MACK - MY FRIDAY OBSERVATIONS - Mack's #24 Prospect - Mets Mailbag, Pete Alonso, Jameson Taillon, Tarik Skubal, Moe, Alex Bregman, Antoan Richardson, Top Catchers

 

I promised all of you that, as soon as the season ended, I would breakout and post my current Top 30 prospects.

This is performance based, not players that came to the Mets full of promise but have only produced butterscotch pudding. A perfect example of a player that didn’t make this list is catcher Ronald Hernandez. I still like the guy, but based on what he did in 2025, I don’t like him “top 30 guy”.

Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong are not on this list. They have graduated.

I will post them in each of my weekly Observations and In Focus posts… one player at a time… beginning with #30.

Today, we move to #24:

                     24.       RP             Hoss Brewer 

Hoss Brewer, whose full name is John Halsten Brewer, is a promising right-handed pitcher in the New York Mets' minor league system. 

Born on February 20, 2001, in Dallas, Texas, Brewer stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 205 pounds, giving him a strong physical presence on the mound. 

He played college baseball at Seminole State College before transferring to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he posted a 3.95 ERA with 101 strikeouts over 84.1 innings in 2024. 

Signed by the Mets as an undrafted free agent in 2024, Brewer has quickly made a name for himself in the minors. 

In 2024, Brewer began his professional career with the Single-A St. Lucie Mets, where he pitched in only one game. 

Brewer’s rapid progress through Single-A and High-A, combined with his championship-clinching performance, indicates a bright future. He’s considered a bit old for his levels (24 at Single-A in 2025), but his dominance suggests he could move quickly through the Mets’ system if he maintains his performance. 

Mack – 

Brewer got off to a killer start in 2025 at St. Lucie… 18-apps, 2-0, 1.00, 1.03, with 34-K in 27-IP. Nice. 

He was then promoted to Brooklyn and found things a little tougher. 22-apperances later, his stat line was 3.10, 1.27, 29-IP, 24-K. 

His combined A/A+ 2025 stats were: 40-apps, 3-0, 2.09, 1.16, 56-IP, 58-K 

Trust me… this has earned him an invite this spring to join the AA-Binghamton bullpen. And it is well earned. 

Brewer is showing all signs of someday being part of the Mets pen. 

ETA:  2027

Mets mailbag

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6701964/2025/10/09/mets-mailbag-center-field-upgrade/

How important is upgrading CF, and how might they do it? — Richard L.

Will: It’s vital. At his latest news conference, Stearns said, “We had a roster construction that, in periods of the season, put us in a position where we’re putting sub-optimal defenders in certain places, and that’s an area where we gotta get better.” That sounded like a description of center field (among other positions), where Jeff McNeil logged 34 games and Brandon Nimmo made a spot start during the final week.

The Mets don’t have great internal options to open at center field in 2026. To his credit, McNeil was serviceable — but that’s about it. And while the Mets at least talked to Nimmo about possibly playing more center field ahead of the trade deadline before they acquired Cedric Mullins (now a free agent), counting on him for that job in his age-33 season would seem unwise. Aside from them, Tyrone Taylor is a helpful player off the bench, but he profiles as a fourth outfielder.

Finding a new center fielder is tough. Free agency lacks options (at least so far). There’s Cody Bellinger, Harrison Bader and Trent Grisham (the Chicago White Sox hold a club option on Luis Robert Jr.). Given those options, my guess is that the Mets entertain trade possibilities, though the lack of quality depth across the league limits potential partners. Just speculating, but would the Rockies — once they hire a general manager, of course — listen about Brenton Doyle, knowing they aren’t close to competing? Would the Toronto Blue Jays look to unload Daulton Varsho, a free agent after next season (not sure why they would)?

There’s another question for the equation, involving the Mets’ farm system. Does Stearns like Carson Benge or Jett Williams enough to factor them into the calculus this winter? Meaning, do the Mets look for more of a short-term fix — similar to Jose Siri — with the working theory that Benge or Williams joins them at some point in the summer?

We will start to learn these answers closer to the GM Meetings, once the World Series wraps up.

Finding the worst realistic fit for the top 10 MLB free agents

https://fansided.com/mlb/worst-realistic-fit-top-10-mlb-free-agents

Pete Alonso, 1B: Toronto Blue Jays

If the Blue Jays already locked up Vladimir Guerrero Jr., then why would they consider signing Alonso? Theoretically speaking, the Jays could keep one at first base and slot the other in at designated hitter. What better way for the Blue Jays to torment the rest of the American League than by teaming Alonso and Guerrero together?

Well, for starters, they could prioritize keeping Bo Bichette, who has shown no desire to leave Toronto. As with other players on this list, Alonso on the Blue Jays sounds better in theory than it does in reality. If anything, it’d be a move reeking of desperation and aggression, and very rarely do those signings work out. We can’t justify the Blue Jays signing Alonso, especially not when we’re sure there’ll be teams willing to pony up and sign the five-time All-Star to anchor their lineup.

Mets trade targets

https://sportsnaut.com/mlb/new-york-mets-rumors-trade-targets-sp

Jameson Taillon, starting pitcher, Chicago Cubs

Jameson Taillon is one of the most popular starting pitchers mentioned in MLB rumors. Not only is he excelling on the mound this season, but Taillon is also under contract through 2026. He’s more expensive than Erick Fedde financially ($18 million vs $7.5 million), but he does have a 2.96 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP in 100.1 innings pitched this season. Plus, opponents are hitting just .236 off Tailon in his last 9 starts.

Proposed NY Mets-Tigers trade for Tarik Skubal

https://risingapple.com/ny-mets-tigers-trade-tarik-skubal-simple-one-dilemma?utm_source=bleacherreport&utm_medium=referral&_branch_match_id=1408222371212362866&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTyrSSywo0MvJzMvWzwry8XUJCq4qjkiyrytKTUstKsrMS49PKsovL04tsnXOKMrPTQUAO3fRITkAAAA%3D

There’s nothing unique about the trade. Whenever someone big is available, many will follow this exact formula. It’s Carson Benge or Jett Williams along with Brandon Sproat or Jonah Tong. Duquette included Ryan Clifford in the deal as well. It makes sense considering the Mets might want to find their long-term first baseman this offseason rather than wait to see how ready Clifford is for the 2027 season. So, what’s the problem? Why aren’t the Mets making this trade?

                MACK –

                Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just re-posting what someone else is proposing.

                Your thoughts?

 

Jim Koenigsberger                                          @Jimfrombaseball

Moe Drabowsky’s biggest legacy, was that he was one of baseball’s al-time great pranksters. Once, playing for the Cubs, he got hit by a pitch and had a teammate wheel him to first base in a wheelchair, a stunt that got his teammate ejected from the game.

Drabowsky was notorious for slipping goldfish into the opposing teams water coolers and once ordered Chinese takeout from the bullpen of Anaheim Stadium.

Playing for the 1969 Royals, on his first trip back to Baltimore, he hired a plane to fly over Memorial stadium towing a banner that read, “Beware of Moe.”

He was also a master of doling out nicknames.

He had a Baltimore teammate named Frank Bertaina, who had a reputation for being a little spacey. No problem.

Moe dubbed him “Toys in the Attic” Bertaina.

As a member of the Orioles, he was notorious for leaving snakes in lockers, shoes and anywhere else he could fit one, terrorizing teammates like Paul Blair and Brooks Robinson, who like most sane people, are frightened of snakes.

Drabowsky was also notorious for calling the opposing team’s bullpen and getting a reliever up.

After joining the Orioles in 1965, he used his knowledge of the bullpen phone system at Municipal Stadium to call the Athletics pen and shout, “Get Krausse up!”

The Athletics got Lew Krausse up and throwing, which caused much confusion with starter Jim Nash, who was cruising along with a shutout.

Drabowsky returned the favor when as a member of the Royals, he called the Orioles bullpen and disguising his voice as Earl Weaver, barked “Get Hall up!”.

Weaver later called the bullpen and asked, “What the hell is Hall throwing for?”

Hall sits down.

An inning later, Drabowsky calls again and orders the Orioles pen to get Hall going.

Once again, Weaver, losing his temper, asks why is Hall throwing? Moe’s bullpen mates were falling out of their chairs with laughter.

Drabowsky’s real specialty was the hot foot, baseball’s timeless gag of lighting someone’s foot on fire. His most famous hot foot was given to baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn during the Orioles 1970 World Series celebration.

“I stuck a book of matches under his foot and then got a can of lighter fluid, ran a trail all the way through the back of the room about 40 feet away, all the way into the training room.

So, I lit it up from back there and all of a sudden you see the flame snake out to where the book was, and it exploded and lit Bowie up real good.”

Legendary Chicago columnist Mike Royko said that Moe Drabowsky “is still considered the best pitcher that Ozanna, Poland ever produced.”

Drabowsky served up Stan Musial’s 3,000th hit in May of 1958. Musial, who was also the son of a Polish father and Drabowsky enjoyed a long and fruitful friendship.

The two traveled to Poland in 1987 on a mission trip to teach the country about the game of baseball. The trip marked the first time Moe had been back to Poland since 1938.

The baseball training center that the duo established in Kutro, Poland is now the largest youth baseball complex in Europe.

During the Ukraine/Russian war, it became a hospital!

Alex Bregman

https://bleacherreport.com/embedded/articles/25227057-alex-bregman-reportedly-opt-out-red-sox-contract-will-become-mlb-free-agent?_branch_match_id=1408222371212362866&utm_medium=share_sheet&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTyrSSywo0MvJzMvWd0zO9slKy0svjUiyrytKTUstKsrMS49PKsovL04tsnXOKMrPTQUAbdZy7TkAAAA%3D

 Coming off a terrific season with the Boston Red Sox, Alex Bregman is going to test free agency for the second consecutive year.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Bregman is exercising the opt-out in his contract to hit the open market with the goal of securing a lucrative long-term deal.

Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million contract with Boston in February. The deal included an opt out after the first season and a player option for 2027.

There were some rumblings during the 2025 season about Bregman and the Red Sox coming together on a long-term contract. He left the door open when asked about it during All-Star week.

 

Will Sammon                     @WillSammon

For clarification regarding the Mets coaching staff: New York invited first base coach Antoan Richardson back for next season, but the two parties haven't yet reached an agreement on a renewal, The Athletic has learned. Thus, it's possible he winds up elsewhere.

 

Just Baseball                      @JustBB_Media

Just Baseball's Top Catchers of 2025