What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets clinched their series against the Padres following a 4-2 win at Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon, and are now 11-4 since the Trade Deadline (box)
RHP Robert Stock battled a lot of traffic but allowed just one earned run on two hits with three walks and six strikeouts over 4.1 innings
The bullpen came through again as four relievers combined for 3.2 innings of scoreless relief, before RHP Kodai Senga overcome some troubles to earn his fourth save of the year and secure the series win
RF Carson Benge stayed hot with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning to put the Mets on the board
CF A.J Ewing scored on an error in the eighth and 1B Jared Young added another insurance run with an RBI single, finishing 2-for-4
Mets prospect 1B Ryan Clifford was placed on the development list following some prolong hitting struggles in the minors (SNY)
Roster Moves 📰
INF Jorge Polanco placed on the 10-Day Injured List with left ankle bursitis
RHP Jack Weisenburger optioned to Triple-A Syracuse following Tuesday night’s game
RHP Chayce McDermott and INF Eric Wagaman recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
Injury Updates 🏥
INF Jorge Polanco (left ankle bursitis) will undergo surgery on his troublesome left ankle and will miss the rest of the season
C Luis Torrens took a foul ball off his right knee during the third inning of Wednesday’s game and looked to be in considerable pain, but managed to stay in the game
Stat of the Day 📈
RF Carson Benge joined Darryl Strawberry as the only two players in franchise history to record 15 home runs and 15 stolen in their rookie season
Play of the Game ⭐️
This one is fairly easy.
The Mets were struggling to work out San Diego starter Michael King in the early parts of the game, failing to record a single hit before the fourth inning.
However, things started to roll in the bottom of the inning and, with a runner on first and two outs, Carson Benge stepped to the plate and did what he’s been doing an awful lot lately: deliver.
The rookie continued what has been a stellar first season in the bigs by launching a two-run shot the opposite way to give the Mets the lead, one they were able to protect the rest of the way.
Furthermore, Benge now has a real opportunity to record a 20/20 season in his rookie year, which would only strengthen his case for NL Rookie of the Year.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
ICYMI: Join Rich for a solo edition of the JM Pod as he recaps a 4-2 week against the Braves/Nationals and looks ahead to the 2027 Mets.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Steve Cohen Speaks 🗣️
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen met with members of the media prior to Wednesday’s game. Here are some highlights from his availability…
He still supports President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, noting that Stearns is “smart, knows what he’s doing,” is “very adaptable”, and learns “from his mistakes.” Cohen said those are all qualities he wants in a leader, while he also credited Stearns for overseeing a “great Trade Deadline.”
Mistakes were made in the offseason, admitting that “too much risk” might have been taken with all the changes that were made
Cohen expanded on that, adding that the more risk you take, the bigger the potential downside is
There’s a lot to look forward to with this team following the recent turnaround, noting that he’s “getting more optimistic” about the foundation heading into 2027
He would welcome Green throwing his hat into the ring if that’s ultimately what he decided to do
Down on the Farm 🌾
CF Nick Morabito (No. 13 prospect, Triple-A): 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 2B
2B Marco Vargas (Double-A): 3-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBIs, 1 HR, 2 SB
LF Corey Collins (Double-A): 3-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBIs, 1 HR
2B Yonatan Henriquez (High-A): 1-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBIs, 1 HR
SS Jeremy Rodriguez (Single-A): 2-for-3, 2 BB, 2 SB
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
The Mets are off on Thursday and will head to Chicago to open up a three-game series against the White Sox on Friday.
Who could form a first base platoon with Jared Young? ✍️
I’ll be honest, I was really tempted to write about Carson Benge again today. The rookie was at the heart of another Mets win on Wednesday, and he keeps on showing just how great he could be.
However, given that I talked about Benge last Saturday, I decided it would be best to shine the light on someone else this morning. That’s why I want to focus on Jared Young.
The veteran stayed hot with a 2-for-4 day at the plate on Wednesday, including tacking on an important insurance run late with an RBI single.
There’s no question Young continues to prove himself as a worthy candidate to take over the first base job in 2027, especially in the light of the Mets announcing yesterday that Jorge Polanco’s season is over. The veteran will undergo season-ending surgery on his left ankle, officially bringing to an end what has just been a miserable first year in Queens.
Polanco has been an absolute bust, and no matter what happens now, I think the whole first base experiment needs to be brought to a merciful end. The infielder played just two games at first base all year, and the decision to sign him to replace Pete Alonso looks more stupid by the day. Maybe there is a world in which Polanco rebounds mainly as a DH in 2027, but he can’t be allowed to go near first base again.
So yeah, Young has proven that he’s up to the job at first base, both defensively and at the plate too. He owns an .887 OPS over his last 35 games and is just a steady presence on both sides of the ball. However, it would probably still behoove the Mets to go out and add a right-handed bat to form a platoon with Young.
But should Young be an everyday answer at first base for this club? No, definitely not, but he at least deserves to be in the mix there on this date.
So what are the likely options?
Internally, there isn’t a whole lot to go on. Ryan Clifford was the obvious candidate to enter the mix, but he’s also a lefty bat. Plus, he’s just been added to the development list after recording just five hits in 67 at-bats over his last 18 games for Triple-A Syracuse. So that’s a no-go right off the bat.
Externally, the free agent market is razor-thin this upcoming offseason, especially when it comes to the first base market. There aren’t a whole lot of sexy options available, but then again, the Mets probably don’t need a flashy addition with Young already in place.
Rhys Hoskins is arguably the best first baseman available in free agency. He’s solid defensively, while he has 13 home runs, 13 doubles, and 38 RBIs for Cleveland this season. Alec Bohm would be an upgrade offensively based on his 22 doubles, 14 homers, and 71 RBIs for the Phillies this year. However, while he’s now playing first base for Philadelphia, he’s logged way more reps at third and he’s hardly considered a good defender, so that could be a repeat of past mistakes for the Mets.
Ryan Mountcastle was a Gold Glove finalist in 2023 and, while he’s been hurt for much of this season, he does offer some pop at the plate too. Mountcastle probably profiles in a similar way to Young, and maybe a platoon of Young and Mountcastle would give the Mets a solid stopgap option at first base for 2027 while they look to fix other areas of the roster.
Other options include the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and Ty France. Again, they don’t exactly move the needle, but if the Mets are looking to just hold serve at first base with Young for next year, one of the aforementioned names would do as a serviceable right-handed platoon option.
Of course, there is the possibility that the Mets could decide to make a major splash by upgrading at first base via a trade. What that would look like remains to be seen, and we can get into that more in the offseason, but that would arguably be the best way to address an area of need as the team looks to get back into contention in 2027. Especially when you consider that there is no guarantee that Young will be the same player offensively next year.
But, if Young is the interim answer at first base for next season, then partnering him with a solid right-handed bat that can actually play the first position would certainly be an improvement on what the Mets started with this year.
Or maybe the Mets should have just brought back Alonso in the first place. But we won’t get into that today. Whoops!
Around the League 🚩
The Phillies signed LHP Nestor Cortes to a Major League Contract to bolster their rotation (MLB.com)
Orioles 1B Pete Alonso’s potential go-ahead home run was controversially ruled a foul ball as the Yankees edged past Baltimore by a score of 5-3
RHP Aaron Nola tossed seven innings of one-run ball and struck out eight to help the Phillies beat the Marlins, 4-1
2B Kody Clemens finished with three RBIs as the Twins swept the Braves with a 6-4 win to move into a Wild Card spot
A day after suffering the worst loss in franchise history, the Mariners rebounded by beating the Brewers 7-5 thanks to RF Dominic Canzone’s two-run double
RF Braden Montgomery’s two-run double lifted the White Sox to a 3-0 shutout win over the Cubs
RHP Chase Burns struck out eight over five innings and 1B Sal Stewart launched a go-ahead three-run homer to propel the Reds to a 5-4 win over the Cardinals