Reese Kaplan -- Looking at the 2027 Mets Roster Needs

There’s been a few days now for people to understand the great selloff and now it’s time to reassess not the remainder of 2026 but what changes will take place in 2027. 

There is no first base solution present.  Jorge Polanco maybe should be the daily DH to put less stress on his aging and oft-injured body.  No one wanted him at mid year and the Mets are on the hook for another season.  If he indeed becomes the DH, then the only candidates are Jared Young, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ryan Clifford.  None of them seem sufficient for a contending team.

There is no second base solution either.  No one is going to fault Marcus Semien for his professionalism but the offensive results simply are not there.  He’s playing like a bench player, not a $26 million starter.  Right now he’s hitting just .210.  Unless you’re semi-serious about converting A.J. Ewing into a full time second base role, your options here are limited to Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio.

We will assume for the moment that despite the rumor mill agog with conjectures about the rift between Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto as well as the Mets’ need to free up payroll, once again the team is facing a no-option situation here with the lead gloved Bo Bichette, Ronny Mauricio and various AA/AAA options not yet ready for daily play. 

Third base likely still belongs to Bo Bichette as his 2026 numbers are insufficient to market himself for a higher rate of pay elsewhere.  He could theoretically get a longer contract but it would probably be more like the rate being paid to Lindor if he fled for another club.  Consequently plan for him to be at the hot corner and to be paid well above $40 million for whatever he provides. 

The outfield right now is the only area that appears fairly set.  You have Juan Soto and Carson Benge for sure.  Luis Robert was not traded away and it’s entirely possible the Mets may eat the buyout and let him go, handing center field duties to A.J. Ewing for near minimum wage. 

Catching is also fairly solid between starter Francisco Alvarez and backup Luis Torrens.  Assuming the Mets make the efforts to keep them both around then nothing else needs to be done while minor league options work their way up the ladder for future use. 

Starting pitching is very much up in the air.  For now you would figure Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Zac Thornton are pretty much guaranteed to be three of the five starters.  Sean Manaea was not moved at the trade deadline and with his final $25 million year on the 2027 payroll he’s likely going to be a fourth starter.  Who becomes the fifth starter is very much up in the air.  With Freddy Peralta gone and Clay Holmes gone the club is thin here.  Robert Stock had one very good start and will get more time during 2026 but he’s likely not a long term solution.  There are several free agents and trade candidates who could be obtained to add a veteran solid starter to the mix.

The bullpen is a complete mess.  Devin Williams is still here though no one trusts him to perform like a closer.  Kodai Senga has been told he’s going to be converted to a short late inning reliever substituting for others like Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter and Huascar Brazoban who are no longer here.  After that’s it’s a wide open guessing game. Dedniel Nunez is back but after that no one else on the current staff is guaranteed to be here in 2027. 

There are surely going to be a lot of new faces when the 2027 season begins.