What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets lost their first game in almost a week as the Padres humbled them at home, 5-2 (box)
LHP Zac Thornton’s day was a mixed bag: he opened it with a first-pitch homer from Padres RF Fernando Tatis, Jr. (who homered again in the fifth inning), but kept the damage limited to three runs on six hits over five innings, with seven strikeouts against a single walk
C Luis Torrens continued his recent torrid tear, tallying two hits and smacking his fifth homer in his last seven games; 3B Bo Bichette also had another multi-hit game, with two doubles of his own
CF Luis Robert Jr. delivered the Mets’ only other run of the day with his only hit of the day, a solo homer; SS Francisco Lindor went 0-for-5 at the plate and was the victim of a brutal grand slam robbery by Tatis in the 2nd inning
RHPs Jack Weisenberger and Dedniel Núñez allowed a run each over 3.1 total innings of relief with two walks and a homer allowed between them; LHP Jefry Yan had a scoreless outing to back up Weisenberger
Beloved Mets alum Jose Iglesias, a.k.a. ‘Candelita’, returned to Citi Field to throw out the first pitch to Francisco Lindor (MLB)
Howie Rose and Gary Cohen shared a lovely moment in the booth on Tuesday night (NY Post)
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Austin Warren activated from the 15-day injured list
RHP Justin Hagenman sent to Single-A St. Lucie for a rehab assignment
RHP Chayce McDermott optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
Play of the Game 😭
As if the leadoff homer didn’t arrest enough momentum…
In the bottom of the second inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, Francisco Lindor smoked what would have been a go-ahead grand slam on just about any other night — but Fernando Tatis, Jr. had other plans.
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
Down on the Farm 🌾
2B Émilien Pitre (No. 11 prospect, Triple-A debut): 2-for-4, 2B, R
3B Jefferson Rojas (No. 1 prospect, Double-A): 3-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI, K
RHP Gary Gill Hill (No. 17 prospect, Double-A): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB, 8 K, HR
CF Aidan Smith (No. 16 prospect, High-A): 2-for-3, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 SB
LF John Spikerman (High-A): 2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (57-70) vs. Padres (68-59)
Where: Citi Field — Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Robert Stock (0-2, 6.57 ERA) vs. RHP Michael King (8-8, 3.41 ERA)
When: 1:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Luis Torrens - godsend! ✍️
All hail Luis Torrens.
Among catchers with at least 200 plate appearances, Torrens’ 2.0 fWAR is 10th best in all of Major League Baseball this season. Yeah, incredible.
In his last seven games, Torrens has hit five home runs…he had two to his name on the season as recently as August 3rd. He hit his first homer of the year on June 5th…as in a little over two months ago and just over two months into the season.
Torrens has been having a genuinely interesting year at the plate, in that he’s offered a lot to love despite a somewhat lackluster surface picture.
Torrens through 92 G in 2025: 283 PA, .226/.284/.345 (.629 OPS), 5 HR, 14 2B, 20 R, 29 RBI, 19.8 K%-6.7 BB%
Torrens through 67 G in 2026: 203 PA, .216/.279/.314 (.592 OPS), 2 HR, 12 2B, 23 R, 20 RBI, 20.0 K%-5.9 BB%
As you can see above, in less than 70 games he played before this recent power surge (start date August 4th), Torrens’ lack of homer output hadn’t seemed to derail his run creation output much, if at all. Though he’d cleared the fence just twice all season heading into August, he’d still produced 41 runs in just over 200 plate appearances, which equates to a run roughly every five PAs; compare that to 44 total runs produced over 80 more trips to the dish, which translates to a run roughly every six PAs.
Incredibly, despite hitting under .220 and walking less than 6% of the time just weeks ago, he’d still already nearly matched his total production from last season in 80 fewer plate appearances.
He’s obviously blown past those numbers since: these last few weeks alone have pushed his OPS over .700 — the last time he finished a season with an OPS in the sevens was when he posted a .730 over 103 games for the Mariners.
However, while his bat has certainly been of increasing value these last two years in particular, it obviously wasn’t the reason the Mets acquired him from the Yankees, nor was it the reason they extended him this spring.
As nice as the offensive explosion has been, what’s far more likely to stay consistent is Torrens’ leather over his lumber. His ‘best backup’ moniker is well-earned, as he’s been the best steal-stopper in baseball since he joined the Mets in 2024. In the last three seasons, Torrens’ 42% caught-stealing percentage (CS%) is tops in MLB, and not by a little bit — his closest competition is SD’s Freddy Fermin, PIT’s Henry Davis, and KC’s Salvy Pérez, all of whom sit at or below 35%.
This season, Torrens remains among the league’s best defensive backstops. He sits in the 86th percentile in blocks, 92nd in caught-stealing above average, 95th in framing, and 96th in pop time. He’s also tied for the fourth-highest caught-stealing percentage in the league. By every tangible metric, Torrens has all the makings of a future Gold Glove athlete. He was a finalist last year, so it’s not like he’s far off.
And though it’s more intangible a measure of defensive value, Torrens is someone who is frequently praised for his game-calling; up-and-coming righty fireballer Christian Scott just said the other day that they were on the same page the whole game and that he didn’t recall shaking Torrens off at all. One-time Mets ace Luis Severino shared similar sentiments in 2024.
Though far smarter people than I have tried (and sort of failed) to apply a numerical value to the influence game-calling has on a rotation (go read that article when you’re done with this, it’s very interesting), the regular read on Torrens is that he’s a well-studied backstop who knows his staff and knows how certain stuff plays against certain opponents; considering how well Torrens does netting shadow-zone strikes (48%), it sure seems like he has a good idea of both where guys’ stuff is going to fall in the zone, and where hitters are looking for it.
Between all the various trackable and untrackable value data points above, the case for Torrens not just as the best backup catcher in baseball, but one of the best catchers in baseball period, makes itself.
The only thing that’s missing from his Gold Glove equation, really, is more playing time (especially now that back-to-back winner Patrick Bailey is in the American League).
He’s been a true godsend and one of David Stearns’ best moves for the Mets, if not the best.
So, with that in mind… is Francisco Álvarez on the move this winter??
No, likely not. At just 24 years old, Álvy probably still hasn’t hit his prime yet. The Mets have him under arb control through 2029, security that’s of almost immeasurable value considering how weak the catching market is about to be this winter. Backstops who can contribute a .750 OPS that are also a lock for both 10+ homers and a 10% walk rate each year are a commodity, and the Mets assuredly do not take for granted a duo that’s all but guaranteed to drive in at least 40 runs apiece between them each season...even if they don’t hit for average.
Between a slugging 24-year-old who displays at times prodigious power and a 30-year-old veteran stalwart who’s renowned for his game-calling abilities and ranks among the league’s best defenders at the position, the Mets arguably have the most complete catching tandem in the National League, if not all of baseball.
The Mets reportedly received calls at the deadline inquiring about Torrens’ services; another testament to his value.
The front office also reportedly had no interest in heeding those calls.
Good.
Around the League 🚩
The Mariners suffered their worst loss in franchise history, losing 22-0 to the Brewers at American Family Field; it’s the biggest home shutout in over 140 years (MLB.com)
Pete Crow-Armstrong set up an Alex Bregman walk-off in a 4-3 win for the Cubs over the White Sox; it was Chicago’s 13th walk-off this season, the second-most in franchise history (1930 team, 14)
Shohei Ohtani hit his 30th homer of the season in a 7-6 Dodgers win over the Rockies, securing his sixth consecutive 30-homer season; he also threw a successful bullpen session and could face live hitters again soon, though no timetable has been set
Philly’s dynamic duo of Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm spearheaded a 6-4 win over the Marlins by sparking a key sixth-inning rally; Stott’s currently in the midst of a career-high 19-game on-base streak, while Bohm’s logged a hit in seven straight
Adley Rutschman hit his first Red Sox homer and led the way with 3 RBIs in a 9-4 win over Arizona at Fenway
I love the breakdown on Torrens. My day is better when I see him in the lineup.
Quick note about him. He rarely shows emotion as some catchers do when the pitcher delivers a cookie. But when Tatis tattooed Thornton's first pitch, watch Torrens' reaction. It was almost as if he blamed himself.
As the man once said, for a Mets win it was a simple twist of fate! Torrens in his time with the Mets has always been terrific! And now for the moment a power plant! He should be a Met for the rest of his career.