IN FOCUS - Roster Moves, Dylan Ross, Mike Schmidt, Help On The Way, Andrew Heaney, Ryan O'Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies, Mitch Keller

 

New York Mets                                 @Mets

We have made the following roster moves.

                                Ernest Dove                               @ernestdove

IMO the "next man up" for Mets might need to be flamethrower RP Dylan Ross.

Since allowing an ER in his AAA debut on June 20th he hasn't allowed a run since, spanning 6 appearances.

Last 4 appearances NO WALKS ALLOWED.

Last night 96-98 mph but he can go 100+ w/ a + splitter

Dylan Ross is a 24-year-old right-handed relief pitcher in the Mets' minor league system, drafted in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft from the University of Georgia. Standing at 6'5" and 251 pounds, Ross is known for his powerful fastball, which has reached 102 mph, along with a strong splitter, slider, and curveball. Despite undergoing two elbow operations, he has shown resilience and rapid progression through the Mets' farm system in 2025, moving from High-A to Triple-A Syracuse.

In Triple-A, Ross has a 1.42 ERA over 6.1 innings with 11 strikeouts and five walks, showing improved control with no walks in his last four appearances. Across three levels in 2025, he has a 2.54 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. His size, velocity, and pitch mix make him a potential late-inning reliever for the Mets, with a possible big-league call-up this season. Ross has an athletic family background, with relatives who played professional sports, and he wears number 66 to honor his grandfather, an NFL player.

His pitch arsenal includes:

Fastball: Ross's primary pitch is a high-velocity four-seam fastball, consistently reaching 100-102 mph, with a reported average of 100.4 mph in some outings. It features arm-side life and is his go-to pitch for generating swings and misses.

Splitter: A low-90s splitter described as "real" by evaluators, this pitch is a key secondary offering. It complements his fastball well, creating deception and inducing weak contact or swings and misses.

Slider: Ross throws a mid-to-high-80s slider that tunnels effectively with his fastball. When he commands it well, it has tight break, but it can flatten out into a cutter-like pitch if he loses feel, reducing its effectiveness.

Curveball: He also mixes in a curveball, though less frequently. Specific details on its velocity or movement are limited, but it adds depth to his repertoire as a secondary breaking pitch.

Ross's ability to hit triple-digit velocities with his fastball, paired with a strong splitter and developing slider, makes him a high-upside reliever. His command has improved in 2025, particularly in Triple-A, where he’s shown better control (no walks in his last four appearances). However, his walk rate (e.g., 5 BB in 6.1 IP at Triple-A) remains an area for refinement to maximize his potential as a late-inning reliever

 

Jim Koenigsberger                          @Jimfrombaseball

"Philadelphia is the only city, where you can experience the thrill of victory and the agony of reading about it the next day."

Mike Schmidt

 

There is Help on the Way for the New York Mets

https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb/senga-manaea-return-off-il-mets-news/

Wave 1: Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga

Wave 2: Brooks Raley, Francisco Alvarez, Starling Marte & More

With all the injuries that the orange and blue have taken recently, it is easy to forget that two of the biggest blows came early in the year when A.J. Minter and Danny Young both underwent season-ending surgeries in rapid succession.

The two southpaw relievers going down left the Mets without a viable lefty reliever internally. Stearns has tried to piece things back together, with the acquisitions of Genesis Cabrera, Jose Castillo, and Richard Lovelady, among others, to little success.

Wave 2 of the Mets’ notable returnees includes Brooks Raley, who had a sparkling 2023 season in Queens before spending much of the ‘24 season out with Tommy John surgery. Raley pitched to a 2.80 ERA in 54 ⅔ innings in 2023, after a strong showing in Tampa Bay the year prior.

Raley’s rehab assignment has gone according to plan, as he has thrown eight scoreless innings while striking out 12 hitters. The plan is for Raley to pitch back-to-back days for the first time in Syracuse this weekend, and if all goes as planned, it sounds like he will return out of the break.

It sounds like Starling Marte will also return right out of the break, and there is every chance the Mets will get an even more significant contributor back next weekend as well.

Francisco Alvarez has been in Triple-A after a miserable start to his season got him sent down. The 23-year-old has displayed some power since being sent down, slugging four home runs, and with Luis Torrens’ offensive struggles, could be back in the fold soon.

Finally, New York can always look elsewhere to upgrade. With several holes in the bullpen and the bottom of the order looking like a serious area of concern, the Mets are expected to be busy at the upcoming trading deadline.

If they do not find anything at their price point on the trade market, Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat are a pair of starting pitching prospects that have excelled recently and are options to be promoted.

Despite winning five of their last six, there is no doubt that the Mets have more questions to answer than they did five weeks ago. The trade deadline will bring great change across the league, but even without it, the Mets have help on the way, with more coming.

                                    Trade Targets

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6467560/2025/07/02/mlb-trade-deadline-predictions-alcantara-naylor/

Andrew Heaney, LHP, Pirates

Heaney, 34, has a 4.16 ERA over 17 starts. The veteran lefty is a quality back-of-the-rotation inning-eater who could especially help a contending team that’s been dealing with rotation injuries, such as the Mets.

Top 40 players on market as July 31 approaches

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5591079/2025/07/09/mlb-trade-deadline-big-board-players-postseason-2/

# 13                Ryan O'Hearn

Age                31

Position       1B

B/T                 L/L

Fits                 BOS, CIN, SEA

Deal likelihood

Value: Lefty hitter in career year

Analysis: Whatever has gone wrong in Baltimore this season, it has not been O’Hearn’s fault. In 2025, the pending free agent has been as good a hitter as anyone on this list, putting together a career year at an opportune time. He’s maintained most of the drop in strikeout rate he displayed last season, he’s added to what was then a doubling of his previous walk rate, and he’s performed well enough that his expected numbers align with his improvement across the board. While he's seen more at-bats against left-handed pitching this season, he’s still much better suited to being the long half of a platoon at first or DH.

Owed in 2025             $2.5 million

Controlled through 2025

 

# 14                Marcell Ozuna

Age                34

Position       DH

B/T                 R/R

Fits                 SD, SEA, TEX

Deal likelihood

Value: Elite bat for hire

Is Atlanta finally ready to call it quits on 2025? Another losing streak and two more pitcher injuries have its playoff odds in single digits. As an impending free agent who slugged 79 homers the last two years, Ozuna makes sense as the first piece to go. However, outside of a significant jump in walk rate, everything else is down this season. He’s on pace for barely 20 homers as a strict DH, and he’s been in a deep slump for more than a month. Ozuna also has 10-and-5 rights, allowing him to veto any trade.

Owed in 2025             $5.1 million

Controlled through 2025

 

# 15

Ozzie Albies

Age                28

Position       2B

B/T                 S/R

Fits                 LAA, NYY, SF

Deal likelihood

Value: Slumping former All-Star

Analysis: Perhaps the season has gone south enough for Atlanta and for Albies that a player with notoriously inexpensive team control through 2027 becomes available. Albies is in the midst of his worst big-league season by far, and since 2022, he’s posted a league-average OPS while missing significant time with injuries. There’s still value in the talent and the contract for an acquiring team, and Atlanta’s farm system could use a kickstart.

Owed in 2025            $2.2 million

Controlled through 2027

 

#16                 Mitch Keller

Age                29

Position       SP

B/T                 R/R

Fits                 CHC, SD, TOR

Deal likelihood

Value: Dependable starter signed through 2028

Analysis: Drafted in 2014 and signed to an extension 10 years later, Keller is a homegrown Pirates starter who made an All-Star team in 2023 and has finished with an ERA between 3.90 and 4.25 in each of the past four seasons. He’s not an ace, but he’s a dependable arm with team control through his early 30s (his extension goes through 2028). The Pirates have enough young pitching to consider moving one of their more established starters, and Keller has a blend of consistency and contractual control that teams covet.

Owed in 2025             $4.8 million

Controlled through 2028