MACK - The Wednesday Report - The Pen, Craig Kimbrel, Dylan Ross, Jacob Reimer, Nolan McLean

 

Good Morning –

 

And now for the pen…

Let’s put aside who is gone. The only ones I ever knew that loved spilled milk were my now departed two cats, Shatty and Ivy.

By my count, the new pen currently stacks up as Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, David Peterson, Brooks Raley, Tobias Meyers, and Huascar Brazoban.

That’s seven

That’s not enough.

There are a bunch of more guys currently on the 40-man… (IL):

Reed Garrett, A.J. Minter, and Dedniel Nunez will start 2026 on the IL.

Also on the 40-man are Alex Carillo, Joey Gerber, Justin Hegenman, Dylan Ross, Brandon Waddell, Austin Warren, and Luis Garcia.

Nothing against these guys, but this pen needs more. And remember… I’m assuming that Peterson will go to the pen. If he doesn’t, that reduces the core to six.

The Mets could start the season with Christian Scott in the pen.

Ross remains the first prospect possibility, but will have to first improve his WHIP during ST.

Or, still sign or trade for another reliever.

The bottom line here is that the bullpen is not done.

 

The Mets signed RHRP Craig Kimbrel to a minor league contract.

The first reaction by most Mets fans was “Sure. Why not?” Yeah, I know… he’s around Ray’s age now and was an absolute disaster for Baltimore in 2024 (5.33-ERA), but he put up +0.4-WAR and a 2.25-ERA for Houston last season while producing 16-K in 11-IP.

Kimbrel was once the most feared reliever in this game and a minor league invite to show us in spring training what he has left in the tank hurts no one other than the other reclamation project that would have pitched in that spring slot.

Love it.

 

Playoff Mets      @PSNMets

Does anyone know why Dylan Ross is only ranked as our #18 prospect?

He’s 6’5, throws 102, and has a career 2.13 ERA and 13.6 K/9 in the minors.

I understand that he has some control issues, but I feel like he deserves some respect.

MACK – believe me… Ross has been working on his past control issues throughout the off-season. You will see a lot of him during this upcoming spring training season, which will determine where he opens up at come opening day. My guess is he will become a member of the parent club, if for no reason other than the current pen is not eight man strong.

 

Running From The OPS        @OPS_BASEBALL

Jacob Reimer was one of 4 players in MiLB to have 15+ HR, 30+ 2B, & a 155 wRC+ or higher

21 YO, 6'0"/205, bat first, corner INF w/ a pull-heavy profile (51.0%) & solid 10.5% SwStr%. Good QoC results & saw a spike in his FB% in AA (40.3%), where he posted a 150 wRC+ w/ 9 HR.

MACK – impressive, but I’m still not convinced if this will translate to the major league level. Plus, third base is blocked tighter than… well, ya know. This leaves DH and 1B as future Mets positions. There’s also Ryan Clifford standing in his way. A lot of obstacles. 

Keith Law – Top 100 Mets Prospects

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6985939/2026/01/26/top-mlb-prospects-2026-keith-law-konnor-griffin/  

Nolan McLean

RHP    New York Mets

Age:    24      Ht:      6-2      Wt:    214

2025 Ranking: NR

McLean’s path from the Oklahoma State bullpen to the Mets’ rotation is a heck of a story: He threw 25 1/3 innings as a sophomore, all in relief and rarely more than one inning per game, while starting 52 games at third base and another 10 in the outfield. The Orioles took him in the third round in 2022, then walked away without even making another offer after something came up in his medicals, instead using the money they’d allocated to him to pay 17th rounder Carter Young, who hit .163/.230/.211 last year in Double A and is, obviously, not a prospect. McLean returned to OSU in 2023, threw 30 innings with the same stuff but worse strikeout and walk rates, and still played more in the field than on the mound, after which the Mets took him in the third round again and signed him for slot. After turning pro, he started more games in April 2024 than he did in three years in Stillwater, making 43 starts over two years before his debut, and kept getting better with the help of the Mets’ strong pitching development team.

Primarily a two-pitch guy in college who lived off that top-rail four-seamer, McLean can show six pitches now, with the fastball still a plus pitch, a bigger-breaking sweeper than he had as an amateur and a new curveball with huge two-plane break. His changeup gets a ton of tumble to it, and he barely even had to use the pitch in the majors because everything else was so good. He’s an elite athlete, as you’d hope a former third baseman-reliever would be, and has shown an incredible capacity to make adjustments already. The command is the one facet of his game that separates him from the true No. 1-No. 2 starters, and I’m betting that will improve with more experience — McLean has thrown just 332 total innings in five years, most of that in the past two seasons — and because he’s already improved in so many other ways. He’s got a high floor as a No. 3 starter already, and could be a top of the rotation guy given another 200 or so innings of repetitions.