Reese Kaplan -- Major Changes Needed But Stearns Just Signs Throwaways

Well, it didn’t take long for the Mets to make headline grabbing significant moves to correct the out of control downhill skid.  In order to solidify the offense they replaced elder statesman Tommy Pham with 4 year younger Austin Slater. 

Really?  This move is the best that David Stearns has to offer?  I’m sure hoping that there’s a magic “The Natural” spin that’s going to evolve from this stunning and monstrous transaction.  After all, if you only look at career numbers then you see that Slater is a career .247 hitter spread over now his 7th team during his highly unimpressive career.  His best year ever was way back in 2021 for the Giants when he hit .241 with 12 HRs and 32 RBIs.  In David Stearns’ mind he’s the missing jewel from the roster treasure chest.  Could he morph into a, say, .250 or .260 hitter?  Sure, stranger things have happened but there’s no guarantee and right now he’s another Tyrone Taylor minus the defensive skills.

But Stearns was not done reinforcing the team.  Scrap heap picking yet again he also inked the worst defensive first baseman in baseball in Eric Wagaman who was DFA’d by the Marlins because in addition to needing blindfolds for when he plays the field they also apparently couldn’t stomach his .250 hitting without power.  The Angels gave up on him after one year and now the Twins have done the same.  The Mets did assign him to the minors which MAYBE means they are opening up the possibility of promoting suddenly hot hitting Ryan Clifford to play first base in Jorge Polanco’s extended absence, but once again finding what other teams no longer want or need as a way of rebuilding a losing roster is ponderous at best.

At the risk of being redundant, have a look at the rest of the roster.  Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Bo Bichette, Tyrone Taylor, MJ Melendez, Carson Benge, Francisco Alvarez, Luis Robert and even a slumping upon his return Juan Soto are not exactly what would intimidate the opposition.  We can go through the same exercise with flawed starting pitchers and relievers but the end result is the same.  Something needs to be done and a .247 hitting outfielder and an error prone first baseman without power is not exactly solving the problem.

It is possible to make what baseball savants call a “trade” to try to improve the roster, but given the players the Mets might want to push out the door there are no opposing General Managers pushing and shoving to add any of them to their teams.  It may take the more appealing sacrifice of seeing what highly regarded minor leaguers can net in return though by doing so you’re potentially crippling the future of the team.  However, as it stands right now there is exactly one hitter on the roster with a batting average that doesn’t require you to look away in shame.

For now we’re all being apparently asked to swallow hard and keep watching what isn’t working with no health improvements nor slump busting taking place.  The pitching is giving away games as well yet in this regard nothing is happening either.  How much rope does David Stearns get for his team construction while the Mets plummet into what could be permanent oblivion?

Cautious Optimist -- I'm Mad As Hell and I'm Not Going to Take it

 

Indulge me a Cathartic post, please

My great uncle -- not my best uncle, just my great uncle -- was the comedian, Henny Youngman, known best (unfortunately) for his famous one liner, "Take my wife...., please".

He actually had much better material than that, but at least he's remembered for some of his work, even if it is not his best.  I wonder what this iteration of the Mets will be remembered for.

And so I implore you,  "Take my Mets...., please."  

This is not going to be one of my philosophical or analytical or theoretical pieces that bores some of you to death.  This is a stream of semi-consciousness catharsis.  

I need it, and I'm going to indulge myself.  'Do you (dear reader) feel like I do?' (Speaking of which, whatever happened to Peter Frampton's hair?"

It's worse than you think and worse than I had ever imagined

It's really hard to imagine a team more out of favor with its fan base than the Mets.  Even Jets fans are more engaged with their woeful team than are Mets fans.  Somehow the genuinely dysfunctional Jets managed to make two excellent trades at the deadline and had a truly excellent draft this past week.  The typical Jets fan was able to ignore the fact that there is no evidence that their HC can coach at this level and put aside decades of incompetent ownership, and find themselves, if not quite optimistic, at least hopeful.

Hope may spring eternal, but for the average Mets' fan, this Spring has killed all hope. Video may have killed the radio star, but really, who cares? The Mets play has sent me back to therapy, and at these prices, it might be cheaper to pay off an opponent to throw a game every once in a while! 

I think it's fair to say that the Mets fans have lost all faith in the team's prospects, not just for this year, which is bad enough, but going forward.  The extent of the disengagement is both striking and easy to understand. 

What I don't understand is the apparent failure of the organization -- from the owner to the manager -- to grasp its source as well as its significance. 

They are misreading the signals the fans are sending, underestimating, not the extent or quantity of disaffection, but its quality and character.  This is not a fan base responding to a losing streak or to a stretch of disappointing play.  

This is a fan base screaming that there is rot at heart of the team.  Being a fan of the Mets is tantamount these days is like watching a loved one devolve into a depression from which they seem unable to extricate themselves, one that defines them and with which they seem incomprehensibly to have become comfortable with.  

Some might think that watching the Mets is like watching a train wreck, but I demur.  A train wreck, while likely to cause untold personal harm and property damage, is, at the end of the day, a ballistic event.  It doesn't build or boil over, it is above all else, a sudden impact.

What the Mets fan has experienced has been a slow, exhausting, recalcitrant, dissolution.  It is personal and offers no relief or hope of respite, let alone a rebound.

This is like the sucking of all life out of an organism or the death of a long relationship.  At no time does it seem inevitable, but all of the time it seems intractable, incomprehensible. 

Speaking as a fan, I find myself asking questions I never expected I would.  Am I crazy in thinking that the FO and the manager aren't seeing what I am seeing?  Are they delusional in some way.  Is it possible that they just don't care in the way I, and most other Mets fans for life, obviously do. 

Sometimes you have to understand that the fans are invested in ways that may be unhealthy, but which, given how little there is to cheer about or find solace in the circumstances of modern life, may well be all that keeps us going day to day.  Ok, that may be a bit hyperbolic: not all of what keeps us going, but nevertheless essential to one's well-being. 

Sometimes, simple decency requires putting a stop to the pain.  If the FO isn't going to do that, the fans surely will of their own accord.

But most of all, we don't want to hear a manager's post game press conference punctuated by banalities, like, 'we are playing hard, taking good at bats, putting in the work, but obviously what we are doing is not enough'.  Some banalities are informative; some are obvious.  This one is the daily double of banal and uninformative. 

Or my favorite, 'No one is going to feel sorry for us.'  No shite.  The goal is to make them fear playing us.  Do I need to hear the POBO say with a straight face that he believes that the manager is doing a good job?  

Really?  The team is listless, frustrated and plays the game without joy or energy.  They make mistakes and commit mental errors befitting little leaguers.  They are making every opponent seem invincible.

Do I really need a POBO, who I largely admire and have a great deal of faith in, looking to sign players off the scrap heap hoping to find a diamond in the rough.   No, no, a thousand times no.

I'll tell you what I need, and I'm betting others need as well 

I need to see the owner, the POBO and the manager responding to this moment appropriately, which for me is captured best by Peter Finch's portrayal of the fictional character, Howard Beale, in the film classic, Network, going to the window, opening it and shouting at the top of his lungs, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it.'  

If FO continues to 'take it,' rest assured the Mets fans will not.

There may well be little, if anything, the FO can do now that will turn the team around, but we won't even be able to stop the bleeding if we are unable to see how sick the patient is. 

This is a team that is 57-84 since June 12, 2025.  This isn't a team that has to play better.  After all, it is almost impossible for it to play any worse.

This is not a team that needs a good series or two.  This is a team that every fan can see desperately needs a reboot, a severing of ties with its long slow dissolution.   

On second thought, this isn't a team that can settle for a reboot.  This is a team that needs a rebirth.  

We are so close to becoming a team that isn't even capable of talking a good game, let alone playing one.  That is the team the fan base sees day in and day out.  

Is it possible that the FO watches this team and sees something different.  If it is, I'd want a hit of whatever they are smoking or a glass of whatever they are drinking!

So at the top of my lungs, hear me, 'I'm mad as hell and I am not going to take it.' 

Nor am I going to spend the summer in a bad mood.  Until there are bright spots to report on on the major league team, I'm going to devote my time to the only source of hope right now: prospects toiling in the minors and honing their craft.

Though prospects rarely pan out as expected, they have not yet shown us their ceilings and we are thus free to imagine the best in them and better days for all to come.   

And just to show that I can find humor in even the most horrific events, I will end with a joke that I have rewritten slightly so as not to risk offending anyone.

Comedian to the Audience:  Do you know the difference between  pessimistic and optimistic Mets fan?

Audience: No. Tell me.

Answer:  The pessimistic fan is always reminding you that the pitchers can't pitch, the hitters can't hit, the manager can't manage, and the GM can't make a decent trade or free agent signing.  He's the first to lament that the situation couldn't be any worse than it is. 

To which the optimistic Mets fan responds, 'Don't be ridiculous.  Of course it can.'

Until next time.

Steve Sica- Are the Mets Heading for a July Fire Sale?

It's the end of April, and the Mets are tied with their NL East rival, Philadelphia, for the worst record in baseball at 9-19.

Seeing these two NL East teams, both of whom have a top-five payroll in baseball, at the bottom of the standings is a surprise. What's more concerning is that, as the Mets fall further and further behind the rest of the pack in the National League, the thought of becoming aggressive sellers at the deadline becomes a reality.

The last time the Mets were in this position was 2023. That worked out well for them at the deadline when they traded away veterans like Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Eduardo Escobar, and Mark Canha for a haul of prospects that included Drew Gilbert, Luisangel Acuña, and Ryan Clifford. Clifford remains the only player still on the Mets roster, but overall, a nice haul of prospects for a team that finished well outside the postseason picture.

In the Steve Cohen era, the Mets have been buyers in July. 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025 saw the Mets trade prospects in exchange for proven veterans. The most notable trade was Pete Crow Armstrong for Javy Baez, in a year the Mets finished with 85 losses anyway. If the first month of the season is any indication for the rest of the year, it seems very likely the Mets will be sellers at the deadline. How aggressive they'll be remains to be seen.

Let's take a closer look at the roster and see what the Mets could expect to receive for some of their most valuable trade assets. 

SP Freddy Peralta:

Two months ago, we were talking about signing Peralta to an extension to keep him a Met for years to come. Now, he's the most valuable trade piece on the Mets roster. With his current contract set to expire at the end of 2026, Peralta will be one of the most highly coveted rental pitchers by July. If the Mets do move on from him, can they expect a return as good as the one they gave Milwaukee in January for him? That exchange was for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat, two top-100 prospects. The short answer is likely a no. The odds of the Mets getting that kind of haul for a two-month rental are low.

Still, though, pitching is the most sought-after asset from buyers at the deadline, and the Mets could still get a decent return for Peralta. Maybe one top-100 prospect and a couple of mid-level guys or Low-A prospects younger than 20. 

RP Luke Weaver:

He's still under contract through 2027, owed $12 million next season. But Luke Weaver has been the Mets' best reliever in an otherwise abysmal month. As baseball evolves, relievers, not just closers, are something that buyers are willing to give up more to acquire. Weaver has playoff experience with the Yankees, can slot into a team's bullpen lineup as a setup man or even a closer if needed, and if the Mets are willing to take on a good chunk of his contract, they might receive a nice package of prospects in return. 

SP Clay Holmes:

Perhaps the Mets' best starting pitcher, even over Nolan McLean. Holmes carries a 2.10 ERA in April. He's been the Mets' most consistent pitcher this season, and turned in a solid performance last year, too. If the Mets fall too far back from playoff contention, don't be surprised to see Peralta and Holmes on the move. 

A silver lining to all this is that with those two top pitchers gone, it really opens the door to see what Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger can do at the MLB level. For Tong, it'll be a far less pressure-packed situation than what he was dropped into last September.

Those are the first three players that I can see the Mets getting real value for without a lot of complexities in eating contract money. 

If the Mets really want to blow it up, even more than they did to their core this past winter, you could make the argument that every player not named Juan Soto or Nolan McLean might be on the trade block. Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco, two names the Mets picked up in the offseason, would be tough to trade without eating a lot of money or getting a thin package of prospects in return.

Names like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos could come up if teams are willing to take a flyer on them. Neither of them has done themselves or the Mets any favors in April in upping their trade value.

July is a long way off, six teams make the playoffs now, if the Mets turn things around and get back into the hunt, this all becomes moot. If not, then the Mets will be one of the most intriguing deadline teams, but for all the wrong reasons.

Tom Brennan: If Logic Ruled Our Preferences…We’d Skip Queens and Embrace “Da Bronx”!

Two years back, I posted this picture and wrote:

“Let’s hope we smile at their 2024 success.”

That, like any real success in Metsville, seems perpetually elusive.

Even so far in 2026.

 

What people prefer may be logical, or it may just be downright illogical.

Take, for instance, the choice of being a Mets fan or being a Yankees fan.

Being a Mets fan certainly does not seem logical, when one could choose being a Yankee fan instead.

After all, the Mets virtually every single year run into absolutely woeful stretches that the team does not seem to be able to extricate itself from.

The Yankees don’t seem to have that problem. 

They make the playoffs virtually every single year, whether they make the World Series or not. The cross town Queens team seems to see the playoffs about as often as Haley’s comet flies by.

Simply, consider the two teams’ success or failure at reaching the playoffs over the last 35 years. Yankees? Innumerable. Mets? Infinitesimal.

The Yankees have continually been kicking sand in the Mets’ faces. 

Logically, in that regard, I would give the Yankees an A-. 

The Mets?  D-.  I feel generous in doing so.

If you like anemia, and irritable bat syndrome, you choose Mets hitters, who are perpetually aided and abetted in their overall ineptitude by an overly pitcher friendly Park. 

You know the one…

The House That the Wilpons Built.

Or you could choose the Yankees, who annually flex their muscles with rip roaring offense. Almost regardless of player moves and injuries. 

Remember, the Mets acquired slugging Juan Soto, and the Yankees lost that same slugging Juan Soto, arguably one of the best hitters on the planet. But the Mets overall hit like garbage, with little power, and the Yankees shrug off the loss of the mighty Soto and bang out plenteous quantities of offense and long balls with complete and utter abandon. 

Thru Saturday, the Yankees had won 8 straight and had more than double the number of home runs as the Mets did.

On the other hand, when Soto was out with his calf injury, the Mets collapsed and lost a season-crushing 12 straight. 

And 15 losses in 17 games?? 

The ANNUAL COLLAPSE came early this year.

With any logic whatsoever…

We sports consumers would look at this and switch to the Yankees. 

No doubt, many thousands in the “metropolitan” area are doing so.

When 1 thinks of the Mets, the word “suffering” comes to mind. 

Anguish, too.  Toxic? For some, no doubt.

When one thinks of the Yankees, “winning divisions and making the playoffs” comes to mind.

If I had any brains at all, something that at times is far from certain, I think I might have an imminent decision to make. 

At least if I can find the time to be logical here, about these Mets.

I enjoy watching Victor Wembanyama Facebook NBA video clips more than watching Mets games - for real. He truly is an Alien and an Extraterrestrial.

The Mets have subterranean creatures compiling subterranean win-loss stats.

The Mets? 

Thru Sunday, still days away from the very merry month of May?

* Trail Braves by 10.5 games. (The Mets led them by 0.5 games on April 7!)

* Trail  Yankees by 9.0 games

* Are 7.5 games out of the Wild Card! 

MEET THE METS, GREET THE METS, STEP RIGHT UP AND BEAT THE METS.

The magic is not back. The jingle is back!

IS ANYONE HOT IN METSVILLE?

We know AJ Ewing is. 

(Just, deservedly, promoted to AAA with his .481 OBP).

We know Elian Peña is hot, too.

Is there a third? Yes, there most certainly is. His name?

Randy Guzman, for St Lucie. 

He started his Florida season icily…4 for 31.

Since then, the Gooz is a torrid 13 for 38 with 4 doubles and 4 HRs.

That qualifies as HOT!

A NO-NO IN NY LAST NIGHT

Trevor Bauer in his Cincy Days

A 7 inning no hitter with just a single walk was fashioned by Long Island Ducks pitcher TREVOR BAUER. 

An 84 pitch gem.

I saw a brief clip of his final pitch, and it was a sizzling fastball.

I have a REAL suggestion: 

Bring Bauer to Queens, and let Senga pitch for the Ducks.

Guest Post - Mack

Psst. Come over here.... yeah, it's Mack. Guess you thought I was dead. Well, not yet. Yes, family and doctors have joined forces and hidden my laptop, but this is being written (slowly) on my phone. PAUL or TOM will be asked to pretty it up.

What I can do is guarantee no one can pretty up this season. 

I've done this for too long and seen far too much. If you can't beat the Rockies one game at home, dim the lights... the party is over.

Where do the Mets go? Well, my suggestion is to a secure location and meet with ME (manager-expert) Alex Cora before some other team scoops him up. The Mendoza era is over. Trust me. Coming from a former 20+ successful years manager with a hard-ass reputation... if you’re not making budget and your staff tells everyone they love you, there first needs a manager change. You can't fire the entire staff.

If you can't land Cora, fine. Make a change anyway.

Now, do you fire all the coaches? Nah. Keep em' around this year and let them use the rest of this season as their resume. As I've said, I'm done with this season and l'm on to playing 2026 for 2027.

(Hey Steve. Get ready to throw away a shitload of money. Your boy David took you down this road and the two of you deserve what's coming)

I'm not saying the Mets have enough current top level talent to build a playoff team NEXT YEAR but they could pull it off if they use the rest of this season as a sort of extended pre-season for some of their prospects that need either polishing or positioning.

Let's talk OD 2027, my lineup, and what I would do with them post trading deadline:

1B - I'm gonna try something wild.  I'm gonna play a first baseman on first base. And since I'm doing that, why not the only one I have. The good news, he has hit 33-HR/108-RBI (stats thru 4-26) since the beginning of last season. The bad news he struck out like other power hitting first basemen. His K/9 has been reduced this season, but he needs serious coaching attention to this matter for the rest of the season. And he'll get that from me THIS season as on-the-job training at the major league level. 

1B - Ryan Clifford

2B - I will immediately promote my 2027 second baseman from AA-Binghamton to AAA-Syracuse and play him daily on second. Until then, Baty or Semien. Pick one. Promote this guy September 1st to get his feet wet. He'll survive it.

2B - A.J.Ewing

SS - no change here but no rush at the top either. Give the current leader of this team the proper time to heal and play Ronny Mauricio there until the healing comes to end. On the low end of the affiliate chain is the obvious replacement. I like Tom's idea. Play Elian Pena at A-St. Lucie for the rest of the season and come 2027, avoid the miserable fields in Brooklyn and Binghamton and jump him directly to AAA-Syracuse. This will make this future superstar ready on OD-2028. 

SS - Francisco Lindor 

3B - this is the one offseason move I loved. This is one of the best bats in baseball and I love that the Mets own him through the 2028 season.  Don't worry. He will figure out third.

3B - Bo Bichette 

C - I have to tell you. I'm still not totally sold on this guy; however, at worse, I think his bat will make a top 15-20 catcher in the league. "Likes to strike" out and defensively challenged but this position immediately upgrades on OD 2028 when Swiss Army Knife C/1B/LF/DH Chris Suero will be ready. 2026 is somewhat this guy's time to shine.

C - Francisco Alvarez 

LF - Butter. Just stay healthy.

LF - Juan Soto

CF - Robert's bat is already starting to fart out while this guy continues is currently the best in the chain to replace him. His current 2026 stats are a little underwhelming so I'm still going to spend next offseason trying to upgrade here. Still, I would have this guy in Queens for a "tryout" by August 1st and pencil him in for OD-2027... if I couldn't hook a beluga.

CF - Nick Morabito 

RF - this guy is going through, right now, the kind of OJT I am calling for here for other players. And it seems to be beginning to work. I'm sticking with him.

RF - Carson Benge

DH - Another OJT season here in 2026. I would play him as the designated hitter all season, against all pitching, with Sundays off. Still think there is the potential for 25 home runs here; however, as I start DFAing players and working out deals, I will be looking for the potential of this guy's replacement. 

DH - Mark Vientos

Not talking pitching. Too screwed up at all levels. 

That's it for me. Like Puff, I will crawl back in my cave.

Paul Articulates - Power outage

The New York Mets have struggled mightily in April.  That is no secret.  Why they have struggled so much with a redesigned team that seemed to have a purposeful design is a difficult question to answer.

The plan

The clearly stated objective by the Mets front office in the off-season was to improve the team’s run prevention.  That objective was to be accomplished in two ways:  first, bolster the defense with players that had better demonstrated capabilities on the field; second, bolster the pitching staff with a new ace and a stronger bullpen.

The plan was not accomplished to perfection, as Diaz was a surprise departure, and some of the Mets’ targets signed with other teams.  However, the front office seemed to be pleased with what they ended up with.  Roberts, Semien, Bichette, and Benge all seemed to be upgrades defensively at the position they were assigned.  Weaver and Williams were great adds to the pen, though they would have been better positioned as set-up men for Diaz.

The outcome

When you trade away players like Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo, you may be improving defense, but it comes with a cost – power was certainly lost in the exchange.  This was a calculated risk they felt was worth taking.  There was also a hint of power in some of the names they brought in – Polanco, Robert, and Bichette all had career OPS greater than .760.   Both Baty and Vientos had shown glimpses of power in their erratic careers to date.

Defensively, the team shows net improvement in OAA and DRS.  But the team ERA is middle-of-the-pack and the Mets are still being outscored.

The reality

The power void on this team is greater than imagined, and with the lack of clutch hitting with RISP, only a few well-placed homers could tilt the competitive balance in the Mets direction. The Mets are dead last in MLB with a .636 OPS.  That is 27 points lower than the next worst team (Giants), and 183 points lower than the best (Dodgers).  Only a single player (Alvarez) has an OPS higher than .700 on the Mets right now.

Power is mostly generated by the individual player’s swing, but is influenced by the opposing pitcher’s talent and the environment (weather, field dimensions).  If you put great power hitters in a difficult park, you get good power hitters.  If opposing pitchers are tricky enough, great swings result in less barrels.  Those may indeed be factors in the lack of power performance on this team so far.  However, I can’t say that there have been a lot of great swings witnessed over the first 26 games and that is cause for concern.

The take-away

I never thought that I could get behind the all-out swings and increased launch angles taught to the MLB prospects.  I have always had the mindset that more hits is better for baseball than less hits/more home runs.  However, this very painful start to the season is producing a dataset that may sway my thinking.  There have been too many games so far where a few solo home runs would have changed the outcome of a game where the Mets out-hit the opponents.  

There is much to play out this season.  A healthy Soto can hit 40 home runs.  A healthy Lindor is good for 30.  But if this team is still competitive by mid-season, a power bat is going to be a necessity at the trade deadline.

Reese Kaplan -- What Can the Mets Take From Alex Cora's Exit?

During Saturday’s rainout word filtered out that there was an interesting change afoot in the American League East.  Having gotten off to a very poor start to the 2026 season tied with the Kansas City Royals for overall ineptitude the Boston Red Sox somewhat surprisingly pulled the trigger on Manager Alex Cora who has been at their helm since 2018 with a career record as skipper in the positive column by going 620-541 good for a .534 winning percentage.  

This year’s dismal .370 winning percentage was too much to take and he was sent packing along with most of his coaching staff.  The news was indicative of what a team does when they reach a breaking point and can no longer continue down the same path that isn’t working.

Dig a little deeper and guess what?  The Mets are currently owning a 9-17 record with a winning percentage even lower at .346.  They are led by third year manager Carlos Mendoza who owns a career record of 181-169 good for a winning percentage also lower at .517.  

Unlike Cora who became the World Series winner in his 2018 rookie season in charge, Mendoza has made the playoffs exactly once.  Yet despite achieving less with a poorer record and worse winning percentage and having just endured a Mets record setting 12 game losing streak apparently the New York Mets front office feels this path is the right one to continue as theoretically the best is yet to come.

I’ve written an article not long ago in which I concluded that Mendoza was not the root cause of the Mets malaise, yet at the same time optics sometimes matter more than do numbers.  Yes, the Mets have had to endure a great many injuries and slow starts by a multitude of hitters and pitchers, yet you’re left wondering exactly who is being held accountable for what appears on the stat sheet in the individual and team wide record books?  

For now the only red flags waved included fringe pitchers like Luis Garcia and Dicky Lovelady with offensive stopgaps arriving who either couldn’t make the majors at of Spring Training (MJ Melendez) or not even gotten a job at all elsewhere in baseball (Tommy Pham). 

So after the brief two game winning streak the Mets hit the skids again during the opening game with the Rockies and now hold a razor thin half game margin before owning the worst record in all of baseball.  Thus far the “stay the course” philosophy rings hollow with seemingly no one other than David Stearns who assembled this roster accountable for what’s gone wrong.  Owner Steve Cohen sent his public “rah rah” message during the streak which had no direct impact on anything.  No key ballplayers who are not on the IL have been credited with any of the negative outcomes. 

Many folks are quick to point out that the Mets did a major overhaul of their team roster during the offseason during which Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and others hit the road while the hometown team brought in the likes of Bo Bichette, injured Jorge Polanco and semi regular threatening to sink to the Mendoza line, Luis Robert.  

On the pitching side they did add Freddy Peralta but have already squeezed Sean Manaea and David Peterson out of the starting rotation while test driving ineffective substitutes to take over the role of starting pitcher.  Everyone is still awaiting the return of AJ Minter to help fortify the spotty bullpen but even if he replicates the quality he showed during his Atlanta years, nothing has been done to help improve the 25th ranked team batting average of just .230. 

Cora will not stay unemployed for very long given his track record.  In fact, the equally dismal Philadelphia Phillies may consider him a viable candidate to replace their own embattled skipper Rob Thompson whose own career record of 354-266 (.571 winning percentage) is not helping them much in 2026. 

The most interesting question about the Alex Cora and staff firing from Beantown is what exactly are the Mets doing to correct their course?  Yes, hitters actually remembering what to do when they come to the plate would be a huge step in the right direction as would steadiness from shaky members of the pitching corps.  However, once again it is about optics.  What have the Mets done to right the ship?  Thus far it’s a whole lotta nothin’

Tom Brennan: Mets Home Parks Simply Stifle Their Hitters

 

 Unfriendly Dimensions Lead to Boring Results

HOME FIELD HITTING DISADVANTAGES

Binghamton is off to a poor hitting start.

I have never been to the Binghamton park, nor to the Phillies’ Reading AA park.

But I believe the best way to assess a team’s hitters is how they hit ON THE ROAD. 

Why? Because some teams play in lovely hitter’s parks and some in stingy, frustrating pitcher’s parks. The road largely equalizes hitter abilities from team to team.

So, check this out about the Binghamton Rumble Ponies:

Over the 5 year period from 2021 through 2025, Binghamton hitters on the road hit 340 HRs, while Reading’s hitters hit just 277. 

Do the math. That’s 13 more “away” homers per year by Bingo than by Reading. 

So that certainly leaves the impression that Binghamton hitters are much better than Reading hitters, huh?

At home, though, Reading hitters in 5 years smashed 373 HRs, or 96 more than Reading hit on the road!

That implies to me that Reading’s home park is “very hitter friendly.”

On the other hand, Binghamton in 5 years hit just 240 homers at home, or a stunning 100 fewer than they hit on the road!

That implies that “Bingo Caverns” plays as a very hitter UNfriendly” park.

Conclusion: if Binghamton on the road has hit 23% more HRs than Reading, then, if Binghamton also hit 23% more HRs than Reading while playing their home games, they would have hit 459 homers (1.23 * 373) at home.

But they hit just 240, or 219 fewer than 459. 219/5 is 44 more home HRs per year at home. 

So, the next time you think Binghamton hitters are lousy, that they are Stumble Ponies and not RUMBLE Ponies, think again. 

Think how doggone deflating Moribito Park has to be to Binghamton hitters power-wise…44 more home runs at home annually would do absolute wonders for Binghamton hitters’ statistics.

When I see this, and also realize how (let’s say it as it is) piss-poor the hitting conditions are for Brooklyn Cyclones hitters, too, when they’re at home, I simply am baffled as to why an organization like the Mutts would make their hitters struggle at two of their 4 top minors levels in that fashion. 

What? Don’t you think that a good hitter, losing perhaps five home runs a year in Binghamton and seven home runs a year in Brooklyn, is going to be having a much harder time impressing the bosses statistically than they would if they were in a normal hitting park or, better yet, in a hitter friendly park? And also look less attractive as trade bait?

And remember dimensions when you ponder Mets prospect pitchers too. 

How often have we seen pitchers dazzle in Brooklyn and Binghamton, like Hamel, Vasil, Sproat, Tidwell and Suarez, and then get roughed up in AAA, where the balls carry out much better, just judging by the much higher home run totals in AAA versus AA and versus High A.

I would strongly recommend that Mets management, in coordination with Binghamton and Brooklyn, consider how they might be able to move the fences in somewhat to make both of them at least hitter neutral parks.

“Mr. Cohen, tear down those walls”, President Ronald Reagan might have said.

And put up ones that are more hitter friendly. 

Do it in Queens too. 

I have said it before, and I will say it again, fans dig the long ball. 

And most of them hate the long Mets hitter fly ball that is caught on the warning track that would be a home run in other parks. They hate it even more when their home team is losing too much. 

Who wants to go to a game where your team is losing too frequently, and can’t get the darn ball over the wall? 

Simply, the Mets compete (poorly) for fannies in NY seats with the Yankees. 

And those Yankees? Boy oh boy are they smart! How so?

So far, both teams have played 13 home games. 

In 13 home games, the Yankees have hit a whopping 24 home runs. 

And in 13 home games, the Mets have hit a paltry 10 home runs, with quite a few near misses that show up in the box score as an average-deflating out, not a home run. 

As a consequence, the Yankees have scored 75 runs at home in 13 games, and the Mets have scored an anemic 50 runs at home in 13 games (and just 39 in their last 12 home games). Boring.

Frankly, any smart businessman would know what to do here. 

But I’m no longer hedging my bets that there is one in Queens.

Tom Brennan: Mets Minors Pitching Update; The A.J.’s; Scott Not (Yet)

 

REMEMBER JONAH TONG IN LAST SEPTEMBER’S GREAT METS START?

IT WON’T BE HIS LAST GREAT METS START

TOP 30 PROSPECT PITCHERS UPDATE

The Mets’ official Top 30 prospects list has 17 hitters and 13 pitchers. 

I addressed most of the hitters a few days ago.  

Today, it is the 13 prospect pitchers’ turn to go under the Brennan Scope:

(Based on stats through Friday):

AAA

Jonah Tong (Terrific)

One rough outing so far, and one rough 5th inning in another. But he has fanned 32 in 20.2 innings. 

Last 2 outings, 10 innings, 19 Ks. Beast. Terrific.

Jack Wenninger - Jack thought he was Christian Scott in his last outing: a short (2.1 IP), low hit (1), high walk (5) game, but Jack fanned 4, and so far has a 2.16 ERA. A good one.

Ryan Lambert - 1-0, 3.86 in 8 outings. Two were wild, the other 6 were great. 11 Ks in 7 IP.

Dylan Ross - 3 rehab innings so far in A ball. 0.00 ERA, 2 Ks. Good to see.

Jonathan Pintaro - 1-0, 2.51 in 7 relief outings with a 1.05 WHIP. And a 1.46 ERA after his first relief outing in sub-zero March conditions.

AA

Jon Santucci - Santucci started slowly in 2025 in High A. He has started a little unevenly this year

Will Watson - 0-3, 4.96 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in the early going.

Zach Thornton - 3 outings, 0-1, 2.76 ERA. His team is not hitting.

Brendan Girton - very wild in his first 3 starts. But threw a strong 5 innings of 1 run ball on Friday night.

R.J. Gordon - 11-3 last year, zero innings so far this year. (He actually had a short, rough rehab outing Saturday night for St Lucie.)

FULL A

Cam Tilly - 1-0, 5.85 in 15 innings, with 19 Ks, for the 21 year old 7th rounder, in his pro debut.  I think he will do well.

PETER KUSSOW & NATHAN HALL?

Their FCL season starts in early May. Their next pro inning will be their first. Both therefore have a 0.00 ERA.

One AA reliever off to a great start is 29(!) year old Brian Metoyer. 5 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 8 Ks, 0.00. An oldie but goodie. Maybe he ascends to Queens this year?

SUMMARY CONCLUSION: The system has been somewhat depleted from the depth of pitching it had a year ago, but is nonetheless still solid.

FRIDAY MINORS ACTION

Two rainouts and 2 losses. Syracuse got smoked 9-2, with bad bullpen work. St Lucie lost 8-7, with bad bullpen work. Jose Chirinos pitched well, again, for St Lucie (2,45 ERA). Lavender pitched well for Lucie in his ongoing rehab.

Elian Peña (.338) had 2 hits and a walk, and feels more and more like a RISING STAR!

WHAT WOULD BE COOL…

It won’t happen, but it would be cool (at least to me) if the Mets called up both A.J. Minter and A.J. Ewing on the same day.  

Minter should be called up within the next several days. 

Ewing IMO deserves the same timeframe, but it will be longer for the AA hitting star to arrive. Hitters are simply less fungible than pitchers.

CHRISTIAN SCOTT

After his most recent no-decision, he has been in 10 career major league games spanning 49 innings.  Considering all the chatter, and all the “top prospect coverage” he has gotten on the Macks Mets website, he has exactly 0 major league wins. Zero.  No place to go but up.

Of course, pointing that “zero” out is not to denigrate him. 

If he was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he’d probably have five career wins already. 

Just ask Jake D how difficult it is to win games as a Mets starter. 

Or ask Freddy P. Or Matt Harvey. Or Anthony Young.

Anthony Y. was 3-30 over a 2 year period. In true Mets fashion, he had an ERA below 4.00 spanning those 2 years. But heck, at least he won some games. Young was 10-13 with his 2 other clubs. 

Paul Sewald? 1-14 with the Mets. His next team, Seattle? 18-8.

So, Christian, take it all with a grain of salt.