Of course, it has not, and a day after McLean offered a glimpse of what could have been, Peralta provided a reminder in Toronto that seasons aren’t played on paper.

Peralta (5-7) allowed five earned runs on seven hits over four innings, the Met offense went missing and the Blue Jays (41-46) coasted to a 9-3 victory Wednesday in a rubber game at Rogers Centre on Canada Day. The last-place Mets (36-51) have lost 10 of 12.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Blue Jays scored a run in the first on a Kazuma Okamoto RBI infield single and loaded the bases with one out, but Peralta escaped further damage, ending the inning with a strikeout of Ernie Clement on a 98 mph fastball.

But Clement had his revenge in the third when he connected for an RBI double to make it 2-0 and then rookie Sean Keys followed with a three-run blast that was his first MLB homer in his third game. The Long Island native (Harborfields High School, Greenlawn) made his big-league debut on Saturday.

Toronto added four runs in the seventh off Cionel Perez (Daulton Varsho, RBI single, Myles Straw, three-run homer) to turn a game that already felt out of reach into a laugher.

Carson Benge hit a two-run homer in the eighth, his 10th of the season. He also doubled in the third. Francisco Lindor homered in the ninth, his second in three games.

Stat of the Game

A year after posting a career-best 2.70 ERA over 176 2/3 innings, Peralta’s ERA jumped to 4.81, which ranked 59th of 64 qualified starters in MLB as of the end of the game.

He starts July where he left off in June. He pitched to a 6.39 ERA in five starts last month, which included a game where he allowed 10 earned runs on 10 hits in Philadelphia. A month and two days before the trade deadline, his name is surfacing in rumors.

Player of the Game

The woman who sang “O Canada” was inspiring. Check it out here. Honorable mention to Benge with his homer and double.

On Deck

The Mets are off Thursday. They start a four-game series in Atlanta on Friday with Christian Scott (2-0, 3.20) on the mound. The Braves (49-34) have not announced a starter. Game time on WPIX is 7:15 p.m. ET.

The post Peralta Pounded, Mets Drop Game, Series to Blue Jays appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

He broke down his views of the organization, hopes fans see he cares, and broke down both concerns he has, as well as reasons to be optimistic.

On the Mets Poor Season

On the Mets poor season Cohen said he would have never expected the team’s poor performance based on the moves they have made. He mentioned that losing Soto and Lindor had a big impact on the Mets’ ability to have success. He mentioned younger players that have underperformed. And most of all he brought up the Mets inability to performing in one run games or in late innings. Cohen also mentioned that he has seen players need an adjustment period to life and playing in New York, and said that maybe the Mets did not factor that heavily enough.

Cohen stated that he still watched every game with his family and gets ripped by his father-in-law plenty around the dinner table. He said he wanted to do something great for New York and feels he is failing the fan base.

On David Stearns

Cohen described Stearns as incredibly thorough and that he knows what he is talking about. He said he does not leave conversations disagreeing with Stearns line of thought and that halfway through the contract he feels recency bias has been too heavily viewed. He brought up the 2024 NLCS run and said that while the last three years have been a mixed bag, there has been plenty of good.

Cohen also said that you cannot make rash decisions on small sample sizes and continually “churn and burn” or no one will want to come to the organization. “It’s a five year contract and we are going to live that contract out”. He did later go on to say he will always continue to evaluate things year to year but is moving forward with Stearns at the head of the organization.

Cohen also stated that important qualities to him are that the person running his club are adaptable and reflective and said that Stearns has those qualities. Cohen said he wants to be as hands off as he can as an owner but is working with Stearns to evaluate what mistakes they feel they made, what underperformance was from that, what was from variance, and what changes need to be made.

He continued on to say that if they get into year five of the contract and things have still not turned around things can change, but he has faith in Stearns and his plan, as well as his ability to make adjustments.

On Carlos Mendoza

The decision to retain Carlos Mendoza came down to “are we going to extend Carlos Mendoza’s contract?” He said both he and Stearns agreed they would not and it was a joint decision it was the right time to move on. He also said that where the team was, and what Mendoza had to go through each night after each loss, firing him was a “mercy shot” knowing they did not plan to retain him for the 2027 season. Cohen said the clubs performance also influenced this with the six errors in one game followed by two the next game.

On Any Regrets

Cohen said he stepped in on trying to push to bring back Edwin Diaz though Diaz in the end choose he would rather be a Dodger. He said at the beginning of the offseason he probably would not have expected the Mets to retain one of Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil but there were reasons for each of them to not be here anymore. He said they were great Mets and he still roots for them and the team needs to look forward. He also says that it is too early to evaluate those moves. Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo still have four years left on their contracts.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On the Mets Future

Steve Cohen said he is “extremely worried” about the trend lines in the major league level performance and some of the minor league regressions. He did mention that development is not linear and that some players have turned things around.

On the positive side, the Mets have graduated three very good prospects into strong major leaguers in Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, and A.J. Ewing. Cohen said he is glad to see they have a set outfield with two homegrown players as well as a strong bullpen.

Cohen mentioned that depending on who opts out or not could affect their flexibility for 2027 and they do not yet know who will be replaced from the farm vs outside player acquisition. He also said that will be a lot clearer in a few months. But the not knowing is always concerning to Cohen and the moves forward will be an opportunity for the front office to show how creative they are.

In 2023 the Mets sold, and each offseason Cohen has been willing to spend. When asking about going into the trade deadline whether or not the Mets will sell Cohen asked “what are the playoff odds?” He said this season reminds him of 2023 and while selling is not his preference he is willing to sell if it is clear they do not have a path to the playoffs. As for the offseason Cohen said he has no issue losing money on the Mets and that financially he will be ok.

As for how the next CBA, he said he does not know if any constraints will be put on him but he will look to maximize as much as he can within the rules. Cohen described himself as a “league first guy” and that he will allow the labor committee to do their thing and any changes made will be enacted post 2027 and should not affect short term plans. Cohen mentioned that there is still quite some time until the CBA expires and said that he won’t even assume there is a lockout and that both sides can’t agree before then.

Cohen has not hired anyone external to evaluate the Mets decision making progress and just wants to know where he can add value. He mentioned that every team has its own philosophy and that means at times you will not sign players other teams are willing to give more term to and other times you will determine a player is worth that risk. Overall he said he supports the teams processes but also wants to continue to be adaptable.

Cohen wants to be more involved going forward, asking more questions, drilling down into why certain outcomes happened, and asking “how did this happen” and “what decisions led to this”.

He said that good process can lead to unpredictable outcomes all the time and it is important to determine whether the process is flawed, or if the results happened due to variance. If they trust the process they do not want to radically change due to outlier outcomes but it is Cohen’s view that his job is to hold the organization accountable. He does not yet know what he will find or what he will want to see change.

Cohen mentioned that there are plenty of reasons for optimism for the future. He mentioned what his organization viewpoint was in 2023 and then the Mets made the NLCS the next season. He mentioned how players regularly have positive regression to the mean and bounce back, how teams have had terrible seasons and won the world series the next year and how prospects can pop up in a season that weren’t previously on your radar for that time period. He also said that they have a lot of roster and payroll flexibility after 2027.

On Soto and Lindor

Cohen stated he does not expect to consider trading Soto or Lindor. “I don’t see them going anywhere”.

Cohen did confirm the New York Post reporting by Mike Puma in the offseason that there was friction between Soto and Lindor during the 2025 season. This is not uncommon with two stars on a baseball team – Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez did not get along and won a world series together. He said their relationship is stronger and any issues have been resolved.

On the Next Manager

Steve Cohen confirmed Andy Green will be going back to the front office and said that is Green’s choice. He said he is taking him at his face value when he says that is what he wants.

Cohen does not expect there to be a shortage of candidates for the manager position and will let that process help them determine the best candidate.

On Cohen’s Recent Twitter Posts

Cohen was very unhappy that almost immediately after he began tweeting he was hurled with antisemitic comments. He specifically said “that’s a problem”.

On the fan who removed for being belligerent at the game, Sherman asked what Cohen is ok with in terms of fans voicing their displeasure. Cohen confirmed that the fan was not removed because of what they wrote on the sign, but because the security received multiple complaints from other fans in attendance. Per what Cohen was told, the fan was asked by security to sit down during innings and to stop what he was doing earlier in the game but continued leading to his removal. It should be noted that per fans in attendance who posted pictures of their signs, this was not the only fan with a ‘fire Stearns’ sign at the game but was the only one removed.

Cohen described twitter as place that has become “a lot less fun and a terrible place to communicate” and that he wants to find new ways to communicate with fans.

On the Coaching Staff

Heyman mentioned how Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio have not developed as you may hope and asked if the coaching staff is part of that. Cohen said that it is possible the huge coach turnover could have an impact in this, but also relationships take time to develop and it could be too early to really evaluate the coaches.

The post Steve Cohen Speaks With New York Post appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Happy Canada Day! The Mets look to take the series from the Blue Jays this afternoon in Toronto! The Mets had lost four of their last five games going into last night’s bout with the Blue Jays. Each loss was by exactly one run. Last night the Mets offense hit two solo homers and scratched out a late insurance run to beat the Blue Jays 3-0. Hopefully it’s enough momentum to carry the team to a series victory today!

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Francisco Lindor – SS
5. A.J. Ewing – CF
6. Francisco Alvarez – C
7. Jared Young – 1B
8. Brett Baty – 2B
9. Tyrone Taylor – LF

Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta

Every Peralta start from here on is important. Either the Mets are going to go on a legendary run, or the Mets are going to have a fire sale. A fire sale would be centered around Freddy Peralta. Peralta has made 17 starts totaling 91 1/3 innings with a 4.53 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.369 WHIP and a 91 ERA+. He allowed three runs, all unearned, in his last start totaling 5 2/3 innings while striking out five batters. It was a nice bounce back from his previous start where he allowed 10 runs from 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays have the following career stats against Peralta:

• Andrés Giménez 0-5, K
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 0-6, K
• Alejandro Kirk 1-2, 2B
• Nathan Lukes 0-2
• Myles Straw 0-2, K
• Luis Urias 0-2, 2 K
• Daulton Varsho 1-6, BB, 2 K

Opposing Lineup

1. Nathan Lukes – RF
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
3. Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
4. Daulton Varsho 0 CF
5. Alejandro Kirk – C
6. Yohendrick Pinango – LF
7. Ernie Clement – 2B
8. Sean Keys – DH
9. Andrés Giménez – SS

Braydon Fisher has pitched in 41 games already this season totaling 44 innings with five starts. He has a 3.48 ERA, 4.47 FIP, 1.136 WHIP and a 130 ERA+. He has pitched 5 2/3 innings over his five starts as an opener allowing no runs on three hits and four walks while striking out seven. In his last two outings he has pitched three innings allowing four runs, three earned on two homers. No one on the Mets has faced Fisher in a Major League game before.

Game Notes

Steve Cohen said David Stearns will be with the Mets for the duration of his five-year contract.

Ryan Clifford will be the Mets lone representative in the All-Star Futures Game.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Still searching for hits with RISP. Despite the Mets win yesterday, they still haven’t found any recent success with runners in scoring position. On Sunday the Mets went 2-for-16 with RISP leaving 14 runners on base. Monday the Mets went 0-for-9 with RISP leaving seven on base. Last night the Mets went 0-for-7 with RISP leaving seven again on base. All together in their last three games the Mets have gone 2-for-32 with RISP leaving 28 runners on base.
2. Mets are slowing flashing more power. Luis Torrens and Francisco Alvarez each hit solo homers last night. Francisco Lindor hit his third home run of the season on Monday night. Slowly the Mets are starting to show more signs of power returning to their lineup. They currently have 96 home runs as a team and sit 17th in the majors. In 2025 the Mets were 5th in the league and 2024 they were 6th.
3. Juan Soto is quietly putting together another Juan Soto season. Juan Soto picked up two more walks yesterday brining him to 45 on the season and ten walks in his last eight games played. He has a league leading .971 OPS and 170 OPS+. It seems like over the last week or so teams are pitching around Soto, betting (correctly) that the hitters behind him won’t bring him home.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Game Chat: Mets vs Blue Jays, 3:07 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

This was a much needed public showing of support for a president of baseball operations that has come under fire for the major league team’s poor performance. And some of that is absolutely warranted. The Mets have one of the worst records in baseball. The major league acquisitions have been a mixed bag over the last two years with Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr. and Frankie Montas missing most of playing time to date, Sean Manaea and Bo Bichette having mixed, up and down results, while Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Luke Weaver, Griffin Canning, and Clay Holmes overall thrived in the contracts Stearns signed them to.

But as Will Sammon and Tim Britton of the Athletic pointed out, the Mets have had nine different lead executives over the last ten years. As they wrote “Turnover at this level is largely unprecedented and untenable.” They also wrote “If they fire Stearns, as justifiable as much of the fanbase would view it, a lot of other execs in the game would once again be shy about taking this specific job.”

The New York Post preview also confirmed that Stearns is going to “live out” the remainder of his five-year contract. This is desperately needed stability for an organization top down that has had unprecedented turnover for the better part of a decade.

The post Steve Cohen Throws Full Support Behind David Stearns appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The final day of the month seemed to be a bit of the reverse of what has happened throughout the season with the only two winning teams being Binghamton and Brooklyn as both offenses scored five runs.

Triple-A

Worcester (38-40) 15, Syracuse (42-40) 5

Box Score

• CF Luis Robert Jr. 1-for-2, BB
• DH Jorge Polanco: 0-for-3
• 1B Ryan Clifford: 0-for-4, 3 K
• RF Nick Morabito: 3-for-5, 2B
• PH/DH MJ Melendez: 1-for-2, HR, R, 2 RBI

Luis Robert Jr. got a hit on his first rehab at bat, worked a walk, and had a hard hit fly out. He was busy in center field early in the game, making all three outs in the second inning. He looked good in the outfield. Jorge Polanco did not record a hit, but he put the ball in play three times. Ryan Clifford continues to struggle heavily but Nick Morabito is quickly approaching an .800 OPS. His biggest change in June? Pulling the ball in the air more.

• RHP Daniel Duarte: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (L)
• RHP Jack Weisenburger: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• RHP Adbert Alzolay: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Ofreidy Gómez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• LHP Dylan Ross: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• RHP Matt Turner: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

The only positive of the pitching this game was that Matt Turner did not give up any runs. They tried using Daniel Duarte as an opener and it did not work. Everyone else gave up runs including four home runs. There were no real positives from this pitching performance.

Double-A

Binghamton (28-47) 5, Chesapeake (31-42) 3 

Box Score

• C Chris Suero: 2-for-4, 2B, SB

Chris Suero is officially over the mendoza line! His season average is now at .205. He overall had a strong June, slashing .237/.363/.487/.850. You will notice this as a trend in June when I discuss Brooklyn success stories, but Chris Suero, in addition to hitting the ball hard, pulls the ball in the air at high rate. His 78.8% zone contact in June was also the highest of any month of his this season. It is still 38th percentile, but that is an improvement from 70.7% (5th percentile).

• LHP Jonathan Santucci: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• RHP Jordan Gerber: 0.0 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• LHP Danis Correa: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (H)
• LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (H)
• RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP. 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (S)

Jonathan Santucci was dealing when the game was stopped for rain and unfortunately he was unable to come back in when the game resumed due to the long delay. The bullpen held the lead with Saul Garcia locking down the save.

Santucci followed his strong May with an even stronger June pitching to a 3.15 ERA across four starts. Maybe a trip to Syracuse could be in his near future, and from there he is only a short trip away from the majors. Lance Brozdowski recently has Santucci as one of his top forty pitching prospects, praising his “devastating” slider. On Santucci he wrote, “If it wasn’t already clear, the Mets are very good at pitching development. They nailed the Santucci pick in the 2024 draft, targeting a name that underperformed that year and immediately changing a few things to make him a pitcher that actually has a shot to be an MLB arm as opposed to one that was largely a project built on performance from multiple years ago.”

Mitch Voit. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A

Brooklyn (31-44) 5, Frederick (46-28) 3

Box Score

• SS Mitch Voit: 2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI
• 1B Ronald Hernandez: 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-for-4

Mitch Voit has looked incredible in June slashing .299/.427/.442/.869. This does not seem to be pure luck. In June he is running an 86.3% zone contact rate (86th percentile), 19.6% whiff rate (92nd percentile), 23.5% chase rate (72nd percentile). He also hit seven extra base hits and has gotten to more power by pulling the ball in the air at a higher rate.

Ronald Hernandez, who the Mets acquired in 2023 from the Marlins when they traded David Robertson, has quietly had a strong two months. In May he slashed .263/.371/.461/.832 and in June he slashed .273/.401/.409/.818. He is right around league average in zone contact, whiff, and strikeout rate, but he pulls the ball in the air a ton and gets his walks. Hernandez was a catcher when the mets acquired him but they have been trying him at first base recently.

Daiverson Gutierrez also had a strong June slashing .270/.341/.459/.800. His contact profile is incredible and in June his 90.6% zone contact rate was in the 99th percentile. He has struggled to tap into his power at all, but his nine extra base hits in June and has begun to pull the ball in the air at an incredible rate – 25.8% in June!

• LHP Daviel Hurtado: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (W)
• LHP Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• RHP Parker Carlson: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (H)
• RHP Ryan Dollar: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (S)

Daviel Hurtado is having a great season in Brooklyn, pitching to a 1.57 ERA and 0.55 WHIP across seven starts. He pounds the zone and while he does not run very high whiff or strikeout rates, he is elite at generating ground balls and limiting walks. He throws two fastball shapes and uses them for contact suppression. His velocity has been ticking up making it more of a weapon. His bullet slider is his best pitch and he tunnels it well with his curveball. He commands all of his pitches very well.

Single-A

Tampa (42-34) 6, St. Lucie (35-39) 0

Box Score

• SS Elian Peña: 0-for-4, K
• 3B Antonio Jimenez: 1-for-4, 2 R
• 2B Trey Snyder: 0-for-4

The St. Lucie Mets offense struggled amassing only three hits, zero walks, and scoring zero runs. Trey Snyder has struggled as of late but has begun to work in second base in addition to the outfield. Elian Peña had a rough June hitting .206 while Antonio Jimenez has looked better the second half of June.

• RHP Emilio Obispo: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (L)
• RHP Zack Mack: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• RHP Tyler McLoughlin: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• RHP Luis Alvarez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Emilio Obispo struggled while the defense failed Zack Mack. The offense was unable to put up a fight but that did not matter when the first two pitchers gave up six runs. Tyler McLoughlin has struggled this year but has strong stuff. He throws from a weird five degree arm angle with an interesting movement profile and two good breaking pitches.

DSL Mets Orange

DSL Angels (17-5) 4, DSL Mets Orange (13-9) 0

Box Score

• SS Cleiner Ramirez: 0-for-3
• CF Jhonael Cuello: 0-for-2, BB

The offense struggled even with five walks. They only got two hits and scored zero runs.

• RHP Henderson Hernandez: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

The defense did not help the pitching who gave up four total runs across seven innings pitched. Olmedo Barria gave up a run but looked good in his three innings attacking the zone and running a 61.1% whiff rate.

DSL Mets Blue

DSL Giants Black (12-10) 4, DSL Mets Blue (9-12) 2

Box Score

• 1B Jonnhan Sanchez: 0-for-3, RBI, BB

The offense walked eleven times but only managed to score two runs because they only got two hits.

• LHP Greison Acosta: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

The DSL Mets Blue pitchers struggled to find the zone walking five across seven innings and three out of five pitchers ended up giving up runs.

The post Mets Minors: Mitch Voit Caps Off Strong June appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

“In my opinion, Nolan’s one of the best pitchers in the game and he also has probably the top stuff in the game, as well,” Luis Torrens said through a Spanish interpreter after McLean threw six scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over Toronto.

“So I think it’s always been important for him to be able to command all of his pitches the same way he does his fastball. But to also command those off-speed pitches to be able to have the success he wants to have.”

McLean (5-5) allowed five hits and two walks and lowered his ERA to 3.78. He is sixth in the National League in strikeouts with 113. The Mets (36-50) notched their fourth shutout of the season.

“We had a lot of confidence in all the pitches,” McLean said, after crediting Torrens for calling a “great game.”

Nolan McLean vs. Blue Jays

“Trusting the adjustments throughout the game to have the feel if I didn’t have something working early to find it later. And then it always gets back to the off-speed for strikes.”

McLean was coming off a loss to the Cubs where he surrendered two homers and gave up six earned runs on seven hits. In May, he had back-to-back poor showings where he gave up 13 earned runs combined over nine innings.

“I think you go through an entire baseball season for the first time, you’re going to hit stretches where maybe your command wanes a little bit,” Andy Green said. “I think it was mostly that.”

The interim manager said the McLean who had it all working on Tuesday is who fans can expect to see.

“Nolan, that’s who he is,” Green said. “It’s been fun seeing him kind of bounce back from a tougher stretch. I know last game a little bit was made out of like a couple of home runs that skewed the line.

“But he’s just executing his pitches incredibly well. He’s got different ways to end at-bats. He was competitive the whole day. He was in the zone the whole day. And that was start to finish, it was just clean and dominant as he’s been all year, so it was awesome.”

Said McLean: “I try to take it one game at a time. I try to forget about this game as fast as possible. Because it’s over with and there’s nothing about tonight that will help my next start. Anytime it’s good or bad, it’s just on to the next start.”

The post McLean Baffles Blue Jays appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Bo Bichette returned to Toronto on Tuesday, and his defense helped propel the Mets to a 3-0 win over the Blue Jays. Nolan McLean tossed six scoreless innings, and the Mets got home runs from Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens. Read more about Bichette’s defense here. Luke Weaver extended his scoreless streak to 24 innings.

The Mets and Blue Jays are back at it on Wednesday with Freddy Peralta vs. an opener in a 3:07 p.m. ET start.

Latest METS News

In a Podcast with Francisco Arzola from Trabuqueando podcast, Alex Cora called the Mets “a solid organization,” describing Steve Cohen as “a big dog.” “The ‘POBO’ is intelligent, and they’ve spent the money. It hasn’t worked out yet, so they’re getting killed for it, but how many other teams are in the exact same situation right now?”

Per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online, Luis Robert Jr. went 1-for-2 with a walk in his first rehab game with the Syracuse Mets. Jorge Polanco was 0-for-3.

Will Sammon of The Athletic was first to report on Tuesday that the Mets and Christopher Morel are in agreement on a minor league deal that contains multiple opt-out opportunities for Morel. He will report to Triple-A Syracuse.

Latest MLB News

According to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, the Blue Jays scratched Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from Tuesday’s lineup with back tightness.

Per Aaron Gleeman, Chris Paddack made his Rangers debut on Monday and was designated for assignment on Tuesday.

The MLB Players Association announced that they and MLB are making a joint $1 million donation to the Red Cross for Venezuela Earthquake relief.

The Kansas City Royals announced that Connor Seabold left their game on Tuesday with lat tightness.

According to Tyler Milliken of Section10Pod, The Boston Red Sox said Connelly Early left the game Tuesday night with left elbow discomfort.

Per MLB, Junior Caminero is officially the first Home Run Derby participant for the 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby.

The Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday made several roster transactions, including:

• Activated right-handed pitcher Emilio Pagan from the 15-day injured list.
• Optioned right-handed pitcher Zach McCambley to Triple-A Louisville.
• Place outfielder Dane Myers on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder contusion.
• Selected infielder/ outfielder, Ivan Johnson from Triple-A Louisville.

The Miami Marlins made several roster moves on Tuesday:

• Reinstated catcher Liam Hicks from the 10-day injured list.
• Recalled right-handed pitcher Zach Brzykcy from Triple-A Jacksonville.
• Placed right-handed pitcher Anthony Bender on the 15-day injured list.
• Optioned infielder Graham Pauley to Triple-A Jacksonville.

The Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday recalled right-handed pitcher Brandon Pfaadt from Triple-A Reno and optioned right-handed pitcher Juan Burgos back down to Triple-A Reno.

Per RotoBaller MLB, Corey Seager exited Tuesday night’s game early with back discomfort.

The New York Yankees recalled right-handed pitcher Yovanny Cruz from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Boston Red Sox are designating veteran relief pitcher, Tommy Kahnle for assignment.

Latest on MMO

Tyler Antonelle recapped the last week in the Mets’ minor leagues in the MMO Minors Weekly Report that included Wandy Asigen making his pro debut.

Rafael Gonzalez breaks down the Mets offense’s issues as they stay cold in game one against the Blue Jays.

Patrick Glynn takes a look at who from the Mets could potentially get traded ahead of the August trade deadline.

Robert Colonna discusses the Mets signing Christopher Morel to a minor league deal.

Alexis Farinacci recapped the Mets’ 3-0 game two win over the Blue Jays that included six shutout innings from Nolan McLean and Bo Bichette’s best game he’s played at third, putting on a defensive show in Toronto.

On this Day in Mets History

Happy Deferral Day! The Mets will again pay the retired Bonilla $1,193, 248.20 as his deferred buyout contract signed in 2,000 continues. The contract runs until 2035. But, he wasn’t the first and certainly not the last. Follow our own @mikemayer22 for his thread on deferrals today.

1984: George Foster hit his 300th home run of his career.

1987: The Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 9-6 at Shea Stadium.

Born on this Date: Chris Flexen (1994), Michael Wacha (1991), Craig Anderson (1938)

The post Morning Briefing: Bichette Puts on Defensive Clinic in Return to Toronto appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Mets on Monday dropped a close one to Toronto 2-1, and were looking to get back on track Tuesday. They did just that as the Mets shut out the Blue Jays 3-0.

Tuesday night’s matchup was a pitcher’s duel between the Blue Jays’ right-handed starter Kevin Gausman and Mets rookie right-handed phenom Nolan McLean, who finally looked back to his old ways.

The two teams were deadlocked 0-0 through four innings before the Mets finally struck first and broke the scoreless tie in the fifth. It came off the bat of Francisco Alvarez, who hit a solo home run to center field to put the Mets on the board.

Francisco Alvarez by Berto Carlo

Torrens extended the Mets’ lead in the seventh as both catchers went deep against Toronto. His opposite-field home run off of Blue Jays left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty made it a 2-0 Mets lead.

McLean’s day came to an end after six shutout innings. He gave up just five hits, walked two, and struck out seven before giving the ball to Brooks Raley in the seventh.

The Mets added insurance in the ninth. Ewing singled to lead off the inning, and later in the inning, with one out, Brett Baty drove him in on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

That was all the Mets needed as the bullpen went on to continue and finish the shutout. Raley, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams finished out the game and kept the shutout alive as the Mets went on to win game two 3-0.

In his second game back in Toronto, Bichette had just one hit, but he put on a huge show on defense with four great plays and long throws from third.

Player of the Game

The player of the game for Tuesday night is McLean with six shutout innings and seven strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches (63 for strikes).

On Deck

The Mets and Blue Jays close out their series on Wednesday afternoon. It will be a 3:07 p.m. first pitch for Canada Day in Toronto. Right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta will be on the mound for the Mets. The Blue Jays have not yet announced a starter for Wednesday afternoon’s game and will likely go with a bullpen game.

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The Mets have lost four of their last five games. Each of those losses was by one run. Things look more bleak if you take a step back. The Mets have lost nine of their last 10 games. Two of those games featured eight unearned runs. In last night’s game, they allowed a little league home run. The Mets enter play today with 50 losses on the season and are 15 games below .500.

On the positive side, today is Nolan McLean day!

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Francisco Lindor – SS
5. Jared Young – 1B
6. A.J. Ewing – CF
7. Francisco Alvarez – DH
8. Brett Baty – 2B
9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Nolan McLean

Nolan McLean has made 16 starts this year totaling 89 1/3 innings with a 4.03 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 1.119 WHIP and a 103 ERA+. He has a 10.7 K/9, striking out 106 batters this season and this rate matches his K/9 from last year. He’s just walking batters a bit more, and hitters are hitting more home runs against him.

McLean is coming off of a start against the Cubs where he allowed six runs over six innings from two home runs while striking out nine batters. His start before that was brilliant, going seven innings allowing only one, unearned run while striking out nine.

This will be Nolan’s first start against the Blue Jays and no one on the Blue Jays has faced McLean in a major league game.

Opposing Lineup

1. George Springer – DH
2. Nathan Lukes – RF
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
4. Sean Keys – 3B
5. Alejandro Kirk – C
6. Daulton Varsho – CF
7. Ernie Clement – 2B
8. Yohendrick Piñango – LF
9. Andrés Giménez – SS

The Mets batters will try to find themselves tonight against Kevin Gausman. Gausman has made 17 starts this season, totaling 95 innings with a 4.36 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.189 WHIP and a 103 ERA+. In his last two starts, he has allowed 13 runs over eight innings. Overall in the month of June, he has a 7.62 ERA, 6.18 FIP over five starts. One start was great (one run over seven) and everything else has been forgettable.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Gausman:

• Francisco Lindor 4-11, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Juan Soto 8-17, 2 2B, HR, 12 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-2
• Eric Wagaman 2-3, HR

Game Notes

The Mets signed Christopher Morel to a minor-league deal.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Please get a hit with RISP. On Sunday the Mets lost 5-4 against the Phillies and went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position, leaving 14 runners on. Last night the Mets went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven runners on including two in the ninth inning. In this current era of the Mets losing streak (four of the last five games), the Mets are always just one hit away from a completely different result.
2. Soto working walks. Soto’s baseball savant page is full of red, like it always is. He’s in the 100th percentile for xwOBA, xBA, xSLG and the 99th percentile for squared-up percentage. He’s in the 96th percentile for his walk rate, sitting at 15.3%, and it has been ticking up recently. Soto has walked eight times in the last seven games. For context, he has 35 walks on the season and has played in 66 games. He has 12 career walks against Kevin Gausman with a .690 OBP.
3. Ewing giveth. Ewing taketh. Before yesterday’s game we talked about the hot streak the Ewing had been on for his last five games (8-for-16). If we take a larger step back, he’s been crushing it for his last 12 games slashing .351/.455/.595 with three doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI’s. He’s also been caught stealing three times in that 12 game stretch, bringing him to six on the year. He also added a fielding error last night to boot.

Let’s go Mets!

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Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In his career Morel is a .220/.296/.407/.702 hitter with 74 home runs, 211 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases across 499 games. Morel debuted with the Cubs in 2022 at age 23 and hit the ground running. Across his first two seasons and 220 games, he slashed .241/.311/.471/.781.

He was traded midseason in 2024 and has struggled heavily since, slashing .202/.269/.335/.605 splitting time with the Rays and Marlins. This has been his worst season so far, slashing .162/.219/.206/.425 across 22 games in Miami.

Morel’s issues come from his struggles to make consistent contact. His 73% zone contact rate is 3rd percentile, and his 38.4% strikeout rate is in the 2nd percentile this year. He only walked 5.5% of the time (18th percentile) and ran a 34.8% whiff rate (7th percentile). When he was at his best with the Cubs, he had the same swing and miss, but was walking around a 9% clip.

Morel’s best trait is his power. In 2023 he ran a 91.9 miles per hour average exit velocity, 108.3 miles per hour 90% exit velocity, and maxed out at 113.6 miles per hour. This year his average exit velocity and max exit velocity are both right around league average, though his 107.2 miles per hour 90% exit velocity is in the 89th percentile showing that the power potential is still there. He also still pulls the ball in the air at an incredibly high rate.

Morel does still struggle against breaking balls but has improved against velocity this season. He is far less aggressive than he was earlier in his career, but this seems to be much more passiveness than patience since he is taking far more hittable pitches than before. He seems to have tried to trade some power for contact, but the contact gains have been minimal at best. It will be interesting to see if the Mets try to push him to be more aggressive in Syracuse, like he was when he first came up.

Defensively, he is much more of a designated hitter than fielder, especially as his sprint speed has continued to decline. He does have an incredible throwing arm so maybe the Mets can work on improving his positioning and read off the bat to make up for his poor range.

In the end, this is a minor league deal and if he comes up to the majors even as a short term fill in, he would have to clear waivers again. The Mets have two years of control over Morel after this season, but he would need to either clear waivers or be added to the 40-man roster for the Mets to maintain that control past 2026. It is very likely he never sees a game in the majors with the Mets, but he is at least interesting and young enough that it is worth seeing if he can make any adjustments in Triple-A.

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