I believe it’s important for Mendoza’s sake that the Mets get off to a good start. The Mets firing/not retaining so much of his coaching staff after the 2025 debacle sends a signal that he could be next. Here’s hoping Mendoza finds the managerial powers that he used to finish 2024 and start 2025.

To the rankings of the National League East as a whole:

No. 5, Blake Butera, Nationals

The rookie skipper is 33 years old and the youngest MLB manager since the Twins hired Frank Quilici in 1972. If you don’t remember how that turned out, Quilici went 280-287-1 over four years and was fired after the 1975 season.

Butera, like James Wood and CJ Abrams, could be a budding star. During four seasons managing in the Rays organization, his teams went 258-144. He has the endorsement of Mike Piazza, who managed Team Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and counted on Butera as his bench coach.

“I think it’s a great hire and I’m so happy for him,” Piazza told MLB Network’s Jon Morosi when Butera was hired on Oct. 30. “He is (a) very loyal, diligent, efficient and dedicated baseball man. He commands respect with his knowledge and demeanor. He will always strive to put his players in a position to succeed. It was a pleasure to work with him.”

No. 4 – Walt Weiss, Braves 

Weiss, 62, replaces Brian Snitker after serving as his bench coach since 2018. He managed the Rockies to a 283-365 record from 2013-2016, never finishing above .500. The Suffern (N.Y.) High School product was the 1988 AL Rookie of the Year for Oakland and played 14 years at shortstop, his final three with the Braves. Snitker, 70, whose contract ran out, will be a Braves senior advisor.

No. 3 Clayton McCullough, Marlins

McCullough, 46, impressed in his rookie year, guiding Miami to a 79-83 mark after the oddsmakers set the preseason over/under at 63.5. He was fifth in NL Manager of the Year voting. It will be interesting to see how he does with expectations a little higher this year. The Marlins have a nice core of young players.

No. 2 – Carlos Mendoza, Mets 

On balance, Mendoza, 46, is a good manager who exudes a steadying presence. He shakes up the batting order as players go hot and cold. He pushed the right buttons in 2024, though it may annoyingly stick in fans’ heads that he started a cold J.D. Martinez in the playoffs over a hot Jesse Winker.

As for 2025, you cannot decisively blame Mendoza for Sean Manaea‘s poor season, Mark Vientos‘ regression or what happened to Kodai Senga and David Peterson in the second half. Though, complaints on how he sometimes managed the bullpen with an eye on the next game, and in some cases ended up sacrificing the game at hand.

No. 1 – Rob Thomson, Phillies

He is the most accomplished manager in the division with three consecutive 90-plus win seasons and a National League pennant. Yet Thomson, 62, is not universally loved in Philadelphia.

“He made several tactical decisions during the games, most of which backfired spectacularly and the immediate desire to change things up came to the forefront,” Ethan Witte wrote on The Good Phight after it was reported that Thomson would return for 2026. “Sorry to disappoint.”

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

Position: 1B/DH B/T: S/R

Player Data: Age: 33 (8/14/1992)

2025 Traditional Stats: 533 PA, .237/.325/.417/.742, 111 H, 22 HR, 63 RBI

2025 Advanced Stats: 107 wRC+, 16.5% K%, 10.7% BB%, .247 BABiP, .359 xwOBA, 0.1 fWAR, 0.4 bWAR, -4 DRS, -4 OAA

Rundown

Josh Bell made huge under the hood changes last year that did not show up in his slash line.

In 2025, his bat speed skyrocketed from 70.4 mph to 73.1 mph and he pulled the ball in the air 15.4% of the time (57^th percentile) versus 10.2% (13^th percentile) in 2024. This led his average exit velocity to jump from 88.9 mph (52^nd percentile) to 90.4 mph (63^rd percentile). He was in the 20^th percentile in barrel rate at 12.4% compared to 6.9% in 2024 (45^th percentile). Lastly, his hard-hit rate went up 6.2% from 42.6% to 48.8%, good for the 76^th percentile.

Meanwhile, he whiffed 3% less at 23.5%. His strikeout rate went from 19.9% to 16.5% and his walk rate went up from 8.3% to 10.5%.

So why did his slash line look largely similar in 2025 to how it did in 2024? Part of that comes from his .247 BABIP compared to his .286 BABIP the year before. Nationals Park also is not the best ballpark for his new swing or spray chart. According to Baseball Savant, Busch Stadium and Kauffman Stadium were the only ballparks last year he would have hit less home runs if he played all his games there.

Davy Andrews of FanGraphs did a deep dive into Bell’s swing change in June last season and found that Bell struggled to square up the ball from the right side leading to more outs because he was making contact deeper. He also pointed out that while Bell did increase his average exit velocity, it was not enough to lead to a meaningful increase in home runs.

He wrote, “Bell is hitting more fly balls and fewer ground ball. But he’s not hitting the ball much harder, so a lot of those fly balls are just long outs. He’s also not squaring the ball up well, which means fewer line drives and a lot more easy groundball outs to the right side.”

All of this can be seen in his splits

• Against RHP – .262/.346/.450/.797 (122 WRC+)
• Against LHP – .151/.250/.302/.552 (56 WRC+)
• At Home – .208/.292/.333/.626 (78 WRC+)
• On the Road – .262/.352/.488/.840 (132 WRC+)

The is some reason for optimism that if Bell became a long-side platoon bat in a more hitter friendly ballpark he could truly maximize these swing changes. But Bell has had fluctuations in his bat speed and hard-hit rates throughout out his career across various ballparks with mixed results. Until he repeats this under the hood data it is hard to state whether or not it will be sticky year to year.

Contract 

MLB Trade Rumors does not have a projection for Josh Bell’s contract, but Spotrac lists his market value at one-year and $11.2 million. At age-33, this is almost double what he made in 2025.

Recommendation: Stay Away

The Mets will likely talk to all the first base candidates in case Pete Alonso chooses to go to a different team, but Josh Bell is probably not the best candidate to fill his shoes. His bat does not profile well in Citi Field, he likely needs to be in a platoon to be maximized, and he is largely a designated hitter at this point in his career.

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Washington struck quickly in the second inning against Sean Manaea. Daylen Lile opened the inning with a single, followed by Jorge Alfaro, who doubled him home, aided by a throwing error from Francisco Lindor on the relay. With two outs, rookie Nasim Nuñez delivered a blow with a two-run homer to left-center, putting the Nationals ahead 3–0. Manaea’s outing ended after three innings, during which he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits while recording three strikeouts.

The Mets responded in the third inning when Luis Torrens doubled and scored on Cedric Mullins‘ RBI single. However, the play ended with a scary incident as Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile collided with the wall while pursuing the ball. He left the game with what appeared to be a knee injury and was replaced by Robert Hassell III.

New York had opportunities to extend their scoring but failed to capitalize. In the same inning, Lindor hit a sharp line drive that resulted in a double play at first base. Later, Juan Soto doubled and advanced to third on a balk but was ultimately stranded. Irvin kept the Mets off balance, striking out five and conceding just two runs over 5 1/3 innings. Lindor hit a solo homer in the sixth inning for the Mets’ second run.

With two runners on base in the sixth, the Nationals brought in Mitchell Parker, who escaped the jam by striking out Mark Vientos. Vientos was then ejected in the bottom of the sixth for slamming his bat after a controversial check swing call. Parker finished the game with 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and recording two strikeouts for his first save.

Defensive errors proved costly for New York. Lindor’s throwing error in the second inning and Pete Alonso’s fielding error in the fourth gave Washington extra chances, while the Nationals’ defense made several highlight-reel plays. Center fielder Jacob Young robbed Francisco Alvarez of a potential game-tying homer in the ninth inning, marking one of two spectacular catches on the day, including an impressive grab on a Brett Baty fly ball where he bobbled it off his glove, and snagged it out of the air after it kicked off his foot.

A positive note came from the bullpen, as Clay Holmes, Brooks Raley, Gregory Soto, and Edwin Díaz combined for six shutout innings, striking out nine batters and allowing only one hit. Díaz struck out the side in the ninth to keep the deficit at one run, but the Mets went quietly in the bottom half of the inning, sealing their fate.

With this loss, New York fell to 80–76, remaining a half-game ahead of the Reds for the final Wild Card spot, but that lead could evaporate depending on Cincinnati’s result later today.

Player of the Game: Clay Holmes

Clay Holmes was impressive in relief, entering the game in the fourth inning after Manaea’s brief outing and successfully stranding a runner. The right-hander pitcher threw three scoreless innings, striking out four batters while allowing only two hits and no walks. His ability to halt the opposing team’s momentum gave the Mets a chance to get back into the game, even though the offense struggled to take advantage of the opportunities.

On Deck

The Mets are looking to bounce back after a day off on Monday as they begin a three-game series against the Cubs on Tuesday at Wrigley Field. New York (80–75) will send David Peterson (9–6, 3.98 ERA) to the mound to face Chicago’s Cade Horton (11–4, 2.66 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 pm ET. The game will be broadcast on SNY and Mets Radio (WHSQ 880 AM / Audacy App 92.3 HD2).

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The New York Mets’ comeback fell short saturday night and margins for error in the final week got a bit smaller. It was a night of defensive miscues for the Mets. Mistakes in the second inning led to a 3-0 Washington Nationals lead. The Mets came alive late scoring twice in the 8th and once in the 9th to tie the game, but left the bases loaded tempting fate with extra-innings.

In the top of the 11th, Daylen Lile hit a ball that hit the outfield wall at a sharp angle. Cedric Mullins didn’t handle it well, Lile ended up with a two-run inside the park home run and the Mets went on to lose.

The Reds and Diamondbacks both won Saturday, and now the Mets have a one game lead.

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – RF
3. Brandon Nimmo – LF
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Jeff McNeil – 2B
6. Mark Vientos – DH
7. Brett Baty – 3B
8. Luis Torrens – C
9. Cedric Mullins – CF

Sean Manaea will start this afternoon for the Mets with Clay Holmes as a possible candidate to follow him Sunday afternoon. Over 12 games this season, Manaea has pitched 55 innings with a 5.40 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.200 WHIP, and a 75 ERA+. Last week, Holmes started first with Manaea coming out to relieve him.

Manaea allowed only one run (solo homer) on four hits and no walks over five innings, it was the best he’s looked in a while. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 3-12, 4 K
• Riley Adams 1-2, HR, K
• Josh Bell 4-8, 2B
• Andres Chaparro 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Dylan Crews 0-4, 2 K
• Paul DeJong 0-2, K
• Luis García Jr. 2-5, 2 K
• Brady House 2-2, 2B
• Daylen Lile 0-2
• Nasim Nuñez 0-1, BB
• James Wood 0-9, 3 K
• Jacob Young 2-5, 2B, BB, 2 K

Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Nationals Lineup

1. James Wood – DH
2. Dylan Crews – RF
3. Josh Bell – 1B
4. Daylen Lile – LF
5. Paul DeJong – 2B
6. Jorge Alfaro – C
7. Brady House – 3B
8. Nasim Nunez – SS
9. Jacob Young – CF

The Mets will look to get out to an early lead against Jake Irvin this afternoon. Over 31 starts and 168 2/3 innings, Irvin has a 5.76 ERA, 5.66 FIP, 1.435 WHIP, and a 72 ERA+. Irvin is in the midst of a particularly tough stretch allowing 35 runs over his last seven games (32 2/3 innings) good for a 9.37 ERA and 7.03 FIP. This includes a start against the Mets where he allowed six runs from eight hits over six innings.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Irvin:

• Pete Alonso 2-18, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Francisco Alvarez 2-14, 7 K
• Brett Baty 1-6, HR, BB
• Francisco Lindor 7-20, 3 2B, HR, 5 K
• Starling Marte 1-2, K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-1
• Jeff McNeil 5-15, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Cedric Mullins 1-8, K
• Brandon Nimmo 7-20, 2 HR, 2 BB, K
• Jose Siri 0-2, K
• Juan Soto 2-8, HR, 3 BB, 3 K
• Luis Torrens 0-5, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 2-15, HR, 2 K

Game Notes

Prior to Sunday’s game, the Mets made the following roster moves:

• Designated RHP Chris Devenski for assignment
• Activated LHP Sean Manaea from the paternity list

Three Things To Watch For

1. Clay Holmes. Holmes may be used a reliever for the first time this season this afternoon. Holmes has pitched in 30 games with 155 innings, posting a 3.77 ERA, 4.19 FIP, 1.342 WHIP, and a 107 ERA+. He allowed two runs from three hits off of two solo homers in his last start where he was relieved by Sean Manaea. Holmes last faced the Nationals all the way back in April, keeping them scoreless over five innings.
2. Frustrations from last night. Saturday, the Mets went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position, leaving 13 batters on base. They had a lot of opportunities to win the game. For what it’s worth, the Nationals also struggled with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-12, leaving six runners on base.
3. Playoff race. The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will kick off at the same time as the Mets today, and the game will be on MLB Network. Andrew Abbott (2.88 ERA) will take on Jameson Taillon (3.93 ERA). The Philadelphia Phillies and Ranger Suárez (2.84 ERA) will take on Eduardo Rodriguez (5.12 ERA) and Diamondbacks at 4:10 pm ET. Also, in the late window, the San Francisco Giants will take on the Los Angles Dodgers. The Giants lost again on Saturday and are now four games back and their playoff window is closing quickly.

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“First thought was make a play on the ball,” Mullins told reporters after the game. “We were playing a little shifted over. (Tyler) Rogers is a unique pitcher so defensive alignment is a little different. He put a good swing on it. Feel like I got a decent jump. Once I realized that I wasn’t going to have a play, tried to stop myself to be able to read it off the wall. Just got up on me pretty quick.”

The ball struck the wall and caromed so far away from Mullins that Lile was able to race around the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park home run that was the difference in the 5-3 loss to the Washington Nationals in front of 43,412 at Citi Field.

“It’s a tough one there,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But once you realize that you have no chance on that play, maybe you give yourself a better chance to play it off the wall.”

Said Mullins, “It’s just more or less an instinctive type play, just do what you can. I know what I was trying to do there, just didn’t execute it.”

If Mullins plays it differently and keeps Lile from scoring, the Mets may have gone to the bottom of the 11th trailing by one run. And then, who knows?

Mullins’ gamble wasn’t the first time the defense cost the Mets on Saturday. The second inning included an ugly sequence of events.

Juan Soto committed an error on a Riley Adams single. The ball got by him, rolled to the wall and a runner scored from first. On the next play, Pete Alonso was charged with an error when his underhand flip to Nolan McLean covering first was too high. Two outs later, Adams, who held at third on the play when Alonso made the error, scored on a McLean wild pitch.

For the season, New York ranks 14th in defensive runs saved (24), tied for 21st in outs above average (negative-14), and 19th in fielding run value (negative-7). The only team currently in playoff position that ranks lower than the Mets in all three categories is Seattle.

“Look, we’ve been inconsistent,” Mendoza said of the defense. “We go through stretches where we make plays, we play clean and then we’ve been through stretches where that happens. We don’t have too much time. The one thing we can do here is turn the page because we got a 1 o’clock tomorrow so we got to turn the page and get ready for another one. I thought even though we didn’t play a clean game early guys battled back and we were in position to win that game right there. Just didn’t do it.”

The Mets (80-75) dropped to 0-66 when trailing after eight innings and lead the Cincinnati Reds (79-76) by one game for the final Wild Card spot with seven contests to go. The Reds hold the tiebreaker.

“It’s a battle,” Mullins said. “I think at the end of the day everyone knows that so you try to relieve the pressure that comes with it and playing the game the right way I think is the biggest part of successfully coming out on top.”

The post Mullins Gamble, Errors Cost Mets in Loss appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York put the first run of the game on the board in the bottom of the first on a blooper off the bat of Pete Alonso that fell in front of Dylan Crews in right field, who botched the ball and allowed Francisco Lindor to score from first base.

The Nationals answered back in the top of the third, however, as they tied the game at 1-1 after Brandon Sproat made a throwing error on a dribbler off the bat of Jorge Alfaro that went into right field. Washington subsequently took the lead on a CJ Abrams double before Jose Siri dropped a line drive in the left center gap off the bat of Josh Bell, making it 3-1. Daylen Lile proceeded to triple on a ball that got past Siri in right center, expanding Washington’s lead to 4-1.

The Mets cut their deficit to 4-2 in the bottom of the third after Pete Alonso singled in Lindor once again after the latter advanced to third on another error from Crews. In the fourth, they capitalized on a fielding mishap by Paul DeJong and an error by James Wood to take the lead at 5-4, with Francisco Alvarez and Lindor combining to bring in those three runs, before Juan Soto crushed a three-run homer for No. 42 on the year, which is a new career-high.

Abrams blasted a two-run homer off Huascar Brazobán in the fifth, but those would be the last tallies for Washington on the day. New York tacked on an insurance run by way of a Starling Marte groundout in the seventh before scoring three runs in the eighth on a Luisangel Acuña bases-loaded walk and a Brandon Nimmo single.

Sproat, who made the third start of his major league career, went four innings and allowed four earned runs while walking two and striking out five. The defense didn’t do him any favors, as previously mentioned, which inflated his numbers.

Ryan Helsley turned in a scoreless seventh inning out of the bullpen, marking his third-consecutive appearance without allowing a run.

Stat of the Game

Soto is now one of two players in MLB history alongside Barry Bonds (1996) to have a season that includes 42 0r more homers, 30 stolen bases and 120 walks.

Player of the Game

Soto is now slashing .343/.423/.731 with seven homers, 19 RBIs and eight stolen bases over 17 games in September. He went 2-for-3 with a homer, three RBIs, two walks and his 34th stolen base of the season against his former team on Friday night.

On Deck

Nolan McLean (4-1, 1.19 ERA) will look to keep things rolling against the Nationals’ Cade Cavalli (3-1, 4.76 ERA). First pitch is at 4:10 p.m., and coverage will air on SNY as well as MLB Network.

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Let’s take a look at some notes ahead of the three pitching matchups.

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

PITCHING MATCHUPS

• Friday: Andrew Alvarez (1-0, 1.15 ERA) vs. Brandon Sproat (0-1, 2.25 ERA): After making 25 starts in Triple-A Rochester this season, Alvarez has performed well early on in the big leagues. He has allowed just two earned runs in his first 15 2/3 innings. Alvarez threw a season-high six shutout innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates last Saturday, earning a no-decision. So far, he has primarily featured a four-seam fastball, curveball and a slider. Sproat was unlucky to not get his first career win against the Texas Rangers last Saturday, throwing six scoreless innings on 70 pitches. Through two starts, his best weapon has been his sweeper. Opponents are hitting .083 against it with a .083 slugging percentage and a 33.4% whiff rate.
• Saturday: Cade Cavalli (3-1, 4.76 ERA) vs. Nolan McLean (4-1, 1.19 ERA): Cavalli’s career has been derailed by major injury after major injury. To his credit though, he worked his way back into the rotation early last month, marking his first big league appearance since 2022. After a few solid appearances, Cavalli has pitched to a 7.27 ERA over his last four outings. McLean has very quickly established himself as the ace of the Mets staff. He has opened his career with six consecutive starts in which he has allowed two runs or less. McLean has yet to lose at home, pitching to a 0.00 ERA in 19 1/3 innings across three starts. He will matching up with the Nationals for the first time.
• Sunday: Mitchell Parker (8-16, 5.85 ERA) vs. Clay Holmes (11-8, 3.77 ERA): Parker has had a tough year, leading the league in losses. Home runs have been an issue for him, allowing at least one in nine consecutive starts. Over that period, he has pitched to a 8.26 ERA. Parker is 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA in three career outings against the Mets. Holmes will start Sunday’s series finale, with Sean Manaea likely to piggyback him in long relief. That strategy appeared to benefit both pitchers in Tuesday’s win against the Padres, as they combined to give up three runs over nine innings. If Manaea does not return from the paternity list, Carlos Mendoza may use another pitcher for multiple innings. Huascar Brazobán could be an option in that role.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

This season has been far from simple for the Mets. They have performed well against some of the best teams in baseball, but they have also lost series against teams well below their level. Two of those clubs are the Miami Marlins and the Nationals. The Mets are a combined 11-9 against them this season. If they want to make the postseason, winning their final series against both of their divisional opponents is a must. With the Diamondbacks, Reds and the San Francisco Giants within striking distance, the pressure remains on the Mets.

PREDICTION

The Mets have played much better over the last couple days. If that trend continues, they should have no problem winning this series against the Nationals. I expect a game or two to be tight in the late innings, but I think this group answers the call in front of the Citi Field crowd. The Mets sweep the series.

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The Mets still control their own destiny!

The Mets’ bats are slugging the ball again as they come off a series win against the San Diego Padres thanks to a home run barrage. At the start of 2025, the Mets feasted on poorly-performing teams, and we are going to need that version of the team again as they take on a Washington Nationals team that is hungry to play spoiler. Tonight will be a battle of the rookies as Brandon Sproat takes on Andrew Alvarez.

Brandon Sproat (40)

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – RF
3. Pete Alonso – 1B
4. Mark Vientos – 3B
5. Brandon Nimmo – LF
6. Starling Marte – DH
7. Francisco Alvarez – C
8. Brett Baty – 2B
9. Jose Siri – CF

Brandon Sproat has allowed three runs on nine hits over his first 12 big-league innings (two starts) while striking out 10 batters. He’s coming off of a tremendous start against the Texas Rangers where he shut them out over six innings, allowing six hits and walking no one. Free passes caused him headaches in his first major league start (four over six innings), so it was nice to see him move beyond that. He’s going to face the Nationals a lot throughout his career, so tonight is a great time to make a first impression.

Opposing Lineup

1. James Wood – LF
2. CJ Abrams – SS
3. Josh Bell – 1B
4. Daylen Lile – DH
5. Luis García Jr. – 2B
6. Dylan Crews – RF
7. Paul DeJong – 3B
8. Jorge Alfaro – C
9. Jacob Young – CF

Andrew Alvarez has a 1.15 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 0.830 WHIP and a 368 ERA+ over three starts and 15 2/3 innings. He’s coming off of the best start in his major league career, during which he shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates over six innings while scattering three hits. In the start before that, the Cubs scored two runs over 4 2/3 innings on three hits and three walks. Over Alvarez’s first three outings, he has used a low-90’s fastball about a third of the time in addition to mixing in a low-80’s curve and low-80’s slider. He has also sprinkled in a mid-80’s changeup and low-90’s sinker.

Game Notes

• Jack Wenninger turned in a fantastic start for Double-A Binghamton as they advanced to the Eastern League Championship Series on Thursday night. For more, check out our minor league recap!
• Tyrone Taylor, who has been on the injured list with a hamstring strain since September 2, is beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse tonight. Check out our story for more information!
• Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Kodai Senga will face hitters in live batting practice or a simulated game next week. He allowed four earned runs over 3 2/3 innings for Syracuse on Thursday night.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Pete Alonso. Alonso has been on fire this week. Thursday was his fourth consecutive game with a home run. In his last five games, he has gone 8-for-19 with four homers and seven RBIs (.421/.455/1.053). In his last 15 contests, he has slashed .305/.338/.661. Alonso carried the team at the start of 2025 and is looking to push the Mets over the finish line at the end.
2. Is Juan Soto walking here? Soto is prolific at working walks. He’s led the league in walks in four of the last five season and is currently pacing it once again with 119, only six away from John Olerud’s 1999 Mets single-season record of 125. In his last nine games, though, he has drawn a free pass just once. He has a season-long on-base percentage of around .394, and his OBP over the last nine games is .300. Obviously this is just one part of his game, as he has five extra-base hits over the last nine games with a .579 slugging percentage, or 51 points higher than his season average.
3. Wild Card race. The Mets enter play today with a two-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds for the last Wild Card Spot, and a three-game lead over the San Francisco Giants. Nick Lodolo and the Reds are hosting Shota Imanaga and the Cubs tonight, the Diamondbacks are hosting Taijuan Walker and the Phillies, and the Giants and Robbie Ray face Clayton Kershaw in the last regular season home start of his career at Dodger Stadium.

Let’s go Mets!

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Rizzo has been with the Nationals since 2007. He transitioned from an assistant general manager to general manager in 2009. Rizzo notably signed starting pitcher Max Scherzer, traded for shortstop Trea Turner, and traded outfielder Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres in a massive deal which should set the Nationals up terrifically for the future. Of course, he constructed the team that won the organization’s first World Series in 2019.

Under his guidance, he brought the Nationals to the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history and the first time since 1981 in 2012. During his tenure, the Nationals made the playoffs five times, but they haven’t made the postseason since they won the World Series in 2019.

Meanwhile, Martinez took over as manager in 2018 after serving as the Chicago Cubs’ bench coach during their World Series-winning season. Over his eight-season tenure with the team, they went 500-621. The Nationals made the playoffs once with Martinez at the helm, however, in that season, as mentioned, Washington won the first World Series in organization history, defeating the Houston Astros. Martinez is eighth on the organization’s all-time win list.

The move to fire Rizzo comes just a week prior to the 2025 MLB June Amateur Draft. The Nationals currently own a 37-53 record this season, which is last in the National League East and is the fourth-worst in all of baseball.

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The Amazins’ swept the Rockies at home, then took a West Coast road trip where they split a four-game series with the Dodgers and then swept the Rockies again in the mountains.

For my friends who struggle with math, the Mets have gone on an 8-2 stretch in their last ten games. They were the first National League team to 40 wins during that stretch and enter Monday with the best record in the NL at 42-24.

But what about the rest of the NL East?

This division was supposed to be a gauntlet. It was in 2024. But the beginning of June, and frankly, for some, the entire season has been a struggle. Let’s take a look at how the Mets’ division rivals did last week.

Phillies

It’s fair to say the Phillies might have been the worst team in baseball last week. Performance and health-wise.

Their week started in Toronto, where they had a chance to quell the recently hot Toronto Blue Jays. They began with a strong 8-3 win in Game 1, but only scored a combined three runs in the next two games to lose the series.

Then there was Pittsburgh. A potential series to get the Phillies back on track. But again, the offense struggled, scoring four runs in Game 1 only to endure a walk-off loss in the ninth, then one run apiece in Games 2 and 3.

So, where does this leave the Phillies? They’re not in a detrimental state. The club is 37-28 and holds a +18 run differential. But they’re now four and a half games behind the Mets for first place — a position that they held by three games on May 24.

And if we’re going back to May 24, the Phillies were 34-18. They’ve gone 3-10 since. They’ve also lost five games in a row and nine of their last 10 games. And to make matters worse, Bryce Harper was placed on the 10-day IL Saturday with a recurring wrist injury.

Upcoming series: 

PHI vs CHC: June 9 – 11
PHI vs TOR: June 13 – 15

Braves

Last week wasn’t kind to the Atlanta Braves either.

The club was swept in back-to-back series to the Diamondbacks and Giants and lost a series at home to the Red Sox beforehand.

The series against the Diamondbacks was especially perplexing. The Braves scored a whopping 10 runs against the Snakes in Game 1 and led by six runs heading into the ninth inning. But the D-backs scored seven runs in the top half of the inning, taking a lead to solidify a Game 1 win that would carry over for a sweep.

It’s looking like a lost season for the Braves already on June 9. And while you should never count a team out with 98 games left, it’s looking very bleak. Just go back to our previously picked date of May 24.

After going 0-7 to start the season, Atlanta followed with a 25-19 stretch to pull into May 24 with a 25-26 record. They were one game under .500 with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider back in the fold. What’s followed? A 2-11 record with many regulars such as Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II playing well below average baseball. They find themselves 14 games out of first place and 9.5 games out of a wild card.

Upcoming series: 

ATL @ MIL: June 9 – 11
ATL @ COL: June 13 – 14

Nationals

I should have prefaced the article with this: Every NL East team except the Mets should have taken the last week and thrown it in the garbage.

It’s even true for the Nationals, who if you didn’t know, were on fire two weeks ago. They took a series from the Mariners in Seattle, then exploded in the desert to take a series against the D-backs. 40 runs in six total games on their road trip.

But for whatever reason, the Nationals’ offensive explosion disappeared last week. Maybe they left their bats back in Arizona.

MacKenzie Gore‘s excellent start on June 4 prevented the Nats from being swept by the Cubs at the beginning of the week, then the struggling Rangers came to town and took two of three.

Remember those 40 runs we highlighted? The Nationals managed just 10 over their next six back in the Capital. The inability to score runs starts with and is highlighted by CJ Abrams. The shortstop was slated to be an All-Star in 2025 but has slashed just .125/.210/.179 in his last 30 games, bringing an OPS that was once above .900 a month ago to .783.

Yet even with these struggles, the Nationals are still holding water in the NL. They enter this week third in the NL East at 30-35. The Nats are also only seven games out from the third wild card. James Wood has 16 homers and a .899 OPS at 22 years old, Gore leads the NL with 108 strikeouts, and Brady House could potentially make his debut in Queens on Tuesday.

Upcoming series:

WSH @ Mets: June 10 – 11
WSH vs MIA: June 13 – 15

Marlins

I might have lied earlier about the Phillies having the worst week.

That stance came with the high expectations that Philadelphia has this season. The Marlins don’t have any expectations outside of cleaning house for what seems like the 25th consecutive year of my life. (Yes, I know they won in 2003; I was being hyperbolic.)

But being swept by the Rockies at home? That’s pretty low. Even if two of the losses were by one run and the first was by two runs. Sandwich that between a sweep at the hands of the Giants and a series loss to the scorching hot Rays, the Marlins statistically had the worst week of any NL East team.

Upcoming series: 

MIA @ PIT: June 9 – 11
MIA @ WSH: June 13 – 15

You can look at the division and wild card standings by clicking here.

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