3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Come Out On Top In Texas

The New York Mets are looking to finish the 2026 season with a flourish.

In the penultimate series of the year, the Mets took two out of three from a Texas Rangers team fighting for their playoff lives. There were yet more signs of encouragement for next year.

Furthermore, it also proved to be a significant few days off the field too. The Mets gave Andy Green the manager’s job on a full-time basis, before hiring Derek Falvey to the front office.

Let’s recap everything from the Texas series in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

RIGHT DECISION

The Mets ticked off a major piece of offseason business early by hiring Green as the franchise’s next manager on a full-time basis. Kudos to owner Steve Cohen and the front office for getting Green to change his mind. It has become crystal clear that Green is the right man for the job. He knows how to push and develop young players. He clearly has the respect of the veterans. And he’s been able to push all the right buttons with this team since taking over on an interim basis. Plus, with so many young players breaking through, Green is clearly the right voice for this franchise at the perfect time. The Mets will now be able to focus on addressing the flaws of this roster and adding key pieces to the young core.

ACIN’ IT UP

I think the Mets can be pretty confident about the future with Nolan McLean. The righty has emerged as a potential future ace for this team, and he finished a stellar rookie campaign on a high in Texas. McLean delivered seven gutsy innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts on Wednesday. As a result, he will finish this season with a 3.16 ERA. Not only does McLean own filthy stuff, but he has the heart and the intangibles needed to be an elite front-end starter for the Mets. Don’t be surprised if he’s even better in 2027.

TAKING STOCK

The final stretch of the season has acted as a useful evaluation tool for the Mets as they look ahead to 2027. Therefore, Devin Williams‘ successful return will have provided some encouragement. The reliever came off the IL and delivered a perfect inning in his return on Wednesday. Now, it was just one outing, but Williams did look very good against a team trying to clinch a postseason berth. If Williams can enjoy a strong finish, then that will give the Mets some more clarity as they look to rebuild their bullpen for next year.

3 DOWN

FRUSTRATING FINISH

Christian Scott‘s 2026 season did not finish the way he would have wanted it to. The righty was placed on the IL with left knee inflammation. The Mets will be hoping that Scott can recover quickly and be ready for spring training. Still, it was a successful season for Scott, who posted a 3.85 ERA with 134 strikeouts in his return from Tommy John surgery.

WHAT NEXT?

What do the Mets do about Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Francisco Alvarez? Vientos went 0-for-6 with two strikeouts in Texas, and he looks like a probable non-tender candidate. However, on the flip side, both Baty and Alvarez were red-hot against the Rangers. Baty stayed hot with a big series, including hitting a grand slam in the second game of the series. Alvarez, meanwhile, had four hits in two games, including two doubles, two runs scored, and two RBIs in the series opener. However, Baty tends to burn bright before burning fast, while Alvarez has been a non-factor for most of the year. Therefore, the duo’s exploits in this series only complicate things for the Mets, who must decide what to do with the Baby Mets once and for all this offseason.

NO-SHOW

The Mets could have swept this series, but the offense had other ideas. The lineup recorded just four hits in the series finale, while striking out seven times. There wasn’t much luck with runners in scoring position, either, with the lineup going 1-for-5, leaving three runners stranded on base. As good as the offense has been under Green, we saw in the finale that there are important holes that will need to be filled in the winter.