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 (maybe) 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 #8:
Turns 22 in
February 6-0 2025
Plays 3B, 1B,
LF RHH
2022 – 4th round pick – Yucaipa HS (SoCal) - $77.5K
bonus
2025: A+/AA – 522-PA, 112-K, 58-BB, 17-HR, 77-RBI, .282/.379/.491/.870
He's emerged
as one of the Mets' top hitting prospects.
Reimer had a
breakout 2025 season at High-A Brooklyn, where he slashed .284/.388/.500 with 8
HR and 11 steals in 62 games, earning South Atlantic League Player of the Month
for April (.318/.383/.659 with multiple multi-HR games, including a
franchise-record three-homer game on April 30).
His scouting
profile highlights plus raw power, an advanced approach (high walk rates,
strong contact skills), and improved timing/rotation after
tweaks in the Mets' hitting lab following a hamstring-limited 2024 (.218/.358/.282 in just
25 games).
Defensively,
he has a strong arm for third base but questions about range and accuracy; the Mets have tested him in
the outfield.
Many see him
as a potential everyday corner infielder with power upside, and he's frequently
mentioned as underrated or a rising star in the loaded Mets farm.
MACK –
I’ve never been a big Reimer fan because he doesn’t profile as a complte player. I love defense, and this guy is the poster child for a bad dream. However… his power does project him as a viable DH candidate for 2027.
5 NY Mets players on the 40-man roster
next in line to get cut from the team
Alex Carrillo
When will the Mets accept that Alex Carrillo
just doesn’t have it? Not even able to pitch a single scoreless game this past
year in 3 big league attempts, the 28-year-old righty feels like one of those
experiments Stearns just won’t let go of. His blow up out of the All-Star Break
lingers as one of the turning points of the 2025 season. Not necessarily all
his fault, the decision to go with him as the first reliever in the second half
remains puzzling.
Plucked from the Independent League in
Mexico, he finished with ERAs over 4.00 in Double-A and Triple-A this past
year. Walks were plentiful in Syracuse, going up to 7.3 BB/9 by season’s end.
Rabid raccoons show more control than he did.
Despite large strikeout totals in the minors, Carrillo doesn’t have the incredible stuff to justify his continued loitering on the 40-man roster. A worthwhile endeavor for the Mets to explore, unsatisfactory MLB results and no significant signs of dominating the minor leagues should have them clearing out space if needed.
Unprotected From the Rule 5 Draft
https://www.justbaseball.com/prospects/most-surprising-prospects-left-unprotected-rule-5-draft/?s=03
David McCabe (1B) – Atlanta Braves
2025 Stats: 133 G, .275/.367/.426, 14 HR, 71
RBI, 132 wRC+
The decision to leave David McCabe
unprotected might not have been as difficult for the Braves’ front office
because of how his career has gone so far since he was selected in the fourth
round of the 2021 draft, but it still surprised me.
After missing the bulk of the 2023 and ’24
seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, McCabe had his best professional
season to date in 2025, showing some of the offensive upside that convinced the
Braves to take him in the draft.
McCabe was hitting .286 in 105 games for
Columbus before getting the late-season call-up to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Drafted as a third baseman, his defense was
always seen as average at best, likely locking him in to first base as he
continues to progress in his professional career.
There is a possibility that a team takes a
chance on him after he showed he could still swing it despite missing as much
time as he did. That said, it is more likely he goes unselected in the draft
and ends up back in Triple-A.
Jim Koenigsberger @Jimfrombaseball
On October 3, 1943, Gil Hodges, at
the age of 19, made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Eleven days later, Gil Hodges joined the
Marine Corps, where he would take part in the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945.
For his actions there, Hodges was awarded the
bronze star for heroism under fire.
Discharged in 1946, Hodges would play for the
Newport News Dodgers until being called back up to Brooklyn in 1947.
Thomas Nestico @TStats
WAR Leaders by Team
Where Will The Mets Trade Jeff McNeil?
It seems the best fit for a McNeil trade is
the Athletics. Athletics second basemen put up some very dismal numbers in
2025, batting a meager .199/.267/.283 with a .249 wOBA, and 53 wRC+. Their
21.8% K% was about the only number that wasn’t objectively poor. They walked in
only 7.4% of their plate appearances, and delivered 11 home runs and a .084
isolated slugging percentage. To make matters worse, they weren’t a solid
defensive unit either, with -6 DRS and -3 OAA. This all culminated in a -1.6
fWAR.
The A’s have yet to add anyone this offseason
to help improve their dire situation at second base, nor do they have an
immediate answer in the minor leagues. Top prospect and 2025 trade deadline
acquisition Leo De Vries is the closest thing the A’s have, but he
just reached Double-A this season, where he only appeared in 21 games before
the end of the year, and turned 19 in October.
Given the A’s usually cheap approach to the offseason, they may seem like an unlikely team, but they are reportedly willing to increase payroll this offseason. They need an actual holdover at second base, and the Mets have plenty of middle infielders. McNeil only has one guaranteed year left on his contract, so they don’t have to commit a ton of money over a long period of time. While it may be sad for Mets fans to depart with the two longest tenured players in one offseason, it seems like something that has to happen moving forward, and McNeil to the A’s makes a lot of sense, even if the A’s are an unexpected fit.
Brandon Nimmo-Marcus Semien trade
Semien fits the roster better
In a vacuum, Nimmo was a better player than Semien last year, and Nimmo is 2 1/2 years younger than Semien. But Nimmo’s defensive regression over the past two years was exacerbated when the Mets added Juan Soto on a 15-year deal to play the other corner outfield spot. New York could survive for only so long with a pair of subpar corner outfielders defensively, and the two were only going to see their range diminish as they aged.
Semien, though older than Nimmo, has remained
a sparkling defender at an up-the-middle spot at second base. President of
baseball operations David Stearns repeatedly emphasized improving the Mets’
“run prevention,” and fixing the right side of the infield was a significant
priority for New York. Semien goes a long way toward doing that.
A Brett Baty Prognosis
My last question for you is this: Do you see Brett Baty taking
another step forward?
Chris: I see Baty on the roller coaster
still, so it is hard to judge. I think it would be fantastic for what we last
saw the last couple months to be the “real” Baty, but as Mark Vientos reminded
us, it ain’t necessarily that simple. He’s our best defender at the hot corner
and showed a lot of improvement with his swing (I wonder which let-go-of
hitting guru we can thank?), so there is reason to be hopeful. As far as I am
concerned, he doesn’t need to take a step forward from the end of last season
as much as figure a way to maintain it, something Vientos could not manage to
do. Should Baty pick up where he left off and manage to be pretty consistent,
he’d be a long-term lock that we haven’t had since David Wright
anchored the team
23 comments:
No love for Alex Carillo?
Can we lose both Pete and Jeff (Batman and Robin) in the same off season?
Why can’t Reimer be 2027 first baseman if Pete leaves?
McCabe statistically has abilities, but needs more AAA seasoning - he stays put.
Unreal about Gil in WW II.
Carillo
I get sick real early on all these fringe pickups
How many really pan out?
Pete and Jeff
I think both are gone for different reasons
My guess... just a guess... is that Pete is really pissed off at Stearns for dishing off Nimmo AND pissed off at Cohen for not stopping it
I think McNeil is part of a core that will not exist when opening day rolls around
McCabe
agree
Gil -
agree v2.0
It's amazing. Every year Stearns picks up 10 reclamation projects, so when one player does decent, he gets all puffed up like he's Einstein.
One question, what happens to the other 9 turds who just take up space on the roster.
Also, when do we stop giving a shite what players think. After paying them 20+m a year I'm tired of them whining and running to the owner saying you hurt my feelings. Oh, you traded my friend now I'm upset...wah, wah.
Geez...shut the hell up and produce.
Excuse me, as I come running down the aisle from the back row, why is Pete pissed off about trading Nimmo? Tell him he is in Texas and Texas needs a first baseman. Sayonara.
Speaking of Sayonara, another clown is Imai. He wants to be on a team without any other Japanese on it. Really? Who the hell are you? Laters.
Now, as I go take my seat in the back again, why can’t Vientos be a decent first baseman? With Simien’s positioning help and a better arm than Pete, he may suffice. Clifford and Reimer are behind Vientos for the job.
Jeff McNeil will be traded and so will Senga at the winter meetings. Senga handicaps your rotation and McNeil has become a spare part. Where they go, I can’t speculate but I believe probably to the American League unless the return is stronger in the NL.
Also, I have a funny feeling these closers on the market won’t get what they think they’ll get. And I believe Helsley deliberately sucked. I recall Darling showing on a broadcast that his pitches were middle/middle and that was more a problem than anything he is doing. Darling didn’t see anything wrong. All the tipping was bullshit and code for protecting the GM that traded for him.
Nimmo had a no trade clause and everyine was seeing the downturn and the contract. What did everyine expect to get back for him? I’m actually more pleased with the trade than at first and look forward to Simien leading off and providing a spark and good at bats. That moves Lindor down to #3, where he will have Soto on base 40% of the time and can give the Mets a good start to most games.
Right there with you on everything Gus. I can see them trading McNeil and Senga both. McNeil is out of a position, unless they plan on using him in LF or part of a 1B platoon.
At present, Alonso is 50-50 at best. Like I said before I don't really care about his feelings anymore. Learn to throw brother.
Don't get me started on Hensley. When we got him, I told everyone he has a .260 BA against. I have read that he didn't want to come here in the first place. So, he pouted like a little girlie man, took our money and blew our season. That's right, I blame him most of all. He blew like 8 saves in a row.
I also agree about Lindor. If Alonso goes, they should move Lindor to the 3 hole. I'm not on board with Semien as the leadoff hitter though. A .308 OBP doesn't cut it there.
Yes to getting rid of McNiel asap. Also I don’t mind giving Vientos a chance to take first base and maybe bring back our old friend Wilmer Flores to back him up?
Put Soto in left field already and offer Tucker his $400 mil contract for RF or trade for Tatis in CF. Then put Benge in the spot that is open.
Our offense is done and let’s worry about pitching!!!
Zozo, that $400MM to Tucker is for ten years. You seriously want to do that at 29 years old with a life time .273 BA and .358 OBP?
Pete
Just my opinion Gus
Just my opinion again
My guess is deGrom helped talking Nimmo to waive the clause
Hey Joe
There's room in the back row with Gus
If they bring back Flores I'm going to the back row
Hit the nail on the head Gus. 10 years/400mil...no way. We were just freaking out about paying Nimmo 8/160M, which is chump change right now. Nimmo is putting up similar offensive number right now. I know, I know he's much better defensively. You do realize if we get him there is very little money left over for pitching.
I would pass on both Tucker, and Bellinger. His stats are padded by Yankee stadium; his road splits are well below average. Which would be in line with Citifield.
Morning Mack. I'm not the back row type of guy. I'm the schmuck sitting in the first row throwing my 2 cents in.
You can't keep baby (JoeP) in the corner...lol.
The Nimmo trade was the right move. Getting a 2B with great range was imperative if they want to bring Alonso back, and opening up the OF gives them tremendous flexibility.
Everyone seems certain that McNeil
Will be next, but I disagree. I think Vientos (no position) Jett (no room) and likely Acuña (no bat) are traded and Baty is your 3B, with McNeil playing a bunch of 1B when Pete DH’s) and 2B (to give Semien some off days at 35).
Next move I believe will be for a CF (short term - to hold the fort of AJ Ewing in ‘27) with Benge manning a corner on OD.
Mack, Flores would be a great Right handed batting one Year option. A stop gap until one of the young guys steps up
Tucker and Nimmo are on different planets. He’s going to get 400 million and can play defense.
I would prefer Tatis and taking on his contract first and foremost
Mack, there is also this: 1) Nimmo a Wyoming kid, and Texas closer to Wyoming rural than NYC; 2) State and City taxes in NY are enormous compared to Texas; 3) Nimmo is a Christian, Mamdani is a Muslim likely to bring unwelcome changes that Nimmo would never voice out loud, but would disfavor. I’d have waived the clause for Texas too.
Why is Morabito not considered? He is a Ewing clone and can start learning to pull for power too…
Pretty sure they are Ewing as the higher ceiling player. Not sure they see Morabito as a starter, more of a 4th OF.
Gus, on the Mets Top 30, they have Ewing at 7 and Morabito at 16. I looked at the tooo scores listed for each and Ewing grades higher. Ewing had some year. I still like Morabito, of course.
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