IN FOCUS - Sean Manaea, Untouchable Mets, Bullpen Reinforcements, Cedrick Mullens,The Babies, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Power Ranking, Jarren Duran

 

Pitch Profiler                     @pitchprofiler

David Stearns and Jeremy Hefner masterclass

SNY Mets                            @SNY_Mets

Five solid innings for Sean Manaea today against the Angels

 

 

Angry Mike                                        @AngryMike24·

Mets Prospects who are UNTOUCHABLE. Period.

1.     E. Peña - he’s a franchise altering talent

2.    J. Tong - he’s a franchise altering talent

3.    C. Benge - 5-tool CF are as rare as they get

4.    JETT - he’s our version of Corbin Carroll

5.    B. Sproat - his pure stuff is as good as it gets

6.    N. McLean - ceiling still isn’t known, it’s only getting higher

7.     J. Baez - elite bat-to-bat skills & 25 HR power

8     J. Santucci - you don’t trade LHP with his stuff. Period.

9.    Z. Thornton - LHP + see above reason for N. McLean

10.  R. Gomez - you don’t trade guys who top out at 104 MPH

11.   W. Aracena - you don’t trade SP w/ avg 97 mph @ age 20.

Current crop of available players don’t warrant trading any of the prospects listed above or the ones listed below:

1.   A.J. Ewing - another player whose ceiling keeps rising

2.  J. Reimer - he’s a legit rising talent quietly having great ‘25

3.  R. Clifford - his 65 grade PWR & high OBP, not easy to find

4.  B. Tidwell - even if he’s only RP, he’s still very valuable to us

5.  Y. Rodriguez - you don’t trade $3M IFA (C) w plus tools

Players with MLB service time who aren’t being traded. Period.

1.  M. Vientos - anyone claiming he’s being traded is a MORON.

2. R. Mauricio - See above.

3. B. Baty - we need his developing bat & defensive versatility

4. L. Acuna - unique skills are unmatched w/in organization

5. J. Butto - still improving as a RP & is too valuable

 

Mets’ deadline plans

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6510051/2025/07/22/mets-trade-deadline-intel-bullpen-center-field/

Bullpen reinforcements

President of baseball operations David Stearns referred to “reinforcements,” plural, on Monday, and another team source suggested the Mets may take more of a quantity approach to supplement their bullpen this deadline. That fits Stearns’ M.O.: While in Milwaukee, the biggest bullpen additions he made were Jeremy Jeffress (2017), Anthony Swarzak (2017) and Joakim Soria (2018). And of course, he traded away Josh Hader (getting Taylor Rogers back) when the Brewers led their division in 2022.

Last year with the Mets, Stearns added four relievers in July: Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, Huascar Brazobán and Tyler Zuber.

The Mets’ preference would be for one of those arms to be left-handed. In a pinch, a reverse-split righty like Arizona’s Shelby Miller or Pittsburgh’s Dennis Santana could also work for that role.

Adding two or even three arms would give the Mets cover in the event of an injury to their current bullpen core. And while it’s customary to plan ahead, thinking of an eight-man “postseason bullpen,” the Mets would ideally have an expanded pool of 10-plus relievers to choose from in October, both to optimize their bullpen’s matchups against a specific opponent and to keep some of the middle-relief options fresher through four potential postseason rounds.

Stearns mentioned the possibility of calling up a Triple-A starter to help out in the bullpen later in the season. Of the Triple-A trio of Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean and Blade Tidwell, Tidwell might have the clearest path to a relief role this season. Tidwell’s stuff grades out very well in analytical models, and he’s been better in the first inning this season at Syracuse than Sproat or McLean.

 

Top Rental Bats on the Block

https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb/rental-arms-bats-mlb-trade-deadline-candidates/

Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Orioles: There isn’t a world where it makes sense for Cedric Mullins to be playing on the Baltimore Orioles come August 1st. The Orioles are not going to make the playoffs, he is a rental, and he plays a premium position in center field.

Adding a potential plus bat in center field can mean all the difference to lengthen out a playoff lineup, so there is sure to be plenty of interest. Mullins is also one of those free agents who falls just below being extended a qualifying offer, as he may jump at the $20+ million payday. (Think Jurickson Profar last year).

If the Orioles aren’t going to extend the QO, get the best prospect you can before it is too late.

Athlete Logos            @athletelogos

The Babies are back

 

Francisco Alvarez

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6507830/2025/07/21/mets-francisco-alvarez-brett-baty-youth/

        Recalled Monday after a month-long stay in Triple A, Alvarez showcased why he’s such a vital part of the Mets’ plans, in the long term and the here and now. He reached base three times, made a pair of critical defensive plays and helped helm a four-run comeback in New York’s 7-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

        Alvarez’s return sparked the entire bottom of the Mets’ order. Earlier in the day, president of baseball operations David Stearns had defended that section of the lineup, pushing back on the notion that the Mets would need more from it.

        That might be a stretch of “pretty good.” From the start of June through Sunday, the Mets’ fifth through ninth hitters owned a .612 OPS, compared to .848 for the top four in the lineup. New York does indeed need more from that group. But Monday showed why it’s not irrational for Stearns to think that help can come internally.

                               Me?

        I think Alvarez is the one Baby Met that is guaranteed to survive being traded this year. The Mets simply don’t have a bat replacement for him at this position for two years, no team trades catchers. And he does have the potential to bust out.

 

Brett Baty

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6507830/2025/07/21/mets-francisco-alvarez-brett-baty-youth/

        Brett Baty continued a solid homestand with a two-run homer in the fourth and a walk before that Alvarez double in the eighth. It was Baty who scored the go-ahead run on an error when the Angels attempted a 5-2 putout at home; coincidentally, Baty had executed that exact play in the seventh to keep New York within three runs at the time.

        Baty is particularly comfortable at Citi Field, where he has hit 10 of his 11 home runs this season. His OPS in Queens is over .900; it’s under .500 on the road.

        Baty’s OPS for the season has climbed over .700 and over the league average. He has reached that point with some hills and valleys, but it’s become a nice bounce-back campaign to this point. 

        Stearns said Monday that he envisions the Mets sticking with the internal options at third base the rest of the season. That means leaning on Baty, Ronny Mauricio or Mark Vientos. Stearns said it’s not a priority to have a set regular at the hot corner, even by season’s end.

                               Me?

        I think Baty is solidifying his position at the hot corner and I have him now as the second least Baby Met to be traded. I’m rooting had for this kid. He all the talent necessary to stick there for a long time.

 

MLB Power Rankings

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6502305/2025/07/22/mlb-power-rankings-cubs-tigers-2/

9. New York Mets (8.4)

Record: 57-44

Last Power Ranking: 6

Second-half storyline: Is the rotation good enough?

As of June 13, the Mets had the second-best record in baseball — best in the National League — in large part because of their rotation, which was elite with a 2.78 ERA. No other big league rotation had an ERA below 3.00. Kodai Senga was the league leader in ERA at that point, with David Peterson and Clay Holmes also in the top 20. But the Mets’ rotation stumbled in the second half of June and into the All-Star break. Its ERA jumped to 5.31 with Senga and Tylor Megill hurt. Now, Senga is healthy again, Sean Manaea is finally active and Peterson is a first-time All-Star.

With Holmes and Frankie Montas, do the Mets have enough starting pitching? If not, does this trade market have the front-end arm that could make a significant difference?

Trade Targets

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

 Jarren Duran, LF, Red Sox

I was surprised by how many front office executives mentioned Duran. It makes me think the Red Sox may have decided Wilyer Abreu will play right field and Roman Anthony will play left going forward. Duran, 28, is under team control through 2028. Last year, he led the majors in doubles (48) and triples (14) and had 21 homers, 75 RBIs and 34 stolen bases. This year, he is slashing .253/.313/.410 with 20 doubles and a league-leading nine triples. He has been linked with the Padres and Phillies in trade talks.