What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets return to action tonight in Chicago where they face-off against the first place White Sox
Andy Green could be considered to remain Mets manager in 2027… if he’s interested (MLB.com)
Could the Mets benefit from adding another voice to their front office? (The Athletic)
Injury Updates 🏥
1B/DH Mark Vientos (fractured right hand) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton on Thursday
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
Andrew Claudio recaps yet another series win for the Mets over the Padres, and how much better this team has been playing since the trade deadline.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
3B Billy Amick (Triple-A): 1-for-4, HR (31), 2 K
C Kevin Parada (Double-A): 2-for-4, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 R
SS Sammy Stafura (No. 8 prospect, High-A): 0-for-4, BB, 3 K, R
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (58-70) at White Sox (66-61)
Where: Rate Field – Chicago, IL
Starters: LHP Sean Manaea (4-5, 4.22 ERA) vs. RHP Sean Burke (7-6, 3.15 ERA)
When: 7:40 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Free from expectations, the Mets are finally having fun again ✍️
Before we get into things, it needs to be said that this has undoubtedly been one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history from these Mets.
After missing the playoffs by virtue of a tiebreaker last year, there were a ton of expectations placed onto this team to right the ship and compete again in 2026. And with that also came a ton of pressure.
Whether you want to blame David Stearns for making too many changes or the manager Carlos Mendoza – who was relieved of his duties at the end of June – or the players for underperforming, or bad injury luck, this Mets team crumbled under the weight of those expectations this season as they’ve now carried a sub-500 record for the last 133 consecutive days, with their low-mark of the season being a paltry 19 games under the .500 mark.
This massively disappointing start to the season gave the Mets no choice but to blow up a third of their roster at this year’s deadline, trading away a total of eight players from their major league team between June and August 3rd – David Peterson, A.J. Minter, Freddy Peralta, Huascar Brazobán, Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor.
Most of us believed that once the trade deadline came and went, there wouldn’t be much of a reason to continue locking into this team every day. That this would just be a disappointing team playing out the string with a bunch of no name relievers for the final two months of an exhausting regular season.
But weirdly enough, that isn’t what’s happened at all.
No, instead this Mets team – for the first time in 14 months – actually looks like they are enjoying playing the game of baseball. They’re playing looser, free from the lofty expectations that were placed upon them earlier this season, and the results have backed that up.
The Mets are now 11-4 since the trade deadline, the best record in baseball over that time span and undoubtedly the best stretch of baseball we’ve seen this team play all season long.
Under interim manager Andy Green, the team has begun to look a lot different. Maybe they just need a different voice – any different voice – than Mendoza to shake themselves free of the long malaise they’d been in, or maybe there’s something specific about Green’s style but whatever it is, clearly something has clicked here.
The team doesn’t seem to be playing nearly as tight as they once were and while you will still see the occasional lapses, even those appear to have been minimized greatly over the last several weeks. In addition to that, the overall performance of the team has also greatly improved across all facets.
The offense, without Juan Soto mind you, has seemingly begun to click averaging 4.9 runs per game since the deadline – far better than the 4.0 runs per game they’d been averaging over their first 113 games of the season – and the pitching has been significantly improved despite trading away seven different pitchers in-season.
If I would’ve told you that the Mets bullpen would have a 2.68 ERA after blowing up their entire major league bullpen – the second-best in MLB since the deadline – and having their closer Devin Williams go on the injured list, is there any shot in hell you would have believed me?
But right now, this is the reality for the Mets. And while their playoff odds remain microscopic at this point – they currently have a 0.1 percent chance, according to Fangraphs – I’m just relieved that we actually have something enjoyable to watch right now.
Maybe it’s a loser’s mentality, but I don’t care. Once this season went off the rails, there was no part of me that believed we would get to watch an entertaining product from this team until 2027 at the absolute earliest. For this to happen after most fans emotionally moved on from the season and one of the more dramatic trade deadlines this team has had in a long time is an unexpected joy, even if it doesn’t result in some sort of miracle run to the postseason.
Right now I’m just having fun watching Jefry Yan pump 101 MPH fastballs and leap 10 feet into the air after every strikeout.
I’m having fun watching Daniel Duarte come out of nowhere to look like a potentially dominant reliever for this team.
I’m having fun watching Carson Benge ascend into a young superstar.
I’m having fun watching Nolan McLean and Christian Scott develop in real-time at the big league level.
I’m having fun watching Francisco Lindor return to form at the plate.
I’m having fun.
I truly don’t need much – just fun, competitive, semi-entertaining baseball. And finally, after all the expectations and pressure have withered away, this Mets team is finally giving us that.
Around the League 🚩
Former Mets RHP Jacob deGrom became the fastest right handed pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,000 career strikeouts in the Rangers 2-0 win vs. the Nationals
After not showing up to the team’s game at Fenway Park the day prior, Dbacks 2B Ketel Marte was placed on the injured list
Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole dominated as the Bombers swept away the Orioles with a 6-1 victory
The Angels bludgeoned the Astros with a dominant 18-3 win
Off topic but kudos to whoever came up with the hysterical “Spider-Man meme” t-shirt they gave away on Wednesday.
Imagine the Mets records if they had just retained deGrom, Wheeler, Ryan and Cone.....
Or at least replacing them adequately.
He's a few rungs down, but bring back Holmes!