What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were off on Thursday - they open a three-game series with the Giants on Friday night at Citi Field
Mark Vientos has emerged a non-tender candidate after the season ends (SNY)
The Mets are one of the teams interesting in signing Japanese slugger 3B Teruaki Sato (MLB.com)
OF Juan Soto surprised a bunch of kids from the Police Athletic League of New York City and New York Empire Baseball in Brooklyn during a baseball clinic (SNY)
Roster Moves 📰
Claimed RHP Cameron Weston from Baltimore and optioned him to Triple-A
C Shawn Ross designated for assignment
Promoted C Kevin Parada to Triple-A Syracuse
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
In the latest episode of The Just Mets Podcast, Rich is joined by guest Marc Luino, aka @GiraffeNeckMarc (co-host of Mets’d Up & The Windup) to discuss what they were most right & wrong about entering this season, the worst Mets takes of the year, and how to contend in 2027...
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
C Alejandro Urias (Single-A): 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI, K
OF Aiden Smith (No. 16 prospect, Single-A): 2-for-5, R, RBI, 2 SB, K
C Ryan Tayman (High-A): 3-for-4, R, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (63-77) vs Giants (58-83)
Where: Citi Field — Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Nolan McLean (10-8, 3.06 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Wilkinson (0-2, 4.63 ERA)
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: WPIX
Some forthcoming decisions seem easy, but others will be harder for the Mets ✍️
With this season going off the rails so early for the Mets, change is inevitable. Big changes with both easy and difficult decisions on the immediate horizon, not the least of which will be yet another managerial change.
It’s not clear who will be available to the Mets or who will even want the job considering how tumultuous things have been with the club, but unless interim manager Andy Green changes his mind, there’s going to be a new face in the Mets dugout when camp opens in Port St. Lucie in five months.
But beyond that, they have some significant roster decisions to make with the players who are currently here.
For starters, the Mets will have to make a decision on Mark Vientos, and if I were to wager, his time in New York will likely come to an end. He has a net negative value as a struggling right-handed designated hitter with no place in the field, and all of that is a big reason why the Mets have been bad for over a year. He’s going to be in his first year of arbitration eligibility, which will make him more expensive than the $775,000 he’s earning now, even if it’s a nominal increase.
To be frank, it’s time after four years of waiting for the tide to turn with Vientos, and if not for the lack of minor league options, he might’ve been sent down last June.
Chelsea Janes of SNY recently speculated that Brett Baty might get another year in a Mets uniform despite another poor season from him due to his versatility in the field. But has making him a versatile player really helped him create value? Again, Baty has been terrible, but the Mets can’t hide from the fact that they displaced him at third base when they signed Bo Bichette, and when he was their regular third baseman last year— albeit in a small sample— that was unquestionably the best version of Baty since he came to the big leagues. That’s not to say he would be better if Bichette opted out and they decided to make Baty their full-time third baseman— that’s ill-advised right now. And, like Vientos, Baty is going to be arbitration eligible for the first time in 2027.
They could easily find another utility-man that, should they put up similar subpar numbers, would at the very least play better defense. Baty is someone who is easily replaceable next season.
Francisco Álvarez is another problematic case. On the surface, Alvarez’s offense has been above average offensively. He is hitting .231/.317/.392 with 13 home runs and 34 RBIs with an OPS of .709. For context, the league average OPS among qualified catchers is .684 coming into play today.
But lately, he has been unplayable, and that might be a kind way to put it.
His defense is generally poor, to the point that Luis Torrens— who is arguably the best defensive catcher in the game— has been getting the bulk of the reps behind the plate. And at the plate, Álvarez has been on a concerningly downward trajectory, having hit only .145/.253/.229 with 40 strikeouts in his last 95 plate appearances dating back to July 29.
Now, while Alvarez has certainly been frustrating to watch, especially with his power potential, the truth is there is not much out there to upgrade at the position. Again, overall Álvarez has been above average offensively, is still just 24 and generally inexpensive even as he enters his arbitration years next winter. So, despite the problems he has with respect to the problems on the rest of the roster, they probably need to stand pat at the position and hope he either grows or another internal option emerges in the relative near-term.
Next, Jorge Polanco had a season to forget after being brought in to learn and play first base, which is all the more glaring coming after the loss of Pete Alonso. He suffered through an Achilles injury and ankle bursitis all season and was never effective or healthy. As a 33-year-old, it is hard to see him bounce back from those tough injuries, and it would be unwise to consider him again for first base with that injury history. He was never the right fit for this team either, and with him owed $23 million next season, the team may have to figure out how to cut bait with Polanco, depending on what other moves they’re able to make during the winter.
Finally, Kodai Senga has been another one who has contributed to the losing over the last couple of seasons. As a starter, he was 0-7 with a 9.66 ERA and was pitching his way off the roster in that role. However, as a reliever, the team seems to have unlocked something in him by making him a two-pitch pitcher. As a reliever, he has a pedestrian-like 4.24 ERA, but in save situations, he has five saves and a 1.80 ERA. He’s been a breath of fresh air in that role, adding a bit of excitement to the ninth inning with his new “Beat It” entrance.
Now, while he certainly has potential as a closer, it’s hard to completely trust this small sample from Senga considering the track record. He is due $15 million next season in the final year of his contract. The team is also paying Devin Williams $12 million next season, and I am not sure he should be the closer, either. First, they have to decide if they want to keep Senga around, then they have to decide if they trust him or Williams to be a closer. A lot of that could depend on who’s available to them this winter too.
It’s undoubtedly been a disappointing season for the team and its fans, and next year, the team could look radically different yet again. There were a lot of question marks heading into the season, and those questions have now been answered, and it’s time to act on it. If the team felt it needed to make a change from Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil after a collapse in 2025, right, wrong, or otherwise, those who didn’t perform this season should also not be tolerated.
As Steve Cohen recently said, the Mets have to take fewer risks, and that could come at a cost of longer-term contracts.
Around the League 🚩
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 39th home run to help the Cubs edge the Brewers 2-1 at Wrigley
Tommy Edman had four hits and played three positions in the Dodgers 3-2 win over the Cardinals
Cal Quantrill allowed two hits over seven innings and Corey Seager homered in the Rangers 6-0 shutout over the Rays
Adley Rutschman hit two home runs in his return to Camden Yards in the Red Sox 6-5 win over the Orioles
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is day-to-day with biceps and neck soreness
Honestly I don’t see a scenario where there isn’t a lockout next year. Question is - how long will the owners stay united. And based on a potential new agreement (salary cap) it could influence much of what the Mets do for next season.
Of Vientos: "He has a net negative value as a struggling right-handed designated hitter with no place in the field, and all of that is a big reason why the Mets have been bad for over a year". Really? Of course he's got to go but Vientos' failings are a very small reason why the Mets have been bad. Far bigger reasons are the failings of Polanco and Semien and Baty and Senga and Peterson and the absence of a guy name of Alonso.