MACK – Let’s Revisit - LHRP - Nate Lavender

 

MACK – Let’s Revisit - LHRP - Nate Lavender

Nate Lavender (New York Mets LHP, #94) is a left-handed reliever with a funky/deceptive delivery and a four-pitch mix centered on a high-usage four-seam fastball. 

He debuted in MLB on August 4, 2026, and has posted strong early results (1.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 17 K in 14.1 IP through mid-September).

en.wikipedia.org

2026 MLB Pitch Mix (Statcast / Pitcher List data)

• Four-seam fastball: ~68–69% usage, averages ~92.3–92.4 mph (tops out in the mid-90s).
  Induced vertical break (IVB) around 18 inches with some arm-side run. Below-average velocity for a modern reliever but generates above-average whiffs (especially up in the zone) due to deception, extension, lower release/approach angle, and “rising” action. Hitters often swing under it. Strong run value so far.
  baseballsavant.mlb.com
• Slider: ~15–16% usage, averages ~84.8–85.0 mph.
  Glove-side break; more traditional/shorter break than the sweeper.
• Sweeper: ~8% usage, averages ~79.3 mph.
  Bigger horizontal (glove-side) break.
• Changeup: ~7–8% usage, averages ~81.1–81.2 mph.
  Arm-side fade/run with solid velocity separation from the fastball; used as a complement, particularly vs. righties.

Overall secondary usage is only about 31%. He leans heavily on the fastball (historically 60%+ even in the minors).

pitcherlist.com

Key Traits

• Deception over pure velocity: Soft-tossing “funky lefty” profile. He has used a hesitation/pause in his delivery (inspired by Nestor Cortes) and a slingy three-quarters arm slot that creates a lower release and natural movement. This helps the fastball play up significantly.
  mlb.com
• Stuff quality: Average-to-slightly-above Stuff+ in available models (around 100–101 overall in recent samples; fastball and secondaries grade near or slightly above average). High strikeout rates in the minors (often 40%+ K%) have translated early in MLB (~31% K%). Good ground-ball tendencies at times and excellent command/strike-throwing in his debut stretch (very low walk rate).
  tjstats.ca
• Background notes: Drafted by the Mets in the 14th round (2021) out of Illinois. Rose quickly as a high-K reliever prospect before UCL/elbow issues (missed most of 2024–2025, including a Rule 5 stint with Tampa Bay). Returned to the Mets organization and earned the 2026 call-up after strong Triple-A numbers.

2026 - 

In short, it’s a classic crafty lefty repertoire that relies on deception, location, and the fastball’s unexpected effectiveness rather than elite velocity or pure “stuff.”

2026 - MLB/METS - 21-apps, 1-0, 1.66, 0.73, 21.2-IP, 4-BB, 26-K

Early MLB results have been excellent in a high-leverage/setup role for the Mets. 

Tom Brennan - My Mets Prospects #21 Thru #25; And I Prefer Healthy Players

THE SECOND LOWEST FIVE IN MY TOP 30! THE 21-25 FIVE!

Five pitchers in my rankings for today. Two are even lefties like me.

We three southpaws all got clocked in the high 90s, except in my case it was 99 kilometers, not miles, per hour.

Meters, miles, whatever…Read and enjoy.

21) Gabe Davis 

Davis came to the Mets in one of the trade deadline deals. For Brazoban, to be precise. 

The Mets also got righty Zach Franklin in the deal. (Zach actually pitched very well in AAA at age 27 post-trade for the Mets, and barely eluded my top 30, but may well belong in it. I hesitated in including Franklin and Brian Metoyer in the top 30 due to age, despite doing well).)

Davis is a big pitching dude (6’9”, 235, age 22) with upside potential. A White Sox 5th rounder recently, in 2025, he debuted this year and went 1-6, 4.97, with 94 Ks in 83 IP and a 1.45 WHIP. 

The win-loss record is utterly irrelevant for reasons I’ve stated generally many times. The ERA is actually impressive in that he threw 56 of his 83 innings in his debut season in lofty AA.

He pitched very well with AA Binghamton, tossing 21.1 innings (1-1) with a nifty 2.53 ERA. I’d say it is not inconceivable to think that he could pitch for the NY Mets out of the pen by late 2027.

Savant noted that Gabe Davis's fastball sits at 94 to 97 mph and has touched 100 mph.

BB America added that he relies on that huge frame for extra extension, and has a powerful slider and cutter.

He should quickly move up the prospect ranks.a towering 6'9", 235 frame to generate elite velocity and extension on his pitches, complementing his mid-90s heater with a powerful upper-80s slider and cutter

22) Jefry Yan 

Obi Yan Kenobe is still a rookie. I asked my AI buddies and they said this:

“Yan made his Major League debut on August 5, 2026, and pitched 20.1 innings across 18 appearances during his first big-league stint. Because he did not exceed the service time or at-bat/innings limits required to graduate (specifically 50 innings pitched in the majors), his rookie eligibility remains preserved for the upcoming year.”

So, despite 10 years of dance movies and gyrations, he’s still a rookie.

Imagine Bartolo Colon doing those moves? Nah, me neither.

He, this Mr. Yan fella, is an older prospect, but unlike Franklin and Metoyer, I included him in the Big 3-0, because Yan actually reached the bigs in 2026.

Love him, or hate him. Your choice. Mine? I love Yan.  He is…

The dancing strikeout machine who, between the upper minors and the big leagues, fanned a bountiful 107 in 60 innings in 2026. SIT DOWN, SUCKA!

Don’t be a purist here, c’mon, who hates a guy who, at AA, AAA, and the majors in 2026 fans 16 per 9 innings?  Not me. Me likes it a lot.

Throws 99+, sometimes reaching the century mark, has a nifty slider, but that control needs work.

In fact, AI reminded me of this:

“During his MLB for the Mets on August 5, 2026, Jefry Yan threw 5 pitches at 100 miles per hour or faster, topping out at 101.1 mph.”

101.1 sounds like an FM station. 

101.1? Sizzling. Makes me want to eat at Sizzler. OK, Texas Roadhouse.

He walks a lot of guys when he is not throwing dead red strikes, so maybe another nickname for him can be Yanny Walker Red.

I think he’ll soon reduce his flaws, if for no other reason than that major league cash, at $5,000 per game, is so enriching, it will force him to focus on what it takes to become a successful MLB reliever, and not a side show oddity.

23) Dylan Ross 

A guy I was sure was going to have a major bullpen impact in 2026 for the NY Mets, but even with them dealing off 4 key relievers (Weaver, Raley, Minter, and Brazoban), he only got to pitch one scoreless frame for the Mets….his pitches were mostly splitters at 88, and three fastballs at 99.

The 6’5, 250 Ross had an awful and disappointing AAA 1st half, but a much better 2nd half, as a future 2027 100 MPH (on occasion) fireball reliever. Overall, a 5.81 ERA and 1,75 WHIP in AAA.

How good will he be? 

Hopefully as good or better than fellow fireballer Jefry Yan. 

Perhaps as good as quick-rising Gabe Davis.  Perhaps better.  We can speculate, until they actually give us cause to celebrate in Queens.

24) Ryan Dollar 

Dollar is an undrafted reliever who went to college in Houston and had a fine pro debut in 2026. 

4-3, 3.40, 43 games pitched, 53 IP, 71 Ks. Nice.

Got 2 late solid innings in AA as a reward.

Many drafted guys stink up the joint, so I am a big fan of the undrafted Dollar. So is Penny Hardaway. 

I read that “scouting reports from his amateur showcase days note that his fastball typically sat in the 88–92 mph range during standard game action before topping out at 94 mph. His delivery generates heavy life in the strike zone, which he pairs with a sharp slider and a slower curveball.”

May he win 20. Dollars or games, that’s up to him.

Maybe I should have had the fine elder statesman, Brian Metoyer, here instead. 

25) Shane Sdao 

Sdao is a highly considered 6’3”, 185 lefty drafted in the 4th round (120th overall). I have him at #25, in part, due to the organization seemingly having so few prospect pitchers who weren’t drafted in 2026. I like to rank guys higher with an ample pro track record, which will come for Sdao in 2027.

Hopefully, he will dazzle us all in 2027, during which he will be 23 for the entire season. He had TJS in college, but is back ready and raring.

Rated with a 50 FB and curve, and 55 control, maybe he will be another Steve Matz. 

He had one action-packed inning in 2026, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs while fanning 3. I am OK with all his career outs being strikeouts as long as he lowers his hits per inning 😁

Next article up? My 16-20 dynamic dudes.

Before I go:

HEALTHY PLAYERS ARE PREFERRED:

THOSE WHO’VE BEEN INJURED A LOT KEEP GETTING INJURED A LOT

Pete Alonso is a BB rarity, a guy who never gets hurt and always plays.

I love “HEALTHY”, don’t you?

Saw this NBA note about a player who has missed massive amounts of time, and will now miss massive amounts more. 

My advice? Avoid such players. This guy is the poster child of injuries.

“Any chance of Ben Simmons making a comeback this season will have to wait until next season.

The Sacramento Kings announced that an MRI confirmed Simmons suffered a torn right Achilles injury during pre-season practice.

“Kings guard Simmons was injured during a live drill in practice on Sunday, Oct. 18. An MRI revealed a torn right Achilles tendon. Simmons will undergo surgery.”

Reese Kaplan -- Once Again Please Answer "Who's on first?"

The Mets are about to begin the off season with a great many questions needing answers but one of them that stands out prominently flashing itself like a 1980s Studio 54 dance floor is what to do with the unresolved vacancy at first base. 

To refresh your memory, there once was a guy named Pete Alonso who the Mets made no effort to sign when his contract expired and he took his league leading run production down the NJ turnpike to Maryland where he helped transform the perennial loser Orioles into a team that finished with a record three games under .500.  While that metric won’t get you into October baseball, it surely eclipses the eleven games worse tallied by the hometown NL team in the Eastern Division.

Now the ill conceived solution to this problem was a not quite half the price infielder named Jorge Polanco who would move to an untested position at first base to make up for the poor defense Alonso left behind.  Well, it must have been those justifications between price tag and run prevention because offensive output surely was not comparable. 

How different was it?  Well, in his best ever year all the way back in 2021 Polanco tallied career bests with 33 HRs and 98 RBIs to go along with 11 SBs and a .269 batting average.  Those numbers are very nice for a middle infielder and not awful for a first baseman, but unfortunately it was the exception and not the rule.  Since then he has tallied seasons of 104 games played, followed by 80, 118, 138 and then with the Mets just 37.  His best offensive production was likely in 2025 in Seattle where he slugged just 26 HRs and drove in a mere 78.

Fast forward to the upcoming 2027 season and you’re again left wondering how to compensate for this multi faceted negative output that finished the 2026 season with a -1.4 WAR.  Look at that number again.  It means he was well worse than an average professional baseball player.  For that he was paid $17 million of Steve Cohen’s money and will get a $6 million raise to $23 million for the upcoming year. Ugh and double ugh!

Since accountability for bad planning and roster construction does not ever seem to be in the cards at Citifield you have to wonder what are the alternatives to consider?  We’ve already considered Japanese import Teruaki Sato who posts terrific numbers for the Hanshin Tigers but who is unproven in MLB and would command a hefty price.  

Then there are holdovers like Mark Vientos and Brett Baty who have shown that the previous generation of Baby Mets has run its course.  Surprising pickup Jared Young posted a .266 average with 9 HRs and 39 RBIs in a half season of work but whose record demonstrates it was likely an outlier for his AAAA career.  

Ryan Clifford is in developmental ball while Billy Amick needs to improve his consistency.  In house isn’t much better than a career year from the disabled Polanco.

Free agent options are not really that encouraging either.  I have some fellow Mets fan friends who advocate trying yet another Yankee castoff in Paul Goldschmidt but since his MVP year of 2022 when he hit .317 with 35 HRs and 115 RBIs for the St. Louis Cardinals he’s demonstrating why he’s at the tail end of an impressive but unremarkable last few years.  In the two years in the Bronx he averaged 14 HRs and 48 RBIs per season.  Turning 39 it’s not exactly probable he will find the fountain of youth for the 2027 season.

After that it gets even worse with Alec Bohm, Nathaniel Lowe, Jake Bauers, Rhys Hoskins, Ty France and old Met Dom Smith heading up the list of lackluster alternatives.  Given the shallow level of analysis often demonstrated by David Stearns expect Bauers, a three year Milwaukee Brewer, to get serious thought.  

In his best ever year in 2026 he did deliver a .266 average to go along with 26 HRs and 86 RBIs, but it was his first ever full season as a starter and it came at age 30.  He won’t cost much but the question remains can he replicate that output or was it straight out of the blue. 

Trades may be the way to go if Sato is deemed too risky or too expensive.  

MACK – Let’s Revisit - LHRP - Jefry Yan

 

MACK – Let’s Revisit - LHRP - Jefry Yan

Jefry Yan (left-handed reliever for the New York Mets) has a high-velocity four-pitch mix led by a hard sinker, with plus-to-plus velocity as the standout trait, offset by command issues. 

baseballsavant.mlb.com

He is a 6'3" Dominican lefty (born August 17, 1996) known for elite strikeout rates in the minors, viral “La Sentencia 99” jumping celebrations after Ks, and a long path to the majors (debut August 5, 2026, at age 29). 

nydailynews.com

2026 MLB Pitch Arsenal Yan primarily uses four pitches:

Sinker	45.5%	97.8 mph	Primary pitch; strong arm-side run;  touched 99–101+ mph
Four-Seam	23.8%	97.5 mph	High spin/ride; also reaches 100–101 mph
Slider	23.0%	86.5                mph	High-whiff offering (~52% MLB sample; higher in minors, often ~61% in Triple-A samples); described as playing like a curve or “sweeper/deathball” type
Changeup	7.7%	89.9 mph	Occasional; sits between fastball and sinker speeds

In the minors (especially with Syracuse/Binghamton in 2026), he showed similar usage with even higher strikeout rates (around 43–50% at points) on the same mix—sinker + slider as the main pair, backed by the four-seamer and changeup. 

Both fastballs sit upper-90s with plus velocity for a lefty reliever.

mlbtraderumors.com

Stuff Evaluation (“Plus” Elements)

• Velocity is clearly plus to plus-plus (regularly 97–98+, peaks at 101 mph). He was the first Mets pitcher to hit 100+ mph in 2026.
• Slider generates excellent swing-and-miss and grades as a strong secondary (Stuff+ metrics around 110 in some samples).
• Overall arsenal is interesting and unique for a lefty (hard sinker + four-seam pair, high-velo slider/sweeper hybrid, firm changeup), with good raw stuff that can miss bats at a high rate.
• Command/control is the limiter (walk rates often 15–18%+), which has held him back from sustained MLB success despite the velocity and K ability.

Scouting notes and advanced metrics consistently highlight the electric arm strength and swing-and-miss potential when he locates, which is why the Mets pursued and developed him after prior stops (Angels, Marlins, NPB Seibu Lions, Rockies).

2026 - MLB/Mets - 18-apps, 1-ST, 2-1, 4.87. 20.1-IP, 15-BB, 26-K

Steve Sica - How are the Mets' Pitching Prospects doing in the AFL?

Three of the Mets' pitching core watch from the dugout

The Mets sent five pitchers to the desert for this year's edition of the Arizona Fall League. The results have been mixed across the board. Let's take a deeper dive into the numbers.

Irving Cota has been the most impressive of the bunch thus far. 

His 12 strikeouts are second on the AFL leaderboard. On Saturday night, he threw three perfect innings while putting up five strikeouts. In 7 and 2/3 innings this season, he has a 2.35 ERA and a WHIP of 0.52. This is similar to the numbers he was putting up with High-A Brooklyn earlier this year, where he had a 0.73 ERA in 24 innings of work.

Peyton Prescott was selected in the 5th round in the 2025 MLB draft by the Mets. 

Injuries limited him to just one professional inning in those last two seasons. The AFL has shown us our first true taste of what he can do. His first two starts were a struggle, but in his latest start, he put together the best start in his brief professional career. He pitched two shutout innings, throwing 25 pitches, 17 for strikes, allowing just one hit, no walks, and striking out two, in what was an eventual win.

Ryan Lambert, a reliever with a lot of potential, has been near-perfect in his three outings.

 In three innings pitched, he has yet to allow a run or a hit. He's given up just one walk and struck out five. The Mets hope he can return to his 2025 form, where he put up a 1.62 ERA in 50 innings of work between High-A and Double-A.

Brendan Girton also has a perfect 0.00 ERA in his three AFL outings. 

A starter turned reliever on the AFL team, Girton has three strikeouts while allowing two hits and one walk in 2 and 1/3 innings of work in the desert.

Calvin Ziegler, once heralded as a top pitching prospect after the Mets drafted him with their second-round pick in 2021, has fallen on hard times with injuries. 

It hasn't been an easy AFL season for him to date either. In just over two innings of work, he has an ERA of 19.29, allowing four walks to three strikeouts. The Mets were hoping to see a bit more out of him, but after seeing very limited playing time over the last two seasons, this could just be him shaking off the rust.

Overall, Cota and Lambert have had their best AFL seasons to date. This is great news for the Mets, especially regarding Lambert, who could be in the bullpen mix for the Mets by next season.

Steve Sica - Let's Check in on the Mets in the AFL (Hitter's Edition)

Bruin Agbayani and Boston Baro take in the AFL game

The Arizona Fall League is already about two weeks into its season, or at the halfway point. Eight Met prospects have been playing with the Surprise Saguaros. Surprise is 8-3 and tied for first place in the six-team league. 

The Mets sent three hitters to the desert. Cole Mathis, Boston Baro, and Bruin Agbayani. 

Mathis, ranked at #13 on Pipeline, was the top prospect the Mets sent to Arizona. After coming over in June in the David Peterson trade, Mathis spent most of the season on the IL. His AFL season has been a bit of a struggle. 

He's gone 4-for-24 with five walks and, on an encouraging note, he's only struck out three times. He also has a home run and four RBIs. Mathis, though, has been dealing with off-the-field issues. His mother passed away earlier this month at the age of 52. Some things are bigger than baseball.

Boston Baro, like Mathis, spent most of 2026 on the IL. He's been on and off the field this season, going 2-for-14 in limited AFL games. This could be to protect his health as he eases back into more regular playing time. He does however, have an impressive BB/K ratio. He's walked eight times and struck out five times. He's also coming off his best performance of the season on Saturday night, when he scored three runs and stole two bases.

Bruin Agbayani, at age 19, is the youngest Met in the AFL this season. He doesn't quite have the power numbers of his father, going 2-for-22 so far. But he's been getting regular playing time at second base, and that is invaluable at his age, going against some of the more elite talent in MiLB.

While most of these stats are disappointing, it's important to remember that the Mets opted to send players who need reps due to injuries this summer. The fact that these players are seeing consistent playing time and staying off the IL is encouraging in itself. 

MACK – Let’s Revisit - RHRP - Ben Simon

 

MACK – Let’s Revisit - RHRP - Ben Simon

Ben Simon (New York Mets prospect, currently with Triple-A Syracuse Mets) is a right-handed relief pitcher whose primary repertoire features a four-seam fastball, slider, and secondary offerings like a changeup/splitter (sometimes noted as a splitter or “splinker”) and occasional curve/sweeper.

brooksbaseball.net

Key details on his pitch mix (primarily from 2025–2026 tracking and notes):

• Four-seam fastball: Primary pitch, typically 95–98 mph (has sat mid-90s and touched high-90s; reports of consistency around 96–98 mph after development work). It has above-average velocity, slight arm side run, and is described as an extreme fly-ball pitch with late zip/high spin.
  brooksbaseball.net
• Slider: Main secondary (often ~86–89 mph, around 87 mph in tracked data). Harder than average, generates solid whiffs, with primarily 12-6 movement and some two-plane action. Frequently paired with the fastball.
  brooksbaseball.net
• Changeup / Splitter (or hybrid): Mixed in (~87–90 mph range in some notes; tracked change around 89 mph). Thrown hard with arm side fade/sink; usage has been lower in some samples. Early scouting and notes also mention a changeup or occasional splitter.
  img.mlbstatic.com
• Curve / Sweeper: Used more rarely (curve noted around 82–84 mph; occasional mentions of a power curve or sweeper in earlier profiles and notes).
  img.mlbstatic.com

Background contextDrafted by the Mets in the 13th round (2023) out of Elon University. 

He is a relatively smaller-statured RHP (5'11"/~197 lbs) who throws from a three-quarters slot with a loose arm. 

He has progressed through the system (including High-A Brooklyn, Double-A Binghamton, and Triple-A Syracuse), with velocity and consistency improvements noted after injury setbacks and pitch-design work (e.g., via Tread Athletics). 

He also pitched for Team Israel in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. 

Game notes and prospect reports consistently highlight the fastball-slider core with the change/splitter as the key tertiary pitch.

2026/AAA-AA:  47-G, 1-ST, 6-6, 3.56, 1.26, 55.2-IP, 21-BB, 37-K

Paul Articulates – Is he repairable, or is it “Senga later”?

Kodai Senga has been with the Mets since his highly publicized signing in December, 2022.  In that time, he has been hero, ace, goat, and disappointment.  His health and his stamina have played a big role in the transitions from bad to good and good to bad.  

There is no dismissing a 12-7 record with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts that he had in 2023 in his first year as a Met – he proved that he could pitch at a very high level in MLB.  He also pitched to a winning record (7-6) with a 3.02 ERA in 2025 even though he missed four weeks to a hamstring injury.

The problem with Senga has not been his healthy and confident days with the club – it has been the alter ego with nagging injuries and issues with control like the 0-9 season with a 7.34 ERA that he had last year that causes most fans to dismiss him.

Many great pitchers have had throw-away seasons, only to renew their prowess with some mechanical changes or changes to their approach to hitters.   The big question is, will Senga be one of those, or has he hit that final wall at 33 years of age?

The New York Mets owe Senga $25M next season – that much is guaranteed by contract and they will pay him with or without his services.  But if his poor performance in 2026 is unrecoverable, the question is whether the Mets should keep him on the roster or release him and eat the money?

The positive side would take hope from his success as a closer during Devin Williams’ absence in September.  Kodai recorded 8 saves in 9 opportunities with much improved pitching stats when he was only throwing an inning.  The positive side would also point to his healthy ERAs in every season other than 2026.

The negative side would dismiss him as a pitcher without the stamina to close day after day or to return to the starting rotation as he desires.  The negative side would see him as a blocker to the talents like Jonathan Santucci or Dylan Ross that are preparing to make the jump to a major league role.

One could take a “wait and see” approach to see how spring training pans out, but we all know that spring training performance does not accurately predict a player’s regular season success.  

In my opinion, the decision needs to be made during the off-season.  The Mets have seen everything they are going to see.  They know the inside story on his health issues and his above-average need for extra rest.  They have seen the metrics on his velocity and ball movement and how he responds to the new wave of coaching by analytics.  

They have also seen how quickly his body can recover from all the annoying aches and pains that occur during a professional baseball season.  I believe that they have everything they need to project whether he will be a major benefit to the team next season.

If they believe he will be healthy and productive, he will be on the 40-man roster before the first day of spring training and if he is on that roster he will be on the active roster on the first day of the 2027 regular season barring a new major injury.

If he is on the active roster to start 2027, will he be the closer?  I don’t believe so – the Mets need a horse for a closer who can overpower an opponent in the ninth inning of three consecutive games.  By the way, Devin Williams is not that either.  They need to shop.

Back to Senga – do you believe that he will be there when the season opens, or will he be gone early in the off-season to leave room on the 40 to protect some of the rule 5 eligible talent in our system?

Reese Kaplan -- How Mets Could Shake Things Up Dramatically

For a moment let’s play pretend GM (which is understandable since the Mets still don’t have  one) and try to figure out a blockbuster trade to shake away the 2026 debacle and bring some order into the future direction of the ballclub.

Obviously there are a few non-trade stalwarts on the Mets roster. This grouping is different from the bad contracts that are untradeabe (like Marcus Semien) and the younger players who have never quite reached starting performance consistently. Instead let’s consider some of the “Oh no, you can’t mean HIM!” types of players.

The first one to come to mind is shortstop Francisco Lindor.  If you flash back to what it cost to get him — pitcher Josh Wolf, outfielder Isaiah Greene, infielder Amed Rosario and infielder Andres Gimenez — it does not seem like a steep price.  

Wolf never made the majors  and owns a career ERA of 5.13 in the minors.  Greene has a career .258 batting average and shows good speed but not much else.  Rosario is the odd man here in that people felt he was destined to be a star, but despite a career MLB average of .271 he hasn’t had a starting role since back in 2023. Gimenez was thought to be a good glove/no hit kind of player but he surprised us all.  In 2023 and 2024 he showed modest power and good speed with a .250+ batting average as a starter.  He then moved onto Toronto where his playing time has fallen off as has his performance metrics.

There’s no way to spin this deal for the post season fighting Guardians.  They were fleeced.

For the Mets Lindor has provided a combination of contact hitting, power, baserunning and strong defense.  Yes, he has missed time with injuries, but when you have a player threatening to eclipse 30/30 status most years it becomes understandable why the teamed forked out $341 million to extend him as a Met for ten years.  

Of all the position players on the Mets this side of Juan Soto, Lindor has the sexiest trade profile.  Yes, his salary is high but he is that much talked about and seldom seen five tool player who is under contract through the 2031 season and the five remaining years are a stiff gut punch to an acquiring team’s finance department, it’s literally how much the Mets have already spent given he’s halfway through his deal.  By the time that contract ends he should have 450 or more home runs as a shortstop.  That’s pretty rare territory indeed.

Think for a minute about other blockbuster deals the Mets have made in the past with prime time talents leaving their clubhouse.  Some hurt immensely like Tom Seaver.  Others caught the club by surprise like Jeff Kent and Justin Turner.  Many felt Carlos Beltran was washed up after his contract ended but the man has a plaque in Cooperstown.  

So what would be a fair return for Lindor?  Obviously the Mets could use some starting pitching, a first baseman, potentially another catcher and reinforcements anywhere in the upper minors.  Getting three to four unknown gambles like they did during the HOF pitcher sell off in 2023 when both Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer were peddled away for almost nothing (including paying down chunks of their salary).  

Now if the club is serious about bringing in someone the caliber of Tarik Skubal to bolster the starting rotation then the money to pay him needs to come from somewhere.  The question is whether team is better off with Francisco Lindor in the lineup or Tarik Skubal in the rotation?  The balance sheet would tip in favor of Lindor but there are some infielders working their way up the system in house already.  The same can’t be said for multi Cy Young Award winning pitchers.  Would a rushed Jefferson Rojas plus Tarik Skubal net the Mets more than Francisco Lindor and a dice roll on an in-house starting pitcher?

What would it take for you to pull the trigger on a Lindor leaving town deal?