Position: 1B/OF/DH B/T: L/L
Player Data: Age: 32 (07/26/1993)

2025 Traditional Stats: 144 G, 544 PA, .281/.366/.437/.803, 133 H, 17 HR, 63 RBI
2025 Advanced Stats: 127 wRC+, 20.0 K%, 10.7 BB%, .330 BABIP, .350 xwOBA, 3.0 fWAR

Rundown

The 32-year-old Ryan O’Hearn started his big-league career with the Kansas City Royals. The former Sam Houston State Bearkat spent five seasons in Kansas City. However, since leaving, he has seemingly reinitialized a career that was trending downward fast after a terrific 2018 season. In 2018, his rookie season, he posted a career-best .950 OPS across a limited 149 at-bat sample. Though, following that strong rookie season he posted a negative wins above replacement in each of his final four seasons with the Royals. Since joining Baltimore in 2023, O’Hearn posted OPS seasons of .801, .761, and .803, respectively, over the last three seasons.

Contemplating a more robust sample, 2025 was O’Hearn’s best season. He split time between the Orioles and San Diego Padres, slashing .281/.366/.437 with 17 homers and 63 RBIs. His 2024 season was also strong, a year he posted the second-highest fWAR of his career. He slashed .264/.334/.427 (.761 OPS) to go along with 15 homers and 59 RBIs.

The underlying metrics in both 2024 and 2025 tell a very similar story; O’Hearn walks at an above-average, doesn’t swing-and-miss a ton, and makes strong contact. All has contributed to a huge turnaround for a player that struggled so dearly from 2019 through 2022.

O’Hearn is far from a perfect player though. His main issues come against left-handed pitching. He has only had between 340 and 475 at-bats the last three seasons due in large part to his inability to hit lefties. His career OPS against southpaws is .642, and in 2024 was barely above the .600 mark.

With that being said, an extremely interesting development occurred in 2025. O’Hearn posted a career-best .832 OPS against lefties which was even higher than the .795 mark he had against right-handed pitchers. This enabled the 32-year-old to post the most at-bats of his career (544).

Defensively, O’Hearns plus-five outs above average in 2025 was in the league’s 89th percentile. Over the last five seasons his fielding run value has been negative only once. For more context, in 2025, O’Hearn posted a plus-four defensive runs saved (DRS), plus-six outs above average (OAA), and plus-six fielding run value (FRV). All three of these figures ranked toward the top of the league and his overall defensive value, according to Fangraph’s ranked first among 30 first baseman. In comparison, Alonso ranked dead-last in Fangraph’s overall defensive value and near the bottom in DRS, OAA, and FRV, all of which were negative.

Contract

As far as what a deal may look like, O’Hearn would bring vast savings compared to Alonso. The Athletic projects a two-year, $24 million deal ($12 million annually) while Sportstrac only projects a two-year deal worth $11.5 million annually. O’Hearn only made $3.5 million last season in the final year of his deal.

Recommendation: Worth Checking In

All eyes are on Pete Alonso for New York this offseason. The Mets’ franchise leader in home runs is once again on the market. If Alonso were to walk, president of baseball operations, David Stearns, and his staff, will likely need to go externally for a replacement. O’Hearn would be someone that makes a lot of sense too.

O’Hearn has hit right-handed pitching at a very strong clip since his departure from Kansas City. His hitting profile also is strong, as he relies on walks, solid contact, and not a ton of swing-and-miss. He also provides a defensive upgrade at first and technically gives you some more versatility as he has also played in the outfield. To top it off, in 2025, he also showed major improvement against left-handed pitching which has been his demise all throughout his career. Granted, the larger sample indicates this more of a blip rather than sustainable. But, if is somehow is an indicator of what he will do going forward, bringing in O’Hearn would provide immense value.

Speaking of value, saving $15 million-plus annually to bring in O’Hearn and let Alonso walk would allow the Mets to sign some right-handed hitting insurance to platoon with O’Hearn. It also allows you to dedicate additional resources to a pitching staff that desperately needs help. If Alonso walks, O’Hearn should be considered heavily.

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The New York Mets look to win the four game set against the Padres this afternoon in San Diego. This has been a series of blowouts with the Mets winning two games by a lot, and the Padres crushing in one game. Can the Mets make some magic happen one more time?

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor, SS
2. Mark Vientos, 3B
3. Pete Alonso, 1B
4. Brandon Nimmo, LF
5. Starling Marte, RF
6. J.D. Martinez, DH
7. Jose Iglesias, 2B
8. Luis Torrens, C
9. Harrison Bader, CF

Jose Quintana has pitched 134 innings over 25 starts this season with a 4.57 ERA, 5.14 FIP, 1.321 WHIP, and an 85 ERA+. He’s coming off a terrible start against the Baltimore Orioles where he allowed seven runs over five innings. In the month of August, he has allowed 19 runs over 20 2/3 innings from 22 hits and 12 walks.

Quintana is need of a good start and he had one in June against the Padres where he held them to one run and two hits over six innings. The Padres have the following career numbers against Quintana:

• Luis Arráez 0-3
• Xander Bogaerts 6-16, 2 K
• Jake Cronenworth 1-5, 2 K
• Kyle Higashioka 0-5, 4 K
• Manny Machado 5-25, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 6 K
• Jackson Merrill 1-2, HR
• David Peralta 1-4, K
• Jurickson Profar 2-10, HR, BB, 2 K
• Donovan Solano 2-7, 2B, K

Jose Quintana. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Padres Lineup

1. Jurickson Profar, LF
2. Donovan Solano, 3B
3. Xander Bogaerts, 2B
4. Manny Machado, DH
5. Jake Cronenworth, 1B
6. Jackson Merrill, CF
7. Luis Campusano, C
8. Bryce Johnson, RF
9. Mason McCoy, SS

Martín Pérez has made 20 starts this season for the Pirates and Padres totaling 106 innings with a 4.67 ERA, 4.89 FIP, 1.500 WHIP, and an 88 ERA+. Since being traded to the Padres, he has made four starts totaling 23 innings with a 2.74 ERA. He’s coming off of his worst start though as a Padre where he allowed three runs from seven hits over 4 2/3 innings.

Against the Mets this year he allowed three runs from six hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Pérez:

• Pete Alonso 0-12, 3 BB, 2 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, 2 BB
• Harrison Bader 0-2
• José Iglesias 5-21, HR, K
• Francisco Lindor 7-17, 2B, 5 BB, K
• Starling Marte 6-11, 2 2B, HR, K
• J.D. Martinez 1-11, 3 BB, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 4-13, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 4-14, 2B
• Tyrone Taylor 2-3, BB
• Luis Torrens 0-5, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-2, K
• Jesse Winker 2-9, 3 K

Game Notes

The Mets enter Sunday’s game 2.0 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final wild card spot. The Braves took on the Washington Nationals in the early game on Sunday; losing 5-1.

Prior to Sunday’s game, the Mets put starting pitcher Paul Blackburn on the 15-day injured list with a right hand bruised. In the corresponding move, relief pitcher Huascar Brazoban is back with the team.

Prior to Sunday’s game, the Mets announced that third baseman Brett Baty was struck by a pitch on his left index finger on a check swing with Triple-A Syracuse. Imaging has revealed a fracture. The team confirms that a typical return to play for this type of injury is 4-6 weeks.

Prior to Sunday’s game, the Mets released veteran outfielder Eddie Rosario. Rosario went 3-for-29 with eight strikeouts for Triple-A Syracuse since signing after his release from the Atlanta Braves.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Francisco Lindor, the MVP. Francisco Lindor is now at 6.5 fWAR, 0.2 ahead of Shohei Ohtani for the National League lead. Saturday night, Lindor went 2-for-5 with two home runs including a grand slam, increasing his RBI total to 78 on the season. Lindor has played in 17 games since August 7, slashing .375/.416/.708 with 11 multi-hit games. His 135 OPS+ is the best in his career.
2. Both teams have their best bullpens ready to go. As the SNY booth noted early in Saturday’s game, that because of the blowouts early in the series, neither team needed to use their best relievers. Well, Saturday’s game was also a blowout with neither dipping into high-leverage relievers.
3. Harrison Bader. Harrison Bader had been mired in a slump. Before his 8th inning home run Saturday night, he was 0-for-his last 14 at-bats. There was a time this season where Harrison Bader provided a spark at the bottom of the lineup that would push the Mets forward, hopefully his homer yesterday is a sign of things to come.

The post Game Chat: Mets vs. Padres, 4:10 P.M. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Blackburn was injured in his last start, on Friday, when he struggled against the San Diego Padres. After allowing 10 hits and five runs through 2 1/3 innings, Blackburn was struck on the hand by a hard line drive. Blackburn was examined, then removed from the game.

Blackburn underwent a CT scan on Saturday, which showed no fractures or breaks. Now, he finds himself on the 15-day injured list with what the team confirms is a, “right-hand contusion.” The move is retroactive to August 24.

Brazobán was just sent down to Triple-A Syracuse on August 23 to make room for the return of right-handed reliever Dedniel Núñez. Despite the strong start to the year with Miami, since the trade, Brazoban has struggled mightily; 6.30 ERA across 10 innings. With years of team control, and strong major-league performances historically, one would hope and assume Brazoban finds it sooner rather than later.

Blackburn was due for his next start on Thursday, August 29. The first day he will be able to return is September 8. Until then, the Mets will likely have to either call-up Tylor Megill from Triple-A or let José Buttó return to the rotation. Manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed prior to Sunday’s game that Megill is indeed a strong candidate.

The post Paul Blackburn Lands On Injured List; Huascar Brazobán Recalled appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

After a brutal, 7-0 loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday, the Mets needed a response. They had their hands full with Michael King, a right-handed starter at the top of his game. In the biggest spot of the game, Lindor came through to completely alter the momentum Saturday. The Mets led 1-0 going into the fourth inning. With two outs in the frame, Starling Marte singled, Francisco Álvarez reached via an error, and Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch. That brought Lindor to the plate with the bases loaded, a chance to break things open.

King left a sweeper over the middle of the zone in a 2-0 count and the shortstop crushed it, hitting a grand slam to right center field. The Mets, who have had all kinds of problems with runners in scoring position, executed in that moment. Lindor’s 26th home run of the season gave them a crucial 5-0 lead, a lead that felt safe with David Peterson on the mound. But the Mets weren’t done adding.

Francisco Lindor. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Lindor led off in the seventh inning against Padres reliever Yuki Matsui. He saw a fastball near the the middle of the zone and crushed it to left field, adding a home run from the right side. His second blast of the night gave the Mets a 6-1 lead, one they would hold onto.

“We are witnessing greatness here. He needs to be in the [MVP] conversation. He’s right there with anybody in the league. I know there’s some other guys that are having a real good year, but he is right there with them,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.

It may not be as glamorous as Ohtani’s stat-line, but Lindor is on pace for consecutive 30-30 seasons. He also plays elite defense at a premium position. That should be mentioned in this conversation. Will Lindor win the MVP? Probably not, no. But just because he is expected to fall short doesn’t mean he should.

Lindor is an elite player, one of the best in the game. To the surprise of many, he wasn’t named an All-Star this season. Since then, he is slashing .311/370/.581/.952 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs across 36 games.

Lindor deserves recognition for what he has done in a Mets uniform. Year after year, season after season, he produces. “The bigger goal here is to be in the postseason,” Lindor said. The Mets remain 2.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot going into Sunday.

The post Francisco Lindor’s MVP Case Continues to Grow appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Three different relievers were called upon after a dominant outing from Luis Severino, but the biggest story was from the efforts of José Buttó. After Danny Young retired the first two batters in the eighth, Luis García Jr. roped a double to center field, and the Mets manager called upon Buttó to record a four-out save.

“I’ve been saying it, they’re eventually gonna get it done. They’re going through a rough stretch here, but at some point, I’m pretty confident they’re going to get the job done. Tonight was a perfect example of that… And Buttó. First career save – I like how he came in and attacked the zone, used the two-seam against righties and the change-up to get Vargas,” Mendoza said.

Before Buttó made the switch to the bullpen, he made a great case to be part of the rotation moving forward, but with Tylor Megill returning from injury, the decision was made to send him back to Syracuse. Over his first seven starts, his command was off, giving up 21 free passes, but he recorded a strong 3.08 ERA while striking out 38 over 38 innings.

In desperate need of fresh arms in the bullpen, the Mets decided to bring Buttó back to the major leagues and give him another look when he came out of the pen. That decision has been successful, as Buttó has yet to allow a run over his first three appearances and has only allowed one hit with three strikeouts to pair with it. It seemed that he was potentially going to be another option for long relief outings due to the starting rotation prematurely exiting games, but the rotation has held its own, and Buttó was able to execute his first career save in Wednesday night’s game.

With the trade deadline less than 20 days away, the Mets have been able to make in-house moves to the bullpen to keep arms fresh. That said, David Sterns will still be resourceful in his search to improve the bullpen heading into the second half of the season. With Buttó locking down the save on Wednesday night, this opens up an opportunity for Phil Maton to make his Mets debut and Edwin Díaz will be rested as the Mets go for the sweep against the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon.

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In his free agency update on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote that Japanese left-hander Shōta Imanaga could receive a contract of at least $100 million. The deadline for teams to negotiate with the Imanaga is on Jan. 11.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com predicts that Imanaga will ultimately sign with the New York Mets.

Latest Mets News 

The Mets announced that on Tuesday, Ronny Mauricio underwent right knee reconstruction ACL surgery performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. A typical return-to-play timeline from this procedure is 8-12 months; Mauricio suffered this injury while trying to steal second base during a Dominican Winter League game on December 10.

The Mets have reportedly shown interest in two free-agent left-handed starting pitchers, Hyun-jin Ryu and Sean Manaea. Click here to see more on the report from Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online!

Mets prospect Jeremy Rodriguez was mentioned as one of the six most impressive debuts from the 2023 international class in an article from Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com. Rodriguez was acquired from the Diamondbacks in return for Tommy Pham at the 2023 trade deadline.

The Mets are expected to give out two of the top 50 international free agency bonuses when the class officially starts on January 15th, per Ben Badler of Baseball America. This includes the top catcher Yovanny Rodriguez (fifth-highest) and outfielder Edward Lantigua (43rd-highest).To learn more about the Mets international free agency class click here!

Latest MLB News

Wander Franco‘s legal troubles continue to trudge on, as on Wednesday, prosecutors in the Dominican Republic accused him of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering following allegations of a relationship with a minor, per The AP. The story alleges that Franco paid off the mother of the underage girl he was in a relationship with. 

The Dodgers and Brewers completed a trade on Wednesday as Los Angeles acquired minor league left-handed pitcher Justin Chambers and a player to be named later or cash and, in return, sent Milwaukee left-handed pitcher Bryan Hudson, per Dodgers Insider. While only being a 20th round pick in the 2023 draft, Chambers received a bonus that is usually slotted to a fourth round selection; he still received that having undergone Tommy John surgery. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks added some infield depth as they agreed to a deal with veteran shortstop Kevin Newman, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. 

Korean relief pitcher Woo-Suk Go and the San Diego Padres agreed to a two-year, $4.5 million deal, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Go is expected to be the Padres opening day closer.

The Boston Red Sox officially announced their signing of starting pitcher Lucas Giolito to a one-year deal worth $19 million, with a player option for 2025; in a corresponding move, DFA’d right-handed pitcher Mauricio Llovera. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com noted that there is a conditional option for 2026: if Giolito throws more than 140 innings in 2025, then there is a $14 million club option. If he throws less than 140 innings in 2025, then there is a $19 million mutual option.

Cincinnati Reds outfield prospect Héctor Rodríguez was named LIDOM (Dominican Professional Baseball League) Rookie of the Year. The 19-year-old put up a slash line of .309/.344/.487 with 17 extra-base hits and led the league with four triples.

After eyeing Jordan Montgomery for most of the off-season, the Yankees are reportedly also considering reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell after missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. 

Latest on MMO

Read up on Mike Mayer’s report on the Mets interest in Sean Manaea and Hyun-jin Ryu. 

The 1988 Mets beat the 2016 Mets in the first round of Mets Madness.

Check out the Mets impending international free agency class!

On This Date in Mets History

2006: The New York Mets trade Jae Weong Seo and Tim Hamulack to the Los Angeles Dodgers and, in return, receive pitchers Steve Schmoll and Duaner Sánchez. Sánchez had an impressive start to the 2006 season, posting a 2.60 ERA in 55 innings pitched before a taxi accident ended his season. 

Birthdays: Kevin Pillar (35), Daryl Boston (61), Paul Gibson (64), Bart Shirley (84)

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