HEY!! I SEE SOME SIGNS OF LIFE…
IN A HIGHLY DISAPPOINTING MINOR LEAGUE SEASON….
WHO MIGHT YOU CALL UP TO THE METS IN 2026?
INJURY ALERT:
JUAN SOTO A GRADE 2 CALF STRAIN.
SEASON ESSENTIALLY OVER FOR METS.
START SELLING IN EARNEST.
OK, back to my article:
Let’s run through the list, noting that not one of the following is a WOW.
Ryan Clifford - only if he hits at least .250, and gets Ks down to around 1 per game, post-ASB. Most likely no.
- otherwise, try, try again in 2027 to at least be the next Jarred Kelenic.
Jonah Tong - I’d tell him, go back to what made you successful in 2025, then call him up by September. A guy who gave up a HR every 30+ innings over his first 3 seasons now giving up one every 4 innings? Great coaching. Memo to coaches: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Jack Wenninger - by Sept. 1. Is he a viable 2027 rotation piece? Find out.
Nick Morabito - up either by August 1, or at roster expansion on Sept. 1.
Ronny Mauricio - he is a semi-veteran. Call him up after he rehabs?
- or wait until he shows he is ready to really be more than mediocre?
Nate Lavender - assuming lefty arms traded, August 1. Strikeout king. Wow.
Dylan Ross - horrible. No, unless he sheds his first half miseries big time.
Ryan Lambert - almost as horrible as Ross. Most likely no.
- Ross and Lambert give out more free passes than most lunch programs.
Jefry Yan - always wild, too, but a lefty flame throwing reliever - possible.
Jon Santucci - strongly consider a Sept. call up. He should be in AAA ASAP.
- he lost earlier this week, in AA, but fanned 13 in 5.2 IP.
Jacob Reimer - if he scorches upon his return to action, maybe.
- He hasn’t hit well at all when healthy this year. Hugely disappointing.
- Started rehab in the FCL this past week. 3 for 7, 2 walks thru Tuesday.
Nick Lorusso - he’s hit great in AA in June and July, but NOW needs AAA.
Dedniel Nunez - not a prospect, but looking more and more ready to return.
Jett Williams - whoops, no longer a Mets prospect. Hitting .234 in AAA at the ASB. And injured again, and out for the past few weeks.
No one else qualifies. Underwhelming at the moment.
P.S. As we head towards the trade deadline, some fans were probably concerned when the Mets added pitcher Truman Pauley to last year’s trade to acquire Luis Robert. Those worries were unwarranted. In A ball this year, Pauley is 1-9, 5.52/1.58, and wild.
Acuna is rarely used, but has been hot: 21 for 50 in June and July.
HEY!! I SEE SOME OTHER SIGNS OF LIFE…
I LIKE THIS METS TEAM RIGHT NOW, EXCEPT FOR 3 TO 5 GUYS
As I write this Wednesday AM for a Sunday article, the Mets just beat tough Milwaukee 4-0.
I will roster-surf and start with the dreck:
ALREADY GONE:
Peterson was terrible. He is gone. (Now, he is good again SMH)
THE FUMBLING FIVE:
Senga has been horrible. He can go.
Peralta mysteriously bad. He can go.
Manaea better lately, but still mediocre. He can go.
- Gosh, the 4 hurlers (including Peterson) have been brutal, haven’t they?
- A combined 10-27, with ERA so high even NVIDIA chips can’t calculate.
Semien mediocre at best. Seems washed up. He can go.
Vientos has found his best position - the IL. He can go.
But…lots to like….
Lindor is FINALLY playing like ALL STAR Lindor, Alvarez has hit well, Ewing and Benge are GREAT, Robert’s Cespedes-style rocket on Tuesday shows what he at least occasionally can do when healthy, Jared Young has been very competent, the 3 young starter studs (McLean, Scott, and Thornton) are terrific, and the pen has been strong.
Bichette has hit like the batting champ-like Bichette over the past two months, Soto is Soto, and Holmes will be back very soon.
Bench? Baty has been mediocre of late, and that is mostly acceptable for now. Torrens? Always valuable. Tyrone Taylor? Very competent lately.
I like this current team, if you could excise, and replace, at least 3 of the first 5 individually aforementioned guys that are still here.
If it were opening day, I would mostly like this current team, as long as it stayed healthy. If they were only 4.5 games out of the last wild card, and not 9.5 games mid-week, I would say to be a buyer and go for it.
But 9.5 games, with the current late July brutal schedule, tells me that this team just farted away too many games this year to compete.
I would avoid trading big pieces, staying clear of names not in the tepid first 5 names, and be ready to try, try, again in 2027. Robert can go, I imagine, since 2027 is free agency time for him.
The best Mets youth infusion in a very long time - Ewing, Benge, McLean, Scott, and Thornton - says to me that this could be a NY Mets “circa 1968 moment”. 2027 might just be 1969.
Especially if Skubal is still available, and gets acquired, in the off season.
23 comments:
Would you add Clifford for a team to take the whole of Semien?
Ken Tosenthal has said that the Mets are ready to trade up to seven players. He mentioned: Peralta, Minter, Raley, Holmes, Taylor, Lindor, and Weaver. I would not hold onto 36 year old Brazoban either.
I’m not a fan of selling low on Peralta, but a good start today and another on Saturday, and you never know what a team is willing to offer. I wouldn’t trade Low on Robert either.
I’d like to see Mauricio PLAY EVERY SINGLE DAY for two months. I’d like to see Morabito and Lavender. I’d like to see Morel. And I’d like to see Yan.
Further, if you trade the guys Rosenthal mentions in full, and trade Manaea and Bichette in full, you are removing almost $200MM in payroll obligations and the only one I’d miss is Lindor.
As for Baty or Vientos, I would trade Baty if I get a usable player back and play Morel at 3B. But, I’d keep Lindor and let Mauricio play 2B so Benge, Ewing, Robert and Morabito would be on the grass.
Mauricio homered twice last night. Get him up here. It might be his 9th chance, but see what he’s got. I still am baffled why he doesn’t give up hitting righty vs lefties. I think he is better lefty on lefty.
There isn't much that demands to be promoted
Mauricio, if not traded, to Queens
Santucci to AAA
Snyder to A+
Yonny Hernandez to A
I would add Clifford - unless the receiving team will somehow suddenly and easily fix him, as Seattle suddenly and easily fixed Paul Sewald..
If you really blow up the team, are they capable of rebuilding? Huge question. I’d hesitate getting rid of Weaver. The minor league relievers are wilder than wild mushrooms. Scores will mushroom with them on the mound, walking the park.
I’d still ditch Robert and get Morabito up here, ready or not. Robert, of course, will play 162 games next year and hit 40 bombs.
Soto’s injury almost locks them into a top 6 draft pick. So, dismantle this team monetarily, and enough to give them baseball’s worst record, for the draft. Then, reset the payroll.
Frankly, Morabito is regressing
If you have a top 6 pick, it also guarantees you a highly talented second round pick
I don't put much stock in what scribes report about who is on the block and who not. Who is on the block is almost always everyone. Who gets traded depends on three factors: who else gets traded; how valuable they are to the Mets, and what the return is
I am also a bit confused @Texas Gus remarks about Peralta and Robert. Am I wrong in thinking that your view is that we should pick up the option on Robert and make a qualifying offer to Peralta? I assume QO will come in at around 22/m. He will likely take it to improve his FA value next year. Does he add value to the team? I don't see it. If he doesn't then you get even less for him at next trade deadline and have to pay down more of his salary and you make it much more difficult to add veteran quality pitching through free agency this offseason. Just take a look at what a mess the Diamondbacks ended up in by extending a QO of Zac Gallen this past year.
As for Robert, don't you think there are better uses of his 20million salary. Indeed if you let go of Peralta and Robert you are halfway there to paying Skubal what he deserves. And no comparison on what you are getting.
Here is the problem the Mets have. If they trade their good relievers in order to bring back prospects, what do they do for 2027?. Do they waste yet another year of prime Soto?.
Some want to keep Robert Jr. and I have to ask, what is more likely, that Robert Jr. stays healthy and hits well or that he again gets hurt and misses a lot of time?. Same with Polanco.
If the Mets want to compete next year they need a 1B and 2B and depending on what Bichette does, maybe a 3B.
Is David Stearns the GM who can deliver?. I have lost faith in this guy.
Let ne clarify
I would keep all team controlled and contracted beyond this season relievers
I would discard all failed starters
There isn't one minor league Mets reliever screaming to be promoted on OD 2027
Bullpen can be rebuilt in offseason. Trade now if the return is worth it.
The Mets will wind up spending next season, the dead money plus Soto & Lindor & likely Bichette chinches the high payroll. Even more so if they go after skubal.
Exactly, Viper.
Weaver is under contract for 2027. If you eviscerate the pen, good luck building it back. If you are counting to build the pen back based on what’s in the farm system, just look at Ross and Lambert. Two huge disappointments. If they were people you could count on, which you can’t, then you could trade away a weaver. But it’s too much to ask to try to totally rebuild a pen from scratch, and that could be very expensive. So unless any deal for Weaver absolutely blows the Mets away, I’m keeping weaver.
The Mets have already used 27 pitchers and 2 position players to pitch this year. That # will rise to around 35-37 by year end.
Last year? 46.
We can play pretend all we want. But you need dozens of pitchers a year, and you need a very solid foundation of pitchers eating up most of your innings, or you will be totally screwed next year. So…I am keeping Weaver, unless someone blows me away with a trade offer.
And having a viable plan for 2027 and 2028. They cannot do trades, and then say, OMG, what the heck are we gonna do for next year and the year after to make this team not lose 100 + games?
I agree on Peralta and Robert. Remember, next year, Megill, Garrett, and Dedniel should be back. Add in Williams, Weaver, Tong, Wenninger, and Santucci to McLean, Scott, and Thornton, and give it a whirl. I would also be very inclined to extend and keep Holmes.
Very good point. I did want to QO Peralta and take the option on Robert, but I see your points. I would thus move them.
I agree with RVH and want to add that relievers are fickle. Relievers have more up and down years than starters. Last year Weaver was not that good, remember? Why not cash in?
I think we all agree any weaver trade required exceptional relative value back in return.
Vipor-- You must have read my post coming out on Tuesday :-). Much more on all of this- My view is different than yours however about next year's bullpen. I would trade Minter, Raley, Brazoban, Weaver (and Williams were that possible). Let me also throw in that I am prepared to trade Holmes as well. Now here is how I see the transition. First and foremost, of the relievers traded, only Weaver will bring back something potentially substantial. That is why I am also prepared to trade Holmes. Weaver is under team control and so whomever is trading for him will have him next year as well, which accounts in part for the expected high return. Holmes should warrant a good return as well because he will plug right in as a starter on a contender for the remainder of the regular season and a crucial potential high leverage reliever in the playoffs for that team this year.
I would prefer getting higher ceiling further from Major league ready prospects for Minter, Raley and Brazoban. Preferably outfielders or a power bat. We are very short on outfield talent in the minors.
Minter and Raley are FA after the season and if we want to bring them back we can enter the bidding on them. We have several pitchers returning from surgery that are possibilities to fill bullpen roles next year. Don't love any of them, but am open. In addition, I view Tong as a strong candidate for high leverage relief role a la Eckersley or Schmoltz. There are always lots of relievers available during the offseason as FA because relievers are almost always offered short contracts. I view the bullpen as an insurance policy to protect the investment in starting pitching and a backstop to keep you in games when the SP has not performed to standard. Given the importance of these two roles, I am surprised at how little teams' spend on their bullpens with rare exceptions. I would put a lot of due diligence into relievers available in free agency and start thinking about appropriate metrics to assess them. IMHO, the major factor that bears on their historical inconsistency of performance is how poorly most managers manage their bullpens. I have. a few metrics I would suggest: 1. overall usage; 2. high leverage/stress pitches. 3. which part of the lineup they faced. 4. performance in innings they entered during v. performance when they started clean inning and so on.
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