Namely, we saw a lot of improvement from the offense. To be more precise, the Mets got consistent production from the lineup throughout the entire three-game series. And we haven’t been able to say that all too often this year.

Were it not for a bullpen implosion, then the Mets might have secured a first series sweep since the end of May. With that said, a first series win since June is just what this team needed.

On that note, let’s recap everything from the Royals series in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

A.J. Ewing by Berto Carlo

3 UP

EXPLODING INTO LIFE

Where has this level of production from the offense been all year? The bats truly came to life against Kansas City, outscoring the Royals 25-21. Furthermore, they have scored six-plus runs in five consecutive games. The offense was averaging 8.75 runs per game over a four-game stretch prior to Wednesday’s finale. This is without a doubt the best and most consistent stretch of the entire season for the lineup. Why it has taken this long for everything to click is a good question, but hopefully we see similar levels of production the rest of the way.

FUTURE LOOKING GOOD

The Mets may well have just found their outfield of the future. Juan Soto, Carson Benge, and A.J. Ewing are all showing that the future does indeed look bright. The trio were red-hot throughout this series, going a combined 15-for-33 with 14 runs, four homers, one double, nine walks, and 10 RBIs. That’s elite-level production, and it is the kind of talent that could provide the Mets with a foundation of success for years to come. Ewing was the standout of the three, going a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs scored and three RBIs in the opener. Furthermore, the rookie is continuing to prove that he’s the perfect fit as this team’s leadoff hitter. Benge came up with some clutch hits, including a big single that broke the game open in the finale, and Soto just continues to stay hot. All in all, the outfield looks set to be a considerable strength for the foreseeable future.

ROTATION HOPES

The overall pitching picture was an ugly mess in the first game of the series. However, things settled down after that largely thanks to the starting rotation. Christian Scott continues to ascend for the Mets. He tossed five scoreless innings on Wednesday night, giving up just three hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Scott once again showed that he has the talent and the potential to be a future cornerstone of this pitching staff, as long as he can clean up on a few things. For instance, wiping out mental lapses and being able to go deeper in games will be musts if Scott is to develop into a reliable No. 2 or No. 3 starter. Meanwhile, Sean Manaea continues to trend in the right direction. The veteran went a full seven innings on Thursday, giving up two earned runs while striking out six. Maybe Manaea’s best stuff is behind him, but this new version could offer the Mets the solid, dependable back-of-the-rotation starter they need.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

UNWELCOME HISTORY

The Mets made history for all the wrong reasons on Tuesday night. Following an all-time epic collapse, the Mets lost when scoring at least 11 runs at home for the first time in franchise history. They had been 129-0. Furthermore, they lost for just the second time in franchise history when scoring 12 or more runs. Not good. The cause of all that embarrassment was the pitching. In short, a bullpen game well and truly backfired. Kodai Senga started the damage by allowing four earned runs on five hits over three innings. It only got worse from there. Austin Warren, who has since landed on the IL, gave up five earned runs. The biggest culprit, however, was Matt Seelinger, who allowed seven earned runs across just two innings in a nightmare MLB debut to forget. The bullpen has largely been a strength this year, but Tuesday night was rough.

UNFORESEEN HINDERANCE  

The Mets may have to change some of their Trade Deadline plans. Mark Vientos has landed on the IL with a fracture in his right hand after getting hit by a pitch. With the infielder likely to miss weeks, it is unlikely that he will now be moved at the Deadline. It also continues a nightmare season for Vientos, who has struggled defensively and offensively while struggling to hold down a regular role. A parting of the ways may have been beneficial for both parties, but that’s now unlikely to happen anytime soon.

SLUMP CITY

Francisco Lindor is not having a good time of it right now. He is still being eased back in with days off here and there, but maybe that’s impacting his rhythm. The shortstop recorded just one hit in the Royals series, with no extra-base hits, no RBIs, one walk, and two strikeouts. Furthermore, Lindor is hitting just .192/.276/.192/.468 with no extra-base hits and five strikeouts over his last seven games. He looks lost at the plate, and the Mets will hope that is just rust rather than something more troubling.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Offense Powers Mets’ Series Win Against Royals appeared first on Metsmerized.

Despite failing to clinch the sweep, New York took two out of three from the Royals in Kansas City. As a result, the Mets head into the All-Star break with a 55-42 record. Furthermore, they’ve won seven of their past 11 games and three of the past four series.

We will be taking stock of the first half in a special 3 Up, 3 Down on Tuesday, but for now, let’s recap everything from the series in Kansas City…

Jul 13, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea (59) pitches during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

3 UP

RETURN OF THE KINGS

There wasn’t a lot to get excited about in the series finale on Sunday. However, seeing Sean Manaea make his long-awaited return was a welcome boost for everyone connected with the Mets. The lefty replaced Clay Holmes and proceeded to allow one earned run on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts over 3.1 innings. Yes, Manaea did allow the winning run that prevented New York from sweeping the series. Other than that, however, Manaea showed a lot of promise in his 2025 debut. The Mets will now hope that the veteran can build on that and carve out a successful second half.

Manaea wasn’t the only key piece of the rotation to have made his return this past weekend. Kodai Senga also made his comeback on Friday, giving the Mets their top two pitching weapons back. Senga’s return was a successful one as he delivered four shutout innings on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Now, granted, the right-hander did face a boatload of traffic in his first start back, but he was able to navigate through that adversity and come through unscathed. Being able to tough out an outing even when you don’t have your best stuff is the hallmark of a great pitcher. Now back, Senga is a real X-Factor for the Mets as we get ready for the second half. If he can stay healthy and continue to pitch at a Cy Young level, then this rotation will be in good shape.

UPWARDS TRAJECTORY

The weekend series in Kansas City provided the Mets with a slew of positives on the starting rotation front. Not only did Senga and Manaea make successful returns, but Frankie Montas continued to look really good. The right-hander was lights out in his start on Saturday. He allowed just one run on four hits with five strikeouts across five innings. It was easily his best start of the year. Montas’ stuff looked incredibly sharp, all of his pitches were working, and he gave his offense a solid platform to build on. All in all, Montas has looked better and better with each start he’s made. As a result, he’s now on a positive upward trajectory heading into the All-Star break. If he can continue improving with every start, then this rotation could look formidable once again.

STAYING HOT, HOPE & MILESTONES

We’re going to finish off this section with three positives in one. Because, well, why not? Let’s start with Mark Vientos. The third baseman has been mired in an all-time slump for all of 2025. Those struggles continued when he struck out with the bases loaded in the third inning of Friday’s opener. However, when offered a shot at redemption in the eighth, Vientos took it. The slumping slugger hit a three-run, bases-clearing double to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead. It was without doubt the biggest hit of the entire year for Vientos. He followed that up by going a combined 3-for-7 in the final two games of the series, including hitting a triple on Sunday. Hopefully, the heroics on Friday unlocked something for Vientos, who will need to hit like he did in 2024 in the second half of 2025.

Elsewhere, Juan Soto stayed hot with two home runs, three runs scored, three RBIs, and two walks in this series. Soto now has 23 home runs at the All-Star break, matching the previous career-high he set at the halfway mark last year with the Yankees. Finally, Francisco Lindor made some history by recording the 200th stolen base of his career on Saturday. Consequently, he joined an exclusive club, becoming just the third shortstop in MLB history to tally 200 stolen bases and 200 home runs. Derek Jeter and Jimmy Rollins are the other members of that prestigious club.

Clay Holmes (35) Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

RIGHT BACK ON THE IL

This has been a frustrating period for Jesse Winker. As soon as he returned from the IL, he was back on it again. It was announced prior to the series opener against the Royals that Winker was put back on the IL with lower back inflammation. The veteran will be treated with medication over the next several days before being reevaluated. Having already missed two months with a strained oblique, Winker will no doubt be unhappy that he’s back on the shelf again. It also isn’t great news for the Mets. Winker’s bat is needed in the middle of that lineup, especially considering how inconsistent the offense has been so far. Hopefully, the All-Star break will be the tonic Winker needs to get himself right and healthy in time for the second half.

LOAD MANAGEMENT

One of the biggest Mets storylines heading into the second half will be Clay Holmes. More specifically, how the Mets will manage the reliever-turned-starter in the second half and down the stretch. In his latest start on Sunday, Holmes pitched well, allowing two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk over five innings. Heading into the break, the righty has now pitched 103 1/3 innings. His previous career-high for innings pitched in a season was 70 in 2021. Therefore, the Mets are going to have to walk an incredibly fine line with Holmes and the innings he pitches the rest of the way.

FINISHING SLOW

Once again, the Mets failed to sweep a series, and once again, the offense was to blame. The lineup went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners stranded on base. It was the fourth time in five games that the Mets had failed to score at least four runs. Furthermore, New York is now averaging 4.39 runs per game, which ranks 14th in Major League Baseball. We are now at the All-Star break, and we’re still waiting for this offense to really come alive on a consistent basis. The continued struggles with RISP should be raising major alarms inside the front office. This offense needs to figure it out, and fast.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Earn Series Win In Kansas City To End First Half appeared first on Metsmerized.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, Jose Buttó is expected to start Sunday for the Mets against the Royals. Buttó started the year in Triple-A after a strong 2023 season and spring training, but he has recorded one start for the major league team during a doubleheader earlier in the season. He went six innings, allowing one run on three hits, and it appears the Mets are putting their faith in him, especially with the decision to designate Julio Teheran for assignment.

José Butto. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Latest Mets News

The Mets (6-7) defeated the Royals (9-5) 6-1 on Friday night. Luis Severino went five innings, allowing one run on one hit. The Mets also received multi-hit games from Pete Alonso, Brett Baty, Jeff McNeil, and Harrison Bader as the offense finally looks like it’s hit its stride.

Tim Britton of The Athletic wrote a story on Dwight Gooden and just how good of a pitcher he was, ahead of his number retirement with the Mets this Sunday.

According to the transaction log, the Mets traded for catcher Joe Hudson, with cash going back to the Cubs. Hudson was assigned to Double-A Binghamton. The 32-year-old had a .767 OPS with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate in 2023.

Latest MLB News

Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani‘s former interpreter, surrendered to law enforcement early Friday morning. He appeared in court with shackles around his ankles and was released on $25,000 bond with numerous conditions including being unable to leave the central district of California without permission, being unable to contact Ohtani, and enrolling in a gambling addiction program.

Per Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline, steals and stolen base success rate are both up across all minor league levels through the early portion of the season. Teams are averaging 1.40 steals per game, up from 1.19 in 2023. Additionally, teams are swiping bags at an 82.2% success rate, up from 77.2% a season ago.

Rimas Sports, the sports agency started by Bad Bunny, is facing discipline from the MLB Players Association for reportedly offering improper benefits to players. Will Arroyo, who represented Francisco Alvarez, had his MLBPA certification revoked. When asked about this, Álvarez declined to comment.

Per Robert Murray of FanSided, pitcher (and former Mets prospect) Simeon Woods Richardson is joining the Twins as the 27th man for their doubleheader Saturday and will likely start the second game.

The White Sox made a few roster moves on Friday, including transferring Yoán Moncada to the 60-day injured list, designating Bryan Shaw for assignment, and optioning Oscar Colás to Triple-A.

Rockies closer Daniel Bard went through a setback during rehab and will require right flexor tendon surgery. He will miss the entire 2024 season.

Rays infielder Brandon Lowe was put on the injured list with an oblique injury. Through the first 14 games of the season, he has a .578 OPS.

Tejay Antone underwent UCL flexor tendon repair on Friday.. Though it’s not a reconstruction, he’s still expected to miss the rest of the season.

Latest on MMO

Michael Famulari breaks down the Mets’ offensive breakthrough during their series in Atlanta.

Sean Kenny recaps the day the Mets’ minor league affiliates had on Thursday, highlighted by Dominic Hamel striking out 10 batters in five innings.

Christian De Block previews the Mets’ series with the Royals.

On This Date in Mets History

1962: The Mets played their first ever home game at the Polo Grounds on this day 62 years ago. The Mets played the Pirates and fell by a score of 4-3.

1967: Tom Seaver made his major league debut for the Mets on this day 57 years ago. He pitched against the Pirates and threw for 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and four walks. He also struck out eight.

Birthdays: Ricardo Rincón (54), John Stephenson (83)

The post Morning Briefing: José Buttó To Start for Mets Sunday appeared first on Metsmerized.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic notes that if current Mets manager Mickey Callaway is fired, former Met Carlos Beltran would be a name to watch in the new-hire process.

Beltran, 42, interview for the Yankees managerial gig back in 2017 and was named a special adviser to Yankees GM Brian Cashman the next year.

The future Hall of Famer played parts of seven seasons with the Mets start in 2006 after signing a seven-year, $119 million deal. He was a five-time All-Star with the Mets and currently third in franchise history among position players with 31.1 bWAR.

Beltran finished his 20-year major league career with 69.6 bWAR between the Royals, Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Astros, Cardinals, and Giants.

Rosental also noted that Beltran played in Kansas City under current Mets assistant GM Allard Baird and played in Flushing under current Mets assistant to the GM Omar Minaya as well. Though, Beltran has no managerial experience.

Buck Showalter, Joe Girardi, and Jose Espada are among the names previously mentioned as potential replacements for Callaway.

The post Rosenthal: Carlos Beltran a Name to Watch for Mets Manager appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets took two out of three in Kansas City this weekend after an explosive 11-run offensive outing on Sunday afternoon lifted the team over the Royals 11-5. With today’s win, the club holds a 24-10 record since the All Star break.

Offense:

The Mets got off to a roaring start in Kauffman Stadium on Sunday afternoon taking an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Amed Rosario knocked a lead-off single but was caught stealing second base for the club’s first out. Then, a Joe Panik triple, followed by an intentional walk to Pete Alonso put runners on the corners for Michael Conforto to hit a three-run moon shot to right field for his 26^th home run of the season.

Royals’ starter Glenn Sparkman held the team to just those three runs through six, but New York pounced on their opponent’s relief corps, scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning.

To kick off the frame, Todd Frazier knocked a lead-off double off of Sparkman’s replacement, Kevin McCarthy, and Juan Lagares sent him to third on a sacrifice bunt. The Mets equalized the game 4-4 on a pinch-hit RBI single from J.D. Davis. Then, Tomas Nido doubled and Davis was taken out of the game for pinch-runner Ruben Tejada after seemingly re-aggravating his lingering calf injury. A two-run base knock from Amed Rosario sent Tejada and Nido home and put the Mets back on top, 6-4.

A Kansas City pitching change couldn’t stop the Amazin offense, as Joe Panik singled to put them in scoring position once again, and Alonso doubled to send in Rosario and make it 7-4.

Back-to-back base hits from Conforto and Wilson Ramos drove in Panik and Alonso to tack on a few more, and the Mets were out of the inning with seven runs to take a massive 9-4 lead that would not be challenged for the rest of the afternoon.

With one out, a pair of doubles from Tomas Nido and Amed Rosario gave the Mets another one, making it 10-4 in the eighth.

Pete Alonso hit a solo bomb in the team’s final frame to make it a final 11-5 for his 40^th homer of the season. He is on pace to shatter the Mets single-season record for home runs which is 41, set by Todd Hundley in 1996 and tied by Carlos Beltran in 2006.

The Mets lit up the Royals’ pitching with Alonso going 3-4 with a homer and a walk, Panik going 3-5 with a triple, and Conforto hitting 2-4 with a homer and a walk.

Pitching:

Zack Wheeler took the mound for New York this Sunday afternoon and threw the ball well coming out of the gate, holding the Royals scoreless until the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Hunter Dozier doubled, Jorge Soler reached on a catcher’s interference, and a wild pitch sent Dozier to third. First baseman Ryan O’Hearn grounded out to second but Dozier was able to score, putting Kansas City on the board and cutting the Mets lead to just two runs.

Wheeler got into trouble in the next frame allowing back-to-back hits from Bubba Starling and Brett Phillips to put Kansas City in scoring position. A Nick Dini sacrifice bunt turned into a disaster for Wheeler as he made an error on the throw to first and loaded the bases with no outs. Whit Merrifield sent the ball up the middle for a single to drive in a run, and Nicky Lopez grounded into a force out, sending Phillips home and tying up the game.

Kansas City took the lead on a Dozier sacrifice fly, and the right-hander got the last out of the frame before being pulled for Jeurys Familia to start off the sixth.

Wheeler ended his day throwing 92 pitches through five innings, allowing four hits, four runs, three earned, with one walk and two strikeouts. His ERA on the season is now a 4.40.

Familia tossed a scoreless sixth, and allowed one run to score in the seventh after a Phillips double and a Lopez RBI single. He finished his two-inning outing with no walks and one strikeout, and lowering his ERA to 6.21.

Brad Brach took the rubber in the eighth, holding onto the team’s five run lead and striking out one.

With a six-run lead, the Mets sent struggling closer Edwin Diaz out in the low-pressure situation finish it off and a 1-2-3 inning closed out the game. The 25-year-old added two strikeouts.

Up next:

The Mets have an off day on Monday before they travel back to Queens to open a three-game series with the Indians on Tuesday evening. Steven Matz (7-7, 4.33 ERA) will take the mound facing off with Cleveland’s Shane Bieber (12-5, 3.27 ERA).

The game will begin at 7:10 p.m. ET. It will be televised on SNY, ESPN, and broadcast on WCBS 880 and ESPN 1050.

The post Mets Take Series Against Royals with 11-5 Triumph appeared first on Metsmerized.

Hello from Greece, where I did not expect to be writing about Mets injury news, and yet, here I am.

Walter Lockett has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. The corresponding move? Robert Gsellman has been put on the injured list with tight right triceps.

After Friday night’s loss in Kansas City, manager Mickey Callaway told the press that Gsellman was dealing with triceps soreness, so this was not an unexpected move. In fact, once it was revealed that Lockett was being called up, many assumed that Gsellman going to the IL was going to be the corresponding move.

In 17.1 innings pitched this season, Lockett has an ERA of 7.79 and a 1.62 WHIP. He has struck out 13 over this four-game span.

There is some happy news that we found out prior to Saturday night’s game against Kansas City. J.D. Davis will be available to pinch-hit.

Also during Friday night’s game against the Royals, Davis left the game in the eighth inning with a tweaked calf. Davis did not seem to think much of this — and so far, that seems about right. It is good to see him available tonight to hit if need be, but let’s hope he is not pushed too far too soon.

The post Mets Place Robert Gsellman on IL, Activate Walker Lockett appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets bolstered their rotation Friday by signing southpaw Jason Vargas to a two-year, $16 million deal.

Earlier in the week, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said he “wasn’t convinced” the team needed to bring in an external starting pitcher, but obviously, he had a change of heart.

While many fans were pining for Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb, this was a smart move for New York.

Personally, I wouldn’t have minded giving up a second round pick for either of the above, but I’m glad they were able to get an innings eater on a team-friendly contract without giving up international bonus pool money. They would have had to do so if they signed Lynn or Cobb.

Back in September, I also wrote a piece on Vargas being a sensible option for the Mets rotation, so needless to say, I am satisfied with this move.

The 35-year-old had a tale of two seasons for Kansas City in 2017, but at the end of the day, he finished the year off with an 18-11 record, a 4.16 ERA and was good for 3.8 WAR.

Most of his 2015 and 2016 seasons were wiped out due to Tommy John surgery, so his regression in the second half last year (6.38 ERA) makes sense.

But at the end of the day, his 32 starts would have been the most on the Mets last season.

Beyond what I’ve touched upon above, here’s why I like this move.

You Can’t Have Too Much Pitching

Zack Wheeler was upset to say the least that the Mets brought in Vargas as he looks to fight for a spot in the rotation.

However, Wheeler hasn’t exactly been a beacon of health in his tenure with New York, nor have several of their other pitchers.

This is why bringing in a guy like Vargas was necessary. Just Jacob deGrom managed to escape the injury bug in 2017. Wheeler, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman all spent time on the disabled list last year.

Going into this season blindly with the same guys from last year who were marred by injury wouldn’t have been the savviest of moves.

I think of this move a lot like when the Mets brought in Bartolo Colon prior to the 2014 season on a two-year pact. Having that veteran, innings-eater type pitcher does wonders to lengthen your rotation. Additionally, he is coming off an 18 win campaign, I’ll take my chances to bringing him in.

Plus, if the Mets suffer a series of injuries again, at least they will now have someone to provide some stability.

Familiarity With Pitching Coach Dave Eiland

Vargas spent the last four seasons in Kansas City working under new Mets pitching coach Dave Eiland‘s tutelage.

Eiland worked closely with Vargas on his road to recovery from Tommy John surgery and was with him every step of the way, according to an article in the Kansas City Star from July.

This is where Eiland noticed his arm slot dropping down about two inches upon release and pinpointed that as a main reason why his changeup was so strong last year.

Having the presence of Eiland around will be good for all the pitchers, but especially for Vargas, who already knows him and trusts him.

Having a Second Lefty in the Rotation

Vargas is not like the Mets other starters. He’s not a flamethrower that relies on his fastball to blow guys away. In fact, his fastball last year was one of the slowest in baseball on average.

However, this could benefit the Mets. Sending Vargas to the mound after a team has had to face Noah Syndergaard Jacob deGrom or Matt Harvey in previous days will be an interesting change of pace because he’s a left-handed finesse pitcher.

Plus, I like having him in the rotation along with Steven Matz to give them that benefit of having more than one left-hander.

***

While Vargas isn’t an ace by any means, he is a nice piece for the Mets to have brought in and gives them a reliable guy to take the mound every fifth day.

Plus, next season when Matt Harvey ultimately leaves via free agency, they will have a pitcher to help soften the blow.

Anyway, as I touched upon on Twitter yesterday, I think the Mets did surprisingly well this offseason and could really put the cherry on top by bringing in one more reliever.

The post Signing Jason Vargas Was a Shrewd Move For Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.

Every Mets fan loves to complain about the team’s payroll. It’s almost as big of a deal as waiting two hours for Shake Shack at Citi Field.

The Mets rightfully have a bad reputation for not spending like a big-market team. But to be fair to the Mets, they have increased their payroll in each of the last two seasons, from $128 million in 2015 to about $154 million this season. New York’s $154 million payroll was the 14th-highest in the majors this year, but when you’re out-spent by teams that play in Kansas City and Seattle, fans are right to be disappointed.

Next season, there figures to be a lot of uncertainty surrounding the payroll. The Mets have a lot of money coming off ]the books this year, so they don’t actually have too much tied up to anyone. They only have about $60 million in guarantees next year, including the deferred salaries of Bobby Bonilla, Carlos Beltran and Bret Saberhagen. $49 million of those guarantees come from the contracts of Yoenis Cespedes and David Wright, the only two big-money players left on the Mets.

The team also have two mid-size team options for next year in Asdrubal Cabrera and Jerry Blevins. Cabrera has an $8.5 million option for next year, and Blevins has a $7 million option. The Mets will almost certainly pick up Blevins’ option for next season, but Cabrera’s future with the team is less clear. Let’s assume the Mets pick up Blevins’ option. We’re now up to $67 million.

Then comes arbitration. It’s hard to project how much arbitration salaries will actually rise, but let’s assume the following numbers as guesstimates. Again, it’s important to remember these numbers are purely speculative guesses from a non-arbitration expert:

• $8 million for Jeurys Familia (made $7.4 million this season.)
• $5.5 for Matt Harvey (made $5.1 million this season.)
• $8 million for AJ Ramos (made $6.6 million this season.)
• $4 million for Wilmer Flores (made $2.2 million this season.)
• $7 million for Jacob deGrom (made $4 million this season.)
• $2.5 for Travis d’Arnaud (made $1.8 million this season.)

That’s $35 million in arbitration money. Give or take $5 million for any non-tender or exponential pay raises. Now we’re up to somewhere between $97 and $107 million on the books. Let’s also assume about $12 million for pre-arbitration players, who usually make middle-six-figure salaries. That’s a $109 to $119 million payroll for 2018, before any trades and free-agent signings.

Assuming the Mets operate under a $154 million payroll again next year the team will have between $35 and $45 million to spend on free agency this offseason. If stinginess is not an object, however, they might want to spend more, given needs at catcher, second base, third base, center field, the rotation and bullpen.

Sandy Alderson and crew have previously said they will tie the payroll to attendance numbers. The Mets are tenth in the majors in attendance, averaging about 32,000 fans per game, although that will probably go down with the meaningless September games at Citi Field. The team will still, however, only be a tad lower than the attendance they put up in 2015, when they made the World Series, and far higher than they were from 2011-2014, when they never averaged more than 29,000 fans per game. So these so-so attendance numbers will hopefully bode well for the payroll.

The post Breaking Down the 2018 Mets Payroll appeared first on Metsmerized.

According to a report by Marc Carig of Newsday, Mets first baseman Lucas Duda is still bothered by a comment made by Royals third base coach Rusty Kuntz five months ago after Kansas City won the World Series.

Regarding Duda’s throwing error in the ninth inning of Game 5, Kuntz said, “Bless his heart, Duda. He’s a good bat.”

There was more to it than that and Duda didn’t take to kindly to any of it.

“He gave it to me pretty good,” Duda told Carig. “It’s his opinion, man. If he thinks I’m a (expletive) first baseman, then it’s OK.”

It was a wide throw to the plate by Lucas Duda that allowed Eric Hosmer to score the tying run in the ninth after Salvador Perez hit a grounder to third baseman David Wright.

Of course the Royals went on to win the game in 12 innings and become the World Series champs at Citi Field.

“I kind of hooked it, just sort of rushed it,” Duda said of his errant throw. “That’s really all it was. I just made an errant throw.”

While Duda admitted he was haunted by the play during the offseason, he’s over it now and will not let it affect his play this season.

“That’s one of those things that I think can break you or propel you. It’s not going to define my career. It’s not going to break me. I’m going to become stronger.”

The post Duda Takes Offense To Royals Coach Comments About Errant World Series Throw appeared first on Metsmerized.

VEGAS, BABY!!!

The New York Mets now head to Las Vegas for a rare two-game exhibition series against the Chicago Cubs beginning with a a game tonight at 8:05 PM. Right-handed pitching prospect Paul Sewald will start for the Mets and will oppose right-hander Ryan Williams for the Cubs at Cashman Field. Also expected to pitch for the Mets is RHP Chasen Bradford.

On Friday, LHP Steven Matz will opposes RHP Jason Hammel in the final tuneup before Opening Night on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. First pitch is at 4:05 PM.

RHP Jacob deGrom threw 71 pitches during a simulated game in Port St. Lucie on Thursday. DeGrom was initially scheduled to pitch in Las Vegas tonight, but stayed behind in Florida to be close with his wife who is due with the couple’s first child early next week. He is slated to start the Mets’ home opener on April 8.

New York Mets

1. Curtis Granderson, RF
2. David Wright, 3B
3. Yoenis Cespedes, CF
4. Lucas Duda, 1B
5. Neil Walker, 2B
6. Michael Conforto, LF
7. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
8. Kevin Plawecki, C
9. Paul Sewald, RHP

Chicago Cubs

1. Ben Zobrist, 2B
2. Jason Heyward, CF
3. Kris Bryant, RF
4. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
5. Kyle Schwarber, LF
6. Tommy La Stella, 3B
7. Addison Russell, SS
8. David Ross, C
9. Ryan Williams, P

The post MMO Game Thread: Mets vs Cubs, 8:05 PM Viva Las Vegas! appeared first on Metsmerized.