The club exercised their $4.75 million club option on southpaw Brooks Raley. Raley, 37, had a strong bounce-back campaign in 2025 following his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He posted a 2.45 ERA over 25 2/3 innings, proving particularly dominant against left-handed hitters, who slashed a minuscule .103/.212/.138 against him.

Brooks Raley. Photo by Roberto Carlo

Conversely, the Mets declined their $2 million club option on 32-year-old righty Drew Smith. Smith missed the entire 2025 season rehabbing after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery in July 2024. The move makes him a free agent as he continues his recovery. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com notes that he’ll likely return to the mound in 2026.

The announcement also confirmed the already-known decision of star players Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Díaz, who will decline their player options and become free agents. A.J. Minter exercised his option after an injury-plagued year, while Frankie Montas officially opted in after his disappointing 2025 season. He’ll miss all of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Mets Acquire Joey Gerber

In a move for organizational depth, the Mets traded cash considerations to the Tampa Bay Rays for right-hander Joey Gerber. Gerber, recently designated for assignment, made two appearances for the Rays in 2025 (2.08 ERA in 4 1/3 innings). His high-strikeout potential is an interest point. Gerber registered 54 strikeouts across 43 1/3 innings at Triple-A Durham despite a 6.23 ERA. He does, however, come with an injury history, including a Tommy John surgery back in 2022.

Brandon Waddell Returns

Brandon Waddell, one of the shuttle arms the Mets used this season when they needed to eat innings from the bullpen, returns to the team on a major league contract. After three seasons in KBO, Waddell returned stateside with the Mets. He pitched to a 3.45 ERA in 31 1/3 innings in the bigs. Only one of his appearances came in a win. He remained stretched out as a starter in the minors, starting 15 games in Triple-A.

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Age: 32 (3/21/1993) B/T: R/R

2025 Traditional Stats: 3-2, 6.28 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 32 SO, 14 BB, 38 2/3 IP, 9 G (7 GS)

2025 Advanced Stats: 64 ERA+, 18 K%, 7.9 BB%, 5.29 xERA, 5.33 FIP, 4.76 xFIP, 0.0 fWAR, -0.6 bWAR

2025 salary: $17 million

Grade: F

2025 Review

Perhaps looking for results similar to when he signed Luis Severino the previous offseason, David Stearns inked Frankie Montas to a two-year deal last December. Montas, like Severino, had produced in the majors, pitching to a 2.63 ERA in 2019 and finishing sixth in Cy Young voting in 2021, but injuries and ineffectiveness had plagued him since.

Unfortunately, injuries and ineffectiveness were the story of Montas’ first (and possibly last) season with the Mets.

He was diagnosed with a high-grade lat strain in spring training and shut down from throwing for six to eight weeks. After six rehab outings in the minor leagues, he made his Mets debut on June 24 against the Braves. It was encouraging, five scoreless innings and five strikeouts.

In his second start, Montas gave up six runs on seven hits in a 12-1 loss to the Pirates and believed he was “100 percent” tipping his pitches. He said he cleaned up the problem and had a three-start stretch that followed where he earned wins against the Yankees, Royals and Angels. Things got ugly from there.

He gave up five runs against the Padres, seven runs to the Giants, and was demoted to the bullpen on Aug. 12.

“I was not happy,” Montas told Jon Heyman of the New York Post. “I consider myself a starting pitcher. But in the meantime, whatever they need me to do to help, I’m willing to do it.”

His last outing of the season was a relief appearance against the Mariners on Aug. 15. He felt soreness afterward and was diagnosed with a UCL tear in his right elbow.

“He was pretty devastated when he found out, and rightfully so,” Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s been a hard year for him since spring training when he went down. He put in a lot of time rehabbing, came back and didn’t have the results.”

“When you get hurt the first day,” Montas told Heyman, “and you’re not able to, for example, pitch in the games with (Francisco Alvarez), with (Luis) Torrens, get as many reps as you need with them, being able to understand them, they understand you, it’s just tough.

“Coming back from an injury, missing three months and trying to get your rhythm back, it’s a little tough.”

2026 Preview

Montas faces another long, tough road to recovery. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in September and the average starting pitcher takes 12 to 14 months to return from the procedure, meaning it’s unlikely he pitches in 2026. Montas has a $17 million player option for 2026, which he will surely exercise.

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Player Data: Age: 29 (5/11/1996) B/T: R/R

Primary Stats: 16 GS, 7-3, 3.77 ERA, 1.376 WHIP, 76.1 IP, 70 SO, 35 BB

Advanced Stats: 107 ERA+, 21.3 K%, 10.7 BB%, 4.66 xERA, 4.04 FIP, 4.09 xFIP, 0.9 fWAR, 1.1 bWAR

Grade: B

2025 Review

It appeared as if president of baseball operations David Stearns and staff had made out with highway robbery. The Mets gave veteran starting pitcher Griffin Canning an one-year deal worth only $4.25 million in December of 2024. Canning was coming off a terrible season and the hope was this low-risk investment would see Canning develop into a pitcher that can be effective in the back half of the Mets’ rotation. It appeared this was exactly going to be the case until Canning went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon on June 26.

Up until the point of injury, Canning had a 3.77 ERA, which is the lowest of his career, to go along with 70 strikeouts and a 7-3 record. He was on pace to post by far his best season in the big leagues. Canning’s best season came in 2023 when he posted a 4.32 ERA across 127 innings. He did have a season where he had a 3.99 ERA, however, it was only over a 56 1/3 inning sample size. Not to mention, in 2024, Canning owned the third-highest ERA in the majors among qualified pitchers at 5.19 despite making 32 appearances.

The 29-year-old was enduring a true breakout in 2025 prior to injury on a contract that was only paying him $4.25 million. He was providing terrific value to the Mets and their starting rotation that fell apart as the season went on.

With all that being said, despite the final numbers looking strong, it was certainly and up-and-down year prior to injury. Canning had his season ERA down to a 2.36 mark after his May 11 start against the Chicago Cubs. However, since that point, and leading up to his injury on June 26, the numbers were trending down as he allowed 21 earned runs over 34 1/3 innings (5.50 ERA). This also included a stretch where he allowed 13 earned runs over three starts.

A deeper dive into Canning’s numbers painted a pitcher who had been benefitting greatly from a high ground-ball rate (51.6%; 87th percentile) despite not striking out a ton of batters (21.4%; 41st percentile), allowing hard contact (5th percentile average exit velocity, 11th percentile hard-hit rate), and walking a decent number (10.4%; 16th percentile). It appeared that these cons to his game were catching up to him as regression was hitting prior to injury. His 4.66 xERA and 4.04 FIP both indicated that the 3.77 ERA was deceiving.

Regardless of the signs of regression, Canning was getting it done as a whole prior to injury. He was brought to New York as a low-risk investment and someone who would potential serve as a long-man in the bullpen. However, when injury struck to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas in the spring, Canning was given an opportunity to step into a rotation role and ran with it very well while only making $4.25 million. His injury was one of many factors that directly correlated to the fall of the Mets’ pitching staff as the season went along.

2026 Preview

When Canning ruptured his left Achilles tendon on June 26 his 2025 season immediately ended. An injury of that magnitude can also impact the beginning of his 2026 season.

With that being said, the Mets only signed Canning to a one-year deal during the 2024 offseason. So, he is not currently under contract with the club and is a free agent. Any deal Canning receives will likely once again be a prove-it deal as the now 29-year-old is coming off a serious injury and owns a 4.65 ERA despite the strong season he had with the Mets prior to going down.

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It will also go down as one of the most embarrassing collapses in franchise history, too. Forget 2007—the Mets didn’t have a great team chasing them down this time around. They just flat-out blew it.

Consider this: New York owned the best record in all of baseball on the morning of June 13. The team nosedived and went 38-55 the rest of the way to miss the playoffs. They led the NL East by 5 1/2 games as late as June 12, and led the division in August, too. And yet, the Mets will now be getting ready for the beach instead of the playoffs.

Furthermore, needing just a win in order to get in on Sunday after the Brewers beat the Reds, the Mets couldn’t even score a single run against the Marlins. As a result, the Mets finished the year 0-70 when trailing after eight innings. That is not the hallmark of a good baseball team.

With the season now officially over, all there is left to do is trawl through the wreckage of a lost season that began with so much hope and excitement.

Before we do that, though, let’s review all the good and all the bad from an infuriating 2025 season. It is time for the final 3 Up, 3 Down of the year.

Juan Soto (22) & Pete Alonso (20) Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

3 UP

THE BIG THREE

As heartbreaking as the finish was, this season did still have some high points. Most notably, the “Big Three” came exactly as advertised. Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor all produced monster seasons. That’s why the failure to make the playoffs is even more perplexing. Soto, despite getting off to a slow start in Queens, delivered quite the special first year in a Mets uniform. He hit .263/.396/.525/.921 while hitting a career-high 43 home runs and stealing a career-high 38 bases. Soto also led all of baseball in walks with 127, setting a Mets’ single-season franchise record along the way. The highlights were a red-hot June, followed by a strong finish where Soto carried this team on his shoulders at times. His first season in Queens did not finish the way he would have wanted it to, granted. However, we saw enough to know that Soto continues to be the real deal.

Meanwhile, Lindor also made some history by becoming just the first shortstop in MLB history to compile four seasons of 25+ home runs and 25+ stolen bases. Lindor and Soto also became just the third pair of teammates in all of baseball to go 30/30 in the same season. Yes, Lindor did have cold spells throughout the season. However, the shortstop still hit .267/.346/.466/.811 with 86 RBIs.

As for Alonso, the slugger officially took over as the Mets’ new home run king, surpassing Darryl Strawberry‘s mark of 252. Alonso finished the year with 264 career home runs after hitting 38 in 2025, while amassing 126 RBIs and 41 doubles—the latter of which is tied for the most in the National League and a personal best. Alonso was also consistently clutch for the Mets, finishing with a .309 batting average with RISP. Having confirmed that he will opt out of his contract this winter, it remains to be seen if the slugger has played his last game in a Mets uniform. Making Alonso a forever Met should be a priority for the front office.

David Banks-Imagn Images

SHUTDOWN MAGICIAN

Edwin Díaz is one of the best closers in all of baseball. Period. He proved that once again, thanks to a dominant 2025 season on the mound. The three-time All-Star finished with a 1.63 ERA and 28 saves over 66 1/3 innings. Furthermore, Díaz compiled a 0.87 WHIP with 98 strikeouts. Beyond the stats, the righty stepped up and consistently delivered clutch moments in big spots. If the inaugural Relief Pitcher of the Year award started this season, Diaz would likely win the NL’s version. That’s even more remarkable when you consider how bad the rest of the bullpen was for the majority of the year.

With no real concrete setup man behind him for the large chunk of the season, Díaz still pitched at an elite level. It remains to be seen if Díaz will opt out of his contract this winter. (He likely will.) Given that he pitched at an elite level in 2025, it will be important that the Mets try to keep their electric closer in Queens.

ROOKIE PHENOM

The only real saving grace for Mets fans during an awful stretch run was Nolan McLean. The rookie was called up in August after lighting up Triple-A and didn’t disappoint. He didn’t seem fazed by the big lights of New York, instead stepping right up and putting on a show in his MLB debut. After striking out eight in his first start against Seattle, McLean only went from strength to strength. He looked like a seasoned veteran out on the mound, consistently giving his team length while looking like an ace every time he pitched. Therefore, the final stats shouldn’t shock you too much.

McLean finished with a stellar 2.06 ERA, while striking out 57 with a 1.042 WHIP over 48 innings pitched. He likely would have been the Game 1 starter if the Mets had made it to the postseason. In any case, with the starting rotation in flux heading into the offseason, McLean figures to be a huge part of the Mets’ plans in 2026 and beyond. Maybe the one silver lining of 2025 will be that we saw the emergence of a future stud ace.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

NON-STARTER

The 2025 Mets had many flaws. However, arguably the biggest and most significant flaw was the starting pitching. Kodai Senga couldn’t stay healthy and was no good when he did return. Sean Manaea was not the pitcher he was in 2024, never really ramping up after starting the year injured. Frankie Montas was a bust. Griffin Canning was a positive until he got hurt. David Peterson was the ace of the staff until he fell off a cliff after the All-Star break. As a result, a once-dominant pitching staff quickly turned into a pumpkin. The Mets once boasted the best team ERA in baseball, but they finished the year with a 5.31 ERA. The starters had a 5.27 ERA from June 13 on.

While the front office had success with the current pitching philosophy and pitching lab in 2024, it clearly didn’t work this year. Hope is not a strategy—nor is expecting three rookie pitchers to save the season. Reclamation projects may work out every now and then, but expecting to have a 100% hit rate with that strategy is unrealistic. If the Mets want to bounce back in 2026, they will need to invest in more sure things in the starting rotation.

Mark Vientos (27) Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

Nearly everything David Stearns touched in 2024 turned to gold. Nearly everything he touched in 2025 turned to dust. The president of baseball operations did not have a good year, and he does deserve a large slice of the blame here. As we trawl through the wreckage of a lost season, Stearns’ fingerprints can be found all over the damage. Outside of signing Juan Soto and bringing back Pete Alonso, Stearns got little right in 2025. His pitching philosophy blew up in his face. He never really addressed the lack of offense from center field. He misplayed the battle for third base. Maybe moving Mark Vientos in the offseason would have been the smart move. And none of the moves made at the Trade Deadline worked. In fact, they only served to make the Mets worse.

Additionally, Stearns’ failure to acquire another starter at the deadline ultimately came back to bite this team. He’s also got a lot to prove this offseason, and he owned up to the roster construction on Monday. A failure to rethink the overall approach and address all this team’s flaws could lead to further regression in 2026. Now is the time to pivot and go back to the drawing board.

DUGOUT SHORTCOMINGS

Like Stearns, Carlos Mendoza could do little wrong in 2024. However, like Stearns, 2025 proved to be a very different story for Mendoza. In his second year as a manager, Mendoza seemed out of his depth as the wheels began to fall off. He struggled to manage the pitching staff. His bullpen management was horrible and perplexing at times. He never figured out a way to balance the lineup and get more out of the bottom hitters. The fact that the Mets didn’t know who they were going to put on the mound for Sunday’s do-or-die game is an indictment on Mendoza.

Additionally, his in-game management left a lot to be desired. He got it wrong on multiple occasions when it came to pinch-hitting or -running situations, including in Sunday’s finale. Starling Marte was available on the bench—why wasn’t he used? This was just a fundamentally unsound baseball team, and the manager has to take some of the blame for that. Furthermore, as much as it is on the players to execute, a manager is there to prepare and motivate his players. The fact this team looked so lifeless for the best part of four months is a red flag, as were the litany of sloppy mistakes and mental errors. They just didn’t look ready at times, and, again, that’s on Mendoza, too.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets’ 2025 Season In Review appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Frankie Montas has a tear in his UCL and will need to undergo surgery. If Montas requires the full Tommy John surgery, he likely won’t be able to pitch in the 2026 season. He holds a $17 million player option for next year.

Original Post: Aug. 23 at 3:32 PM

The Mets announced two roster moves prior to Saturday’s game against the Braves.

Frankie Montas has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 22, with a right elbow UCL injury, and Huascar Brazobán has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Montas, who started the season on the injured list with a right lat strain, had struggled in his first season with the Mets. The starter pitched to a 6.68 ERA in seven starts, and then was relegated to the bullpen where he allowed two earned runs in five innings pitched. Montas didn’t appear in a mop-up role in Friday’s 12-7 win.

Brazobán was recalled to take Montas’ spot on the 26-man roster. In 10 2/3 innings in Syracuse, Brazobán pitched to a 6.75 ERA and 1.406 WHIP. Most of the damage against Brazobán came in one outing in the minors, where he allowed seven earned runs in one inning. Brazobán last appeared for the Mets July 28 against the Giants.

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The aforementioned opener the Mets went to was right-handed reliever Reed Garrett. Even with the additions of Trevor Rogers, Gregory Soto, and Ryan Helsley, Garrett had still been serving as one of the Mets’ key high-leverage relievers. By using Garrett in the first inning, despite him pitching a clean frame, it took one of New York’s better relievers out of the equation for later on, when the Mets desperately could have used him.

Montas, whose struggles sprung the need to waste away Garrett in the game’s opening frame, furthered the issue by only lasting three innings. Over these three frames, the former Milwaukee Brewer allowed three runs (one earned), while walking two, and giving up a solo home run. The 72 pitches he threw led to manager Carlos Mendoza having to yank him prior the game’s fifth inning, leaving the Mets’ manger now needing to navigate four more frames, without one of their key relievers.

Unfortunately, despite New York taking the lead in the fifth inning, the bullpen would falter in the seventh, as Milwaukee struck for four runs. With one of New York’s key high-leverage, late-inning relievers being used to supplemental the struggling Montas in the game’s first inning, manager Carlos Mendoza was forced to use right-handed reliever Ryne Stanek in the seventh instead.

Stanek, who entered the game with a 4.95 ERA and had allowed six runs over his last three appearances, was once again comprised, and was credited with a blown save after Milwaukee retook the lead and punctuated the inning with a two-run home run off Ryan Helsley. Helsley was forced to come in early and replace the struggling Stanek.

In summary, not only did the Mets have to burn one of their key relievers as an opener due to Frankie Montas’ struggles, but Montas continued his struggles leading to the Mets having to rely on their overworked bullpen for a majority of the game. In a spot where the already used Reed Garrett would have been key, the Brewers jumped on one of the Mets’ weakest relievers, culminating in New York losing their sixth-straight game.

President of baseball operations, David Stearns, who has done a terrific job overall since taking the reigns, has his work cut out for him. There isn’t any type of compelling argument that can be made for Montas, who signed a two-year, $34 million deal in the offseason, to be relied upon to given the Mets both length or solid play based off his 6.38 ERA through eight appearances. Will the Mets finally make the call for one of their young, top prospect arms in Brandon Sproat or Nolan McLean? One thing is for sure, the season hangs in the balance and Frankie Montas, who has been an extreme disappointment since the signing in the offseason, cannot be relied upon any further.

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The Mets look to snap a five-game losing streak tonight in Milwaukee. Last Monday, the Mets had a chance in the ninth inning to complete the comeback. Out of an abundance of caution (plus knowing that Juan Soto and Pete Alonso could still come to bat), the Mets didn’t send Tyrone Taylor on a shallow single hit in the bottom of the ninth. Friday night, we got to see the alternate reality of that night. Starling Marte, who hit a solo homer earlier in the game, hit a two-out double to keep the Mets in the game. Jeff McNeil followed with a shallow, line-drive single. The Brewers made a perfect throw and got Marte out at the plate, ending the game. Heartbreaking stuff.

During this five-game losing streak, the Mets have had multiple games where they felt so close to breaking out and winning. They’ve had games where they completely fell flat. Hopefully, the Mets can turn things around tonight.

Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – RF
3. Starling Marte – DH
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Brandon Nimmo – LF
6. Mark Vientos – 3B
7. Jeff McNeil – 2B
8. Francisco Alvarez – C
9. Cedric Mullins – CF

Frankie Montas will get the bulk of the work this afternoon. Over seven starts and 33 2/3 innings this season, Montas has a 6.68 ERA, 5.07 FIP, 1.545 WHIP, and a 59 ERA+. His last two starts have been brutal. Montas has allowed 12 runs from 15 hits over 8 1/3 innings. Before that, he allowed only three runs from 12 hits and 10 2/3 innings against the Royals and the Angels. Which Montas will the Mets get today? The Brewers have the following career numbers against Montas:

• Jake Bauers 1-14, 2B, 8 K
• William Contreras 2-6
• Sal Frelick 1-3, BB
• Danny Jansen 0-2
• Joey Ortiz 1-2, 2B, K
• Blake Perkins 2-3, BB, K
• Brice Turang 1-4, 2B, BB, K
• Andrew Vaughn 0-6, 2 K
• Christian Yelich 2-7, 2B, BB, K

Opposing Lineup

1. Sal Frelick – RF
2. Isaac Collins – LF
3. William Contreras – C
4. Christian Yelich – DH
5. Andrew Vaughn – 1B
6. Blake Perkins – CF
7. Brice Turang – 2B
8. Anthony Seigler – 3B
9. Joey Ortiz – SS

Tobias Myers returns to the majors this evening. Logan Henderson was originally scheduled to start but landed on the IL after an MRI for elbow inflammation. Over eight games and five starts, Myers has totaled 23 innings this season with a 4.30 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.609 WHIP, and a 95 ERA+. He’s been better in AAA Nashville with a 3.77 ERA over 59 2/3 innings. Myers was most recently in the majors at the end of July, where he pitched three scoreless innings over two relief outings. Since then, he has made one start in the minors, allowing six runs from five hits over 1 1/3 innings. If he gets into a groove he can go up to 90 or so pitches. The Mets have the following career stats against Myers:

• Pete Alonso 0-4, K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2B
• Starling Marte 1-4, 2B, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3, 2 K
• Juan Soto 0-3
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-3, 2 K

Game Notes

• Kodai Senga failed to record five innings Friday against the Brewers. Read about his start and other shortcomings from the Mets rotation here.
• Paul Blackburn had another solid rehab outing in the minors. Check out the rest of the Mets’ minor league matchups from Friday here.
• The Mets are 25-32 on the road this season. They have posted a 3.92 ERA away from Citi Field, which is the fourth-lowest mark in the National League.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Facing your old team. The Brewers traded for Montas at the 2024 deadline. As a Red last season, he had a 5.01 ERA over 93 1/3 innings. He fared better as a Brewer, posting a 4.55 ERA, 4.35 FIP, 1.256 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+ over 57 1/3 innings. Some players go a bit harder when they face their old club. Will we see that from Montas?
2. Juan Soto. Soto saved the Mets from rock bottom on Wednesday, hitting a solo home run in the ninth inning to break up the no-hitter. He tried to jumpstart the Mets Friday, hitting a solo home run in the top of the first inning. It was the sixth time this season that Soto had homered in back-to-back days. What he has not done yet is homer in back-to-back-to-back days.
3. Pete Alonso. Pete Alonso is still chasing the franchise record for home runs. Currently, one behind Darryl Strawberry’s leading 252 homers, one good day for Pete could get him the record and the spark the Mets’ offense needs. In his last two games, he has gone 0-for-8 at the plate with two strikeouts and no walks.

Let’s go Mets!

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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.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Suffer Tough Weekend Against Giants appeared first on Metsmerized.

Frankie Montas (47)
Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Montas had his second consecutive blow-up start in the rubber game of a three-game weekend set against the Giants. The 32-year-old gave up seven runs in four innings, including a three-run home run to Rafael Devers, helping San Francisco put the game and the series out of reach.

His fastball looked good on the radar gun, with his four-seamer averaging 95.6 mph. Unfortunately, the more telling stat was the speed of the ball coming back at him. Of those 26 pitches, Giants hitters swung at half of them, only whiffing once, and the average exit velocity was exactly 100 mph.

Mendoza spoke postgame about what caused the difficult afternoon, and his answer ran the gamut.

“He (didn’t) get swing and misses, pitch selection, location,” Mendoza said, “I mean that pitch to Devers was right down the middle.”

Montas gave some more credit to his opponent and brought up bad luck as a factor.

“It was definitely a tough day for me. I feel like I made some good pitches but just went through the (infield),” Montas said, “They have a really good hitting lineup, I missed a couple spots… on Devers, you know he’s a great hitter and he put a good swing on it.”

The Mets have been looking for some more length out of their starters, but at this point, will just trade the quantity for more quality outings. Their trade deadline moves left the bullpen with seven of eight spots secured by late-inning relievers. Austin Warren, the final reliever, pitched the next four innings of the game to spare those other pitchers and will surely be replaced on the active roster as a result.

With the bullpen built this way, it leaves a very difficult decision for Mendoza, David Stearns, and the rest of the Mets brass. Fans are clamoring for one or both of Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat to make their big league debuts in the rotation. Paul Blackburn is also scheduled to come off the injured list in the near future. With just one free bullpen spot to play with as of now, it remains to be seen what will happen with the struggling members of the Mets’ rotation.

Mendoza was asked postgame if Montas’s role is now up for discussion, and the Mets manager was non-committal.

“I mean, we just got done with a game here. He’s got to be better. He knows that,” Mendoza said.

Both Montas and the Mets know that if he does not pitch better, he will be relegated to that final bullpen spot, or perhaps even designated for assignment, an abrupt ending to that two-year commitment no one could have foreseen in December.

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Frankie Montas took the mound but couldn’t give the Mets the innings they desperately needed, surrendering seven runs on seven hits across four innings. He walked two, struck out three, and allowed a home run, with his command slipping as his outing progressed, pushing his ERA to 6.68.

Defensive lapses didn’t help, Pete Alonso bobbled a grounder that led to a run scoring on a fielder’s choice, and Francisco Lindor’s long throw on a routine grounder was late, allowing another run to cross. Rafael Devers did the bulk of the damage off Montas, driving in four runs, including three on a towering home run to right.

Austin Warren came on in relief and stabilized things with four scoreless innings, giving up just two hits, walking one, and striking out five. A key outfield assist from Brandon Nimmo cut down Devers on the basepaths and helped keep the Giants from adding on, providing the taxed bullpen a much-needed breather.

On offense, Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez supplied the only bright spots. Lindor launched his 21st homer of the year in the first and finished 1-for-3, continuing a recent hot streak. Alvarez doubled in the fifth, driving in a run with help from a throwing error in right field, which allowed Jeff McNeil, who had two of the Mets’ seven total hits, to score from third as well as a two-run single in the ninth.

Juan Soto‘s slump continued, though he managed a late single to go 1-for-4 with two groundouts and a pop-up. The rest of the group, Alonso, Nimmo, Starling Marte, Mark Vientos, and Cedric Mullins, combined for just two hits in 19 at-bats. Alonso’s strikeout with two on in the eighth inning was the dagger.

On the mound for San Francisco, Carson Whisenhunt delivered a strong outing, limiting the Mets to two runs (one earned) on three hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked two, struck out four, and allowed a solo homer, dropping his ERA to 4.35 while keeping New York in check.

Former Mets José Buttó and Joey Lucchesi kept the Mets off the board for the Giants. Butto tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts, while Lucchesi pitched around two hits in a clean frame, striking out one to close the door on his old team. Another former Met, Dominic Smith, broke the game open with a bases-loaded two-run single off Ryne Stanek, and Casey Schmitt followed by dealing the final blow, a three-run homer that put the game out of reach and all but sealed the Mets’ fate.

Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

Player of The Game: Austin Warren

Austin Warren came through in a big way for the Mets, stepping in after Montas’ rough start and tossing four shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one, and struck out five, lowering his ERA to 0.96. On a night when the bullpen needed a breather, Warren delivered exactly that, keeping the game within reach and keeping the Mets in the game.

On Deck

The Mets are right back at it Monday, as they welcome the Cleveland Guardians to Citi Field. Sean Manaea (1-1, 2.08 ERA) will look to pick the Mets up on the mound while Slade Cecconi (5-4, 3.77 ERA) toes the slab for Cleveland. First pitch is at 7:10 pm ET and will be broadcast on SNY and Mets Radio 880 AM.

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