Tom Brennan - Yesterday’s Mets Action: A Space X View

 

The Happy Recap!  Hoo, Hoo, Hoo!

Space X IPO today. Expect it to soar.

The Mets minors did not soar yesterday.

Here is my 100,000 foot view:

The 4 main minor league teams, known for their collective hitting ineptitude, for the Mets combined for a stinking 6 runs yesterday.

Only two highlights:

Kevin Parada 2-3 and a walk. 14 AAA games: .366/.413/.537. 

WOW. Here is a comp for you:

In his marvelous MVP catcher season, Joe Torre went .363/.421/.555.

Secondly, Kodai Senga went 6 fine innings in AA: 1 hit, 1 walk, 5 Ks.

NY Mets bash 3 HRs (Soto, Young, Bichette), offsetting the 3 that Christian Scott surrendered.

But the bullpen went 4+ innings of no hit ball to secure the 5-4 win.  

Jared Young will be filming a Lifesaver commercial today.

OK. I’m done.

Reese Kaplan --- What Kind of Haul For a Freddy Peralta Trade?

One of the things the Mets must decide between now and the trade deadline in August is what to do with arguably the number one pitcher potentially available for player swaps in 2026.  Yes, Tarik Skubal has more ornamentation on his mantle than does Freddy Peralta, but the Met hurler is completely healthy while Skubal has just begun his rehab from injury.  Even if a GM wanted to lure Skubal away from the Tigers, he’d be in the same boat as the teams interested in Peralta — both are eligible to be free agents at year’s end. 

Right now Peralta earns a very modest $8 million per year which for Cy Young level pitching is pocket change.  Skubal is earning an eye popping $32 million this year and still not 100% healthy.  Therefore the ask for Peralta should be significantly higher than it might otherwise be, though a team in search of a lefty rather than a righty might still prefer taking a chance on the viability of Skubal returning to his dual Cy Young form for August and September. 

A good example of the kind of players who should be offered up to David Stearns would be potentially one top ten draft pick and another highly regarded one either also near the top ten or perhaps in recovery from injury which might otherwise diminish his overall value.  A good example was floated recently about the Los Angeles Dodgers being a team who might seek a push-them-over-the-top additional starting pitcher for the final two months of the season and it’s time to look at who they could provide.

Their top name is currently Josue De Paula who is a 21 year old outfielder who combines strong hitting and baserunning to make himself into the current number eight prospect in all of baseball.  Roughly halfway through his AA season for the Dodgers he’s hitting .319 with 10 HRs, 53 RBIs and 16 SBs.  Any hitter with strong batting skill, power and speed is certainly highly desirable, so much so that the front office of the Dodgers might pull him off the table entirely.

Next up for Los Angeles is current AAA slugger James Tibbs III.  He’s played both the outfield and first base in the minors.  Bear in mind that he’s in the PCL and his numbers may be somewhat inflated as is common in that league.  He’s batting .313 with 18 HRs and 54 RBIs.  Double those numbers for a full year and you could be looking at a post Pete Alonso solution for the Mets.  

At 23 years of age he’s ready to step right into the majors and even if the batting average diminishes a bit he might be a better solution at first base than a healthy Jorge Polanco.

The other player suggested the Mets consider is a pitcher who is working on his AAA campaign this year after going through Tommy John surgery despite having excelled in his brief major league trial in 2024.  River Ryan is no longer at the top of the heap when it comes to prospect ranking but if you look at his minor league numbers you have to be impressed.  

His career minor league ERA is a very good 3.17 and right now in the hitter’s league in the PCL he’s doing even better at 2.89.  In 2024 he appeared for the big club for 2 games and pitched to a 1.50 ERA.  He didn’t pitch at all in 2025 and has done 6 starts in 2026.  He’s now 27 years old which is a bit older for a guy not yet established as a major leaguer, but combined with someone like Tibbs it could be a decent haul for losing the final two months of Peralta.  

MACK - Friday Observations - Weekly Update on the Future

 

 

Taken off the report this week:

    AAA/Syracuse RP Ryan Lambert

    AAA/Syracuse RP Anderson Severino

    AAA/Syracuse SP Jonah Tong

   A/St. Lucie RP Christian Rodriguez

SP Jack Wenninger/AAA-Syracuse –

As of end 6-3 - 10-G, 9-ST, 3-3, 2.80, 1.33, 45-IP, 46-K, 25-BB

6-5 - a return to a good outing: 5.1-IP, 4-H, ER, 3-BB, 3-K. Would still like to see a reduction of walks which would relieve the pressure of pitch count buildup.

As of end 6-10 - 11-G, 10-ST, 3-4, 2.68, 1.33, 50.1-IP, 49-K, 28-BB

IMO, the Mets need to keep Jack in Syracuse until he cuts down his passes.

               

SP Jonah Tong/AAA-Syracuse & MLB-Mets  –

As of end 6-3 - 

MLB: 3-APPS, 1-1, 3.60, 1,50, 10-IP, 7-K, 7-BB, 

AAA:  9-ST, 1-3, 5.68, 1.37, 38-IP, 55-K, 24-BB

6-9 -  4-IP, 5-H, 4-ER, 4-BB, 4-K, 6.00

I have to treat everybody the same here. No favorites. 

You do the numbers, you get to stay in this weekly update on minor leaguers we need to keep an eye on. What we don't need is to eye someone hitting .220 or punching out a 6.00 ERA. Oh. Did I say a 6.00 ERA? That's the same ERA that Tong has right now.

So. I am removing Jonah Tong from my report for now.

 

SP Zach Thornton/AAA-Syracuse & MLB-Mets –

As of end 6-3: AAA: 4-ST, 1-2, 4.87, 1.3720-1-IP, 19-K, 9-BB

6-7 - 5-IP, 2-H, 0-R, 2-BB, 5-K - Thornton returns to his minor league dominance

As of end 6-10:  AAA: 5-G, 4-ST, 1-2, 3.91, 1.26, 25.1-IP, 24-K, 11-BB

Like his buddy Wenninger, he needs to work on cutting down his walks.

 C Kevin Parada/AAA-Syracuse

As of end 6-3:  AAA:  31-AB, 0-HR, 9-RBI, .355/.400/.484/.884

6-4:  0-0

6-5: 0-1

6-6:  1-4

6-9:  1-2, R, RBI, 1st AAA HR

As of end 6-10 - AAA:  38-AB, 1-HR, 10-RBI, 10-K, .342/.381/.526/.907

I still have no idea what's happening here, but Parada is holding his incredible numbers in Syracuse. He even increased his OPS after hitting his first AAA home run. Is this for real? 

RP Jonathan Pintaro/AAA-Syracuse & MLB-Mets -

As of end 6-3:   AAA - 18-APPS, 2-0, 3.38, 1.09, 29.1-IP, 37-K, 13-BB 

6-6:  2-IP, 1-H, 0-R, K

6-10: Pintaro was called up to the Mets. I expect it will be a short visit so I'll keep him on this report. He did pitch on 6-10 though:

6-10: Mets - 3-IP, 1-H, 1-ER, 1-HR, 0-BB, 2-K, 1.35

JP is getting the chance to show his value at the major league level. Trust me. He is becoming a valuable piece of the future rebuild of this team.

As of end 6-10 - 

    MLB - 3-APPS, 0-0, 1.35, 0.30, 6.2-IP, 1-BB, 5-K

    AAA - 19-APPS, 2-0, 3.16, 1.05, 31.1-IP, 38-K, 13-BB

6-11 - as predicted, returned to Syracuse before Thursday's game

       

RP Anderson Severino/AAA-Syracuse –

On 5-27:   2-0, 1.37, 1.06, 17-APPS, 19.2-IP, 20-K, 11-BB

5-30:  1-IP, H, 0-R, 0-BB, 0-K, 1.31

Severino cleared waivers, told the Mets to blow their return offer up their arse, and signed with  team in Japan. Stupid. Just stupid. You DFA the leader in Mets minor league saves. STUPID.

                

RP Ben Simon/AAA-Syracuse –

As of end 6-3:  AAA  5-apps, 3.18, 1.59, 5.2-IP, 1-K, 5-BB

6-5 - 1.2-IP, 0-H, 0-R, BB, 3-K. Nice.

6-10 - 1-IP, 0-H, 0-R

As of end 6-10:  AAA - 7-APPS, 1-1, 2.16, 1,20, 8.1-IP, 6-BB, 4-K

No one is going to be promoted with a stat line of more walks produced than strikeouts. Simon needs to reverse this.

2B Ji Hwan Bae/AAA-Syracuse

Bae makes this list after posting  a stat line of .293/.387.400/.787 in 150 at-bats for Syracuse.

As of end 6-3:   176-AB, 2-HR, 18-RBI, .278/.380/.375/.755

6-4:  0-3

6-6:  1-3, R, HR (3), RBI, BB

6-7:  2-3, 2-R, BB, 2B (10)

6-9:  2-3, R

6-10:  3-4, 2-R, BB

As of end 6-10:  192-AB, 3-HR, 19-RBI, .297/.400/.406/.806

You have to start thinking out loud that Marcus Semien should be moved before the trading break and this guy deserves another shot in the majors.

OF Nick Morabito/AAA-Syracuse

As of end 6-3:   AAA - 180-AB, 5-HR, 22-RBI, .256/.363/.400/.763

6-5 - 0-5

6-6 - 1-5

6-7 - 0-3

6-9:  0-3

6-10:  2-4, 2-R, BB

As of end 6-10:  199-AB, 5-HR, 22-RBI, .246/.352/.382/.734

I gotta say... I'm not that impressed with these numbers and, if I don't see an improvement soon, at this minor level, I will be removing Morabito from this report until he turns this around.

SP Jonathan Santucci/AA-Binghamton –

6-6 - 6.2-IP, 3-H, ER, 2-BB, 5-K

As of 6-10 - 11-ST, 1-5, 3.93, 1.23, 52.2-IP, 24-BB, 63-K

Santucci is starting to heat up. Got his ERA below 4.00. I envision continued improvement and an eventual promotion to Syracuse.

               

RP Saul Garcia/AA-Binghamton –

As of the end 6-3:  20-APPS, 0-1, 4.43, 1.21, 22.1-IP, 33-K, 5-BB

6-6 - 1-IP, 0-H. 0-R, 2-BB, K

As of end 6-10:  21-APPS, 4.24, 1.24, 23.1-IP, 34-K, 7-BB

Never accuse this guy of not having the ability to strike out batters. It's strange Binghamton doesn't use him more often.

          

RP Felipe De La Cruz/AA-Binghamton - 

As of end 6-3:  14-APPS, 0-0, 1.56, 1.15, 17.1-IP, 23-K, 9-BB

6-4:  2-IP, 0-H, 0-R, 2-BB, 2-K

6-7:  0.1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, K

As of end 6-10:  16-APPS, 0-0, 1.37, 1.12, 19.2-IP, 11-BB, 26-K

Frankly, the Mets may be developing a real deal reliever here.

               

SP Channing Austin/A+ Brooklyn –

5-27:   AA - no appearances yet

           A+ - 8-ST, 2-1, 1.17, 38.1-IP. 48-K, 22-BB

Also on 5/27, Austin was placed on the IL with an oblique issue.

As of 6-10 - still on the IL

SP Jose Chirinos/A+ Brooklyn –

As of end 6-3 - A+ - 1-ST, 0-0, 1.80, 1.20, 5-IP, 4-K, 3-BB

6-9 - 6-IP, 4-H, 3-ER, HR, 3-BB, 10-K, 3.27 - let's hope this is his worst outing this season. Love the Ks but he needs to get back to dominance.

As of end 6-10 - A+:  2-APPS, 0-1, 3.27, 1.18, 11-IP, 6-BB, 14-K

Chirinos seems to be going through the adjustment period most pitchers go through when they are promoted to a new level.

RP - Bryce Jenkins/A+ Brooklyn 

As of end 6-3 - 15-APPS, 1-2, 2.61, 0.87, 20.2-IP, 8-BB, 22-K

6-7 - 1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, K

As of end 6-10 - 16-APPS, 1-2, 2.49, 0.83, 21.2-IP, 8-BB, 23-K

Love the WHIP here.

               

OF JT Benson/A+ Brooklyn –

end of 6-3 - A+ - 39-AB, 9-RBI, .256/.310/.385/.694             

6-4:  0-2, BB

6-5: 0-3

6-7:  1-3, 2-BB

6-9:  1-3, 2B

6-10:  2-3, 2-R, 2-RBI, BB, 3B, HR (1)

JT seems to be getting settled into the A+ division. 

As of end 6-10 - A+ - 53-AB, 1-HR, 11-RBI, .264/.371/.472/.843

NEW ADDITION - SP David Hurtado/A+ Brooklyn - Hurtado was promoted to Brooklyn a week ago, threw a scoreless first outing and then came back with this gem:

6-6 - 5.1-IP, 1-H, 1-R, BB -5-K

He is a RED prospect.

As of end 6-10 - A+ - 3-ST, 1-0, 0.69, 0.46, 3-IP, 2-BB, 11-K

So far, I see nothing wrong with this guy.

SP Nicholas Carreno/A-St. Lucie –

as of end of 6-3:  10-G, 5-ST, 2-0, 1.43, 0.98, 37.2-IP, 56-K, 18-BB

6-4:  4-IP, 4-H, 3-ER, 3-BB, 2-K

as of end 6-10:  11-G, 6-ST, 2-1, 1.94, 1.05, 41.2-IP, 21-BB, 58-K

Another Mets starter with a walk problem. Other than that, a possible gem.

RP Christian Rodriguez/A-St. Lucie - 

As of end 6-3 - 15-APPS, 2-1, 1.91, 1.09, 28.1-IP, 33-K, 11-BB

6-10 - 0.1-IP, 6-H, 5-ER, BB 

An ugly outing on Wednesday. So ugly, I'm taking him off this report.

          

1B Randy Guzman/A-St. Lucie –

As of end 6-3:  173-AB, 9-HR, 29-RBI, .260/.363/.480/.843

6-4:  1-4, BB

6-5:  0-2

As of end 6-10:  210-AB, 9-HR, 29-RBI, .257/.357/.469/.826

Have no idea why Guzman was shut down in the middle of the week.

               

SS Elian Pena/A-St. Lucie –

As of end 6-3:  177-AB, 35-BB, 3-HR, 22-RBI, .282/.410/.395/.806

6-4:  0-5, 4-K

6-5:  2-3, 2-R

6-6:  1-3, 2-R, BB 

6-7:  1-5, BB

6-9:  0-3, 3-R, BB

6-10:  0-3

As of end 6-10:  199-AB, 3-HR, 22-RBI, .271/.404/.377/.781

Not a good week for Elian.

C Yovanny Rodriguez/FCL Mets –

As of end 6-3:  60-AB, 5-HR, 16-RBI, .267/.353/.567/.920

6-4:  2-3. R, BB, .288, .957-OPS

6-9:  1-2, RBI, .300, .967-OPS

6-10:  1-4

As of end 6-10:  74-AB, 5-HR, 18-RBI, .297/.402/.541/.943

A great week for Y-Rod.

NEW ADDITION - OF Wyatt Vincent/FCL (round 11, 2025)

As of 6-3:  39-AB, .282, HR, 8-RBI, 4-SB, 1.010-OPS

6-4:  1-2, R, RBI, BB, .300, 1.045-OPS

6-6:  0-5

There is no report of injury here. I have no idea why he hasn't played since mid-week.

NEW ADDITION - SS Vladi Gomez/FCL 

6-3:  49-AB, .327, HR, 9-RBI, 14-SB, 1.051-OPS

6-4:  1-2, 2-RBI, .321, 1.049-OPS

6-6:  2-5, R

6-9:  0-3, .349, 1.075-OPS

6-10:  1-4

As of end 6-10 - FCL - 47-AB, 1-HR, 8-RBI, .340/.500/.532/1.032

Wouldn't you like to see these numbers hold as he rises up the chain.

NEW ADDITION - RF Bohan Adderley/FCL

As of end 6-5:  76-AB, .289, 3-HR, 11-RBI, 19-SB, .796-OBP

6-6:  2-4, R, HR (4), 2-RBI

6-9:  2-4, 2B (4), .310, .870-OBP

6-10:  0-4

As of end 6-10 - 88-AB, 4-HR, 13-AB, .295/.354/.477/.831

A great week for a young prospect.

HELIUM ALERT

RP Dan Hammer - AA/Binghamton - As of last Friday, Hammer has thrown 22.2 innings for the Rumble-Ponies, going 3-1, 1.99, 26-K.

SS Cleiner Ramirez - DSL Mets - Ramirez is one of the uber-prospects signed in the off-season ($1,372,500 bonus) and had one hell of a bat day on Saturday: 3-5, 3-R, 2-HR (2), 3-RBI, BB. To date, batting average is now .300 and OBP is a whopping 1.091.

RP Hunter Hodges - Brooklyn - 

Hodges has quietly put up some very nice numbers for the Clones, especially K/IP.

As of 6-7 - 18-APPS, 0-2, 1.99. 1.15, 22.2-IP, 10-BB, 31-K

2B Mitch Voit - Brooklyn 

We all have been waiting for this ex 1.38 draft pick to show us his stuff and recent results may be showing signs this is happening. Now tied with John Bay in HRs. Not enough beef to earn a paragraph going forward but still worth a helium heads up. June through the 8th:  5-G, 2-XBH, 2-BB, 0-K, 4-SB, .286/.423/.476/.899.

As of 6-7 - 167-AB, 7-HR, 20-RBI, .228/.328/.395/.723

As of 6-10 - 174/AB, 7-HR, 20-RBI, .224/.328/.391/.719

RHRP Sebastian Gomez - DSL Mets

The 2026 crop of DSL pitchers doesn't look like much this year, but Gomez is one 16/year old off to a good start... 2-apps, 7-IP, 0-R, 0.00, 0.43, 8.K.

OPINION

I have to say at this point in this report that the overall list of current Met minor league players doing well is quite depressing. I take off more each week than I put on. 

Alex Rubinson - Forever Young: Mets Hope First Baseman's Hot Stretch Lives Forever

The New York Mets made the unpopular decision in the offseason to let homegrown star Pete Alonso head towards the beltway to join the Baltimore Orioles. David Stearns was hoping to spread out the money saved on Alonso throughout the rest of the roster. The team inked Jorge Polanco to a multi-year contract with the plan to play him at first. The team also had Mark Vientos on the roster, who was not that far removed from a breakout 2024 campaign. As the Mets season has spiraled, the team has gotten solid production at first base lately. It’s not just from the player that anyone expected. 

Coming into the week, Jared Young had only played in 22 games. The sample size is incredibly small, but his .291/.375/.509 slash line has been a pleasant surprise to both the fan base and the front office. If Young qualified, his .884 OPS would be second on the team to Juan Soto. Young has been red hot and has provided an offensive spark since he was activated off of the injured list on May 26th. He has a 150 wRC+ on the year. Essentially, Young has been 50% better than the average hitter in his limited playing time. 

Although Young’s performance might be more of a flash in the pan, his process has greatly improved at the dish. He still strikes out a quarter of the time, which is not ideal, but that number is still down almost 10% compared to 2024 and would be the lowest of his MLB career. In addition to him striking out less often, he is also drawing more free passes. His 11 percent walk rate is above average to begin with, but it looks even better when taking into account he only walked four percent a season ago. 

Young has been very lucky with .351 batting average on balls in play, but that also stems from him squaring everything up. He currently has a hard hit rate of over 52% with a barrel rate of nearly 18%. The hard hit rate has jumped about 13 percentage points compared to 2025. His expected average of .284 is not that far off from his actual average. Plus, his expected slug (.514) is slightly higher than what Young was slugging coming into the week (.509). His walk rate has also been a main contributor as to why Young xWOBA is just a couple of clicks under the .400 mark. 

Even if Young’s BABIP is destined to regress, the quality of contact has been so good that Young’s numbers shouldn’t suffer astronomically. The most stark contrast is the fact that Young has gained seven miles per hour on his average exit velocity. It currently stands at 92 MPH, which is not that far off from a hard hit ball by MLB’s definition. 

Young has shown tremendous improvement regardless of fastball or offspeed, but it’s still fascinating to look at the breakdowns of where he has taken the biggest strides. Specifically against the four-seamer, Young has cut his whiff rate by 20%. Last year, he was under the Mendoza line when it came to hitting any type of fastball. This year, his average is up over 200 points. It’s ironic that his slugging has gone down from last year, but his more consistent approach has allowed me to produce better overall results against hard stuff. The exact opposite is true when facing offspeed pitches. Young’s average has taken a hit, but is doing more damage. 

His slugging is way up, and there is reason to believe he has also been unlucky. Although he only has a .222 average versus offspeed pitches, his expected average sits nearly at .295. Although he posted a very respectable .286 average last on offspeed stuff, his expected average was under .150. Yes, Dusty Baker was famous for saying he only cared about exit hits, Young’s performance on offspeed pitches this season should improve while his performance last year was not sustainable. 

This season, Young has pulled the ball in the air 20% of the time. That’s actually not the highest in his career (2023 takes it), but the biggest difference is Young being more on time. Typically when you are pulling the ball, you are more out in front, which allows you to unlock more of that power. If you are going to the opposite field, you are typically late. 

Hitters have success both ways, but when lifting the ball, most players want to pull it (unless you’re Aaron Judge or James Wood). This season, Young’s opposite field air rate is under three percent. That is way down from about 29% a season ago. 

Fangraphs and Baseball Savant have also graded Young as a slightly above average defender. It can’t be easy given Young has played a few games in the outfield along with spending most of his time at first base. Both websites have him as a plus-one in fielding run value with Fangraphs also having him at plus-one in outs above average, explaining that Young has better than average range. 

Jared Young’s current OPS is over 100 points higher than what he has posted in his career. His average is 60 points higher than his career number. It’s too far to say that Young is quickly becoming a .300/.400/.500 player, who has unlocked a few extra gears in his age 30 season. Remember, he had only tallied 64 plate appearances coming into the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. 

With that being said, Young is checking off every underlying statistical box that one wants to see in 2026. He is striking out less and walking more. He is pulling his flyballs. Despite a high BABIP, his expected numbers point towards him not being lucky. Although he might not play a premium position, his defense is getting better with age. Jorge Polanco appeared on the precipice of making his return to Queens but has been shut down due to ankle soreness that popped up during his rehab stint. Whether Polanco is forced to miss just an extra week or a whole other month, Carlos Mendoza needs to find ways to get Young consistent opportunities. Carson Benge’s breakout is probably more sustainable and beneficial for the Mets’ long-term plans, but Young is proving that he can be more of a player than his constant shipped to and from the minor leagues.

Tom Brennan: Mets Player Grades, Mets DSL Blue Explosion, And Other Scores

Low grades abound….

An Overall D+?

The season is far enough along now for me to give out player “in progress” grades. 

Grades are based on my perception of players’ actual performance vs. my own preseason expectations for them. I use 5 grading categories.

A few of the 36 guys below have played very little so far, and so were hard to grade, but, what the heck, I graded them anyway:

A) Well Above Average, Compared to expectations (9):

Weaver, Benge, Ewing, Young, Holmes, Scott, Warren, Brazoban, Pintaro

- where would this team be without them?

B) Above Average Expectations (2): 

Edwards, Gerber

- VERY slim pickings

C. As expected (5): 

Soto (I am overlooking his injury), McLean, Meyer, Torrens, Slater

- Soto and McLean should jump up soon.

D. Below Expectations (12): 

Alvarez, Baty, Melendez, Morabito, Tong, Peralta, Manaea, Williams, Kimbrel, Thornton, Semien, Mauricio

- the Dirty Dozen

E. Well below expectations (8): 

Lindor, Robert, Polanco, Vientos, Taylor, Peterson, Senga, Bichette

- Not good at all.

In the worst category just above are 8 guys who were heavily counted on going into the season to contribute a lot. They’ve contributed a lot of grief, instead.

Fourteen “key” guys in the two lowest categories. That’ TOO MANY.

No wonder, going into Wednesday’s game, that the Mets are 8 games under .500 and 15 games behind the Braves.

IT COULDA BEEN WOISE.

DSL METS BLUE OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION

I love offense.

The Mets Blue squad had 8 innings of offense on Wednesday. 

They were, to say the least, quite productive.

As in 22 runs, 19 hits, 15 walks.

Their slacker opponents only managed to score 14 runs on 10 hits, 9 walks and several hit batsmen. 

Home plate was worn out and replaced after the game.

Mets lose 9-2. Peterson stunk again. Just 3 hits? Oy vey.

Elsewhere:

A night after St Lucie threw a no hitter, they lost 17-0, and had one hit.

Binghamton shut out also, on 4 hits.

The FCL Mets were shut out also, 10-0.

Syracuse and Brooklyn won, however. Can’t lose them all.

The rest of the night for me? Wembanyama vs. Knicks. What a game.

RVH - Rethinking the Mets, Part 5: The Dodgers Don't Just Spend. They Control the Board

 

In Part 1, we argued that the Mets do not have an ambition problem. They have an execution problem.

In Part 2, we examined how slow starts create a pressure-amplification cycle that makes every season feel harder than it needs to be.

In Part 3, we explored how the Yankees learned to carry pressure through decades of stability and accumulated trust.

In Part 4, we examined how the Braves built resilience through development, continuity, and replacement power.

That brings us to the third modern baseball powerhouse.

The Dodgers.

And perhaps the most misunderstood organization in sports.

Because contrary to popular belief, the Dodgers do not win because they spend money.

They win because they create options.

The Wrong Conversation

Whenever the Dodgers are discussed, the conversation usually begins and ends with payroll.

Too much money.

Too many stars.

Too many advantages.

It's an easy explanation.

It's also incomplete.

Plenty of organizations spend money.

The Mets spend money.

The Yankees spend money.

The Phillies spend money.

The Padres spend money.

Yet none have produced the sustained success of the Dodgers over the past decade and a half.

The difference is not the amount of money.

The difference is how the money is used.

The Dodgers Rebuilt Themselves

It's easy to forget that the Dodgers weren't always what they are today.

Before the current ownership group took control in 2012, the organization had spent years dealing with instability, ownership dysfunction, and uncertainty.

The Dodgers had history.

They had brand power.

They had market size.

But they weren't operating like the modern standard they would eventually become.

What followed over the next fifteen years was one of the most impressive organizational transformations in professional sports.

They didn't simply buy players.

They rebuilt the organization.

They invested in:

• player development

• scouting

• analytics

• infrastructure

• sports science

• international operations

• baseball operations

They paired financial strength with organizational strength.

And that's where the real advantage emerged.

The Dodgers Rarely Have One Plan

Most organizations operate with Plan A.

The Dodgers often operate with Plans A, B, C, and D.

A prospect breaks out.

Great.

A prospect fails.

There's another one.

A star leaves.

They replace him.

A pitcher gets hurt.

They have depth.

A trade opportunity emerges.

They have resources.

A free agent becomes available.

They have flexibility.

That's not payroll.

That's optionality.

And optionality may be the most powerful advantage in modern baseball.

The Difference Between Spending And Flexibility

This distinction matters for the Mets.

Steve Cohen's ownership immediately changed the organization's financial profile.

For the first time, the Mets could realistically compete with any organization in baseball for talent.

Many people assumed that meant the path forward was simple:

Spend more.

But spending is not the destination.

Flexibility is.

The Dodgers use resources to create choices.

Choices improve decision-making.

Choices reduce desperation.

Choices allow organizations to adapt when circumstances change.

Over time, choices become competitive advantages.

The Dodgers Rarely Panic

This is one of the most remarkable aspects of the organization.

The Dodgers experience setbacks just like everyone else.

They lose players.

They suffer injuries.

They endure disappointing playoff exits.

They make mistakes.

What they rarely do is overreact.

Because organizations with options don't need to panic.

The Dodgers have built enough organizational depth that one problem rarely forces a desperate response.

The organization absorbs setbacks and moves forward.

That should sound familiar.

The Yankees do this through stability.

The Braves do this through replacement power.

The Dodgers do this through flexibility.

Different paths.

Similar outcomes.

The Mets' Greatest Untapped Advantage

This is where the Dodgers become especially relevant.

The Mets already possess the raw material.

Steve Cohen's resources are real.

The ability to invest aggressively is real.

The ability to pursue talent is real.

The ability to improve infrastructure is real.

The ability to accelerate organizational change is real.

The challenge is turning those resources into something more durable.

Because money itself is not a competitive advantage.

Lots of organizations have money.

The real advantage is creating a system where resources continuously generate more options than your competitors possess.

The Dodgers have spent fifteen years doing exactly that.

The Bigger Lesson

The Dodgers are not simply a rich organization.

They are a highly adaptive organization.

They've combined:

• Yankees-like credibility

• Braves-like development

• modern infrastructure

• financial flexibility

• organizational discipline

The result is an organization capable of surviving almost any challenge.

And that may be the most important lesson for the Mets.

Because the goal of the Cohen era should not be to build the highest payroll.

It should not be to win the offseason.

It should not even be to assemble the most talented roster.

The goal should be to create an organization that consistently has more good options available than its competitors.

That's what the Dodgers built.

And that's why they remain one of baseball's most formidable organizations year after year.

What The Mets Should Learn

The Dodgers demonstrate that resources become truly powerful only when paired with discipline.

Money creates opportunities.

Infrastructure develops opportunities.

Player development sustains opportunities.

Organizational consistency protects opportunities.

Put them together and you create something much more valuable than payroll.

You create flexibility.

And flexibility is what allows great organizations to remain great when everything doesn't go according to plan.

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Part 5 Thesis

The Dodgers do not use money to buy certainty.

They use money to create flexibility.

Their greatest advantage is not payroll. It is the ability to generate more options, absorb more setbacks, and adapt more quickly than their competitors.

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What We've Learned So Far

Part 1: The Mets do not have an ambition problem. They have an execution problem.

Part 2: The Mets' slow-start problem is not a standings problem. It is a pressure-amplification problem.

Part 3: The Yankees did not eliminate pressure. They learned how to carry it.

Part 4: The Braves win because they reduce randomness better than almost anyone else.

Part 5: The Dodgers do not use money to buy certainty. They use money to create flexibility.

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Next: Part 6 – Citi Field Is Still Part of the Problem

The Yankees teach stability. The Braves teach resilience. The Dodgers teach flexibility. But the Mets face challenges unique to their environment. Before deciding what the Mets should become, we need to understand the obstacles they must overcome.