist in the Statcast era.
At least we have the rookies to keep us entertained the rest of the way.
However, what I want to talk about today is the compelling decisions the Mets will need to make on three particular players in the run-up to the Trade Deadline.
The first of those players, Luis Robert Jr., should actually be a slam dunk easy decision. If the Mets get an offer, then they must absolutely trade the outfielder. If he keeps on hitting home runs like he did last night, then that should only drive up the price with teams already reportedly interested in the center fielder.
Look, I was a fan of the Mets trading for the former White Sox slugger because I liked his upside and thought it was a relatively small risk well worth taking. I also still believe that Robert Jr. could be a very good player for some team at some point. Of course, I had no idea Carson Benge was going to be this good. I had less of a clue that A.J. Ewing was going to make such a huge impact when called up. And I certainly didn’t envision the Mets sucking this badly.
Things change, and Robert Jr. just doesn’t fit here anymore. He absolutely can’t take away any amount of playing time from either of the two rookies, but I worry if he keeps hitting, then there will be a temptation to keep playing him. That can’t happen.
The rest of this year should be all about the future, and with the outfield now set for the foreseeable future with Ewing, Benge, and Juan Soto, there is simply no room for Robert Jr. on this roster. The Mets should take whatever they can get for him, move on, and focus on developing their outfield of the future.
Now, the conversation gets trickier when it comes to the other two players I want to talk about.
It sure seems like Francisco Alvarez is being discussed in trade talks, and the catcher’s future is certainly dividing the fanbase. In a piece I did a week ago today, I made the case for the Mets trading the former top prospect. Well, I’m going to contradict myself today. The more I think about it, the less convinced I am that dealing away Alvarez is actually a good idea. There is power there, there is talent there, and at 24, there is still time to put it all together. I do believe that if Alvarez can put together a couple of consecutive healthy seasons, then we could see the catcher make another leap.
So I take back what I previously said about trading Alvarez. Keeping him is probably the best course of action, especially given that the Mets aren’t executing a full-on teardown here. There is no doubt that Alvarez can contribute to this team winning in the future.
With all of that said, the only way I’d consider trading Alvarez is if the offer is just too good to refuse, and that could happen. It feels like a number of teams are looking to upgrade at catcher, and Alvarez would obviously tick a lot of different boxes for a lot of teams. Say if the Yankees or the Rays offer the Mets a package featuring players or prospects that could help the team compete in 2027, say a first baseman for instance, then it may be hard turning that down. Otherwise, I would make it a priority to keep hold of Alvarez and focus on honing his offensive prowess further.
Finally, there is the Clay Holmes dilemma. Reading between the lines of what was said by Holmes on Friday, and what wasn’t said by Stearns, it sure feels more and more likely that Holmes will get dealt.
I think that would be a grave mistake.
Listen, unless the team is pulling the trigger on a full rebuild, which it isn’t, then there will need to be enough talent on the roster next year in order for the Mets to morph back into contention mode. I know some took issue with what I said last week about trading Luke Weaver because that flies in the face of the Mets trying to be a better team next year, but I stand by that. Based on everything we know, Weaver is likely to get the most back in return. While I personally wouldn’t trade Weaver, we know the front office is now in sell mode so if you can get back a lot in return, then do it.
Back to Holmes. I wouldn’t trade him because attaining good starting pitching is considerably harder than building a solid bullpen. So, if you already have a reliable starter in house, which the Mets have in Holmes, why get rid of him? Losing Weaver would be tough, but I think the Mets could rebound from that. Giving up somebody in Holmes who has proven himself as a dependable arm who delivers every start would be a lot harder to come back from in my opinion.
Let’s see how it all shakes out over the coming weeks.
Around the League 🚩
Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal struck out a season-high 12 batters over 7.1 innings of one run ball in a 2-1 win over the Royals
RHP Cam Schlittler struck out 12 over 7 1/3 scoreless innings as the Yankees shutout the Phillies 1-0
1B Rafael Devers delivered a walk-off single to propel the Giants to a 7-6 win over the Angels
Five pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout as the A’s beat the Twins 2-0
2B Anthony Seigler had four hits to help the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 6-4, while Toronto 3B Kazuma Okamoto broke Shohei Ohtani’s rookie record for most home runs by a Japanese-born pitcher after blasting his 23rd long ball
1B Jake Burger hit a home run and finished with three RBIs to help lift the Rangers to a big 5-4 win over Seattle
1B Matt Olson delivered a clutch three-run blast in the 10th inning to propel the Braves to a 7-6 win over the Orioles
I really don't see the point in moving Alvarez, especially since we don't really have anyone in the pipeline to replace him. Torrens is a great backup, but he's not a full-time player. The more he plays, the less value he produces.
Wouldn't it be just like the Mets to trade Robert Jr and he goes on a Cespedes-like tear for his new team, leading them to the World Series? Then, he'll sign a big free agent contract and play in less than 50% of the games for his new team, due to injuries.