What is Brandon Sproat's trajectory in 2025?
The Mets top pitching prospect is hoping for a big year in 2025 after impressing during his first live batting practice session in Port St. Lucie on Thursday
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
Both Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto were ranked in MLB Network’s Top 10 players in MLB (SNY)
Should the Padres look to move Dylan Cease, the Mets have the prospects to acquire him in Luisangel Acuña, Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, and Jonah Tong (NY Post)
Francisco Álvarez revamped his swing in the offseason after a recommendation from J.D. Martínez (Athletic)
Mark Vientos enjoyed a breakout season last year and he hopes he can build on that to remove any doubt about his abilities (Newsday)
Jett Williams wants to make it to the majors this year after losing most of last season to injury (Newsday)
José Buttó will work mostly as a reliever with a crowded rotation and his success from last season (NY Post)
Spring workouts Day 2 highlights 🏋️♀️
Sproat threw two innings of live BP and Carlos Mendoza hopes he learns from the veteran pitchers in camp (Mets Youtube channel)
The Mets pitching prospect struck out both Tyrone Taylor and Brett Baty while also snagging a comebacker
Huascar Brazobán also threw from the mound and broke Taylor’s bat
José Buttó faced off against Jesse Winker and got a strikeout
Club co-Owner Alex Cohen was seen around camp chatting with Winker and Baty
How should the Mets handle Brandon Sproat this season? ✍️
By all accounts, Brandon Sproat’s spring training debut went pretty well on Thursday, as he threw live batting practice to the likes of Jesse Winker and Francisco Álvarez on the main stadium field. His teammates raved about his stuff after facing him in live BP in what was his first taste of major league competition, albeit in a setting that lacked a whole lot of pressure.
Last season, Sproat enjoyed a meteoric rise through the farm system and ended the season as the club’s top-ranked prospect on all of the major ranking boards. He started the year in Single-A with the Brooklyn Cyclones and ended the year with the Syracuse Mets in Triple-A. He dominated the lower leagues before struggling when he made the jump to Triple-A, which wasn’t terribly unexpected given the speed in which he was traveling through the minor league system.
Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza said struggles are good for a young pitcher’s development to see how they bounce back from adversity. That is what the 2025 season will be all about for the young right-hander, as he will likely be heading back to Triple-A to start his 2025 campaign.
His pitch repertoire consists of a blazing 100-mph fastball, a two-seamer, a change-up, and a slider that has the potential to befuddle big league hitters like he did in the lower levels of the system.
So, if he does put it all together in Triple-A this season, what should the Mets do with their top pitching prospect?
Last season, they did not hesitate to call up Christian Scott when the need arose in the rotation, but this year, the team is far better positioned depth-wise in case of injury. Kodai Senga is back and healthy along with Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, and David Peterson. Should injuries arise, they also have Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn, and Griffin Canning to fill in. The Mets are planning to employ a six-man rotation once the schedule calls for one in an effort to limit Senga’s innings and keep him healthy, which will inject one of Megill, Blackburn, or Canning into the rotation in April but could give Sproat more of an opportunity later on if he’s performing and the others struggle or someone gets injured.
Obviously, the other option for the Mets would be to use Sproat as a trade piece to acquire someone like Dylan Cease. His name has already been floated as a hypothetical should San Diego want to unload their pitcher now that they signed Nick Pivetta. Cease is an ace, and any trade would require a haul on the Mets’ part in terms of prospects. Since Sproat’s career is still so young, Stearns could pull the trigger on a known quantity while giving up many unknowns who may or may not become aces down the line.
But it’s also very, very hard for the Mets to trade their top pitching prospect, who happens to be the only real prospect who can be considered big league ready or close to ready at the moment, especially for a rental. In an ideal world, if the Mets were to trade for Cease or another quality rental this summer, they would work to avoid packaging Sproat into such a deal.
But the world isn’t ideal and, while the Padres reportedly like what the Mets could offer for Cease, there are other teams who could be more willing and able to deal what they’re looking for in return.
If Sproat remains with the team and he continues to find success in the minor leagues, they will have some decisions to make at the big league level. His career is still in its infancy stages, so there is no urgency to get him to the big leagues, but if he continues to dominate, they might have no choice but to give him a look in the majors.
Sproat took that first step with his live batting practice session of the spring on Thursday.
Now he just needs to make several more, and perhaps we will see him at Citi Field in the summer.
Around the League 🚩
Marcus Stroman has yet to report to camp despite passing his physical earlier in the week (ESPN)
The White Sox signed slugger Joey Gallo to a minor league deal (ESPN)
Orioles LHP Trevor Rogers is not expected to be ready for Opening Day after a partial dislocation of his right kneecap during the offseason
The Braves are hopeful both Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. will return early in the season
The Dodgers re-signed Clayton Kershaw in what will become his 18th season in Los Angeles
After trying to trade him during the offseason, it looks increasingly likely that Nolan Arenado will start the season with St. Louis (CBS Sports)
The Guardians reportedly signed RHP Jakob Junis for one year and $4.5 million
I think I'd rather see the Mets pitch Sproat this season vs trading him for Cease.