The following are the most notable free agents the Mets will have following 2026: LHP A.J. Minter, LHP David Peterson, RHP Freddy Peralta, LHP Brooks Raley, and OF Tyrone Taylor. With these individuals coming off the books, it’ll grant the Mets an additional $35.65 million in payroll.

In addition to the straight free agents, the Mets have several players with options. These consist of the following: INF Bo Bichette (player), OF Luis Robert Jr. (team), and RHP Clay Holmes (player). If each were to not return in 2027, the Mets would clear another $75 million. However, both Bichette and Robert Jr. do have a buyout, which brings that $75 million figure closer to $65 million.

In total, the Mets may be set to shed in excess of $130 million in payroll entering the offseason. A massive figure that would drop them from the highest payroll in the league to a figure that would currently rank toward the bottom of the top-10. Granted, their will be several moves to be made following that.

The post Early Look At The Mets’ Offseason Payroll Situation appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Cristian Pache. Photo Credit: Herm Card

Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons 8 (32-36), Syracuse Mets 7 (34-34) / Final 10

Box Score

• CF Nick Morabito: 2-4, RBI, R, BB (.733 OPS)
• RF Cristian Pache: 4-4, 2B, 3 R, SB (.705 OPS)
• 2B Jackson Cluff: 3-4, R, SB (.565 OPS)

Pache led Syracuse’s offense on Saturday. He was a perfect 4-for-4 and added a walk, reaching base five times. After a tremendous start to the season (.309 average, .843 OPS in April), Pache hit .202 in May.

Morabito and Cluff were the two other Mets who had multiple hits. Syracuse went 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position.

• LHP Zach Thornton: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 1 SO (3.81 ERA)
• RHP Ofreidy Gómez: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO (5.00 ERA)
• LHP Matt Turner: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO (1.86 ERA)

Thornton got the start but was removed before the first inning concluded as he was forced to throw 36 pitches. He walked two and allowed two hits culminating in three unearned runs as Cluff committed to a pivotal early error.

Gómez was the most impressive of the remaining Mets to make an appearance, throwing three innings of scoreless ball with four strikeouts following Thornton’s exit from the game. Gómez, 30, was signed out of the Mexican League prior to the season.

Brendan Girton. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Double-A

Somerset Patriots 4 (34-28), Binghamton Rumble Ponies 3 (24-38)

Box Score

• 1B JT Schwartz: 2-4, 2B (.664 OPS)
• C Vincent Perozo: 1-4, HR, RBI (.792 OPS)
• 3B Jacob Reimer: 0-4 (.724 OPS)

Perozo continued to have one of the best months in the organization. He slugged his third homer of the month and fifth overall. He is slashing .324/.361/.676 (1.037 OPS) in June.

Elsewhere, it was a tough outing for Reimer who went 0-for-4. Despite that, one of the Mets’ top prospects entering the season, is slashing .278/.350/.556 (.906 OPS) in June after a miserable first two months to the season.

• RHP Brendan Girton: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO (6.02 ERA)
• RHP Douglas Orellana: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO (3.30 ERA)
• RHP Guillo Zuñiga: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO (1.93 ERA)

Girton was tremendous with Brooklyn (High-A) in 2025. However, since being called up to end 2025 and thus far this season, he has struggled mightily with Binghamton. Across 57 Double-A innings, Girton has a 6.16 ERA. Thanks to allowing three earned runs across two innings Saturday, his 2026 ERA is 6.02.

Meanwhile, Zuñiga had another strong outing. Across 1 2/3 innings he struck out two and did not allow a hit nor a run. The 27-year-old has gotten off to a strong start with the organization after signing to a minor-league contract following a release by the Seattle Mariners during the offseason.

Mitch Voit. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A

Frederick Keys 5 (38-21), Brooklyn Cyclones 4 (24-37) / Final 10

Box Score

• SS Mitch Voit: 1-4, 2B (.722 OPS)
• 1B Corey Collins: 1-3, HR, RBI, BB (.796 OPS)

It was another lackluster Saturday for the South Atlantic League’s worst offense. Voit and Collins were the lone bright spots. They combined to have two of the Cyclones’ three extra-base hits in the 10-inning affair. Collins hit his eighth homer and drove in his 24th run of the season. Meanwhile, the former first-round pick Voit doubled for his lone hit.

• RHP Noah Hall: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 2 SO (5.65 ERA)
• RHP Cristofer Gomez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO (3.04 ERA)
• RHP Garrett Stratton: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 5 SO (2.73 ERA)

Stratton, 22, was the Cyclones most efficient pitcher Saturday. He struck out five across two innings of work, and despite giving up two runs, neither were earned. The 2025 20th-round pick out of Rice University has been impressive to begin his professional career. Through 30 2/3 innings, he has a 2.64 ERA and 44 strikeouts.

Gomez, 23, is seemingly putting it together this season for Brooklyn. He has a 3.04 ERA across 23 2/3 innings after tossing a scoreless inning Saturday. Opposing hitters are hitting .175 against him this year. Across his 166-inning professional career, he has a .191 batting average against.

Trey Snyder. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Single-A

St. Lucie Mets 10 (29-33), Palm Beach Cardinals 1 (31-31)

Box Score

• CF Trey Snyder: 1-5, 2 RBI, 2B, SB (.811 OPS)
• RF Yohairo Cuevas: 3-5, 3 R, 2 SB (.934 OPS)
• 2B Jeremy Rodriguez: 3-4, RBI, 2 R, BB, SB (.366 OPS)

Snyder has come back strong following injury and a rehab stint in the Florida Complex League. Following his run-scoring double on Saturday, he is 8-for-27 with three extra-base hits to begin his Single-A season. Snyder, 20, was a fifth-round pick in 2024.

Rodriguez, who was acquired in the Tommy Pham trade, has struggled tremendously since 2024. He posted a .540 OPS in 2025, and despite going 3-for-4 on Saturday, has a .174 average and .522 OPS across 92 total at-bats this season.

• RHP Jonathan Jimenez: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO (6.32 ERA)
• RHP Elwis Mijares: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO (4.50 ERA)

Jimenez had one of his best outings of the season. He went six sparkling innings, allowing only two hits and a run. Jimenez was sent down from Brooklyn (High-A) on April 1 as he had a 8.33 ERA across 31 1/3 innings. He has a 6.32 mark over 15 2/3 Single-A innings thus far.

Florida Complex League

FCL-Mets 4 (12-16), FCL-Nationals 3 (15-14) / Final 10

Box Score

• CF Wyatt Vincent: 2-5, R (.850 OPS)
• 2B Vladi Gomez: 2-2 (1.012 OPS)
• 3B Roybert Herrera: 1-5 (1.085 OPS)

Despite the victory, the Mets left nine on base and were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Mets scored two in the ninth and one in the 10th to walk it off. Josmir Reyes had the walk-off single in the 10th.

Gomez stayed hot, as he went 2-for-2 before being removed from the game. The 20-year-old is hitting .346 with a 1.012 OPS across 52 at-bats in the Florida Complex League. He also played in six games for Single-A St. Lucie earlier this season.

• RHP Jean Brito: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO (2.77 ERA)
• LHP Luis Sotillo: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO (3.97 ERA)

Four different pitchers threw more than one inning on Saturday for the Mets.

Brito threw 2 2/3 hitless innings but did allow a run thanks to a hit-by-pitch and walk. The 20-year-old has a 2.77 ERA across 13 innings this season and notched the win on Saturday. He had a 2.84 across 44 1/3 Dominican Summer League innings last year.

Dominican Summer League

DSL Angels 7 (9-1), DSL Mets Blue 5 (5-5)

Box Score

• RF Emerson Estevez: 2-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI (1.037 OPS)
• DH Adrian La Rosa: 3-4, 2B, SB (.921 OPS)
• CF Henry Manrique: 3-5 (1.207 OPS)

It was a big day for the Mets Blue offense, as they compiled 14 hits. However, due to going only 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position and 11 of those 14 hits being a single, they were only able to push across five runs.

Manrique and La Rosa led the way with three hits each. La Rosa, 17, is 6-for-17 to begin his professional career, doubled and also stealing his third base of the season on Saturday. Meanwhile, Estevez, 17, drove in three and had two (home run, double) of the Mets Blue’s three extra-base hits in the game.

• RHP Gensil Rosario: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO (6.35 ERA)
• RHP Leyvi Rodriguez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 1 SO (4.32 ERA)

Mets Blue pitching was let down on Saturday as the defense committed four errors on Saturday.

DSL Mets Orange 4 (6-4), DSL Nationrals 2 (3-7)

Box Score

• CF Cleiner Ramirez: 1-3, 2B (.930 OPS)
• DH Cesar Acosta: 1-2, R, BB (.943 OPS)
• RHP Oscar Montero: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO (13.50 ERA)
• RHP Alvaro Carrillo: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO (5.40 ERA)

Mets Orange and the Nationals combined for only three hits in the game. Carrillo was the Mets’ best pitcher as all five of the outs he recorded came via the strikeout. The Mets stole five bases in the game.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Pache Reaches Base Five Times appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Meanwhile, infielder Grae Kessinger reached base four times as his rehab continued with High-A Brooklyn and Ryan Clifford clubbed his organizational-leading 14th home run of the season for Triple-A Syracuse.

Ryan Clifford. Photo by Herm Card

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets 5 (32-30), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders 0 (31-30)

Box Score

• LF Ryan Clifford: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI (.776 OPS)
• CF Cristian Pache: 2-4, 2B, RBI (.696 OPS)
• 2B Ji Hwan Bae: 1-3, R, SB (.765 OPS)

Clifford hit his 14th home run of the season on Saturday. That figure ranks top 20 in all of minor league baseball. However, Clifford’s so-so OPS of .776 on the season shows he has been an “all-or-nothing” hitter in 2026.

Bae. meanwhile, stole his 20th base of the season. That figure ranks third in the International League.

• RHP Jack Weisenburger: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO (5.40 ERA)
• RHP Jonathan Pintaro: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO (3.16 ERA)

After a cup of coffee in the big leagues, Pintaro has continued his Triple-A successes. He threw two innings of one-run ball on Saturday. Entering Saturday, Pintaro’s xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG all ranked above the 68th percentile in Triple-A.

Pintaro combined with Weisenburger and Nate Lavender in the shutout of the Railriders. Weisenburger, in particular, was great. He followed the opener Lavender and tossed 5 1/3 shutout innings in his best appearance of the season.

Jonathan Santucci. Photo by Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies 4 (22-34), Reading Fightin Phils 1 (24-32)

Box Score

• 3B Nick Lorusso: 3-4, HR, 2 RBI (.703 OPS)
• C Vincent Perozo: 2-4, HR (.772 OPS)
• SS Wyatt Young: 3-4, SB (.618 OPS)

Two Rumble Ponies homered on Saturday. Perozo hit his third of the season in the second inning and Lorusso hit his ninth in the third frame. Lorusso, 25, is only three home runs away from tying a career-high. He hit 12 in 2024.

• LHP Jonathan Santucci: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO (3.93 ERA)
• RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO (4.24 ERA)
• RHP Guillo Zuñiga: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO (2.70 ERA)

Like Syracuse, Binghamton also pitched terrifically on Saturday. Santucci led the way with arguably his best start of the season allowing one run over 6 2/3 sparkling innings.

After Santucci posted a 5.71 ERA across four starts in April, that figure lowered to 3.45 in May. The left-handed starter has now thrown 11 2/3 innings over his last two starts and has allowed six hits and one run while striking out 10.

Mitch Voit. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones 12 (21-34), Jersey Shore Blueclaws 4 (22-33)

Box Score

• SS Grae Kessinger: 1-2, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB (.714 OPS)
• 2B Mitch Voit: 1-4. HR, 2 RBI, BB (.726 OPS)
• LF Trace Willhoite: 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI (.754 OPS)

Brooklyn continued their onslaught of Jersey Shore on Saturday. The South Atlantic League’s worst offense posted 12 runs and 10 hits. Every member of the Cyclones’ lineup had at least one hit. Leading the way and reaching base four times was Kessinger; he is on a rehab assignment.

Voit, the Mets’ first-round pick in 2025, hit his seventh home run of the season. He also stole his 17th base of the year.

• LHP Daviel Hurtado: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO (0.69 ERA)
• LHP Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB (2.04 ERA)

Hurtado, 21, he been terrific since his call-up to Brooklyn. Across his first three starts, he has allowed four hits and one run over 13 innings. That is good for a sparkling 0.69 ERA.

Trey Snyder, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Single-A

St. Lucie Mets 5 (25-31), Clearwater Threshers 1 (35-21)

Box Score

• 2B Trey Snyder: 2-4, 2 R, 2 SB (.910 OPS)
• SS Elian Peña: 1-3, SB (.797 OPS)
• LF Yohairo Cuevas: 1-3, 2B, RBI (.861 OPS)

St. Lucie went wild on the base paths on Saturday swiping seven bases en route to a 5-1 victory over a strong Clearwater team. Two Mets had multiple hits (Snyder, Antonio Jimenez) and only one Met had an extra-base hit (Cuevas).

Peña is coming off an extremely tough May where he slashed .216/.343/.307 (.650 OPS). He is 3-for-12 to start June and swiped his 18th bag of the season on Saturday.

• RHP Joel Lara: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO (6.75 ERA)
• RHP Christian Rodriguez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO (1.78 ERA)

Rodriguez continues to shine as one of the more underrated arms in the organization. The 21-year-old out of Venezuela tossed two more scoreless innings on Saturday. As a result, his ERA is down to 1.78 over 30 1/3 innings this season. He has struck out 35 and walked 11. The opposition is hitting .196 against him.

Meanwhile, Lara matched his season high of four innings. He was terrific allowing only one hit. His ERA has steadily been falling since some early season struggles. The 19-year-old has only allowed one earned run over his last 12 2/3 innings.

Florida Complex League

FCL Cardinals 12 (8-16), FCL Mets 8 (12-12)

Box Score

• RF Bohan Adderley: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB (.852 OPS)
• SS Anthony Frobose: 3-4, 2B, 3B, 3 R, BB (.668 OPS)
• DH Roybert Herrera: 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, BB (1.359 OPS)

Despite outhitting the Cardinals 12 to six, the Mets only scored eight runs, which was not enough. Four different Mets had multiple hits, two of which had three. Frobose and Herrera had three hits apiece; Herrera homered and doubled.

Herrera, 18, is 7-for-16 with three extra-base hits to begin his 2026 season. He already has five walks to only three strikeouts. His 1.359 OPS through 16 at-bats is an improvement on his .850 mark in 2024 (79 at-bats) and .859 mark in 2025 (123 at-bats).

• RHP Camden Lohman: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 SO (7.45 ERA)
• RHP Yoralbert Cadiz: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO (2.61 ERA)
• RHP Jean Brito: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO (2.61 ERA)

Lohman entered the game in the third inning and struggled mightily. He was only able to record one out as he walked four hitters and allowed two hits which resulted in six runs coming across to score.

Cadiz and Brito continued their respective strong starts to the season. Cadiz struck out five across 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Meanwhile, Brito was perfect over the final two innings of the game. Each have a 2.61 ERA on the season.

Dominican Summer League

DSL Mets Orange 15 (4-1), DSL NYY Bombers 14 (1-4)

Box Score

• SS Cleiner Ramirez: 3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI (1.091 OPS)
• LF Jhonael Cuello: 3-5, 2B, 5 RBI (1.228 OPS)
• RHP Oscar Montero: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB (135.00 ERA)
• RHP Derlin Rojas: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 SO (0.00 ERA)

The wildest game in the Mets’ minor league system Saturday came in the Dominican Summer League. Mets Orange scored 15 runs on nine hits and six Bombers’ errors.

Ramirez and Cuello led the way offensively combining to drive in eight runs. Ramirez cracked two homers and now has six hits through his first 20 professional at-bats. The 17-year-old is listed at 5-foot-9.

Rojas, 18, notched his first professional win calming things down over 2 2/3 innings after Montero started the game and was only able to record one out before being removed from the contest after allowing six runs (five earned).

DSL Arizona Red 12 (3-2), DSL Mets Blue 3 (3-2)

Box Score

• RF Henry Manrique: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB (1.460 OPS)
• 3B Michalle Mercedes: 2-3 (.889 OPS)
• RHP Edgardo Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO (18.00 ERA)

Mets Blue committed four errors on Saturday en route to a 12-3 defeat. Manrique and Jesus Minaya had the team’s two lone extra-base hits. Rodriguez and Henderson Hernandez were the only two Mets pitchers who did not allow an earned run.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Santucci Turns In Gem For Binghamton appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jack Wenninger. Photo by Herm Card

Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings 5 (34-21), Syracuse Mets 3 (28-27)

Box Score

• 1B Ryan Clifford: 2-4, 2B, BB (.767 OPS)
• 2B Christian Arroyo: 2-4, HR, RBI (.779 OPS)
• DH Ji Hwan Bae: 2-4, SB (.787 OPS)

Syracuse only mustered three runs despite nine hits on Saturday. The Mets went a staggering 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, stranding 12 runners on base.

Syracuse’s No. 2, 3, and 4 each had two hits. Bae, Arroyo, and Clifford each have an OPS above .767 on the season. Clifford, who doubled on Saturday, has an .800 OPS in May despite only hitting .222.

• RHP Jack Wenninger: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 2 SO (2.80 ERA)
• RHP Zach Peek: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO (1.59 ERA)
• LHP Matt Turner: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO (2.84 ERA)

Jack Wenninger followed up the worst start of his 2026 season on May 24 with another troublesome one on Saturday. For the second-straight game, Wenninger allowed four earned runs. Across his last two starts, 9 1/3 innings, the former sixth-round pick has allowed 14 hits and eight earned runs. He had a 1.53 ERA prior to his last two rough outings.

Jorge Polanco. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies 4 (18-32), Portland Sea Dogs 3 (25-24)

Box Score

• CF D’Andre Smith: 2-2, BB (.653 OPS)
• C Vincent Perozo: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI (.693 OPS)
• 1B Jorge Polanco: 0-2, 2 K (1.571 OPS)

Veteran Jorge Polanco continued his rehab on Saturday. Polanco went 0-for-2 at the plate with two strikeouts. It was his first hitless appearance since his return, as he went 2-for-3 with a home run over his first two games. Polanco played three innings at first base.

• RHP Bryce Conley: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO (5.33 ERA)
• RHP Douglas Orellana: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO (3.47 ERA)
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO (2.92 ERA)

Behind a seven-strikeout outing by Conley, Orellana and Guzman combined to throw four innings of scoreless ball. Orellana, 24, has a 3.47 ERA across 23 1/3 innings this season. He had a 2.96 ERA across 51 2/3 innings in Double-A and Triple-A last season. A trip up to Triple-A Syracuse should be on the horizon.

Irving Cota. Photo by Ed Delany, Metsmerized

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones 8 (16-33), Wilmington Blue Rocks 1 (26-23)

Box Score

• 2B Mitch Voit: 2-4, HR, 2 R (.707 OPS)
• RF John Bay: 1-2, RBI, BB, 3 R, SB (.821 OPS)
• CF Yonatan Henriquez: 3-4, HR, 2 R (.465 OPS)
• LF Will Benson: 2-4, 3 RBIs (.689 OPS)

The Cyclones’ offense had a rare big day on Saturday. Their .609 OPS ranks dead-last by a large margin in the South Atlantic League, however, they were able to put across eight runs on Saturday.

Voit, Henriquez, and Benson each had multi-hit games. Bay, who has been a lone bright spot all season long for Binghamton, went 1-for-2, but scored three runs and stole his 13th base of the season. The undrafted free agent from Austin Peay had an .875 OPS across 83 at-bats to being his professional career last season.

Benson, who recently earned a call-up from High-A St. Lucie, is riding a five-game hitting streak (7-for-19, .368 average), raising his season High-A average to .250 after beginning his High-A career 1-for-13.

• RHP Irving Cota: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO (0.73 ERA)
• RHP Dakota Hawkins: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO (3.18 ERA)
• RHP: Tanner Witt: 2.0 IP, 0 H, o R, 1 BB, 6 SO, W (9.88 ERA)

Cota has been sensational while pitching for High-A Brooklyn this season. Through 24 2/3 innings he has allowed only 13 hits and two runs (0.73 ERA). A second chance with Binghamton (Double-A) is likely in the offing. He made one start for Binghamton (Double-A) earlier this year and allowed nine hits and five runs over 4 2/3 innings.

Witt, who has already pitched for three different organizational levels this season, had a sensational Saturday in a bulk role behind Cota. All six outs he recorded over his two innings of work were via the strikeout. The 14th-round pick in 2024 cumulatively had a 9.78 ERA in 19 1/3 innings across the High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels this season.

Single-A

St. Lucie Mets 6 (24-23), Bradenton Marauders 3 (24-25) F/10

Box Score

• RF/1B Randy Guzman: 3-5, HR, 2 RBIs (.865 OPS)
• PH/RF AJ Salgado: 1-1, 3B, RBI, R (.832 OPS)
• SS Elian Peña: 0-5, R, SB (.812 OPS)

Guzman launched his ninth home run of the season in the first inning to get the scoring started for St. Lucie on Saturday. He added two more hits later on as well, raising his season OPS to .865. Guzman, 21, had an .899 OPS across 252 at-bats in the Florida Complex League and Single-A levels last season. He is continuing his 2025 successes thus far in 2026.

Despite going hitless, Peña stole his 15th base of the season after reaching via an error. His OPS is still above .800 at .812 despite the 0-for-5 Saturday.

St. Lucie scored four in the 10th inning en route to the extra-innings victory. Salgado had a pinch-hit triple and scored after Peña reached on the aforementioned error. Guzman then singled-home Peña before St. Lucie added their fourth and final run of the frame.

• RHP Emilio Obispo: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO (2.33 ERA)
• RHP Christian Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 2 SO (1.71 ERA)

At a mere 19-years-old Obispo is now six games (three starts) through his second professional season. Through 19 1/3 innings, he has struck out 22. His five innings of two-hit ball on Saturday was one of his most impressive outings of his very young professional career.

Rodriguez has been one of the best pitchers in the organization this season. He has a 1.76 ERA, .196 batting average against, and a 0.99 WHIP across 26 1/3 innings of sparkling relief this season.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Jorge Polanco Plays Three Innings At First Base In Rehab appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In that Saturday affair, the Mets were credited 14 hard-hit balls, 11 of which came against Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher Merrill Kelly. Kelly entered the night with a 9.95 ERA and had not been able to cross the five inning threshold in each of his four starts on the year. Somehow, the veteran gave up 11 balls hit at 95 mph or greater, which has been at the root of his woes (22nd percentile hard-hit rate, 1st percentile barrel rate) and 9.95 ERA this season, but, was able to survive it and get through seven innings of three-hit, one-run ball.

Everyone in the New York lineup, outside of Francisco Alvarez, was credited with a hard-hit ball and six of the nine had two. The Mets put 21 balls in play on Saturday; eight of them both went 349 feet or further and 100 mph or faster. Despite this, New York only had three hits and a single run. That is the definition of not exactly getting the results you are deserved.

Exit velocities and expected statistics are just that, and ultimately do not matter in the present if they are not turning into hits. However, one thing that has been proven time in and time out is expected statistics are a great predictor of future outcomes or successes. Especially when done over and over again. Unfortunately, that did not translate for the Mets on Saturday, and, has not been overall this season.

Entering Saturday, the Mets’ offense ranked near the bottom of the league in several tangible offensive categories:

• Batting average: 28th
• Slugging percentage: 30th
• Weighted on-base percentage: 29th

However, when you look at the expected statistics, the Mets’ offense, still not ranking elite by any means, are rated much better:

• Expected batting average: 16th
• Expected slugging percentage: 14th
• Expected weighted on-base percentage: 25th

Following along with the theme of the team’s offense underperforming, several individual Met hitters are vastly underperforming their expected statistics. Among 251 qualified hitters, here are the numbers of Mets inside the top-55 in terms of most “unlucky” in a specific statistic:

• Difference between batting average and expected batting average: 4
• Difference between slugging and expected slugging percentage: 5
• Difference between weighted on-base percentage and expected weighted on-base percentage: 4

As you can see, several Mets are at the top of the leaderboards when it comes to underperforming their expected outcomes. On the surface, four-to-five players does not seem like a lot, but that is half of your everyday lineup not getting the results they “deserve.” If the Mets offense was just closer to league average, as the expected statistics say they should be, paired with the deserved strong pitching results they’ve been getting, the team would be nowhere near nine games under .500.

The good news is as the laws of averages say, if, both, as a team and individually, the Mets keep underperforming their relatively decent-to-strong expected statistics, you are bound to see some positive regression. At nine games under .500 New York needs that positive regression fast. And, unfortunately for them, especially if they start seeing their expected numbers fade, it is nowhere near a given they will see that hoped better performances at the plate.

The post Mets’ Offense Remains Snakebitten Against Diamondbacks appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

As mentioned, Holmes was strong once again. His only blip came in the game’s first inning as he walked the first two hitters of the game and allowed a run-scoring single. After that, he settled in and was clean the rest of the way. His day ended after a bounced-throw by Bo Bichette was mishandled by Mark Vientos. Nearing 100 pitches, manager Carlos Mendoza removed Holmes 1/3 inning shy of getting through seven.

In all, Holmes went 6 2/3 innings allowing four hits and one run. He walked three but struck out six. He threw a season-high 99 pitches. As a result, his sparkling ERA is down to 1.69. A league-leading mark.

Following Holmes, Weaver threw 1 1/3 of clean ball, striking out three. Brooks Raley then came on with a four-run lead in the ninth inning and brought the Mets home.

Offensively, New York was relatively quiet until a big eighth inning provided the club with some insurance. Prior to that, the only scoring was a two-run homer off the bat of Mark Vientos in the fourth inning. This gave the Mets a 2-1 lead and they did not look back.

In the eighth, Carson Benge, who also walked twice, lined a double down the line to score Brett Baty, who was hit by a pitch to begin the inning. Vientos then drove in Benge via his second home run of the game. That spelled the end to all the scoring as New York held on for the 5-1 victory.

This was the Mets first road series since April 2-5 in San Francisco.

Player of the Game: Mark Vientos

Mark Vientos looked like the player he was in 2024 on Sunday. He smashed two home runs raising his season OPS from .650 to .737. He finished the game 2-for-4 with the two homers and four RBIs. With all the injuries the Mets are battling, the re-emergence of Vientos would be monumental.

On Deck

The Mets are right back in action Monday night in Colorado. The first game of the three-game set is slated for a 8:40 pm ET first pitch. Tomoyuki Sugano is the Rockies’ probable starter. The Mets have not officially announced a pitcher, but David Peterson is expected to see action in some capacity.

The post Mets Notch 5-1 Victory To Capture Series Over The Angels appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to Mike Puma of the NY Post, the Mets are expected to call-up infielder Vidal Bruján.

You can read more about Bruján and what he may bring to the Mets below.

Original  Post –

The New York Mets suffered another injury blow and to a position that their depth is being tested greatly. On Saturday, Ronny Mauricio fractured his wrist diving into first base. As a result, he will now surely miss time and the Mets will have to make another recall from Triple-A Syracuse.

After the game manager Carlos Mendoza noted current third baseman Bo Bichette is, “in the conversation” to replace Mauricio as the team’s everyday shortstop. So, whoever the Mets recall from Syracuse will need to have some versatility throughout the infield.

With that being said, what are some of the options that make the most sense?

Vidal Bruján. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Vidal Bruján seems to be by far the most realistic option. Bruján is the definition of infielder versatility thus far as he’s started 13 games at shortstop, six at second base, and five at third base for the Syracuse Mets in 2026. At the plate, Bruján is slashing .241/.304/.313 (.617 OPS) across 83 at-bats.

As for his major-league experience the 28-year-old has five years experience with five different teams. He owns a career .543 OPS (.199 batting average) across 584 at-bats in the big leagues.

Bruján has played 84 games at second base, 56 at shortstop, and 36 at third base. He has also gotten a lot of run in the outfield (67 games). As far as defensive runs saved (DRS) and outs above average (OAA) he’s a negative defender at each of the three infield positions besides his DRS at shortstop.

Three other Triple-A options are Eric Wagaman, Christian Arroyo, and Jackson Cluff.

Wagaman, who was acquired via waivers, is an option if New York flips Bichette to shortstop while Lindor heals. Wagaman slashed .250/.296/.378 (.674 OPS) across 476 at-bats in 2025 for the Miami Marlins. He hit nine homers and drove in 53 runs. The underlying metrics painted a much stronger picture than the .674 OPS.

The only downside to Wagaman as an option is most of his big league experience has come at first base. He did play 151 1/3 innings at third for the Angels in 2024. He also 54 1/3 innings at third base in Triple-A this season.

Christian Arroyo. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Arroyo has the most major league experience of the group. Across seven seasons, he’s slashing .252/.299/.394 (.693 OPS). He has just under 1,000 major league plate appearances. For Triple-A Syracuse this season he has excelled early on at the plate slashing .304/.351/.406 (.757 OPS).

The 30-year-old has always been a relatively strong defender at second base, where he has spent the majority of his time in the big leagues. He also has played 447 innings at third base and 195 1/3 at shortstop throughout his major-league career.

Lastly, Cluff, like Bruján, has extreme versatility in the infield. He’s played 81 innings at shortstop, 58 2/3 at second base, and 53 at third base for Triple-A Syracuse in 2026. The 29-year-old is only slashing .139/.222/.292 (.514 OPS) though. He owns a career .680 OPS in the minors and has yet to make an appearance at the big-league level.

One would expect an announcement of Mauricio to the injured list and a call-up of one of the individuals listed above prior to the team’s series finale in Anaheim on Sunday.

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The Pham experience went very poorly for the Mets. After the 38-year-old went 2-for-12 for Single-A St. Lucie as he prepared for major-league action, he went hitless across 13 at-bats with the Mets striking out seven times. Pham posted a .700 OPS across 392 at-bats with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season.

As for Slater, the Miami Marlins designated him for assignment on April 23. This coming after he went 4-for-23 (.174 batting average) with nine strikeouts to begin the season. The right-handed hitter played all his games in the field for Miami in right.

Slater posted a .642 OPS and a -0.1 bWAR across 148 at-bats in 2025 across two organizations. Slater posted his two best big-league seasons in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, he had a .744 OPS and a 1.4 bWAR while in 2022 he had a .774 OPS and a 1.6 bWAR. Slater, an outfielder, has predominantly played in left and right with some brief appearances in center. The last time he played the majority of his time in center was 2022.

The 33-year-old Florida native has a career .263/.354/.423 (.777 OPS) slash line against left-handed pitching. He has struggled mightily against righties (.642 OPS). Throughout his career, he has always been a high-walk hitter relying on a usually minuscule chase rate. This evidence by a 10.3% career walk rate which is comfortably above the 8.5% major-leave average. He, however, has also struck out a lot in his career (28.1% career rate; major-league average is 22.5%) aided by high whiff rates.

Defensively, Slater has always had, and still has, an extremely strong arm but his range has steadily declined after being above the league’s 50th percentage in outs above average 2021 and 2022.

One would expect Slater to be in the lineup whenever the Mets face left-handed pitching. Entering today, New York was hitting .219 against left-handed pitching which ranked 24th. They also had the third-fewest walks in the league which is also something that Slater may be able to help.

The post Report: Mets Sign Austin Slater, DFA Tommy Pham appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets’ ace, Nolan McLean, was on the mound and was once again on cruise control to begin the game. He ran into issues in the fourth and sixth innings, ultimately seeing his day end in the sixth.

In the fourth, McLean loaded the bases by giving up a couple hard singles and then a walk. After another single, which scored the game’s first run, he buckled down and struck out Kyle Karros before getting Brett Sullivan to ground into a 1-2-3 double play.

McLean was not able to repeat the Houdini act in the sixth, as he was removed from the game after Mark Vientos threw the ball into the runner headed to second base, loading the bases with no outs. Huascar Brazobán limited the damaging allowing only one of the inherited runners to score. This left McLean’s final line as: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 7 SO. He is at a 2.55 ERA through his first sixth starts of the season.

Brazobán allowed a run, this time his own, to score in the seventh before Austin Warren pitched clean frames in the eighth and ninth innings.

Overall, the Mets’ offense was limited to four hits by Jose Quintana, Juan Mejia, Jaden Hill, and Victor Vodnik. Quintana entered the game with a 6.23 ERA and Mejia a 6.17 ERA. They combined to throw seven innings of one-run ball.

New York loaded the bases in each the first and eight innings with one out, but stranded all six runners without converting a run. The Mets have now scored two or fewer runs in 12 of their 27 games this season.

Player of the Game: Austin Warren

Warren, the Mets’ 27th-man, was strong again. He posted two innings of scoreless ball in the eighth and ninth innings. He did not allow a hit and struck out one. Add in his three-strikeout performance against the Twins with the bases loaded last time out, he has put forth two consecutive extremely strong outings.

On Deck

The Mets are right back at it for the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader. The projected pitching matchup is Chase Dollander versus Kodai Senga.

The post Lifeless Offense Dooms Mets In 3-1 Loss To Begin Doubleheader appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

A.J. Ewing (Double-A)

A.J. Ewing is out to a phenomenal start for Double-A Binghamton. Entering the season Ewing was Metsmerized’s No. 4 prospect, and he is showing exactly why.

The 21-year-old currently has a slash line of .345/.466/.552 (1.017 OPS).  Of his 20 hits, eight are extra-base with two being home runs. He has also already stolen 10 bases, getting caught only once. Ewing has walked (14) more than he has struck out (13). His wRC+ of 170 ranks 47th of 944 qualified hitters at any level in the minor leagues.

It is great to see the versatile (12 games in center field, four games at second base) former fourth-round pick carry over his spring training successes. Before being reassigned to minor league camp, Ewing went 8-for-21 (.381 batting average) with a 1.090 OPS in spring training with the big club.

Elian Pena. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Elian Peña (Single-A)

Elian Peña was Metsmerized’s preseason No. 9 prospect, but based off what he has done so far, he will likely find himself near the top of that list soon. Peña, who received the largest international signing bonus handed out by the Mets ever, has been dominating Single-A baseball for St. Lucie.

Through 87 plate appearances, Peña is slashing .329/.448/.457 (.905 OPS). He has walked (15) more than he has struck out (13). Peña has also already stolen eight bases while being caught only once.

The only knock thus far this season on Peña has been the so-so power. Of his 23 hits, only seven are extra-base. At only 18-year-old, Peña will surely continue to put on more mass in return developing that power. Regardless, an extremely encouraging start for a prospect with sky-high expectations.

JT Benson (Single-A)

The 24-year-old JT Bensons certainly the least flashy name on this list but has began the season terrifically for Single-A St. Lucie. Benson played college ball at the University of Louisville followed by shorts stints in two independent leagues before being signed by the Mets’ organization.

Through his first 50 professional at-bats, Benson is slashing .320/.404/.580 (.984 OPS). Benson has been a bit swing happy, as unlike the first two on this list, as he has 11 strikeouts already to only three walks.

Benson is an extremely intriguing prospect. He dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference in his final two seasons at Louisville posting an OPS of .894 his junior season then .963 his senior year. Then, he had a massive full season for Evansville in the Frontier League in 2025, posting 10 homers, 40 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and an .889 OPS.

The 15 games he has gotten with St. Lucie is a very small sample size, but his performance as the season prolongs is certainly worth watching.

John Bay (High-A)

John Bay joins Benson as the two who did not make Metsmerized’s preseason prospect rankings but are on this list. Bay is an undrafted free agent, like Benson, who is now one of the lone bright spots for a Brooklyn Cyclones team that is 4-14.

Through 54 at-bats, Bay is only hitting .241 but has a .842 OPS. He has already hit two homers to go along with three doubles and a triple. He is also a perfect four-for-four as far as stolen bases go.

Bay, a former college teammate of Nolan McLean, transferred out of Oklahoma State in 2022 and spent the remaining of his college career in the Atlantic Sun conference with Austin Peay. He posted a monster final season, slugging 22 homers with 66 RBIs and a 1.276 OPS earning himself a deal with the Mets’ organization as an undrafted free agent.

The post Four Mets Minor League Hitters Off To A Hot Start In 2026 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.