With the Los Angeles Dodgers capturing a second-straight World Series championship Saturday night, players who qualify are officially slated to become free agents Sunday. Then, five days after the conclusion of the World Series, November 7, free agency officially begins.

The foursome picked up before the trade deadline, Cedric Mullins, Tyler Rogers, Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley, are all free agents. So are Starling Marte, Jesse Winker, Ryne Stanek and Griffin Canning.

Mullins, who turned 31 Wednesday, hit .182/.284/.281 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 143 plate appearances after arriving from Baltimore. Rogers was 0-3 with a 2.30 ERA in 27 innings pitched, Soto went 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 24 innings of work and Helsley was 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in 20 innings pitched.

Marte, who will be 37 next week, has demonstrated that he can still make a valuable contribution to a team in a limited role. The 14-year veteran hit .270/.335/.410 with nine homers and seven steals in 329 plate appearances. He was a designated hitter in 77 of his 98 games played. Marte slashed .272/.329/.405 with 37 homers overall in his four years in New York.

Winker, 32, suffered oblique and back injuries this year and hit one home run in 70 at-bats. Stanek, 34, went 4-6 with a 5.30 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 56 innings pitched. Canning, 29, was 7-3 with a 3.77 ERA when he ruptured his Achilles tendon coming off the mound against the Braves on June 26.

Alonso, who will be 31 in December, opted out of the $24 million he would have been paid in 2026, choosing to test free agency for the second year in a row. He hit .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs. He was second in the MLB in RBIs and tied for the National League lead in doubles with 41.

Coming off a better year offensively, he may find more interest in free agency than last offseason. He also may find more suitors because last year the Mets made him a qualifying offer, which meant if a team signed him, they would give up draft pick compensation. Players can only receive a qualifying offer once in their careers.

Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Edwin Díaz isn’t a free agent, but he can become one if he opts out of the last two years and $37 million of his contract. He said Sunday he was undecided and wanted to talk to his family.

Frankie Montas and A.J. Minter, who both suffered season-ending injuries, have player options. Montas may miss all of 2026 due to right elbow surgery. Minter is expected to be back for spring training after left lat surgery in May. Both are expected to opt in, Montas for $17 million and Minter for $11 million.

Jose Siri, Richard Lovelady and Kevin Herget all chose to be free agents after the Mets sent them down to the minors after the season.

The Mets have club options on relievers Brooks Raley ($4.75M) and Drew Smith ($2M). Raley, 37, was 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 25 2/3 innings pitched. Smith, 32, had Tommy John surgery in July 2024 and is scheduled to return next season.

Note, options must be resolved during this five-day period prior to free agency.

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Player Data: Age: 31 (10/1/1994) B/T: L/L

Primary Stats: .216/.299/.391, 17 HR, 59 RBI, 58 R, 23 2B, 1 3B, 22 SB, 50 BB, 120 SO, 498 PA, 133 G
Advanced Stats: 94 OPS+, 94 wRC+, 24.1 K%, 10 BB%, .253 BABIP, .291 xwOBA, 1.3 fWAR, 0.4 bWAR

2025 Salary: $8.7 million

Grade: F

2025 Review

“We like the player,” David Stearns said at a July 31 news conference after the Mets acquired Mullins for three minor leaguers from the Orioles. “We like what he brings on both sides of the ball. The athleticism. We talk a lot about ways that players can impact games that may not always show up in the box score and we think Cedric has the ability to do a lot of that.

“We think he’s going to fit in very well to how we run the bases, how we want to play defense in center field and we’re so excited to bring him on the team.”

Stearns missed on this move. Mullins’ stats above are for the full season and they were all far worse in the 42 games he played for New York. He hit .182/.284/.281/.565 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 143 plate appearances.

“I feel like he’s missing some good fastballs to hit,” Carlos Mendoza said after Mullins’ 1-for-17 start with the Mets. “You know, we know he’s a good hitter and we just got to get him back on track, especially against fastballs. But he’s a good player. But these first few games since we got him, I feel like, just a little off with the timing.”

Mullins made three spectacular catches in the week before he became a Met, robbing two home runs and laying out in the gap to take away an extra-base hit. A chance for another highlight reel play presented itself on Sept. 20 when Daylen Lile of the Nationals drove a ball over his head in the 11th inning of a tied game.

This time, though, the ball eluded Mullins, ricocheted off the wall and Lile circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run. The Nats won 5-3.

“It’s just more or less an instinctive-type play,” Mullins said. “Just do what you can. I knew what I was trying to do there, just didn’t execute it.” Said Mendoza: “It’s a tough one there. But once you realize that you have no chance on that play, maybe you give yourself a better chance to play it off the wall.”

Mullins never got going with the bat or glove and less than two months after that first news conference Stearns was answering questions at another one. It was the day after the Mets were eliminated from the playoffs and a reporter asked what he’d do differently at the trade deadline if he had another chance.

“We don’t get re-dos,” Stearns said. “We don’t get do-overs in this business. But clearly the moves we made at the trade deadline, or at least a subset of those moves, didn’t work. And in certain cases made us worse.”

2026 Preview

Mullins is a free agent and FanGraphs projects him for a .239/.307/.392 slash line in 2026 with 14 homers, 20 steals and 2.3 fWAR. The Mets need an upgrade in center field and it’s reasonable to think Mullins could put together a season in line with the projection. It’s possible his performance in New York was an aberration. But I’d prefer to let another team find that out. That two-month stretch was too much to bear.

The post 2025 Report Card: Cedric Mullins, OF appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Gregory Soto. (Photo credits: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The disappointing end to the 2025 season for the New York Mets has been well documented. The team that once owned a league-best 45-24 record not only didn’t hold onto their division lead, but didn’t even make the playoffs. All despite having a clear path to do so on the last day of the season.

Following the disappointing season, a lot has been made of what exactly went wrong. One aspect that certainly contributed to things, and something that president of baseball operations David Stearns, himself, confirmed in his postseason press conference is that seemingly every move the team made at the trade deadline did not pan out.

With that being said, let’s take a look back at that July 31 trade deadline and see exactly how all players involved in trades the Mets made that day fared.

Deal No. 1

• Mets Receive: LHP Gregory Soto
• Orioles Receive: RHP Wellington Aracena, RHP Cameron Foster

Analysis:

A few days before the official deadline the Mets made their first move and went out and got much needed help for their bullpen. Gregory Soto, a left-handed reliever, was brought over from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for a couple pitching prospects.

Soto posted a 3.96 ERA and 3.33 FIP across 36 1/3 innings with Baltimore prior to the move. However, with the Mets those figures increased to a 4.50 ERA and 3.55 FIP across 24 innings. Soto allowed 33 hits across the 24 innings and saw his strikeout rate drop from 27.5% with Baltimore to only 21.8% with the Mets to end the season.

With that being said, the left-handed reliever was tremendous with New York his first month-plus with the team. Across his first 10 appearances, he did not allow an earned run. To take it even further, over his first 14 he only allowed an earned run once. In all, he had two scoreless debut appearances in August, then a sparkling 1.64 ERA in September. At first, the trade seemed like a tidy piece of business.

However, following suit with much of the pitching staff as a whole, Soto struggled mightily in September. In 11 September appearances Soto allowed at least a run in five of them, and of those five, in three he allowed multiple runs. In all, he posted a 7.94 ERA and allowed 20 hits across 11 1/3 September innings.

On the flip side, at the time of the deal, Wellington Aracena was the 15th-ranked prospect in Metsmerized’s midseason organizational prospect top-50 update. Meanwhile, Cameron Foster was unranked.

Aracena, who had a 2.38 ERA across 64 1/3 innings with Single-A St. Lucie prior to the deal, picked up right where he left off when he joined the Orioles’ organization. After a 23-inning run with Aberdeen (Single-A), where he posted a 2.35 ERA and 24 strikeouts, Aracena ended the season with 4 2/3 scoreless (six strikeouts) at the High-A level. The 20-year-old was only ranked 29th in Baseball America’s most recent Orioles top 30. However, a steady rise is expected if he keeps these type of performances up.

Meanwhile, Foster, 26 years old, performed decently for Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate Norfolk down the stretch. He had a 3.38 ERA across 16 innings. It would not be surprising if he gets a shot at a lower leverage bullpen role for Baltimore in the near future.

Final Verdict: 

The thought process by David Stearns and staff was correct. The Mets really needed another left-handed option in the bullpen. An extremely underrated catastrophic event for New York was losing A.J. Minter early only. And, in addition, at the time of the deal, Brooks Raley only recently returned. So, it was not clear what exactly he was going to be, and that aside, New York just needed another reliable lefty out of the bullpen.

Soto had shown to be reliable and was exactly that early on in his tenure with New York. However, ultimately, with his performance going south in September, and the fact it appears Aracena seems to be a relatively decent prospect, looking back at this trade is a bit tough.

Grade: C-

Tyler Rogers. (Photo Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images)

Deal No. 2

• Mets Receive: LHP Tyler Rogers
• Giants Receive: OF Drew Gilbert, RHP José Buttó, RHP Blade Tidwell

Analysis:

The second deal the Mets made turned out to be comfortably the team’s best piece of business. New York acquired workhorse reliever Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for three players, two prospects and a major-leaguer, that were all once looked upon extremely positively within the organization.

By season’s end, the unorthodox thrower that is Rogers led relievers around the league in games at 81. The 34-year-0ld came to New York with a 1.80 ERA across 50 innings. Since his acquisition on July 31, Rogers appeared in 28 games for New York (53% of games since the deal), and performed very well with a 2.30 ERA across 27 1/3 innings. His play did dip slightly, but the overall sample was still very strong.

To acquire Rogers New York parted with one major leaguer and two prospects, one of which made his major-league debut by season’s end with the Giants. The two prospects, Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell, ranked 15th and 19th, respectively, in Metsmerized’s midseason organizational prospect top-50 update.

The established major leaguer was relief pitcher José Buttó. Buttó, who had thrown 167 innings across three-plus seasons with the Mets, struggled with the Giants down the stretch. In all, he posted a 4.50 ERA with San Francisco across 20 innings as he struggled mightily with walks (10). He specifically struggled in September as he posted a 7.27 ERA in the regular season’s last month.

Gilbert, who was once a top prospect in the Mets’ system as he was acquired in the Justin Verlander trade, hadn’t quite been developing in the minors how the Mets had hoped. As a result, they shipped him to San Francisco where he went 7-for-14 at the plate with Triple-A Sacramento before getting called up to make his major-league debut.

Gilbert ended up getting a 100 at-bat run to end the year, where he slashed a disappointing .190/.246/.350 (.598 OPS).  The metrics backed up the poor play at the plate, as his xBA, xwOBA, and exit velocity numbers all ranked below the league’s 25th percentile. He did play decently in the field though, as he posted a plus-two outs above average and flashed a strong arm (84th percentile arm strength).

Lastly, Tidwell, who had a cup of coffee in the majors with the Mets prior to the deal, performed well at the Triple-A level with Sacramento after the deal. Over 18 innings, he struck out 24 and only allowed three runs (1.50 ERA). He did have a couple stints on the injured list in the minors of the trade, but the performances were strong. If he can be a consistent performer at a major-league level remains to be seen.

Final Verdict: 

Rogers was superb for the Mets after the deal. He was certainly one midseason acquisition that panned out. Despite being a rental, the Mets did not exactly part with a lot either to get him.

The concerns with Gilbert, granted a smaller sample size, reared its head at the major-league level. Meanwhile, Buttó, who did not performances well down the stretch after the deal, was out of options and a relatively easier bullpen arm to replace. Lastly, Tidwell did once again flash his strong stuff at the Triple-A level, but did have to battle through some injuries.

Of the three, Tidwell seems to be the most compelling, but even he struggled a the major-league level with the Mets and a long-term starter outlook at the top level seems unlikely.

Grade: B+

Ryan Helsley. (Photo credits: Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

Deal No. 3

• Mets Receive: RHP Ryan Helsley
• Cardinals Receive: INF Jesus Baez, RHP Frank Elissalt, RHP Nate Dohm

Analysis:

One of the more mind-boggling aspects of the trade deadline was how poorly Ryan Helsley performed after the Mets acquired the star reliever from St. Louis. Helsley had been one of the best relief pitchers in the big leagues over the last three seasons, and, despite a down season with St. Louis prior to the deal, still owned a 3.00 ERA across 36 innings. However, disaster struck early, as Helsley went on to posted a 7.30 ERA over 20 innings with New York.

That 7.30 ERA can even be looked upon as deceiving, as the veteran closer posted seven scoreless innings to end the season. Over his first 16 appearances with the team, Helsley threw 14 innings and allowed 22 hits, 20 runs (16 earned), and eight walks. Over that time, he saw his ERA rise from 2.75 to 5.14. As a result, the Mets were no longer able to trust him in high leverage situations, the area that Helsley was brought to fulfill, limiting the flexibility New York had with their bullpen down the stretch. This put other pitchers in roles they were not on the team to fulfill exacerbating the bullpens struggles during the team’s free fall.

Sometimes a change of scenery midseason, especially for a player who had spent their first seven seasons in one spot, just doesn’t work out. With that being said, Helsley was on pace to have the worst year of his career since 2021 prior to the trade. And, despite the 3.00 ERA, his fastball was getting hit hard (.406 BA, .332 xBA) with St. Louis. The minute the elite slider went south, he was left helpless with the Mets.

To acquire Helsley New York parted with infielder prospect Jesus Baez and two pitching prospects; Frank Elissalt and Nate Dohm. Baez was by far the highest-rated player the Mets gave up at the deadline as he ranked No. 7 in Metsmerized’s midseason top 50 list. Meanwhile, Dohm came in at No. 17 and Elissalt was No. 38.

Baez struggled since the move for St. Louis. He posted a .243/.303/.378 slash line (.682 OPS) which was a large drop from his .742 OPS with High-A Brooklyn previous to the trade. Even before the trade, Baez was struggling mightily with Brooklyn as he posted a .651 OPS in July. These struggles then carried over to the Cardinals’ organization. Baseball America had the 20-year-old ranked as the Cardinals’ No. 5-ranked prospect in their most recent rankings. However, that is likely to change given his struggles to end 2025.

Dohm, a third-round pick in 2024, struggled in his time after the trade to the Cardinals’ organization after impressing greatly with High-A Brooklyn (2.62 ERA, 43 strikeouts over 34 1/3 innings). He posted a 5.11 ERA across 12 1/3 innings to end with the season with Peoria (High-A), but spent a lot of his time after the deal on the developmental list.

Much like his counterpart, Elissalt struggled mightily after the deal as well, posting a 5.59 ERA across 9 2/3 innings (three starts/four games) with Peoria (High-A). His season was then cut short with an injured list stint. Prior to the deal the 23-year-old performed admirably with High-A Brooklyn (3.02 ERA, 50 2/3 innings).

Final Verdict:

At the time of the trade, the thought of pairing Helsley with Edwin Díaz was tantalizing. New York envisioned pairing two of the National League’s best closers shutting down the eighth and ninth innings en route to a deep playoff run. Unfortunately, the deal did not work out in the slightest and the concerns about Helsley’s 2025 regression were exacerbated in New York. As a result, the trade looks like a complete failure.

By season’s end, the right-handed closer will depart the organization with a -0.2 fWAR. Being a rental, and given his performance, a return to New York is extremely unlikely. If it is any solace, all three of the prospects the Mets gave up in the deal performed poorly after the deal. Which, especially given how one of the pieces was rated in the organization’s top 10, and the other was encouraging on the top 15, would help lighten the blow somewhat.

Grade: F

Cedric Mullin. (Photo credits: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images)

Deal No. 4

• Mets Receive: OF Cedric Mullins
• Orioles Receive: RHP Anthony Nunez, RHP Raimón Gomez, RHP Chandler Marsh

Analysis:

One area the Mets were expected to address leading up to the deadline was the center field position. New York did just that by acquiring veteran Cedric Mullins. Mullins, a veteran of eight seasons with Baltimore, struggled mightily after the deal. With New York, he slashed .182/.284/.281 (.565 OPS) while playing uneven defense in center. The concern of acquiring Mullins was there from the start as despite a .738 OPS with Baltimore, which was the highest in his career since 2021, several of the underlying metrics pointed to regression being on the horizon.

By season’s end, Mullins ranked below the league’s 10th percentile in xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG. He also had subpar hard-hit rate, struck out a decent bit, and the defensive runs saved statistic questioned his ability in the field (negative-14 overall in 2025). Of course, all these numbers were furthered by his lackluster performance in New York. However, even before the trade, all those figures were at least in the ballpark of where they ended.

New York gave up a trio of lower-end pitching prospects in the deal. Anthony Nunez, Raimon Gómez, and Chandler Marsh ranked 23rd, 32nd, and 46th, respectively, in Metsmerized’s midseason top 50 update. All three have worked out of the bullpen thus far in their careers.

Nunez was enduring a terrific season in the Mets’ system between the High-A (0.63 ERA over 14 1/3 innings) and Double-A (2.10 ERA over 25 2/3 innings) levels. Baltimore promoted the 23-year-old to the Triple-A level where he appeared in 16 games out of the bullpen, posting a 3.45 ERA.

Gómez, who was put in the spotlight earlier this season for touching 104 mph, wasn’t able to pitch after the deal due to injury. He had a 4.63 ERA across two levels in the Mets’ system prior to the deal. Lastly, Marsh threw 10 innings at the High-A level for Aberdeen, posting a 1.80 ERA and 11 strikeouts. The 23-year-old had a 2.42 ERA across 52 total minor league innings out of the bullpen this season.

Final Verdict: 

Of the four trades on the list, this is really the only one where the player did not make much sense. It was clear the Mets needed a centerfielder, however, they may have rushed into getting the wrong one.

Mullins’ play, prior to the deal indicated a ton of regression and that is exactly what happened after he was brought to town. Luckily for the Mets, they did not have to give up much for the rental. This helps lighten the blow a bit, but Mullins’ struggles were certainly a detriment to the team down the stretch.

Grade: D

The post Revisiting The Mets’ Performance At The 2025 MLB Trade Deadline appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Heading into Miami with their destiny in their own hands, the Mets fumbled the bag in the biggest way possible. They lost two out of three to the Marlins to miss out on the playoffs.

While this team has been imploding for the last three-plus months, the way events unfolded this weekend will likely leave a lasting stain on this franchise for years to come.

After all, the Mets arrived in Miami on Friday, a game ahead of the Reds with three to play. The third Wild Card spot was there for the taking. Instead, New York laid an absolute egg in the opener to put Cincinnati back in the driver’s seat for the rest of the weekend. With both teams winning on Saturday, and with the Reds holding the tiebreaker, it all came down to the final day of the regular season on Sunday.

And, again, it was there for the taking. With the Reds losing to the Brewers, all the Mets had to do was win to sneak back into the playoffs. However, they were shut out 4-0 by the Marlins to seal the most embarrassing and frustrating collapse in franchise history.

We will have a special season review edition of 3 Up, 3 Down later. But, for now, let’s proceed with our regular scheduled programming…

David Banks-Imagn Images

3 UP

DOING HIS PART

It feels stupid to write about positives the day after the Mets completed their epic collapse by missing out on the playoffs. Alas, it is part of the gig, so the show must go on. Arguably one of the biggest plus points to emerge from the weekend was the clutchness of Pete Alonso. The slugger did everything in his power to try to keep the Mets alive against the Marlins. He drove in a run with an RBI double in the series opener. He led the way in an important win on Saturday with a home run and an RBI double.

Then, on Sunday, Alonso blasted a 115.9 mph rocket with the bases loaded. Sadly, luck wasn’t on his side, with the hardest-hit ball by any Met this season flying straight into the glove of Marlins outfielder Javier Sanoja. It was just one of those days and one of those seasons. However, Alonso can’t be blamed for the collapse, nor can he be blamed for the shortcomings in Miami. He did all he could.

HEROIC START

The Mets needed a hero on Saturday. And they got one in Clay Holmes. Channeling the herculean efforts of John Maineand Johan Santana, Holmes delivered a masterpiece when the Mets needed it the most. The reliever turned starter tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two. Despite having pitched nearly 100 more innings than his normal workload, Holmes put forward his best start of the entire year. He was masterful on the mound, shutting down the Marlins and doing whatever it took to get the job done. Ultimately, it didn’t matter, but Holmes at least gave his team a fighting chance going into the final day. And that will be remembered.

MASTER OF HIS CRAFT

While the team failed as a collective unit, Edwin Díaz put together a majestic individual season in 2025. The closer was money all year for the Mets, and that continued across the final weekend in Miami. He entered the ninth inning of Saturday’s game and sealed the win with a scoreless inning. The three-time All-Star was even better on Sunday. Thanks to manager Carlos Mendoza mismanaging the pitching in the finale, Díaz was asked to come into the game in the fifth inning. He responded by delivering two scoreless innings to keep the game alive and give his offense a chance. And, according to reports, Díaz even expressed a willingness to stay in the game beyond the sixth. Like Holmes and Alonso, Díaz more than did his job this weekend.

Sep 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) looks on against the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

FUMBLING THE BAG

As we mentioned up top, the Mets arrived in Miami with everything in their favor. All they had to do was take care of business against an already eliminated Marlins team, and the final Wild Card spot would be theirs. However, as we’ve seen over the last three-plus months, the Mets are not a good baseball team, and we got a stark reminder of that over the weekend. An ugly, humiliating, season-changing meltdown on Friday was the start of an all-time epic collapse reaching its conclusion.

Then, needing just a win on Sunday to get in with the Reds having lost to the Brewers, the Mets couldn’t even score a single run on the way to missing the postseason most embarrassingly. Forget talent; this team just did not play with a pulse or a heart when it mattered most. They choked and put up little fight on the way to sealing an absolute bust of a season.

SELF-ENFORCED WOUNDS

The Mets only hurt themselves on the way to collapsing out of the playoffs. They did not play good baseball for two out of the three games in Miami, and they were suitably punished. Mental mistakes and self-enforced errors were the theme of the night in an ugly 6-2 loss on Friday. The offense also didn’t show, going 1-for-10 with RISP, leaving seven runners stranded on base. It was a similar story in Sunday’s finale, with the lineup finishing 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while managing just five hits all game. Again, all the Mets had to do this weekend was win two games, and they would have now been preparing to take on the Dodgers in the Wild Card round. Instead, the same old mistakes that have plagued this team all year doomed them on the final weekend.

MANAGING TO LOSE

Carlos Mendoza was seen as a rising star after his highly successful first year in the dugout in 2024. However, a lot of that shine has now faded following a disastrous 2025 season. Mendoza made a ton of mistakes and a slew of questionable decisions this year. That was again the case in Miami. He took Brandon Sproat out of the game on Friday and opted to put in Gregory Soto, who hasn’t been great in Queens. The result? Soto allowed two more runs to score, essentially throwing away a game the Mets couldn’t afford to lose.

In a must-win game to end all other must-win games on Sunday, Mendoza’s ability to manage the game left a lot to be desired. He decided to start the struggling Sean Manaea in a big spot and then pulled him after just 1.2 innings. Mendoza then went with Brooks Raley and Ryne Stanek, who combined to allow a back-breaking three earned runs.

Edwin Díaz was warmed up in the bullpen, but Mendoza decided to put Tyler Rogers in the game first, who gave up another run to make it a 4-0 game. Díaz then entered in the fifth and pitched two scoreless innings, but by that point, it was too late. If that wasn’t bad enough, Mendoza decided not to put Starling Marte in the game as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. That’s even though Ronny Mauricio and Cedric Mullins were the first two hitters up. In a game the Mets had to win to make the playoffs, Mendoza wasn’t nearly aggressive enough. And he also needs to take blame for just how lifeless his team looked in huge spots on Friday and again on Sunday.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Wrap Up Season Implosion In Miami appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Offense comes up short in extras

After scoring 12 runs yesterday, the Mets’ offense struggled with runners in scoring position. The Mets were 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position in the loss. In the bottom of the first inning, Brandon Nimmo popped out with Pete Alonso on second. In the third inning, Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto reached base for Alonso. Alonso blooped it to right field, but Nasim Nuñez made a great diving play, and then Nimmo grounded out. In the fifth, Alonso flew out with two men on. After the Mets got two runners to score to make it 3-2 Nationals on a Mark Vientos RBI double, Francisco Alvarez struck out.

Then, in the ninth, Soto tied it on a bloop single. The Mets had first and second with one out for Alonso, but the Mets doublestealed with Soto and Lindor, and it took the bat out of Alonso’s hands as Washington walked him. Nimmo and Marte would strike out with the bases loaded. In the tenth with two on and no outs, Alvarez grounded into a double play, and Ronny Mauricio flew out. In the tenth, Soto capped it all off by striking out looking. The Mets’ offense left 13 runners on base, and their struggles with runners in scoring position remain unsolved. 

Bad Mets Fundies

Saturday was a day to forget about for the Mets’ defense. After a Dylan Crews single to lead off the inning, Riley Adams got a base hit to right field, and the ball went right by Soto’s glove, and it scored Crews to make it 2-0 Nationals. Brady House reached base on another Pete Alonso throwing error to the pitcher covering first base. After McLean struck out two batters, McLean threw a wild pitch that scored Crews. Defense hurt the Mets again in the tenth on Daylen Lile‘s two runs inside the park home run that Cedric Mullins misplayed. 

No Trumpets in the Tenth?

One of the biggest questions of this game was why Carlos Mendoza didn’t put in Edwin Díaz in the tenth after a 7-pitch ninth? Mendoza said Díaz was only available for one inning because he pitched two games, and he warmed up in the bullpen during Friday’s game. Instead, Mendoza went to Rogers, who allowed the inside-the-park home run to Lile.

Player of the Game: Nolan McLean

It wasn’t the best game for McLean, but he still pitched well and only allowed one earned run. McLean went five innings with six strikeouts. His ERA is 1.27.

On Deck

It’ll be a must-win game for the Mets on Sunday in the home finale as Sean Manaea will start with Clay Holmes coming in after for the Mets. Jake Irvin will pitch for the Nationals. The game will be at 1:40 pm EDT and telecast locally on SNY and broadcast on WHSQ 880AM.

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Nolan McLean looked sharp to start the game, but as anyone who’s watched this team the last month knows, no lead is safe. Especially in Atlanta.

That’s why when Cedric Mullins stepped up to the plate with runners on second and third with two out in the third, his hit delivered a sigh of relief.

Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

In a 3-2 count, Mullins turned on a 94 mile per hour fastball from Joey Wentz, sending it off the top of the right field wall and driving in two. It extended the Mets’ lead to 4-0, and took a bad deflection that allowed Mullins to get to third base.

Mullins finished Friday 3-for-4 at the plate, with another extra base hit off Erick Fedde and a home run short of the cycle. It wasn’t a pretty start for Mullins in a Mets uniform, but Friday extended Mullins’ hit streak to five games.

Since batting just .161 in his first 11 games, Mullins has now slashed .346/.414/.538 in his last seven games. As a result of getting production from the bottom of the order, the Mets have scored 46 runs in their last seven games and have gone 4-3.

A two-run triple for Cedric Mullins makes it 4-0 Mets! pic.twitter.com/vs3E3Myx32

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) August 23, 2025

Friday was also displayed another valuable asset that Mullins provides: Thump against left-handed pitching. Coming into Saturday, the Mets are hitting just .231 against left-handed pitching. Meanwhile, Mullins has batted .294 against southpaws as a Met with a double and triple.

Getting Mullins to provide power and consistency against lefties would be key down the stretch for the Mets. The Amazins’ will face the Phillies Monday for three games, where they’ll presumably face Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sanchez. And if they hold on to a playoff spot, the Mets could see guys like Blake Snell, Clayton Kershaw, Ranger Suárez, Shota Imanaga, Tanner Scott, and Adrian Morejon. Mullins matches up as a key piece to turn the lineup over for the Fab Four down the stretch and in October.

But first the Mets need to get there. Friday was a good start for Mullins against Wentz, and hot Mullins down the stretch of the regular season could be the difference between an October vacation or glory.

The post Cedric Mullins Heating Up For Mets Down the Stretch appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

McLean (2-0) struck out seven over seven innings in his first road start, and the offense tied a season high with 21 hits in a 12-7 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday at Truist Park.

Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

“There’s a lot to like about this kid,” manager Carlos Mendoza told Apple TV+ during the fourth inning. “The way he carried himself. And his ability to slow the game down. And he can spin the baseball. This is a guy that even when he gets behind in counts he’s got the ability to throw the breaking ball for strikes and don’t forget he’s got 97, 98 (mph) when he needs to. The sinker. So there’s a lot to like about him.”

Hitting with runners in scoring position has been a recurring problem for the Mets this season, but they went 8-for-18 Friday, including a Cedric Mullins two-out, two-run triple off lefty Joey Wentz in the third inning. It put New York up 4-0 and pleased Mendoza.

“Yeah, especially with two strikes, left on left,” Mendoza said. “He’s been pretty good this year against lefties. I feel like he  keeps missing good pitches to hit. On that occasion there, he came through big time for us.”

The Mets (68-60) added three runs in the fourth on a Starling Marte sacrifice fly and RBI doubles from Mark Vientos and Tyrone Taylor. McLean gave up his first homer in the major leagues to Ronald Acuna Jr., a solo shot that pulled the Braves (58-70) within 7-2 in the fourth.

McLean, 24, gave up two runs on four hits and didn’t walk a batter. He also did something no Met starter other than David Peterson had done in 62 games: go at least six innings (I came to picture the “Seinfeld” soup Nazi telling Mendoza, “no Peterson, no six innings for you”). Not having two starters go six for that many games was an MLB record since at least 1901.

Luisangel Acuña helped the Mets squeeze into the playoffs with three homers and a .966 OPS in 14 games at the end of last year. Gregg Jefferies hit six homers in 29 games to help the playoff-bound 1988 Mets down the stretch. One year or 37 from now maybe McLean will be remembered the same way.

Juan Soto‘s 32nd homer was a two-run, opposite-field shot in the seventh that put the Mets up 9-2. Soto was 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two walks. Hayden Senger added a two-run single in the eighth.

The Braves scored five runs in the final two frames off Reed Garrett and Ryan Helsley.

Francisco Lindor went 3-for-5 with a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored while extending his hitting streak to 10 games.

“We haven’t clicked at the same time,” the shortstop said on Apple TV+ before the game. “It’s been a little weird, a little crazy. But everyone here understands it and if we were to say, ‘What do we have to do?’ We just got to win. Just got to fight. Fight for our lives, you know. And don’t let that water come up above your neck. Keep the water below your neck as long as you can.”

Stat of the Game

Soto became the second Met to walk 100 times, joining John Olerud (1999). He leads the major leagues in walks and has led MLB in that category three times in his career.

Player of the Game

Brett Baty was 4-for-6 with a double and three runs scored. Lindor, Soto, Mullins and Taylor had three hits each. But McLean earns the honor for breaking “The Streak”. Let us never witness anything like it again.

On Deck

Clay Holmes (10-6, 3.64 ERA) faces Cal Quantrill, who the Braves picked up off waivers from the Miami Marlins on Thursday. Quantrill was 4-10 with a 5.50 ERA in 24 starts for Miami and gave up seven earned runs apiece in two of his last three outings. Holmes, by the way, is the last Met starter other than McLean or Peterson to go six. Game time is 7:15 p.m. ET and it will air on SNY.

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It sure feels like this team has now hit rock bottom. If this isn’t rock bottom, then I dread to think what the next few weeks may have in store.
The Mets blew two leads on the way to being swept in Milwaukee by the Brewers over the weekend. It sure got ugly at times. As a result, New York has now lost seven straight and 11 of its last 12.

It sure seems like there is no end in sight for this current downward spiral.

Furthermore, the season is now in very real danger of slipping away. The Mets are currently 5.5 games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead, and just 1.5 games ahead of the Reds for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

And, on that note, let’s recap all the bad (we’re going to struggle for positives this week) in another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Aug 9, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets first base Pete Alonso (20) hits a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

3 UP

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

We witnessed some pretty significant history on Saturday. During another loss, Pete Alonso launched his 26th home run of the season. It was also the 252nd homer of his career. As a result, the slugger has now matched Darryl Strawberry‘s record for the most home runs in franchise history. Alonso now needs just one more long ball to become the Mets’ new standalone home run king. That’s a pretty special milestone. Furthermore, Alonso enjoyed a strong finish to the Milwaukee series. He also hit two doubles with one run scored and one RBI in the finale on Sunday.

SHOWING LIFE

Cedric Mullins has gotten off to a slow start in a Mets uniform. Entering Friday, he was just 1-for-17 (.058). However, the veteran did show some signs of improvement in Milwaukee. He put together a two-hit game on Saturday with one RBI and one walk. Then, on Sunday, Mullins launched his first home run as a Met. Hopefully, a strong finish to the weekend can translate to a strong finish to the season for Mullins. After all, this team needs all the offense it can get.

TIME FOR A BREATHER

The Mets are off on Monday. That may well be good news for everyone involved. After all, this has just been a brutal stretch, and the weekend in particular was tough to watch. Having absorbed gut punch after gut punch over the last several days, Monday’s off day could be the breather this team needs. The coaches need to decipher what buttons to press to end this slide. And the players need to hit the reset button and prepare to fight. Otherwise, this season could completely get away from the Mets over the next couple of weeks. This entire organization needs to wipe the slate clean and treat Monday as a fresh start.

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

GUT PUNCH TIME

Man, the entire weekend in Milwaukee was crushing. It all started on Friday. The Mets raced out to an early lead before losing the game in extras, after Starling Marte was thrown out at home in the ninth. Saturday’s game, aside from Alonso’s history-making home run, was an ugly mess. But Sunday represented rock bottom. The Mets blew a five-run lead with Sean Manaea enduring another tough outing, while the new-look bullpen was unable to protect the lead. Milwaukee tied the game in the eighth inning, before Isaac Collins launched a walk-off home run off Edwin Díaz to complete the misery. The gut punch of a loss was New York’s seventh straight, matching the team’s longest losing streak of the season. This weekend officially marked the lowest ebb of the season for the Mets. So far, anyway.

NEED TO BE BETTER

Francisco Lindor is going through it right now. So is Brandon Nimmo. Both players are enduring tremendous struggles at the plate. Lindor went 0-for-12 with six strikeouts against the Brewers. He’s now without a hit in his last five games. As for Nimmo, the left fielder entered Sunday with 14 strikeouts in his last 25 at-bats. He didn’t strike out on Sunday, and he did draw two walks, but he also failed to record a hit for the sixth consecutive game. Perhaps most concerning is the fact that both Lindor and Nimmo are struggling to put together competitive at-bats over this stretch. That’s incredibly worrying this late into the season.

SAME OLD PROBLEMS

The Mets were hurt by the same old fatal flaws over the weekend. Starters, outside of David Peterson, seem incapable of going deep into games. The new-look bullpen is becoming ineffective again due to a high workload and relievers pitching in spots they shouldn’t be. Too many players are committing way too many brain-farts out in the field. The at-bats across the board are non-competitive. The runners in scoring position problem refuses to go away. The so-called Big Four at the top of the lineup is maddeningly inconsistent. And manager Carlos Mendoza has shown a tendency to make the wrong decision in the biggest moments. Just look at Friday. He kept Starling Marte in the game in the ninth, instead of getting Tyrone Taylor to pinch-run. We don’t know for sure, but there is a strong possibility that Taylor doesn’t get thrown out at home and the tying run scores.

This does not look like a playoff team right now, let alone a World Series contender. And, with a tough homestand now on deck, things could be about to get even worse for the Mets. Unless this team can fix its laundry list of issues and problems, it could be a very long winter in Queens.

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Despite loading up at the Trade Deadline, the Mets lost two of three to the Giants to drop their second straight series. Furthermore, they’ve now lost five of their last six games.

There were some positives sprinkled in among a sea of negatives. But, overall, this series was another step in the wrong direction for the Mets.

To that end, let’s dive into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

3 UP

ELECTRIC FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Ryan Helsley sure put on a show in his Mets debut. The right-handed reliever, acquired from the Cardinals at the Trade Deadline, was electric on Friday night. He entered in the ninth and treated Citi Field to another awe-inspiring walk-out entrance. Helsley backed up those theatrics by allowing just two hits while striking out three in an impressive first impression. He also touched 101.4 mph on his fastball. The Mets went on to lose the opener, but Helsley did give the home fans a tantalizing glimpse of just how valuable a bullpen piece he could become.

Now, technically, Cedric Mullins also made his Mets debut on Friday night. However, he came off the bench and got just one at-bat as a pinch-hitter. His first full outing on Saturday was the more notable first impression. The veteran center fielder delivered a hit, two runs scored, and a stolen base. In doing so, Mullins showcased the variety of ways in which he can be an asset to this offense going forward.

WAKING UP

Both Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor have largely struggled since the All-Star break. However, both players are now trending in the right direction in the wake of the Giants series. Alonso hit a home run and drove in another run on a sac fly in the opener on Friday. He also hit a huge three-run bomb in the bottom of the first inning of Saturday’s game to open the scoring and set the tone for the day. Alonso finished the middle game of the series 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, three RBIs, and a walk. As a result of his two home runs in this series, Alonso now has 250 career homers and is just three away from becoming the Mets’ new home run king.

As for Lindor, the shortstop went a combined 5-for-11 over the weekend, including a monster 3-for-4 day at the plate on Saturday. Lindor drove in four RBIs in the middle game of the series, before hitting his 21st home run of the season on Sunday. He is hitting .310/.370/.524 with two home runs and three doubles over his last 10 games. Overall, Alonso and Lindor coming out of their respective slumps was one of the biggest positives to emerge from this weekend.

TASTE OF THINGS TO COME

Saturday’s win provided us with an exhilarating first glimpse at the new-look bullpen. Tasked with protecting a one-run lead over the final five innings, five relievers combined to get the job done. Reed Garrett got things rolling with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, striking out one while not allowing a hit or a walk. Gregory Soto came in and struck out two in the sixth, before Tyler Rogers delivered a clean inning in his Mets debut. Brooks Raley tossed a scoreless eighth, and then Rico Garcia shut the door despite allowing a two-run homer. All in all, those five relievers allowed just two runs on five hits in five innings of work. If Saturday is anything to go by, then this bullpen could quickly become the real strength of this team moving forward.

Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

TIME TO WORRY?

Concern is growing over Kodai Senga. The righty is stuck in a downward spiral right now, and that continued in his latest start on Saturday. He allowed four runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts. That included three doubles and a home run. As a result, Senga lasted just four innings. He’s now allowed three or more earned runs in three straight outings, while he’s pitched five innings or more just twice in his last five starts. Senga is throwing a lot of uncompetitive pitches during this stretch, and the Mets will hope that the righty can get the train back on the tracks as quickly as possible.

POWER OUTAGE

Juan Soto reached base safely in all three games against the Giants, but still finished the weekend 3-for-13 with no extra-base hits. The superstar hitter is now mired in a 10-for-68 slump. Furthermore, he has just one home run and one double since July 18. He’s also gone five straight games without a walk. We’re in August now, and the Mets can’t afford for Soto to be this pedestrian offensively. The fact that he’s also hitting just .184 with runners in scoring position is also incredibly concerning. All in all, the Mets need Soto to hit at an elite clip and play to the back of his baseball card consistently, and fast.

BUYER’S REMORSE

Is the Frankie Montas experiment already a failure? There were doubts when the Mets signed the veteran pitcher back in the offseason. And now we’ve seen Montas get a few starts under his belt after coming back from injury, those doubts are only growing by the day. His latest start was a house of horrors. Montas gave up seven earned runs on seven hits and two walks in an outing that very quickly got ugly. He gave up a three-run home run to Rafael Devers in the third inning that effectively won the game for San Francisco.

Montas has now allowed 19 earned runs in his last five starts, and he’s failed to give the Mets six innings since his return. New York starting pitchers have a 5.01 ERA over their last 43 games, and Montas has been a huge part of those struggles. Concern is rapidly growing over Montas, and over this starting rotation as a whole.

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