Is Carson Benge really ready to contribute for the Mets in 2026?

Making the case for why the Mets may need a Plan B for center field. Plus, the Mets announces its coaching staff for the 2026 season...

Corey Sipkin - NY Post

What’s up with the Mets? 🍎

• The Mets officially announced their coaching staff for the 2026 season, with Bench Coach Kai Correa, Pitching Coach Justin Willard, and Hitting Coach Troy Snitker among the new additions (Official Release)

• New York overlooked internal concerns when trading for Cedric Mullins and Ryan Helsley at the trade deadline (Sports Illustrated)

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Rumor Mill 🔎

• Don’t be surprised if the Mets are “heavily in on” OF/1B Cody Bellinger and try to steal him from the Yankees (Sports Illustrated)

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Roster Moves 📰

• RHP Frankie Montas officially released after being designated for assignment

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The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

In this bonus episode of The Just Mets Podcast, available exclusively on Patreon, Rich MacLeod is joined by Pat Ragazzo - reporter for Sports Illustrated - to discuss the club’s pursuit of Cody Bellinger, growing pessimism over Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz, and New York’s plans to shake up the roster in an extreme way this winter.

You can watch the full interview exclusively over on Patreon.

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Is Carson Benge really a viable roster option in 2026? ✍️

Getty Images

When president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke at the GM Meetings in Vegas earlier this month, one of the biggest and most intriguing nuggets to emerge was the organization’s stance on prospect Carson Benge.

Per Stearns, Benge will have every opportunity to impress the Mets and make the 2026 roster out of spring training.

Now, solving the huge question mark that is center field in-house would be a huge boon for the front office, especially with there being so many other needs to be addressed by the Mets this winter. Not to mention the fact that there aren’t exactly a whole lot of upgrades available in free agency.

There is a hell of a lot to like about Benge’s upside - he’s currently ranked the Mets’ No. 2 prospect by MLB.com for a reason - and he could well be the team’s everyday center fielder of the future.

However, with that said, is it really a realistic proposition for Benge to be on the 2026 Opening Day roster for the Mets?

Again, the outfielder’s potential and skillset is tantalizing, and there is a clear pathway for Benge to contribute to this team at some point in 2026. He could already be an offensive upgrade over current incumbent Tyrone Taylor, and we all know that Stearns is more than willing to rely on internal options when upgrading the roster this winter.

When you really get into the weeds of it all, though, there is a very valid argument to be made that rushing Benge to the big leagues could be a disaster in the making.

Now, of course, I’m sure there will be some fans who will be keen to quickly point out that the Mets could have been a playoff team in 2025 if Nolan McLean wasn’t held back for as long as he was. That’s fair, but it is also worth remembering that Benge isn’t exactly in the same boat as McLean was last year.

For starters, it was clear to anyone with a pair of eyes that McLean was more than ready to make the leap to the majors after dominating at Triple-A. He also owned a track record of proven success throughout the minor leagues. In Benge’s case, he doesn’t have a boatload of pro games under his belt. Furthermore, while he raked at Double-A, including hitting .397/.482/.726 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in a red-hot July, he struggled after being promoted to Triple-A. He slashed just .178/.272/.311/.583 in 24 games for Triple-A Syracuse, while also getting hurt.

On the face of it, Benge just hasn’t had all that much seasoning at the Triple-A level, and an undisclosed hand injury didn’t exactly help matters. He didn’t ever really get into a groove because of that, and it would seem sensible to allow the 22-year-old more time to hone his skills and develop further at Triple-A.

Syracuse Mets - Kylie Richelle

Plus, as much as the Mets seem poised to blow the current roster up this offseason, they aren’t going to wave the white flag anytime soon and become a rebuilding team. They are still going to be a contender, and their win-now window is wide open. Therefore, there is going to be an enormous amount of pressure on Benge to step up and perform like an everyday big leaguer from day one if he does indeed make the team out of spring training.

Is placing all that expectation on an untested rookie who is coming off an injury really fair? I mean, as much as McLean rose to the occasion last year, we saw the opposite of that in Jonah Tong, who really suffered at times after a couple of bad outings. You could see that Tong’s confidence was shattered, and he looked beyond fragile at points. Do the Mets really want to repeat that whole experience with another top prospect in Benge?

Placing Benge in the spotlight on Opening Day just seems to be counterproductive at this point. Of course, it could all be bluster from Stearns, who may be trying to keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to his actual plan to address the offensive deficiencies out in center field.

And, it makes no sense to have Benge here rotting on the bench, much like they did with both Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio over the last year.

So, if not Benge from the get-go, then what?

Well, as we’ve discussed several times in previous newsletters, a reunion with Harrison Bader on a short-term deal could act as the perfect bridge to Benge. Bader is a defense-first option who also enjoyed a career-year offensively in 2025, posting career-highs in home runs (17), doubles (24), and RBIs (54). Bader’s presence would allow Benge time to develop further down in the minors, before becoming a more viable option in 2027, or maybe even in the latter stages of the 2026 season.

Another way to go could be going after Cody Bellinger in free agency, especially if Pete Alonso signs elsewhere. Although arguably better suited to a corner outfielder spot, Bellinger could start the year in center field before being moved over to first base, thus giving Benge the time he needs to get ready for a full-time role in the major leagues. Plus, Bellinger could also split his time between first base and center field throughout the year in order to ease the pressure on Benge further.

Again, external center field options are limited for the Mets, especially when you consider that the front office would likely be unwilling to make a trade for someone like a Jarren Duran because of the prospect capital they would have to give up, not to mention that a move like that would block Benge’s pathway to the majors on a more long-term basis.

Even so, it would behoove the Mets to make some kind of outside move to improve offensively in center field for the 2026 season, rather than expecting a rookie to provide the kind of production this team needs when the odds are stacked against him.

All in all, as high as I am on Benge as it pertains to having the potential to become the Mets’ eventual full-time center fielder, I just don’t think he’s ready for the bright lights and the biggest stage in 2026. At least not to start the year, anyway. And I think rushing Benge to be ready when he clearly needs more time could be a move that comes back and bites this team.

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Around the League 🚩

• The Braves announced that they re-signed free agent closer RHP Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million contract for the 2026 season

• The Braves also traded INF Nick Allen to the Astros in exchange for INF Mauricio Dubón

• MLB reached an agreement over a new three-year media rights deal with Netflix, NBCUniversal, and ESPN, with ESPN becoming the exclusive MLB.TV rights holder (MLB.com)

• The MLB Field of Dreams game will return in 2026 with the Twins hosting the Phillies in Iowa