Tom Brennan - I Simply Cannot Stand It Anymore! Topic # 2; A Kirk Clone

“I Simply Can’t Stand It Anymore” 

Topic #1 was earlier today. 

Moving on to Topic # 2:

ONE MORE THING THAT I SIMPLY CANNOT STAND IN MLB BALL

Seth Lugo, in his Mets days, won 7 games one season as a reliever

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present to you our friend Seth Lugo…

Seth has always been a truly fine pitcher, both with the Mets and after leaving the Mets. His name crossed my mind and I wondered how he was doing.

I decided to look at his statistics through May 18. 

When I did, it reminded me of another thing I hate about the game today.

Simply, and for whatever reason, so many guys have much trouble going five innings these days in the major leagues. But you still require five innings to qualify for a win.

On the other hand, if you begin to pitch as a starter in a game, give up a HR on the first pitch, and get pulled, you could end up losing the game despite throwing ONLY one pitch. Seems a tad inequitable.

So I looked deeper at Seth‘s numbers and saw he had one start that he got a no decision and where he went 6.1 IP, and gave up seven runs.

Including that bad start, in ten starts, he has a 3.56 ERA.

His record? 1–3. One stinking win in 10 starts with a 3.56 ERA. 

Even worse?

Excluding his one rocky start?

Just 1 win in 9 starts, with an ERA below 3.00!

Nuts.

I would immediately change the rule at season’s end to allow a Starter to pick up a win if he throws a minimum of four innings, not five.

It makes me also think of Christian, Scott, whom many Mets fans think very highly of, and who still does not have a major league win. I think that is insane, and I think that rule should be changed.

On Tuesday, in his FOURTEENTH Mets career start, Scott led 4-3 after 4 innings and 81 pitches. They did not allow him to throw even 82 pitches. 

They yanked him.

Result? Another ND.

Nuts. 

But, if the starter win rule was changed to a minimum 4 innings, rather than 5 innings, he again would have qualified for a W when pulled.

As the 16-7 Mets win unfolded, he still would have gotten an ND, but that is besides the point.

I SAY…

CHANGE THAT OUTDATED RULE TO ALIGN WITH MODERN DAY REALITY. 

FOUR INNINGS BY A STARTER SHOULD QUALIFY!

AND…A KIRK NIEUWENHUIS CLONE…

Kirk Nieuwenhuis the former Met was a lefty slugging outfielder who struggled with his batting average, and walked and fanned a lot. 

Career split: .221/.311/.384.

MJ Melendez the current Met is a lefty slugging outfielder who struggles with his batting average, walks a lot, and fans a lot. 

Career split: .215/.298/.388.

Clones.

Tom Brennan - I Simply Can’t Stand it Anymore! Topic # 1….And Ross is the Boss

THE PAIN IS MORE THAN WE FANS CAN BEAR 

It is disturbing to know that in mid-May, the Mets already are out of contention with the Atlanta Braves. 

As of Monday morning, the Mets found themselves six games under 500 while the Braves find themselves 17 games above 500. I thought, right then: there’s no chance that the Mets make that up. 

If they were fully healthy, perhaps. But the last time I looked at the injured list, I painfully concluded that they were not nearly injury free.

This brings me back to something that I find frankly disturbing, and I’ll bring it up again. 

For decades, the Pirates…sucked. 

That’s a little blunt, but it’s true. 

In the meantime, in the NL eastern division, juggernaut Atlanta, which is much further west than Pittsburgh, not to mention much further south, has blocked the Mets over and over and over and over and over again from making the playoffs. More “overs” than that, to be accurate.

And, in those seasons when the Braves are not up to their usual best, the Phillies perennially, over the last 20 years since the Howard/Utley/Rollins days, have been strong contenders and winners as well. 

Meanwhile, I look at the pathetic division that the Athletics are in. 

The As lead that division with a paltry 23–23 record. 

If they were in that division, the Mets would be trailing the As by just three games. And the Mets would be extremely much in contention for the division title.  

Mets fans that now give up on going out to see the team, because they have at best a long-shot chance at the wildcard, would instead be turning out to games because they’d be right in the middle of a division pennant race.

Frankly, as a Mets fan as well as a Mets hobbyist writer, I am so beyond sick of this. 

Are you, too?

And what is “this”? 

Watching teams in other (mostly central) divisions with lousy season records win division titles while the Mets have to bump heads with Philadelphia and Atlanta year after year after year after year, almost always coming up short. No playoffs. 40 years since winning a WS.

No joy. No fun. Thus…

Suggestionto Steve Cohen: 

I would do everything in my power, if I were you, to switch that divisional stuff around, so the Mets have a real chance of winning the division when they’re not absolutely at the top of their game. 

That would be “Baseball Equity.”

Heck, even at their best, like in 2022, when the Mets won 101 games, they didn’t win the division title. I’m sure some NL central or AL central team back then would’ve been very easy for the Mets that year to skate into a division title in.

I am SO sick of it. There’s gotta be a way to fix that. DO something.

And that’s my memo.

Except to say this:

I conducted a Survey on the subject running this by my brother Steve and my cousin Billy. 

Steve said it was brilliant. DO IT!

And cousin Billy said this:

“I would love to see the Pirates take Atlanta's place in the east. They should have done that when they pulled the Cubs out of the east! Great article but someone needs to listen”. 

Yes, “someone” needs to listen. And force the issue. Redistricting is a popular topic these days. The Mets need to be redistricted.

DYLAN ROSS

ROSS IS THE BOSS

Through Wednesday, big, bad Dylan Ross had allowed a mere 3 hits in 11.2 IP this season…and just one hit in May.

In his career, 66.2 IP, just 32 hits allowed.

A bit wild, but…who cares…

No Hit Ross could be the Boss of Queens.

But he can’t be that in Syracuse.

What is the Obstacle for Ross getting to Queens? 

Thru Wednesday, the NY Mets pen had a 3.48 ERA, tied for 9th best. Perhaps Craig Kimbrel (6.00) is in jeopardy, I initially wrote, only later to see the jeopardy was real, as he was DFA on Friday, but even he hadn’t been “goodbye” bad. This year, though, in this pen, he was not good enough.

Called up in his spot, Jonah Tong Terrific went 3 scoreless, pitching to just 9 batters, in a disappointing 2-1 Mets loss, in which Juan Soto hit a 450 foot homer, while everyone on the Mets not named Soto compiled just one hit.

Bat Nolan McLean in the clean up spot, and problem solved. He brought a rocket launcher to the plate when he used to hit in the minors.

P.S. Ross’ AAA fireballing buddy, Ryan Lambert, has been wild…12 walks in 13-IP. And 4 walks in 3.1 spring training innings. A walk an inning is simply a door-shutter to a ticket to Flushing.

A catcher named Meggers had 3 hits on Friday for St Lucie. His battery mate, Kodai Senga, threw 63 pitches, hitting 97 MPH. 

Jose Chirinos went 5.1 IP in relief of that Kodai guy, and fanned 10.

But, wait. Three hits…from a catcher?  Call that guy Meggers up.

RVH - Part 3: Can the Mets Hold On Long Enough for Reinforcements?

 

The Mets do not need saviors.

That may sound strange for a team sitting at 18–25, but it is true.

They do not need one young player to arrive and rescue the season. They do not need one pitching prospect to become the next ace overnight. They do not need one hot week to erase April.

What they need is more realistic and, in some ways, more important.

They need reinforcement.

They need balance.

They need the roster to stop operating in survival mode.

That is the real meaning of the next phase of the 2026 Mets season. This is the bridge period.

The Mets are trying to survive long enough for three things to overlap: better health, better performance from underachieving veterans, and help from the next wave of young players.

That does not guarantee a turnaround. But it does create a plausible path.

The current record is ugly. At 18–25, the Mets are in a real hole. But the underlying numbers tell a slightly different story. Their Pythagorean record is closer to 20–23, which means they have played a little better than their actual record. More importantly, their last three weeks have been more stable. Across Weeks 6, 7, and 8, the Mets went 9–6 with a +11 run differential.

That does not erase the April collapse.

But it does suggest the team may have stopped falling.

Now the question is whether they can climb.

That is where the reinforcements matter.

Ryan Benge’s development matters.

AJ Ewing’s arrival matters.

Jack Wenninger appears close.

Tong may not be far behind (Hopefully).

The point is not that any one of these players should be expected to save the season. That would be unfair to them and unrealistic for the team. Prospects rarely arrive as finished solutions. They arrive as energy, volatility, athleticism, upside, and sometimes immediate usefulness.

But that usefulness can matter a lot.

Young players do not have to become stars immediately to improve a roster. Sometimes they help by restoring proper role alignment.

A young athletic outfielder can reduce pressure on an overextended veteran.

A credible starting arm can keep the bullpen from covering too many innings.

A productive young bat can push a struggling player down in the lineup or onto the bench.

A fresh player with speed and energy can change the look of a team that has started to feel heavy.

That is why Benge and Ewing are interesting.

The Mets’ lineup has too often looked compressed. It has lacked athleticism, rhythm, and pressure. Injuries to Soto, Lindor, Polanco, Luis Robert, and now Alvarez have only made that worse. When that many key pieces are compromised, the lineup stops functioning the way it was designed.

Benge and Ewing do not need to become instant stars to help. If they bring athleticism, competent at-bats, defensive energy, and a little pressure, they can change the texture of the roster.

That matters.

Baseball teams can get stale. They can get slow. They can start to feel like every game is being played under the weight of the previous one.

A young player can disrupt that.

Sometimes the value is production. Sometimes it is energy. Sometimes it is simply forcing the roster to reorganize in a healthier way.

The same logic applies to Wenninger and Tong on the pitching side.

The Mets do not just need better pitching. They need more stable innings.

That distinction matters.

When the rotation is unstable, the entire pitching staff bends. The bullpen gets overused. Relievers appear in the wrong spots. The manager starts managing around weakness instead of from strength. A close game in the fifth inning becomes a series of uncomfortable compromises.

If Wenninger can provide useful innings, that matters.

If Tong eventually becomes part of the picture, that matters too.

Not because either has to dominate immediately, but because credible innings change bullpen usage. They reduce stress. They give the team a better chance to avoid the one bad inning that turns a winnable game into another frustrating loss.

That is exactly where the Mets have been leaking value.

The gap between their actual record and expected record is only about two wins. That may sound small, but in the Wild Card race it is meaningful. At 18–25, the Mets look buried. At something closer to 20–23, they look like a flawed team still near the crowded middle of the National League.

That is what makes the bridge period so important.

The Mets do not have to be great immediately.

They do have to stop making the climb harder.

They have to turn decent run-differential weeks into actual winning weeks. They have to protect leads. They have to avoid bullpen overexposure. They have to get more from Bichette, Baty, and Semien. They have to get healthier. And they have to let the young talent begin pushing the roster toward a better shape.

That is a lot to ask.

But it is not fantasy.

The hopeful version of this season is not that the Mets suddenly become dominant. It is that several moderate improvements arrive at the same time.

Soto and Lindor look healthier.

Alvarez returns and stabilizes the catching position.

Polanco and Robert add length.

Bichette wakes up.

Baty or Semien becomes useful.

Benge and Ewing inject athleticism.

Wenninger and Tong help stabilize innings.

No single item on that list has to carry the entire season. The value is in the overlap.

That is what the Mets are waiting for.

Overlap.

Health plus regression.

Veterans plus young players.

Better innings plus better lineup shape.

Stabilization plus time.

The danger, of course, is that the bridge collapses before the reinforcements matter. That is the risk of a bad April. You lose not only games, but time. By the time the roster improves, the standings may no longer care.

That is why the Mets cannot drift through the next few weeks. They need to hold.

Not dominate.

Hold.

Play .500 or better. Win the winnable games. Avoid another 1–5 week. Avoid another 0–6 week. Keep the Wild Card middle in sight. Give the June roster a reason to matter.

That is the assignment now.

The Mets do not need saviors.

They need enough reinforcement to stop playing distorted baseball.

They need enough stabilization to turn underlying improvement into actual wins.

And they need enough time for the next version of the roster to arrive before the current version digs the hole too deep.

That is the bridge period.

And the season may depend on whether they can cross it.

SAVAGE VIEWS – BITS AND PIECES

HERE I GO AGAIN!

Another week in the books with some good and some bad. 

Beating the Yankees two out of three was a major plus followed by a rather mediocre performance against the Nats, although we managed to split the four-game series. Winning at least two of three from the Marlins will keep on the playoff track. The road to the postseason clearly rides on the backs of our top prospects.

So far, it’s hard to understand why Nick Moribito has been promoted. After one start, he has been riding the bench with Melendez continuing to prove he is and never has been an answer. However, Morabito is slated to start in Friday’s game. 

AJ Ewing is one of the more exciting prospects to join the team over the past 40 years.  He has demonstrated an ability to get on base at a very high rate. He is a disciplined hitter with a knack of making pitchers work- a natural leadoff hitter who is going to steal a ton of bases I his career. And yet he is being buried at the bottom of the lineup. On the other hand, Marcus Semien seems to have the sixth spot cemented – go figure.

IMHO, I would have Ewing leading off with Benge batting second and Bo Bichette in the clean-up spot. Mark Vientos has simply been unable to produce and his lack of discipline as a hitter should mark him as a casualty once Lindor is ready to return. Incidentally, it was good news to hear that Craig Kimball was given his walking papers.

A bit of a controversy this week when Morabito was allowed to wear number 8. Gosh, Gary Carter was a terrific player who gave the Mets a couple of good years. However, his HOF career was earned while starring as a player with the Expos. Retiring his number is a rather stupid idea. In fact, I am generally opposed to retiring numbers. 

Next up is Carlos Beltran to have his number 15 hung on the rafters to join the disgraced duo of Gooden and Strawberry. And you don’t want to know my feelings about Stengel and Mays being honored. 

Later this year, Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine will be recognized. Lee’s greatest contribution to the Mets was getting traded to the Rangers for pitchers Ron Darling and Walt Terrell. I think Terrell was actually a better hitter than Lee. And Terrell got us Howard Johnson who was a terrific switch-hitting third baseman with power. I do remember that Lee was a big hit with the ladies for reasons that escape me.

Recently, Gary Cohen cooed about Aaron Judge being the greatest right-hand hitter of all time. This opinion has been shared by others. While there is no doubt that Judge will be installed in the HOF on the first ballot, he just went through a stretch where he struck out in seven consecutive at bats. Maybe these commentators have never heard of Roger Hornsby, Henry Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Albert Pujols and a few others who were all better right-hand hitters. 

One thing that all of these have in common is not striking out more than 100 times in a year. I will admit Judge is one scary looking human being and wish he was on my team.

I’ve run out of things to rant about. I’ll be back next Friday.

Ray

May 23, 2026

Reese Kaplan -- Which New York Mets Team Will Take the Field?

The New York Mets continue their schizophrenic season in which one day they appear totally embarrassing and then the next day resemble a post season contender.  Obviously the major injuries and early season slumps have paid a massive price in their resulting won/loss record, but every now and then there are some signs suggesting perhaps they have started to adjust to the litany of changes forced upon them and perhaps there is some internal reserve that could end the season with a .500 or better record.

First of all, hats off to David Peterson who went from banished to the pen to Huascar Brazoban’s supporting cast and then just this week authoring a one-run performance over five starting innings.  No one really expected it though the hope was always there that it could happen. Would happen?  Well, that one was not filled with a stadium full of well wishers.

Then there are the ripples of productivity happening to stellar hitter Bo Bichette who has not resembled the .317 hitter he was this past season.  Lately, however, he’s landed his bat on the ball for solid contact, long balls driven out of the park and suddenly he’s making David Stears appear for once to have made a solid player acquisition.  There’s still a long way to go to get Bichette into All Star form but the signs are most definitely there.

The linked-at-the-hip duo of Brett Baty and Mark Vientos have continued to appear better than they have been but still performing well below league average as hitters.  Whereas Baty has more defensive chops to put on a highlight reel than Vientos does, he has dropped out significantly where it comes to slugging percentage and OPS.  Neither are necessarily starter quality on a good team but for now they are what the Mets are choosing to use to fill 22% of their at-bats.  And Vientos even contributed a screen gem of a defensive play to help preserve that 2-1 victory against the Nationals.  Go figure.

The Mets have announced that Tobias Myers is getting the Friday start while theoretically Jonah Tong is on tap for today’s game.  Throw in the rest of the starting entourage — Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Christian Scott and Nolan McLean.  If you add in both Jonah Tong and Tobias Myers and then remember the existence of one-start hurler Zach Thornton the Mets have gone from needing five starting pitchers to all of the sudden having seven of them with Sean Manaea being grossly overpaid as a starting pitcher banished to the bullpen.

In the outfield Carson Benge has been on that same reassuring flourish at the plate to solidify his necessity as a worthy starter in right field.  Juan Soto will never win a Gold Glove but if he indeed returns to full time duty in left field it leaves just the question of center field to be answered.  A.J. Ewing has certainly responded to the challenge of major league pitching in his early introduction at the ripe old age of 21 while Nick Morabito’s appearance is either as a platoon partner or left fielder when Soto slots in at DH. 

Complicating things are injury rehab tidbits that evolved this week.  Long lost A.J. Minter is slated to resume full game level action this week prior to coming back fully from injury.  Kodai Senga is also expected to toe the rubber as a starting pitcher as he works his way back to full time major league duty.  Who will leave to make room for the two of them is still a bit of a debate which may be answered over the next few weeks as the Mets do whatever it takes to put 26 men onto the active roster until the regulars are fully ready.

Tom Brennan - Highlights from a Thursday in Metsville

YESTERDAY’S METS WIN WAS LIKE ALKA SELTZER TO THE RESCUE 

Mets split the 4 game Nats series with a badly needed 2-1 win. 

David Peterson picks up the win, and Bichette drives in both runs. 

Bo now has 27 RBIs, which ain’t all that bad. 

MJ Melendez almost had a very good game - hit by pitches twice - and a titanic home run, except it went just foul…and another deep blast that was a little further foul…and a 9th inning liner that landed just foul with the bags full. Fair territory is between the lines, MJ.

The box score just showed another hitless game for him. 

Ahh, this game of baseball can be unforgiving sometimes.

Devin Williams? He continued his excellence. He is excellent, you know.

In the bushes….

Syracuse scored 12 in a 12-8 win. 20 men on base. Hitter’s Mets park?

Nate Lavender got a one out save. Three runs allowed in his last 11 games. Nate has been great as of late.

Binghamton held to 5 hits, but scored 7 in the ninth, and got a 9-5 win. 

Serrano III had 3 RBIs. If I were the broadcaster, I would’ve said, “now that’s the third RBI for Serrano the third. How about that?”

Brooklyn hit poorly in one of its two 7 inning losses, amassing 4 hits while fanning 16 times, and was shut out in the other game, on 2 hits.  Hitting an astonishingly microscopic .178 after 42 games. Astonishing.

Someone should tell them that there was once a one armed hitter named Pete Gray, who hit .218 in his one year in the major leagues. These guys? I think they’d need at least three arms to hit .218.

St Lucie got smoked again, losing 18-6. Team ERA of 6, and allowing nearly 7 runs per game.

Lucie’s Bonus baby Simon Juan seems to be burnt toast, hitting .168. What would he hit in Brooklyn? .068?

 The FCL Mets got tattooed, 11-2, but hey, good news…

Boston Baro made his first appearance of the season, and went 2 for 3. 

I had completely forgotten about him.  Offense-starved Brooklyn and Binghamton likely are both saying that 3 rehab at bats are enough of a tune up, they need IMMEDIATE HELP!

MINOR ON A WIN-LOSS PERSPECTIVE?

Syracuse has a decent record at 26-21.

The other 4 minor league teams combined? More than 40 games below .500.

The “vaunted minor league system”? Nah. Overrated may be a better word.

That’s all, folks.

Reese Kaplan -- The Ever Changing Roster Remains Unsettled

The Mets are extremely difficult to understand.  They’re awful, they look reborn, then bounce back to the awful space once again.  Let’s not go pitch by pitch to ascertain when the run prevention failed spectacularly on the 20th while at the same time the bats returned to their cocoons buried underground.  For now the guesswork is in trying to conclude what happens next.

If you draw a depth chart on the wall for the Mets starting rotation, then in no particular order you see Freddy Peralta, David Peterson (yes, as a starter, not as a 2nd through 5th inning guy following the opener), Christian Scott, Nolan McLean and a big question mark for number five.  Word has filtered out that Jonah Tong was scratched from his upcoming Syracuse start to prepare him to be available to join the Mets in Miami later this week.  Does that action mean he is now number five? 

What then becomes of the rookie loser Zach Thornton who started off with a few free passes that came around on a three run blast in his very first inning of major league baseball?  He followed that inauspicious debut with another run scoring frame but then settled down to throw like a true ace though a bit late, retiring at one point eight in a row.  Is he on the Syracuse shuttle to make room for Tong or does someone else get hung out to dry to create an open roster spot. 

Right now the team is a little hard pressed to excise any of the others from the rotation.  Peralta is obviously not leaving, nor is Nolan McLean despite his major league clunker in his last major league start.  David Peterson’s role is likely fairly solid unless the dumpster diving David Stearns has a trade up his sleeve sending the pending free agent out of town for help.  The other candidate would be Christian Scott whose 4.12 ERA is markedly better than David Peterson but whose arm strength is still a work in progress.

Nowhere has anyone suggested that Tobias Myers be stretched out to be a viable starting candidate.  As I referenced previously, he’s made just as many starts as relief appearances in his major league career so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that he would transition into the rotation at some point, but again where would the vacancy happen to give him this opportunity?

On the offensive side Nick Morabito did not have the kind of stellar debut that rookies dream about when they finally suit up for The Show.  His defensive miscue almost single handedly capsized McLean in his last start.  He did hit a combined over .300 in both 2023 and 2024 in the minors, but 2025 he dropped to .273 and was swatting just .253 in AAA when he was summoned to replace the less than immortal Austin Slater.  He has no power, which isn’t likely to emerge in the majors, but has shown stellar base stealing ability.  

Whether or not he remains here is anyone’s guess but a 4 AB major league debut without a hit is not usually sufficient grounds for roster termination unless/until a veteran returns from injury.  Still, if Juan Soto plays the field and Carson Benge is a regular starter then you’re down to deciding between right handed base stealer Morabito or left handed base stealer A.J. Ewing.  Right now most folks would opt for Ewing regardless of who is pitching.  

MACK - Friday Observations - Catching, J.T. Benson, Anderson Severino, Channing Austin, Zach Thornton, Randy Guzman

 

Mack – Catching, J.T. Benson, Anderson Severino, Channing Austin, Zach Thornton, Randy Guzman

           (stats through 5-20-2026)

 

1. We need to talk catching. I think all Mets fans are starting to realize that Francisco Alvarez is never going to be the catcher they wanted him to be. At the same time, astute Mets followers are also starting to realize that the FCL catcher, Yovanny Rodriguez, (2026: 41-AB, 5-HR, 12-BB, 4-BB, 11-K, .293/,356/.683/1.038) is their best chance at producing an all-star caliber plate behind the plate. Everyone else in the chain at this position is currently underproducing, except for Rodriguez and his teammate, Josmir Reyes. (2026: 34-AB, .294). Syracuse catcher, Kevin Parada (1.11 pick, 2022 draft, $5,019,735 bonus), is having another sub-par season, though an unexpected promotion to AAA-Syracuse this month is showing some return to him looking like a hitter again:

2026: AA-Binghamton - 98-AB, .184

           AAA-Syracuse - 7-AB. .429

I have lost confidence in Parada. He has serious holes in his defensive game and I believe this bat surge in Syracuse is temporary.  

Binghamton catcher, Chris Suero (2022, $10,000 IFA bonus) couldn’t possibly be having a worse start of a season, though he seems to be finding his batting skills this past week. Still, his batting average is far too low (2026: 106-AB, 26-BB, 7-HR, 18-RBI, .198/.374/.453/.827) and he continues to strikeout too much (43-K in 106-AB). 

Brooklyn catcher, Daiverson Gutierrez ($1,9000,000 IFA bonus 2023), is starting to look like a real bust. (2026: 117-AB, 1-HR, 6-RBI, 15-BB, 29-K, .162/.300/.231/.531). 

Brooklyn catcher, Ronald Hernandez (2021 trade with Miami), has the highest BA of these four, which isn’t saying much (2026: 116-AB, 4-HR, 18-RBI, 25-BB, 38-K, .198/.340/.371/.711).

Yovanny is 19 years old and currently leading the FCL in homers. Oh, Power. Does the Mets need this? Sure. He’s too young to play Queens, but this guy does need to be fast tracked. I strongly suggest the Mets get him to Brooklyn by the break, if for no other reason Reyes can breathe and get to play every day at his natural position. 

People always ask me why the Mets keep signing top catchers internationally. I remind them that this is the hardest position to find a top talent. Look at all the money spent over the past six years and they are still stuck with the walking wounded plus two bats with huge holes in them. 

2.     On 5-18-2026, undrafted outfielder J.T. Benson was promoted to A+ Brooklyn. At that point, he led all Mets minor leaguers in wRC+ (143) and triples (5) and was tied for the lead in doubles (10). He’s had a .800+ OPS since 2023, which includes three years for the University of Louisville. He’s 24/years old so he should be able to handle the bump up to Brooklyn. Benson looks like one of those rare UDFA finds that could, at the least, develop into a functional utility player; however, like many before him, he is off to a slow start at the elevated level: Brooklyn: 

    Don't sweat it. JT will work this out. 

3.     It’s too early to start calling up relief pitchers. They simply need to get more games and innings under their belt. Most people speculate that Dylan Ross (2026: 3-LEVELS, 11-APPS, 3-0, 1.54, 0.94, 11.2-IP, 13-K, 8-BB) will be the first up. Fits the youth movement. But let me interject another name here that has really impressed me this season… 31/year old Anderson Severino. Severino has had little success over his career… a 0.0 WAR/6.14-ERA in the majors… eight meh minor league seasons… eight more on foreign soil… and then the Mets signed him after 23 appearances for Licey produced a 0.98-ERA. What has resulted this year is:  2026: 15-APPS, 2-0, 0.98, 0.92, 18.1-IP, 19-K, 8-BB. All of this has been accomplished at the AAA level. Yes, we are watching a youth movement right now, but I believe we need to pause and give this old man one more shot at major year stardom. Oh. Did I tell you he’s a lefty? 

4.     Let’s face it… there hasn’t been that many bright lights in the chain this year. That being said, Channing Austin is one of them. The 6-3 undrafted righty joined the Mets in 2024 after going 6.28 for Southern California. Nothing to get excited about, right? Last year, he went a combined 4.38 for St. Lucie/Brooklyn. Still no biggie. But this season, after (I assume) considerable time in the pitching lab, he has turned out remarkable numbers for the Cyclones.

    On Wednesday, Austin put up another remarkable outing (6.2-IP, 0-R, 8-K, 1-BB) and made a strong case for an early promotion to AA-Binghamton. His current 2026 stat line is: 8-ST, 2-1, 1.17, 1.09, 38.1-IP. 48-K, 22-BB.  He has allowed only two runs since April 21st and leaded tge SAL in ERA. His repertoire is impressive: mid-90’s fastball with movement, three breaking balls, a fading change-up. What he needs to do is keep refining it. 

5.     On Friday, May 15^th, Zach Thornton made a statement. He pitched six scoreless innings for AAA-Syracuse, giving up only three hits, walking one, and striking out nine. This couldn’t have come at a better time what with the Jonah Tong blow-up, Sean Mataea and David Peterson repeated disappointing starts, and the Clay Holmes foot breakage. This resulted in a promotion to Queens and an outing on Wednesday (-0.1-WAR 0-1, 8.31). The good news is all the bad was in the first two innings that he pitched and he finished strong. 

Helium Alert –

           The Mets own the ballplayer that just hit the fourth hardest ball in baseball this year. 117.6 mph. He also  leads the Mets affiliates in home runs and runs batted in. I’m talking about 21/year old St. Lucie 1B/LF/RF, Randy Guzman. He first impressed us last season when he went .302 for the combined teams of the FCL Mets and St. Lucie. This year, he’s a little short in BA (.231), but the 44-K in 145-PA is livable while the .816-OPS is impressive. We will keep an eye on his and my hopes is he can improve to around .250, while hitting 20+ home runs this season.

 

Tom Brennan - SMART Moves….The Pattern Remains…and Zach Faced Mission Impossible

 

SMART MOVES

The Washington Nationals traded Juan Soto, some years back, for a combination of top prospects

It was a smart move by the DC braintrust.

SO smart.

Two guys that they obtained, James Wood and CJ Abrams, in Washington’s first 49 games, have combined for 22 homers, 25 other XBHs, and 74 RBIs. That puts them on pace for about 70 home runs, 80 doubles/triples, and 240 RBIs combined this year. 

Golly gee, and gee whiz. But wait, there’s more.

They also got McKenzie Gore, who’s been a decent pitcher in his career as a starter, with upside, and Robert Hassell, who is 24 and back in the minors this year after a mediocre 2025 MLB trial run.

The Mets have occasionally made smart trades, but not as smart as that one. They made a very dumb trade giving up Pete Crow-Armstrong. But two smart non-trade moves were unaccepted QOs to Syndergaard (Morabito) and DeGrom (Ewing).

THE PATTERN REMAINS…

… When it comes to home-field advantage.

Through Tuesday, them Yankees are averaging almost 7 runs a game at home, and far lower 4 runs per game on the road. 

A super advantage at home, clearly. 

The Mets?  

4.3 runs per game at home, and 4 per game on the road. Slight home edge.

Seemingly an annual occurrence is the relative disparity in home-field advantage between these two teams.

The Yankees simply have a far bigger home-field advantage than the Mets do, very similar to what the Knicks have in Madison Square Garden when they have good teams. Great, well designed home stadiums can do wonders for a baseball team. 

It could mean the difference between annual playoffs, and early eliminations during the regular season.

Hey Uncle Steve, I have a suggestion for you for a great trade…

Trade stadiums.

Move the Mets to the Bronx and move the Yankees to Queens.

Somehow, I think the Yankees would politely say no to that one.

ZACH GOT SMACKED

“Your Mission… Should you choose to accept it, is to face the highest scoring team in baseball in your major league debut. This message will self-destruct in five seconds.” Zach Thornton accepted Mission Impossible.

The Nationals’ MLB-leading offense was like nothing Zach had ever seen. 

Zach retired the first batter in his MLB debut, then gave up a blooper hit, then just missed the strike zone and walked the next guy on 3-2. 

He then faced the type of hitter that he never saw in AAA, CJ Abrams. 

CJ clocked a three run Homer. CJ, if you are not paying attention, is a budding All-Star caliber player

The Mets, as is too often the case, could never recover. Zach gave up four runs in total in 4.1 innings, and looked good… 

Except for that one pitch. When you’re facing the best, sometimes that one pitch can do you in. However, I liked what I saw from him.

Otherwise, two relievers for the Mets gave up a total of four runs, which turned out to be the march of victory for the nationals in an 8-4 ball game.

On a positive note in a guy who really seems to heat up in the middle of May, Juan Soto, hit two Titanic home runs, and just missed a third.

Frankly… 

They need Lindor back badly. 

And I have the sneaking suspicion that the Mets current catching tandem may have a struggling time hitting .200. 

So they need Alvarez back too.

Why?  A team requires lots of hitters that can hit to consistently win.

Sadly, neither of them will be back soon.

The Nationals can sure hit, though…7 or more runs in each of the 3 games.