Reese Kaplan -- Sometimes You Just Have to Scratch Your Head...

As Mets fans we understand that the 2026 season is already a foregone conclusion. Injuries and poor performances coupled with some poorly negotiated contracts helped assure the Mets would own the basement.  No one is expecting any magic wand to convert the club into a contender overnight.  Even with the near .500 performance under Andy Green it means the club may ascend successfully to mediocrity but October baseball will only be experienced on TV. 

Yesterday I suggested that pitcher Robert Stock had pretty much worn out his welcome as a fifth starter for the Mets.  There’s no way to sugarcoat the results.  He’s currently 0-3 with a 7.40 ERA having given up 27 hits in just over 20 IP while allowing neary 2 runners per inning pitched.  He’s striking out one per inning but he’s also walking more than five.  At age 36 after a few years of playing in Korea and missing time due to injures and incompetence he’s at best a last place team’s strategy of handing assignments to anyone with a pulse.

Imagine the surprise to hear manager Andy Green and POBO David Stearns endorse giving the man another start.  Now there is a practical aspect to this bizarre decision.  Looking at the calendar there are only a few day until the highly restricted September roster expansion.  Giving up yet another game in the won/loss column is evidently a small price to pay for preserving the final four weeks of the season after more players are allowed to join the major league team.  This approach also gives recently successful Jonah Tong another Syracuse start to see if it’s a trend or just a lucky streak. 

However, as bad as thing are and have been, everyone is still optimistic about what can happen during 2027 if there is a season to play.  The successes of players like Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Zac Thornton have given the Mets some new core pieces around which to build a successful future.  Veterans like Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette complement these younger stars in the making.

What is less clear for now are thing like first base, the bench and the bullpen.  Kodai Senga is obviously off to a great start out there but Devin Williams is still under contract for next season as well. Newcomer Nate Lavender certainly looks like a keeper.  Most of the rest of the pen is very much a work in progress.

Now start to think about the walking wounded.  Is there room in the future for Mark Vientos?  What about the sunk cost of Jorge Polanco?  Is Tylor Megill a viable return candidate?  How about Reed Garrett?

The bench is interesting.  Jared Young certainly has played himself into a return invitation but playing him as a regular is a borderline plan at best.  Others like Ronny Mauricio, Nick Morabito and others have much less clear paths forward.  Brett Baty would be in this category as well. 

Of course the biggest question marks are who gets the lineup pencil and whether or not they acknowledge that David Stearns is in need of a real GM.