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Syracuse won 2 of 3 in its season opening series, playing in the Siberia known as Worcester, Ma.
Good news and bad news…first the good…
They come home for their first 6 game home stand to above normal early April temperatures.
The bad news?
Each day from Tuesday through Sunday is forecasted to have at least some showers, or rain. Some sun will likely appear, too.
Play ball. Watch out for puddles. Let the sun shine in.
Right now, there are no statistics that are valid – there is
not enough of a sample size for any stats to tell a real story. So we have to go by the eye test. Here is what my eyes tell me:
Positives:
Negatives:
So far, to my eye, the Mets are failing the test. If you have followed the RVH blueprint to 93
wins, the Mets need to beat up on teams like the Pirates (win accumulation). They escaped this series with two wins out of
three games, but were dangerously close to ending the series with only one
win. I am not predicting doom, but the
first series fell well short of expectations.
That’s my take.
At the time of this writing the Mets have completed two games thus far and the Sunday game will be completed long after I’ve gone to sleep. It’s obviously too early to draw definitive conclusions about anything but the opening pair of victories against the Pirates certainly showed some good, some bad and some inconclusive things about how the 2026 squad is assembled.
Speaking of which, for all of us doubters about whether or not the seemingly overpaid Luis Robert, Jr. was a good acquisition or not had their Hollywood cinematic moment in the bottom of the 12th inning when behind by a score of 2-1 the Mets started with a runner on second, then a go ahead runner on first in the form of Polanco. What most folks hoped for was perhaps a long double that could drive both runners home and result in a victory. What no one expected was the long ball flying over the left center field fence that gave the Mets a miraculous and happy 4-2 win. One great AB does not make a season, but it sure was a welcome sight from one of the newcomers with major question marks.
On the positive side of the ledger the Mets got a terrific opening salvo from questionable number two starter David Peterson who threw zeroes for the duration of his time on the mound. Perhaps the front office and Carlos Mendoza are banking on his early season effectiveness over what could happen later in the year (and/or attempting to build up his trade value for a mid season deal elsewhere before he becomes a free agent at year’s end).
Jorge Polanco at the plate is showing the type of selectivity as a hitter that will keep him on base at a high percentage, something many of the past Mets never before had demonstrated. He had three walks in a row in the Saturday game and with the kind of offensive players surrounding him in the order it means he’s making it more possible to push runners across the plate.
Oh, by the way, did anyone notice that the horrific Spring Training non-hitter Mark Vientos was asked to do a lefty/righty pinch hitting swap with Carson Benge and delivered a base hit? Trade him now while he’s still batting 1.000.
On the flip side, defensive acumen has not been on display from either of the corner infielders, though Polanco already saved Bo Bichette from an errant throw going into foul territory. Ace starter Freddy Peralta did not pitch like the unhittable All Star he’d shown during Spring Training. Some of the hitters particularly on Saturday were struggling to catch up to what the Pittsburgh hurlers had to offer.
The true down side thus far (and take it with an entire silo of salt) is the performance of some of the relief pitchers. Heading this dubious list if elder statesman Luis Garcia who thus far has appeared in both games having thrown two innings during which he’s given up five hits and is pitching to the tune of a 9.00 ERA. Granted, a good week this early in the season would make these numbers disappear, but bear in mind the front office decided it was a wise choice to pay the 39 year old $1.75 million for his career .255 BAA and 4.09 ERA (neither of which are likely to improve with age). Both he and Dicky Lovelady are on bullpen thin ice when AJ Minter and/or Craig Kimbrel are deemed healthy and capable enough to take the ball regularly.
SOME TEAMS…WELL…THEY JUST…STINK…LATE & CLOSE
Hitting well in late and close situations is a real challenge in baseball.
Not doing that well, of course, is detrimental to a team’s season success.
After all, highly paid, stat-squelching opposing closers have to be faced, and those suckers could be oh-so hard to get a hit off of.
2026 SO FAR:
The Mets are two games into this March-birthed season (baseball in March is in fact March Madness) and that late and close hitting showed up in a tying run off the bat of Luis Torrens in the bottom of the 10th.
And a come from behind, 3 run inaugural Mets HR by Luis Robert Jr.!
Yes, indeed, this is a new day! Wow!
2-0 this year might have been 0-2 last year.
That was BTW some strength poke out of the park by Luis Robert Jr., on a pitch down at the knees on the outside half of the plate. Against a strong wind, on a frigid night.
OK…on to my previously drafted article…
The Mets had an above average overall offense last year.
But when it came to late and close situations, as defined by Baseball Reference (“Late & Close is defined as the 7th inning or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck”), the Mets were quite pedestrian.
The median MLB team, in terms of Late & Close plate appearances, produced the following mediocre slash line in 2025:
.229/.310/.366.
The Mets in 2025?
Remember the prosecuting attorney in the movie Movie “My Cousin Vinny” demonstratively saying at one point, “IDENTICAL”?
Well, Mets’ and baseball’s 2025 L&C “almost identical” as you can see below.
.229/.312/.361.
Virtually the same as the median MLB team produced, as you can see, although overall, the Mets bats provided a significantly better than average MLB offense in 2025.
They, simply, hit very, very well in situations that were not late & close, but hit like a mere median-average team in late and close situations.
The average fan that looks at a player’s stats is going to look at their basic overall season stats. Average, home runs, RBIs.
They’re not going to drill down into Boutique-type stats like “Late & Close”.
So these fans could have gotten excited about Alonso and Nimmo and McNeill and Marte, our dearly departed Mets 2025 Brothers, but the team as a whole underwhelmed in 2025 Late & Close situations. Which is where games are won and lost many times.
This malaise, despite not having to face a late & close squelching beast like Edwin Diaz during 2025, while he was still a Metsie.
We will see how well the restructured Mets do in late and close situations this year. I hope they rank higher amongst the 30 major league teams in Late & Close situations than they do in regular stats situations. Because if you finish higher overall hitting-wise than you rank in late and close, as occurred in 2025, you are not clutch enough.
To be clear:
The 2025 Mets’ batting average, OBP and slugging % slash line for all plate appearances averaged 9th best.
Ninth best overall, but only 15th best in late and close situations?
Big difference.
Ergo? Not clutch in “late and close”.
I believe that’s one big reason why Steve Cohen and David Stearns chose to make the roster changes that they have…Subpar 2025 late and close output. Not just the oft-mentioned 2025 porous defense that was hemorrhaging runs.
Hopefully, the newly acquired Mets hitters will rake better in late and close situations in 2026 than the 2025 team’s hitters did. I believe this team will be far better in late and close siruations.
If they do, wins will pour in and fans will SMILE. Even if they never heard of the “late and close” stat.
By the way, Bo Bichette in L&C situations in 2025?
He hit a robust .325/.354/.558.
As you can clearly see if you look closely, lately I’m smiling over here, just thinking about that.
Mets game one against Skenes was not a good test of “late and close”. Because, after the first inning, it was never close. But the Mets, in that first inning of the opener, when it was EARLY AND CLOSE?
EXCEPTIONAL.
AND A GREAT SIGN THAT “LATE AND CLOSE” MAY BE MUCH MORE INTERESTING IN METSVILLE IN 2026 THAN IN 2025.
ALONSO WATCH
1 for 5, no RBIs on Saturday.
His last RBI was a full month ago.
Jonah Tong was almost terrific.
Adjusted for the frigid weather, he was terrific.
Tong Terrific.
First frigid inning, 2 walks, no Ks.
Last 3 innings, 1 hit, 4 Ks.
Done after 4 rounds and 73 pitches. Then, treated in the clubhouse for hypothermia. J.j.just k.k.kidding.
Joe Jacques with the 9th inning scoreless save.
Morabito? 2 hits and an RBI. Nick!
Mauricio? A hit and a steal.
Rojas? A 2 run jack.
Clifford? A hit … and 2 Ks. In his first at bat, the first two pitches, naturally, were called strikes. Swing, dude. You can’t hit called strikes, trust me.
Senger? 2 hits. And 2 Ks.
The stadium was heated by 17 Ks by opposing pitchers. And just one walk.
But they lost. Our guys prevailed.
The veterans…Melendez, Arroyo, Cluff, and Pache…were colder than the weather, with a combined 0 for 15 and 10 Ks.
Cold..but a heart warming final outcome.
This is the last piece closing out the offseason conversion of the team. Let’s see how close to his early offseason priorities he delivered.
Back in the offseason, we spent time unpacking David Stearns’ philosophy — not just the moves, but the underlying organizational design principles he has consistently applied throughout his career.
Coming out of the Mets’ 2025 collapse, that philosophy came into focus.
This wasn’t about adding another bat or finding one more arm.
It was about reorienting the roster — and the organization around it — toward a different set of properties:
younger
more athletic
more versatile
more defensively reliable
less dependent on a narrow set of outcomes
The goal was clear.
Build a team capable of absorbing a 162-game season and still tightening into a structure that can win in October.
So the question entering 2026 is simple:
Did Stearns actually execute on that vision?
The Scorecard: Philosophy vs Execution
When you compare the September 2025 roster to the April 2026 Opening Day roster, the shift is unmistakable.
This wasn’t a cosmetic update. It was a structural reset.
Infield: From Constraint to Playability
The 2025 infield often forced tradeoffs.
Offense or defense. Bat or position.
That tension showed up in extended innings, missed plays, and lineup rigidity.
The 2026 version is different.
More athletic profiles.
More interchangeability.
Fewer true “bat-only” constraints.
Francisco Lindor remains the anchor, but the unit around him is now built to stay on the field without costing outs — a subtle shift that directly supports the pitching staff.
Outfield: Athleticism as Strategy
The outfield may be the cleanest expression of the reset.
More range.
More flexibility.
Clearer role layering.
With improved coverage and the ability to rotate pieces without defensive drop-off, the outfield now functions as part of the run-prevention system, not just the run-creation model.
Late in games, that matters.
The Bullpen Reset: From Anchor to Architecture
No part of the roster better reflects Stearns’ response to the collapse than the bullpen.
Here is the 2025 Opening Day group:
Edwin DÃaz
A.J. Minter
Ryne Stanek
Reed Garrett
José Buttó
Danny Young
Huascar Brazobán
Max Kranick
By April 2026, that structure is gone.
Of those eight relievers, only Huascar Brazobán remains.
In its place:
Devin Williams
Luke Weaver
Luis GarcÃa
Tobias Myers
Brooks Raley
Huascar Brazobán
Sean Manaea
Richard Lovelady (Minter returning in May)
Five of eight Opening Day relievers are new.
This is not iteration. It is replacement.
The Mets moved away from a bullpen anchored by a single dominant arm — Edwin DÃaz — and rebuilt the unit as a layered system with multiple leverage options.
The tradeoff is real.
They no longer have DÃaz’s elite peak performance, the kind of arm that can end an inning — or a postseason game — on its own.
But what they have built instead is a bullpen less dependent on perfection and more capable of absorbing variability over a full season.
The Mets traded a bullpen built around one arm for a bullpen built as a system.
Rotation: Managing the Season, Not Just the Start
The rotation shift is less dramatic visually, but just as important structurally.
In 2025, inefficiency — high pitch counts, shorter outings — created cascading stress on the bullpen.
The 2026 design is clearly oriented toward:
better innings distribution
improved efficiency
tighter pitches per out (PPO) control
This is about sustainability.
Not just getting through April — but arriving in September with a staff still intact.
The Bench: From Depth to Function
The 2025 bench often felt redundant. The 2026 bench is defined.
Torrens → catching stability
Taylor → defensive flexibility
Vientos → right-handed power
Jared Young → left-handed OBP and stability
Each role serves a purpose. Each tool is deployable.
That distinction shows up in the margins — and the margins decide seasons.
The Hidden Shift: The Environment Changed Too
The most important part of this reset may not be the roster alone.
It’s the environment around it.
The Mets have aligned their major league coaching staff with player development, creating a structure capable of:
onboarding younger players
integrating call-ups without disruption
improving players at the MLB level, not just evaluating them
Combined with a more connected AAA pipeline — Mauricio, Clifford, Reimer, Melendez, Ewing, Morabito — the Mets now have something they lacked during the collapse:
usable depth. Not theoretical. Operational.
The Mets are no longer just calling players up.
They are prepared to use them.
Where Execution Is Incomplete
For all the progress, there are still open questions.
Offensive Ceiling
A more distributed model raises the floor — but does it provide enough top-end dominance?
Bullpen Peak vs Depth
The system is stronger. The ceiling without DÃaz is lower.
Development in Practice
The coaching alignment is promising — but it must translate into performance.
The Verdict
Coming out of the 2025 collapse, David Stearns laid out a clear direction.
Get younger.
Get more athletic.
Get more versatile.
Build a roster that can withstand the season instead of relying on it going right.
Based on the April 2026 Opening Day roster, he has largely executed that plan.
The Mets are more flexible. They are more balanced. They are better aligned to prevent runs and absorb stress across 162 games.
Nowhere is that more evident than in the bullpen, where continuity was sacrificed entirely in favor of structural redesign.
But execution of design is only the first step.
The real test is whether that system performs under pressure.
The Mets didn’t just respond to the collapse.
They rebuilt the parts of the roster that caused it.
