• First base
• Second Base
• Third Base
• Catcher
• Bullpen

The division’s right fielders include two superstars, a former All-Star looking for a resurgence, and two former top prospects looking to take a leap. Here is how we ranked them.

No. 5 – Owen Caissie, MIA

Owen Caissie enjoyed a great season for Triple-A Iowa, batting .286/.386/.551 with 22 homers and 28 doubles in 433 plate appearances. The Cubs called him up to the majors over the summer, but he went just 5-for-26 with one home run and 11 strikeouts against one walk. The Cubs shipped him to Miami as the centerpiece of the trade that sent Edward Cabrera to Chicago. Caissie was the Cubs’ top-ranked prospect at the time of the trade, and it would be foolish to write him off because of a 12-game sample in the majors. However, he still needs to prove himself before he gets ranked any higher.

No. 4 – Dylan Crews, WAS

Expectations were sky-high for Dylan Crews entering 2025. The 2023 second-overall draft pick soared through the minor leagues in 2024, reaching the majors by the season’s end. Unfortunately for Crews and the Nationals, his 2025 didn’t go as planned. Crews strained his left oblique in May, forcing him to miss over two months. When he was on the field, he produced an underwhelming .208/.280/.352 slash line with 10 homers and 17 steals over 322 plate appearances. Crews’ .235 xBA, .393 xSLG and .307 xwOBA may not impress a lot of people, but those marks suggest he got rather unlucky at the plate. Crews posted a solid 3 OAA in right field and had strong sprint speed at 29.0 feet per second, providing some value to make up for his disappointing numbers with the bat. Heading into his age-24 season, there are still reasons to believe Crews can right the ship.

No. 3 – Adolis García, PHI

In 2023, Adolis García was on top of the baseball world. He clubbed 39 home runs in the regular season, then smacked eight more long balls and drove in a record-setting 22 runs as the Rangers took home their first World Series in franchise history. 15 of those runs were driven in during Texas’ ALCS victory over the Astros, for which García was named Series MVP. Two years later, though, García found himself getting non-tendered by the Rangers after a second straight disappointing season. He batted just .227/.271/.394 with 19 homers in 547 plate appearances, posting a career-worst 83 wRC+.

There are reasons to believe García can bounce back offensively – his 92.1 mph average exit velocity ranked in the majors’ 89th percentile, and his .427 xSLG was a modest improvement over his 2024 mark. In the field, the former Gold Glover bounced back from a dreadful 2024 to post a respectable plus-1 OAA. García will get most of the playing time in right field for the Phillies, with the team seeking to move on from Nick Castellanos. If nothing else, García provides Philadelphia with an upgrade at the position as he looks to regain some of the value he’s lost over the last two years.

Ronald Acuña Jr. David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 – Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL

When Ronald Acuña Jr. returned from his torn ACL, he looked like himself on the field. The 2023 NL MVP batted .290/.417/.518 with 21 homers and a strong 17.2% walk rate in 412 plate appearances. His 161 wRC+ is the second-highest mark of his career, trailing only his 2023 season. There were some issues with his game, though – he posted a dreadful negative-11 OAA in right field, he stole just nine bases, and he dealt with an Achilles injury that landed him back on the injured list in August for a few weeks. His performance tailed off a little bit in the second half of the season, but Acuña still managed to post 3.5 fWAR in just 95 games. It’s very reasonable to expect Acuña to be in the NL MVP conversation in 2026.

No. 1 – Juan Soto, NYM

Despite all the criticism and the Mets’ collapse, Juan Soto had a marvellous first year in Flushing. He batted .263/.396/.525 with a career-high 43 home runs and 38 steals, while setting a franchise record by drawing 127 walks. Soto led the majors in free passes and led the NL in on-base percentage and steals (tied with Oneil Cruz). He finished second in the NL in runs scored and ranked third in home runs, OPS and RBIs. Soto accomplished all that despite having brutal batted-ball luck, as suggested by his .288 xBA, .429 xwOBA and .608 xSLG.

Soto finished third in NL MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber. Defense is still a weakness for Soto, as his negative-12 OAA ranked near the bottom among qualified fielders in MLB. However, his bat, along with his newly-found ability to steal bases, makes him the best right fielder in the NL East.

The post 2026 NL East Positional Rankings: Right Field appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

• First base
• Second Base
• Third Base
• Catcher

Every offseason, there is a lot of turnover in bullpens, and this year it’s no different. One elite closer exited the NL East, while another one enters his first full season in the division, and another signed on to be a setup man. Here’s how we have ranked the division’s units.

5. Nationals

The Nationals owned the majors’ worst bullpen ERA in 2025 by a healthy margin, with an ugly mark of 5.59 (the Rockies had the second-worst at 5.18). Washington traded their closer, Kyle Finnegan, to the Tigers at the trade deadline. Finnegan’s replacement, Jose Ferrer, was dealt to the Mariners in December in exchange for Harry Ford. Fangraphs projects Washington’s bullpen to have the third-worst ERA and lowest fWAR in 2026. The Nationals have a very young relief corps, led by Clayton Beeter, Cole Henry and Jackson Rutledge – and it’s likely their top arms will be available on the trade market this summer.

4. Marlins

The Marlins appeared to have found a gem for the back end of their bullpen in Ronny Henriquez, but unfortunately, he will miss all of the 2026 season recovering from elbow surgery. Miami slightly offset that loss by signing fireballing righty Pete Fairbanks, who racked up 75 saves with a 2.98 ERA over the last three seasons with the Rays. Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender and Tyler Phillips are all slated to be high-leverage arms again for Miami, but the depth wears thin beyond those arms. Nevertheless, the Marlins’ unit represents a huge step forward from what Washington has to offer.

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

3. Mets

The Mets’ bullpen crumbled in the second half of 2025, then was dealt a huge blow when Edwin Díaz signed with the Dodgers. However, the bullpen improved in some ways – three of the biggest culprits of the team’s struggles – Ryne Stanek, Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley – all left in free agency. Brought in to replace some of those arms were a pair of righties from the Bronx in Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, both of whom are coming off inconsistent years but are candidates to recover from their 2025 struggles. Williams is slated to serve as the team’s closer, and he showed some signs of his old self late in the season, posting a 2.65 ERA with 31 strikeouts against six walks over his final 18 appearances of the regular season, then threw four scoreless frames in the postseason.

The Mets are also expected to get A.J. Minter back, who was excellent in 13 appearances before undergoing shoulder surgery. Another southpaw, Brooks Raley, pitched very well in 2025 after returning from Tommy John surgery in the second half of the season. The team also signed hard-throwing veteran Luis García, who posted a 2.00 ERA in 20 appearances for the Angels, and acquired Tobias Myers in the Freddy Peralta trade, who posted a 1.91 ERA as a reliever in 2025. While the Mets have big shoes to fill in the ninth inning, the depth of the team’s bullpen is much stronger than it was a season ago.

2. Braves

The Braves’ bullpen got off to a rocky start in 2025, but seemed to find its form in the second half of the season. Raisel Iglesias posted a 1.76 ERA in 30 2/3 second half innings, Dylan Lee posted a 2.08 ERA in September, and Tyler Kinley dominated to the tune of a 0.72 ERA in 25 innings after being traded from the Rockies. Atlanta not only retained Iglesias and Kinley in free agency, but they also added NL saves leader and two-time All-Star Robert Suarez to serve as a setup man for Iglesias. On paper, Iglesias and Suarez form one of the best back-end duos in the game, though it’s hard to predict how Suarez will fare in a non-closing role. Atlanta’s unit is a bit top-heavy, but they project to be one of the best bullpens in baseball, with their 3.91 ERA tied for fourth in the majors.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

1. Phillies

For the first half of 2025, the Phillies struggled to find a closer. Then, at the trade deadline, they traded for flamethrowing righty Jhoan Duran, and now they get to keep him for two more seasons. Duran looked as good as advertised in Philadelphia, posting a 2.18 ERA in 23 appearances, helping the Phillies win the NL East. Philadelphia traded former All-Star Matt Strahm to the Royals, but they signed Brad Keller, who is coming off a career year with the Cubs, in which he posted a 2.07 ERA and saw his fastball velocity increase by over three miles per hour. The Phillies also return three solid arms from the 2025 corps – righty Orion Kerkering, and southpaws Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks. Alvarado missed much of the season due to suspension for a failed drug test, but he was decently effective when on the field. FanGraphs projects Philadelphia’s bullpen to be the third-most valuable in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers and Padres.

The post 2026 NL East Positional Rankings: Bullpen appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets never made a formal offer to Alonso as it became clear that he was getting more years and money than they were comfortable with.

Alonso has been with the Mets since he was drafted in 2016 as their second-round pick (No. 64 overall). Over the course of his seven-year career in the blue and orange, Alonso batted .253/.341/.516, with a .857 OPS. He hit 183 doubles, 264 home runs, driving in 712 RBIs, and 580 runs scored.

The 31-year-old slugger was the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year, where he set a rookie record in home runs (53). He was also a five-time All-Star and a Silver Slugger Award winner in his time in Flushing.

Alonso returned to the Mets on a two-year deal in 2025, opting out after posting one of his best seasons in baseball (.272/.347/.524 (.871 OPS), 38 HRs and 126 RBIs). However, the Mets were hesitant to dish out a lengthy deal for Alonso, and contract length was the sticking point in negotiations for the Mets and Alonso.

Pete is the third big name to leave the Mets this offseason, joining Edwin Díaz, who signed with the Dodgers on Tuesday. The Mets began to shake up their core when they traded Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien in late November.

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Mired in yet another alarming slump, the Mets were easily swept aside by the Philadelphia Phillies in a four-game sweep. As a result, New York has now lost six-straight games.

Consequently, the Mets are all but dead in the race for the NL East with the Phillies a full 11 games ahead. Furthermore, the Mets are just 1 1/2 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

All in all, the Mets are seeing their chances of making the playoffs drop by the day. And, even if this team were to make the postseason, they look like the exact opposite of a World Series contender.

On that note, let’s recap all the bad and all the ugly from a week to forget. Let’s proceed with a one-off edition of 2 Up, 4 Down…

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

2 UP 

STAR IN THE MAKING

Nolan McLean is arguably one of only two bright spots for the Mets right now. We’ll get to the other one shortly. For now, McLean continues to impress. The rookie gave up just one run over 5.1 innings while striking five and walking three on Monday. McLean did his job and gave his team every chance to win. Sadly, the offense couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain. However, McLean now owns a stellar 1.42 ERA and continues to look like a potential future workhorse.

ELITE SUPERSTAR 

Time for the second and final bright spot as it pertains to the Mets. Juan Soto is playing at the superstar level he’s been used to his entire career. The elite hitter has been the only real constant for this offense, and he was the only real threat in this series. Soto reached base in all four games, going a combined 5-for-16 with five runs scored and two RBIs. He’s hitting .357/.419/.643/.1.062 with two homers, two doubles, five runs scored, four RBIs, three walks and five stolen bases over his last seven games. Furthermore, Soto stole his 30th base of the season during this series, recording his first career 30/30 campaign. He also became just the fifth Met to achieve that milestone. All in all, Soto is everything the Mets need him to be right now.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

4 DOWN

ALL-TIME LOW

Right, time now for the negatives. The Mets seem to be hitting new lows almost every week, and the Phillies series will go down as one of the lowest. Not only were the Mets swept, but they didn’t put up a fight in any of the four games. In fact, this team looked non-competitive and didn’t have a pulse. More concerning is the fact that this team just didn’t play with any urgency in Philadelphia. That’s despite the fact that a playoff spot is far from guaranteed. Sure, the starting pitching stinks right now, the bullpen is a mess and the offense is just way too hot and cold. However, with all that said, the lack of fight, heart and hustle is a really troubling sign. Something just seems off with this current group.

FALLING STARS

As we’ve already mentioned, the Mets are getting little offensive production outside of Soto. That includes from the other three members of the so-called “Fab Four.” Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo went a combined 7-for-46 with just one extra-base hit in four games against Philadelphia. That just isn’t good enough. Furthermore, over their last seven games, Lindor is hitting .208/.367/.333/.700, Nimmo is slashing just .160/.207/.160/.367 and Alonso is hitting .179/.233/.250/.483. The top of the lineup should be absolutely mashing this time of year. But, outside of Soto, that just isn’t happening. The Mets’ big-time players are shrinking on the biggest stage.

UNWANTED HISTORY

Thursday was the embarrassing icing on top of the embarrassing cake for the Mets. After scoring four or more runs in the first inning, the Mets then failed to have a single player reach base the rest of the game. That’s the first time that has happened in the modern era, per OPTA Stats. If that isn’t embarrassing, then I don’t know what is. But that also sums up everything wrong with this team right now. Even when things are going good, they aren’t sustainable. The Mets built a big lead early but couldn’t hold on, instead collapsing to a humiliating defeat while not putting up any single resistance. Whatever the opposite of clutch is, this team is its very definition.

PITCHING HOUSE OF HORRORS 

Pitching was a total nightmare across the board for New York in this series. Outside of Nolan McLean, the starting pitching was not good. Sean Manaea allowed four earned runs and lasted just five innings on Tuesday. Clay Holmes also gave up four earned runs in his outing on Wednesday. Then, in Thursday’s series finale, David Peterson allowed three earned runs on seven hits while lasting just five innings. We’re in September and the Mets still aren’t getting length from their veteran starters. Even Peterson has regressed in that area as his struggles continue. As for the bullpen, the unit was hardly effective outside of Monday’s game. Reed Garrett allowed three earned runs and gave up the lead in Thursday’s game. All in all, pitching is just a non-factor for the Mets right now. Outside of the rookies, obviously.

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But that’s why games are played on fields and not on paper. Philadelphia fared better against McLean than the first time they faced him, and Nola brushed aside his dreadful season to deliver a vintage start, leading to a 1-0 Phillies win. In a key game that the Mets could have and should have won, the offense failed to show up.

Nola was unusually dominant, especially considering his 9.96 ERA over his last six starts. He was rarely ever in trouble, allowing only three hits and two walks over six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. The lone threats against Nola came in the second and third innings. In the second, the Mets put runners on first and third, but Cedric Mullins struck out to end the scoring chance. In the third, Pete Alonso reached second on a two-out double, but Brandon Nimmo also struck out to end the inning.

McLean, on the other hand, was far from bad, but he did not have nearly the same kind of success he had against the Phillies less than two weeks ago. Battling with a bloodied nail on his throwing hand for most of the night, McLean was unable to control his breaking ball to the extent he’s been able to early in his career. He still lasted into the sixth inning, going 5 1/3 and allowing a run on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

The only run against McLean occurred during a second inning in which the Phillies peppered four hits—all singles—against McLean. Nick Castellanos delivered the run-scoring hit, an opposite-field single, to drive in Max Kepler from third base. McLean did a good job limiting the damage and received help from Cedric Mullins, who threw out Harrison Bader trying to stretch a single into a double.

McLean’s ability to keep the Mets in the game gave them several chances to tie the Phillies or take the lead, both against Nola and the Philadelphia bullpen. With Nola getting through six scoreless, David Robertson entered the seventh inning in a 1-0 game and silenced Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, and Francisco Alvarez with ease. Robertson struck out two in the inning, Vientos and Alvarez, both on three pitches.

After Brooks Raley delivered a six-pitch, 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh, Matt Strahm entered in the top of the eighth as the Mets’ next test. The Mets countered with a pair of righty pinch hitters—Starling Marte and Luisangel Acuña—batting for Brett Baty and Cedric Mullins at the bottom of the order, but neither reached base. Francisco Lindor walked to send Juan Soto to the plate as the go-ahead run, but Soto hit a bullet ground ball right at Bryson Stott to send the game to the ninth.

Ryan Helsley delivered one of his best outings as a Met in the top of the ninth, putting the Phillies down in order with strikeouts to his final two batters. Helsley stuck with his breaking pitches and threw the fastball just one time out of a total of 15 pitches. Helsley’s effectiveness gave the Mets one more chance to score just one run in the bottom of the ninth against flamethrower Jhoan Duran, who they had walked off at Citi Field just a few weeks earlier.

Pete Alonso sent Duran’s first pitch of the night back up the middle for a slow ground ball single. Brandon Nimmo followed up Alonso’s hit with a flyout to left before Mark Vientos sent a deep line drive to right field over Castellanos’ head. Ronny Mauricio, running for Alonso, headed over to third while Vientos got into second base, standing to put runners on second and third with one out. Jeff McNeil put together a good at-bat, working a 2-2 count, but was blown away with 102 miles per hour to put the Mets down to their final out.

The game fell into Francisco Alvarez’s hands, but Alvarez swung at three straight curveballs in the opposite batter’s box to end the game. One of the more excruciating losses of the season, the Mets are now eight games behind the Phillies with 18 to play and will have to hope they can hold onto their grasp of a Wild Card spot.

Statistic of the Game: Rare Company

With his start in this game, Nolan McLean became just the second pitcher in MLB history to begin his career with five starts of at least five strikeouts and fewer than three runs scored. The other pitcher was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.

Player of the Game: Nolan McLean + the Bullpen

While McLean wasn’t at his best, he gave the Mets every chance in the world to win the game. Gregory Soto, Brooks Raley, and Ryan Helsley combined for 2 2/3 perfect innings out of the bullpen in one of the more encouraging bullpen performances in some time.

On Deck

The Mets will play the second of their four-game series with the Phillies on Tuesday night at 6:45 p.m. ET. Sean Manaea (1-2, 5.60 ERA) will be hoping to reverse his fortunes, while Ranger Suárez (11-6, 2.89 ERA) gets the ball for Philadelphia. The game will air on SNY.

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Taking two out of three, or even sweeping the series against the Reds, would have all but closed the door on Cincinnati’s postseason chances.
Instead, the Mets dropped two of three in another frustrating weekend. As a result, the NL East race looks all but over. Furthermore, the race for the playoffs is far from being a forgone conclusion with three weeks of the regular season remaining.

On that note, let’s dive straight into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

New York Mets pitcher Brandon Sproat (40) pitches in the first inning between Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sept. 7, 2025.

3 UP

ROOKIE DELIGHT

The wait to see Brandon Sproat arrive in the majors was well worth it. The righty made his Major League Baseball debut on Sunday, allowing three earned runs on three hits and four walks over six innings. He became just the second Mets pitcher since 1974 to have a no-hit bid of at least 5.1 innings in his MLB debut. Despite eventually giving up three runs, Sproat did not look overmatched. Instead, he looked like a seasoned veteran out on the mound. It is just one start, but we got a glimpse of what Sproat could be for this team both now and in the future.

HOUDINI ACT

The Mets’ only win in this series came on Friday night. And they had Edwin Díaz to thank for ultimately not being swept. Coming in to protect a one-run lead in the ninth, Díaz quickly loaded the bases with no outs. To compound matters, the closer suffered a weird cleat malfunction that only added more pressure to an already tense situation. However, equipped with a pair of new cleats, Díaz proceeded to work his way out of an almighty jam. The all-time highlight? Díaz sprinted to cover first base and combine with Luisangel Acuña for an all-time defensive play to record the final out. The rest of the weekend was a wash for New York. However, Díaz’s Houdini heroics served as a welcome reminder of just how critical the closer is to this bullpen.

BAILED OUT

The Mets were probably busy thanking the Baseball Gods on Sunday night. Despite dropping the series to the Reds, both the Giants and the Diamondbacks lost on Sunday. Consequently, New York maintains a four-game cushion on the rest of the field in the race for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. However, the Reds now own the tiebreaker over the Mets, and that could prove critical come the end of the season. It still looks incredibly likely that the Mets will make the playoffs. However, with the NL East race all but over, they can’t afford to keep dropping series like the one in Cincinnati.

New York Mets pitcher Jonah Tong (21) delivers a pitch in the first inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati.

3 DOWN

WELCOME TO THE SHOW

After an impressive debut, Jonah Tong got a taste of just how hard life in the big leagues can be on Saturday. The rookie gave up four runs in six innings of work, including three home runs. It was a tough second act for Tong, who also didn’t get a whole lot of run support, either. The first home run allowed – a two-run blast in the second inning – really set the tone for the rest of the game. However, all rookies will face challenges early on in their careers, and Tong did show some grit and poise by finishing his outing strong.

UNWANTED DEVELOPMENT

The Mets’ ceiling in the postseason may be very low unless David Peterson can find a way out of his current slump. The lefty was better in his last outing on Friday, but still wasn’t exactly great. He gave up four earned runs on seven hits across just 5.1 innings. As a result, Peterson has now allowed 27 earned runs over his last seven starts. He owns an ugly 6.69 ERA over that span. Peterson has been the reliable anchor for this rotation for the majority of 2025. His ability to be an absolute workhorse will be needed in the playoffs. If he continues to struggle, it will put tremendous pressure on the three rookie starters to carry the team in October. And that may be a bridge too far this early in their respective careers.

NOTHING DOING

The offense didn’t make it easy for the pitching staff all weekend long. They scratched out just enough runs to win Friday’s game, although it was too close for comfort. The lineup then managed a total of four runs in the final two games of the series. That just won’t get the job done. Nor will going a combined 5-for-20 with runners in scoring position, leaving a total of 22 runners stranded on base. Despite the likes of Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor staying hot, the offense just couldn’t come through with a crucial hit in the biggest moments. The glaring example of that came on Sunday when Starling Marte grounded into a double play with two runners on in the ninth. The Mets can’t afford to slip back into old offensive habits this close to October. It could end up costing them dearly.

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It sure feels that way after a statement sweep of the Phillies. The Mets got big-time offensive production, not to mention another star turn from their rookie sensation, to take all three games at Citi Field.

New York has now won five of six. As a result, it is within four games of the Phillies for the NL East lead. Furthermore, the Mets have moved 4.5 games ahead of the Reds for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

With everything now seemingly clicking for this team, let’s proceed with a special edition of 5 Up, 1 Down…

Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

5 UP

A STAR IS BORN

Just three games in and Nolan McLean already looks like a star. The rookie sensation authored his best outing yet in the series finale. He pitched an absolute gem, allowing just four hits in eight stellar scoreless innings with no walks and six strikeouts. It was how McLean pitched that was most impressive, though. He left a formidable Phillies lineup absolutely perplexed, retiring 15 straight batters at one point. The righty is just starting his Major League career yet, somehow, he looks like a seasoned veteran out on the mound. It is also hard to understate just how big a boost McLean has given his team. Since his call-up, the Mets are 8-3 and are operating at full tilt. It sure looks like Queens has a new hero to get behind.

THE KEY TO EVERYTHING

Mark Vientos being able to figure it out has long been thought to be the key to this Mets lineup living up to its potential. Well, that is playing out in front of our very eyes right now. Vientos has put his struggles behind him and is unstoppable at the plate. He came up with another two monster hits in the finale, with his seventh inning home run putting the game to bed. Vientos also drove in two doubles in the opener. As a result, he’s now riding a 10-game hitting streak and is hitting .407/.467/.963/.1.430 with four homers and 11 RBIs over his last seven games. If Vientos can keep this up, that gives the middle-of-the-order a game-changing spark.

GOOD VIBES ARE BACK

The magical spirit of the 2024 Mets seemed alive and well with the 2025 vintage throughout this series. The pitching was stellar, the offense was explosive, and the whole team came through in the clutch time and time again. Plus, Brandon Nimmo‘s walk-off single on Tuesday echoed the kind of heroics last year’s team excelled at. In totality, everything is clicking for this team right now. Even the RISP woes seemed to have vanished. The Mets went a combined 21-for-37 with runners in scoring position in this series against the Phillies. Plus, with McLean off to a historic start and fellow rookie Jonah Tong set to make his MLB debut on Friday, hope and excitement are back in the air in Queens.

John Jones-Imagn Images

BACK TO NORMAL

Keeping with the trend of everything going right for this team, Sean Manaea looked like his old self in his latest outing. The lefty was sharp on the mound on Tuesday, striking out eight while allowing just two runs across 4.2 innings. It was a significant positive step forward for the veteran, who had allowed 17 earned runs in his previous four starts. All that is needed now is for Manaea to start going deeper into games and provide the kind of length this rotation needs from all its starters.

BALANCED ATTACK

As already mentioned, this offense is clicking right now. And that was evident throughout this series. Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Mets led all of baseball in batting average (.358). Furthermore, they’ve now scored 140 runs in August – the team’s highest-scoring month of the season. And the contributions are coming from up and down the lineup. We’ve already mentioned Vientos and Nimmo. Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso all hit three consecutive RBI singles to help build an early lead in the finale. Alonso also had a monster 4-for-5 night on Tuesday. Luis Torrens matched a career-high with five RBIs in Monday night’s win. Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor both also had big nights on Monday. All in all, everyone in this lineup is contributing on a night-to-night basis, thus helping this lineup morph into a deep, balanced, and formidable threat.

Aug 25, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

1 DOWN

LONE NEGATIVES

The only real negatives to emerge from this series belonged on the pitching side. Kodai Senga continued to struggle post-IL return, gifting the Phillies an early lead before being lifted in the fifth inning on Monday night. Senga has now allowed 14 earned runs over his last five outings as a result. He now owns an ugly 6.10 ERA in the second half of the season. Then, on Tuesday, another struggling pitcher continued to head in the wrong direction. Ryan Helsley, who has not been good since being acquired at the Trade Deadline, allowed a game-tying home run in the eighth. Consequently, Helsley has now allowed 14 runs – 10 earned – in 11 games with New York. It goes without saying that the Mets need a lot more from both Senga and Helsley going forward.

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From the opening batter, it appeared like it wasn’t going to be the Mets’ night. Trea Turner led off the game and appeared to watch strike three from Kodai Senga go by, but Turner got help from the home plate umpire, who called it a ball. Turner drove the very next pitch for a triple, scoring in the next at-bat when Kyle Schwarber grounded out.

Philadelphia struck again two innings later when Alec Bohm drove a two-out, two-run single the other way to make it a 3-0 game. Bryce Harper had advanced to second base after singling two at-bats prior, when Juan Soto tried to gun Schwarber down on a play at third. That resulted in two runs scoring on Bohm’s base hit instead of one.

With the way the past few months have gone, the game already felt over. However, the Mets were able to put together a strong fourth inning reminiscent of the team’s comebacks from the 2024 season. It looked like it was going to be another scoreless inning when Pete Alonso came to the plate with two outs and nobody on, but he was able to extend the inning with a single. Alonso eventually advanced to third on a Cristopher Sánchez balk and a wild pitch. The Mets then rattled off four straight baserunners—a Mark Vientos double, a Brandon Nimmo single, a Tyrone Taylor walk, and a Jeff McNeil single—to score three runs to tie the game.

The Mets followed up their big fourth inning with runs in each of the following four innings, scoring in each frame the rest of the way. Mark Vientos recorded his second RBI hit of the night with a run-scoring double in the fifth, before Luis Torrens drove an RBI double into the right field gap in the sixth. Torrens’ hit chased the usually dominant Sánchez from the game with five runs allowed in 5 1/3 innings. David Robertson came in and promptly struck out Francisco Lindor, but a walk to Juan Soto and a Starling Marte RBI single scored another run to put the Mets up 6-3.

Jordan Romano, who has had a rough year out of Philadelphia’s bullpen, immediately loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh, and the Mets took full advantage. Jeff McNeil flied out deep enough for the run from third to score before Luis Torrens hit a three-run homer, just his third home run of the year, to break the game wide open and put the Mets up 10-3. Tyrone Taylor, Jeff McNeil, and Luis Torrens each recorded an RBI single off Joe Ross in the eighth to add on three more runs and go up 13-3.

The Mets avoided any chance of a comeback with one of the best bullpen efforts we’ve seen this year. After Kodai Senga allowed three runs in four innings, another unpromising start out of him, José Castillo, Tyler Rogers, Brooks Raley, Ryan Helsley, and Ryne Stanek combined to toss five hitless innings to completely silence the Phillies. The lone baserunner allowed was on a Stanek walk in the ninth.

The 10-run win was a statement from the Mets, who believe they’re not out of contention for the division title just yet. They move to 70-61 on the year and now sit six games behind the Phillies with six left to play against them.

Statistic of the Game: Castillo Earns First Win in Seven Years

With his scoreless fifth inning, which he completed on just three pitches, José Castillo recorded the win for the Mets. The win is the first for Castillo since his rookie year in 2018, when he was with the Padres, and just the fourth of his big league career. Per the SNY broadcast, the last Mets pitcher to go that long without recording a win was José Parra, who recorded a win in 2004 after not having one since 1996.

Player of the Game: Luis Torrens

Who would have expected this? What a game from Torrens, who has been so great defensively this season but generally unreliable with the bat. Torrens has a penchant for going the other way, and he did so with all of his hits going to right-center field. Torrens finished 3-for-5 and recorded five RBIs, playing a big role in this dominant Mets victory.

On Deck

The Mets will continue their series with the Phillies on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. It will be a matchup of southpaws, with Sean Manaea (1-2, 5.15 ERA) taking the bump for the Mets and Jesús Luzardo (12-6, 4.10 ERA) going for the Phillies. The game will be broadcast on SNY and TBS.

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The Mets defeated the Braves 12-7 on Friday night. The offense woke up in a big way, recording 21 hits, while Nolan McLean dazzled in seven strong innings. Reed Garrett and Ryan Helsley faltered, though, and gave up a combined five runs over the final two innings.

With the Mets’ win, and the Phillies and Reds both losing, the Mets gained ground in both the NL East and the Wild Card race. The Mets are now 6 games behind Philadelphia for the division lead and 1.5 games ahead of Cincinnati for the final playoff spot in the National League.

Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

Tylor Megill pitched well in his latest rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse. Megill went five innings and allowed no runs on just a hit and a walk with four strikeouts.

The Mets signed catcher Ali Sánchez to a minor league deal. Sánchez spent time with the Mets in 2020 and provides depth for the team after Francisco Alvarez was put on the injured list.

Latest MLB News

The Orioles signed catcher and top prospect Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension. Basallo recently made his MLB debut and just turned 21 years old.

Eno Sarris of The Athletic wrote about Bubba Chandler, who made his MLB debut on Friday, and some of the top starting pitching prospects still in Triple-A.

According to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, the team is moving starter Walker Buehler to the bullpen. Buehler has struggled this year with a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts.

The Twins DFA’d reliever José Ureña to make space for Mick Abel, who they acquired from the Phillies in the Jhoan Duran trade. Abel will make his Twins debut in a start on Saturday.

Latest on MMO

Kai Chang details the continued struggles from Sean Manaea.

On This Date in Mets History

Born on This Date: Billy McKinney (1994), Pat Strange (1980), Prentice Redman (1979), Raúl Casanova (1972), Ed Hearn (1960), Julio Franco (1958).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Gain Ground in NL East, Wild Card Race appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Entering the Atlanta Braves series in Queens, the Mets were in free-fall mode. The slide looked to have been stopped thanks to an offensive explosion on Tuesday. Not to mention Pete Alonso making history.

However, Tuesday proved to be the exception rather than the recent rule.

Wednesday saw an all-time meltdown, before the Mets continued their never-ending slide by losing the finale, and the series, to Atlanta on Thursday.

As a result, New York has now lost three consecutive home series, and five straight series in total. That is tied for the longest such streak this season. Furthermore, the Mets are 2-13 over their last 15 games, which is the worst record in any 15-game span since May/June of 2018.

Not good.

And, on that note, let’s dive into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down. It will be another largely negative one, but we’ll do our best to draw some positives if we can…

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

3 UP

NEW HOME RUN KING

Pete Alonso now stands alone in the annals of Mets history. The slugger launched a pair of home runs in the series opener on Tuesday to cement his place in forever. Alonso hit his 253rd career homer in the bottom of the third to officially surpass Darryl Strawberry for the most home runs in Mets franchise history. It took Alonso about a full season less to accomplish that significant milestone than Strawberry. Alonso also blasted home run No. 254 later on in the game to put an exclamation point on what was just a special night for everyone connected with the Mets. Alonso now stands alone as the best power hitter in the history of the franchise.

TURNING POINT

Francisco Lindor has been going through it as of late. The shortstop entered the series finale hitting just .158/.333/.211/.544 with one extra-base hit and six strikeouts over his last five games. A lot of his at-bats have also looked largely non-competitive recently. However, on Thursday, Lindor broke out offensively. He finished the night 3-for-4 with a home run, two singles, a stolen base and two runs scored. All in all, Lindor did all he could to help his team. Furthermore, Lindor’s 22nd home run of the year has him tied with Michael Conforto for eighth all-time on the Mets’ home run list. More importantly, though, the Mets will be hoping that Lindor can now build on his big night and go on an absolute tear the rest of the way.

SOLID RETURN

Paul Blackburn doesn’t have a concrete role with the team moving forward. However, he sure did help the Mets out on Wednesday night. Activated from the IL after six weeks out with a right shoulder impingement, Blackburn took on the role of a long man out of the bullpen. He gave his team five innings of relief, allowing two earned runs on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts. Not only did Blackburn somewhat stop the bleeding on just a bad night, he also saved the bullpen. A nice job all around.

Juan Soto by Roberto Carlo

3 DOWN

ALL-TIME CHOKE JOB

Wednesday night will go down as one of the worst losses of the year for the Mets. It could potentially be season-defining, too. Things started out so well. Coming off a big-time win the night before, the offense came out swinging and built an early 6-0 lead before the third inning. David Peterson also looked sharp on the mound. But, then, the wheels well and truly fell off. Peterson imploded, being shelled for six earned runs on five hits and five walks in just 3 1/3 innings. Reed Garrett then entered the game and allowed a grand slam, capping off an embarrassing nine-run fourth inning. In all, the Mets allowed 11 unanswered runs. The offense couldn’t get anything going from the third inning onwards, advancing just one runner into scoring position from the sixth onwards. Entering Thursday, the Mets had lost leads of four-plus runs in each of their last three games – the first time that has ever happened in franchise history.

FADING FAST

The Mets do not look like a playoff team right now, let alone a World Series contender, and this series against the Braves underlined that sobering reality. In the wake of losing a fifth consecutive series, New York has now blown nine leads in its last six games. The team is five games back of the Phillies for the NL East lead. The Mets are also just half a game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Furthermore, they are just seven games over .500 – the lowest watermark since April 19. All in all, the Mets are finding new ways to lose every single night and, if this continues, the season may well get away from them quickly.

STARTING CONCERN

This team has a slew of problems right now. Chief among them is the continued failures of the starting rotation. Aside from Kodai Senga on Thursday, the starting pitching was not good in this series. Clay Holmes allowed five runs on six hits and five walks in his outing on Tuesday. David Peterson was also blown up in his start on Wednesday. But it is the lack of length that is really getting out of hand. Holmes pitched just 3 2/3 innings. Peterson lasted just 3 1/3 innings. And, as a result of Peterson’s early exit, the Mets officially went a full turn through the rotation without a single starter completing five innings. Senga did buck that trend on Thursday. However, the point remains that this team is getting killed by its rotation right now. Prior to Thursday, the Mets were getting fewer than five innings per game from their starters over 120 games. Plus, since June 13, and also prior to Thursday, Mets starters had put together just 227 innings – that’s the lowest total in all of baseball. That’s just not good enough, and it isn’t sustainable, either. Unless things change with this rotation, and fast, the Mets are doomed.

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