The Mets Should Prioritize Development Over Winning

Because of the Mets’ luxury tax standing, if they end up with a first-round pick lower than sixth overall, that pick is moved 10 spots back. That means they cannot have any pick between seven and 16. In this year’s draft, that would have been a difference of $2,938,166 going from $5,809,575 at pick six to $3,411,409 at pick seventeen. Top six picks are protected, so if the Mets have a top six pick, it cannot be moved back and their second-round pick is moved back instead.

The lottery odds to get a top six pick for the worst three records is 86.3%. For the fourth-worst record, it is 80.2%. Fifth worst, where the Mets are at the time of writing this, drops all the way down to 63% and the sixth-worst record falls to only 51.4%.

It heavily benefits the Mets to not win games. (This is similar to the 2023 season.) That also does not mean they have to, or should lose every game. They can prioritize development while the players still do everything they can to try to win games.

I will be clear when I say the Mets should not be actively throwing games. They should not be purposefully putting players in bad situations that solely hurt their performance. That has its own negative repercussions. Some players are working towards their next contracts. Others are building their Hall of Fame cases. The Mets need to still do right by their players and do everything they can to help them succeed.

But their overall focus should be first and foremost on development, followed by building towards 2027.

Players Should Learn New Positions

The Mets need to play and use players in positions they are not familiar with more often. They need players who are typically platoon guys to face same-handed pitching more. They need to let pitchers get into trouble and let them work through that trouble. They need to let relievers who have not had experience with high-leverage situations get that experience.

In July, the Mets lost a game because of Brett Baty’s defense in the outfield. Some portions of the media complained that the Mets let a game slip away by continuing the Baty outfield experiment and need to stop that. That is the exact opposite takeaway the Mets should be taking. Brett Baty is much more valuable to the 2027 Mets if he is a capable outfielder. The only way he is going to improve there is by playing it. In a stretch of games where it does not benefit you to win, you should be working on developing players at positions they are unfamiliar with.

Here are some examples (with some out-of-left-field suggestions):

• Have A.J. Ewing, Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette get reps at second base.
• Let Francisco Alvarez try first base. Maybe even third base.
• If Eric Wagaman returns to the majors he should get reps across the infield and be in the lineup more than he has been.
• Luis Robert Jr. should definitely try a first baseman’s glove on and play in the corners. Having versatility on the roster only benefits the Mets going forward and this is the time to work on that.
• You could even make an argument that Juan Soto should get some experience at first base when he returns, but that is a much harder sell on likely a short timeline.

Now, I would not continue to start Baty in the outfield when Christian Scott specifically is on the mound. Scott is a fly ball pitcher you want to develop for the future. Sean Manaea, meanwhile, is still under contract next year and is not playing for Hall of Fame status. He is also a veteran that can handle a misplayed ball in the outfield. I also would not experiment when Nolan McLean is on the mound if the Mets think he has a real shot at rookie of the year because of the benefits of the prospect promotion incentive pick.

Play the Young Guys

The Mets have multiple Rule 5 eligible players at the end of this season, including newly acquired Jefferson Rojas, Jack Wenninger, Ryan Clifford, Jacob Reimer, Chris Suero, Jose Chirinos, Matt Turner, as well as newly acquired Zach Franklin and Gary Gill Hill.

Could Rojas see a quick promotion to Syracuse and a look in September? Clifford’s struggles likely make it more of an argument that facing better pitching would hurt his development, but if he can turn it around before September, he could be a consideration. Similarly, if Jacob Reimer plays well now that he is back from his injury he could be a consideration in September. Chris Suero still has not made it to Triple-A, which is typically a sign of what the team thinks of a player, but he is an interesting profile as a defensively versatile three true outcomes player.

By roughly August 15, it becomes impossible for players to lose rookie status, so the Mets should see if Jack Wenninger has anything to offer. He is very likely going to be protected from the Rule 5 draft and added to the 40-man roster at the end of the season anyway. Maybe a role in the bullpen could be in store for him. Matt Turner is a name the Mets should give a shot to see if he can be a bullpen option for 2027. Zach Franklin may have been traded for specifically to slot right into the bullpen. The Mets likely have planned changes for Gary Gill Hill after trading for him, and we will see if those changes happen in Triple-A or in the majors. Jose Chirinos only recently made it to High-A and has not dominated there. He is maybe the least likely out of the names above to be protected in the rule five draft.

Jonathan Santucci made his first Triple-A start on August 1, and while he is not Rule 5 eligible, he could force his way into the conversation in the second half of August or September if he dominates in Syracuse.

Ronny Mauricio is already on the 40-man roster and is out of options after this season. The Mets will have to determine if they will even tender him a contract in the offseason and see if he has the potential to be a bench piece for the 2027 roster.

Nick Morabito has started pulling the ball more in Triple-A and could be the Mets’ fourth outfielder as early as 2027. He should get all of the at-bats that Tyrone Taylor would have normally taken and should get reps late in the game defensively at all three outfield positions. Christian Pache was recently called up, but ideally Morabito will take his place soon.

See what Rotation Options the Mets have for 2027

Zac Thornton (Zac now, not Zach) probably should not be penciled into the Opening Day rotation — you would rather have him in 2027 as one of the first guys up when someone gets hurt — but the Mets should continue to develop him in the majors for the rest of the season. They have already made some interesting changes to his cutter and slider at the major league level, and maybe there is still some room for him to grow from the low-four ERA starter he projects to be into something more.

As previously mentioned, Wenninger and Santucci could get some consideration to take some starts in the majors before the end of the 2026 season. Wenninger because he is Rule 5 eligible and Santucci if he forces the Mets’ hand. As mentioned there could also be a benefit to trying Wenninger in the bullpen as a leverage arm. His inability to hold velocity into starts could force him there in the long run.

Jonah Tong has had an uneven Triple-A season at best. He also already has major league experience and could get innings in the majors working with the major league coaches could benefit him. Unfortunately, the gains from his Triple-A start on July 30 did not seem to hold. His velocity and iVB completely rebounded that start, and he got some of the best horizontal break on his breaking ball he has had all season, but the iVB was not there on his August 5 start, where he gave up multiple home runs. There could be benefit though from him working with the major league pitching coaches to see if they could unlock anything.

Tobias Myers should be stretched out and put on a regular schedule, ideally as a starter. He has had success as a starter before and would benefit the Mets if he could be a starting factor in 2027. Whatever role they determine he should be in next year, he should pitch in that role the second half of 2026. The Mets have Myers for five more years of control.

Jonathan Pintaro is another pitcher the Mets should consider stretching out as a starter. Unlike Myers, he still has an option for 2027, so he could be good depth. He is currently in the bullpen as a reliever post Devin Williams‘ injury and only pitched one inning in his first appearance so being stretched out seems unlikely.

Figure Out the 2027 Bullpen

The Mets have many interesting arms in the minors and one in the majors they should utilize in the second half of 2026 to see if they can be in the 2027 bullpen.

The first is Kodai Senga. The Mets absolutely should continue to see if he can be a single-inning reliever on a regular reliever schedule. As a true reliever he can cut down the pitch mix and gas it out for 15-20 pitches. He recently hit 100 miles per hour in the majors for the first time in his career. This could be a spot he can thrive in and with the Devin Williams injury there should be plenty of high leverage innings to try him in.

Dedniel Núñez should be a factor in the second half of the season now that he has returned from injury. The Mets can let him work off the rust and let him get back to being a leverage reliever without pressure.

Dylan Ross and Jefry Yan throw gas and are already on the 40-man roster. Yan has already been called up but the Mets should give both a shot and see if they are at all capable of being major league pitchers. If not they will be put on waivers regardless since neither is likely to stay on the 40-man roster through the offseason if they are not expected to be in the majors in 2027 so why not see what they can do?

Dan Hammer briefly made it into the majors, did not pitch, and did manage to clear waivers. He should be a name the Mets look at to see if he can be a factor for 2027. Ben Simon is another intriguing arm that should be considered for second-half innings.

Nate Lavender has looked amazing in Triple-A and already looks like he should be a factor for the 2027 bullpen. He added velocity, and his slider looks incredible. He was just added to the major league roster and struck out four in his first appearance. In his most recent appearance, which came against the Braves, he pitched a scoreless inning and struck out two including Matt Olson.

Robert Stock is a fan favorite, but he has looked legitimately good in Triple-A this year as well as his first start in the majors. Not as much in his second appearance but it looks as if he will get another shot. Even at his age, maybe there is some argument he should get some run this year.

The Mets traded for Chayce McDermott and Zach Franklin, and both should get time in the bullpen to see if they can be factors in the 2027 bullpen.

Let Them Develop

As I mentioned previously, I am not advocating putting players in bad positions to try to toss games. But the Mets should not prioritize winning over ways they can benefit their players through development. That also does not mean they cannot win games. But setting up the organization for the future should be the first and foremost plan here. Having guys learn new positions, putting pitchers in new situations, seeing who they have in the organization that can be pieces for the future — that should be the priority here. And ideally getting a top six pick, maybe even the first overall pick in the 2027 draft.