Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga got the ball for his first start of 2026 against Cardinals righty Andrew Pallante. However, despite a strong start from Senga, the Mets’ bats were shut out in a 3-0 loss on Tuesday.

Both Senga and Pallante gave up a single and a walk in their opening inning. While Pallante settled in immediately after that, the Cardinals got to Senga first with two runs in the third in his only rough inning. He gave up three straight hits in the third, including an RBI double to Ivan Herrera that scored two and put the Cardinals on top of the Mets 2-0.

After the third inning, Senga settled down and went on to have a huge performance, keeping the Mets in it through six innings. However, the Mets’ offense didn’t give him any support. The Mets’ only hits came on a double and single from Juan Soto and a single by Jared Young.

Senga’s day was done after six innings. He gave up just two earned runs on four hits, three walks, and struck out nine. Senga threw 92 pitches (56 for strikes). What was especially encouraging for Senga was that he was touching 98-99 mph on his fastball, even in his final inning of work.

The Mets then handed the ball to Lovelady, who got into immediate trouble. He gave up a lead-off solo home run to Ramon Urias that extended the Cardinals’ lead to 3-0 over the Mets.

Lovelady finished out the night well, but the Mets’ bats never came to life as the Mets (3-2) dropped game two to the Cardinals (3-2) 3-0, suffering their first shutout of the year.

Player of the Game

Tuesday’s player of the game is Kodai Senga, as he gave up just the one RBI double in the third, but struck out nine in a great outing for the right-hander in his first of the season.

On Deck

After failing to secure the series win on Tuesday, the Mets will look to win the series on Wednesday when they finish out their series against the Cardinals. Wednesday will feature right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta (1-0, 7.20 ERA) on the mound for the Mets against left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 1.80 ERA) on the mound for St. Louis.

First pitch on Wednesday is slated for 1:15 p.m. Gary Cohen will seemingly call the game on SNY by himself, because Keith Hernandez will fly back to New York to get his back troubles checked out.

The post Mets Shut Out 3-0 by Cardinals After Strong Senga Start appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets play the St. Louis Cardinals for the sixth and final time in spring training this afternoon, but it’s not the last time the two teams will face off in March! The Mets will open the regular season with a three-game set at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 26 and then head to St. Louis for a three-game series. With so few teams playing on the east coast of Florida, and three of those teams being in the NL East, it feels like more often than not the Mets play an early-season series against a team they spent the whole spring playing.

The Mets have made a few roster moves before each game this week. Before yesterday’s game, they optioned Ronny Mauricio to Triple-A Syracuse, which clarified a few scenarios. Mauricio was slated to be the starting shortstop if Francisco Lindor wasn’t ready. It was also difficult to see how the Mets would carry Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Mauricio on the same roster as Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien.

Also, your eyes are not deceiving you; Bichette is getting a start at shortstop today. He hasn’t played any innings at the position yet this spring, but he has plenty of experience there throughout his career.

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Tyrone Taylor – CF
3. Bo Bichette – SS
4. Mark Vientos – DH
5. Mike Tauchman – LF
6. Vidal Bruján – 2B
7. Jared Young – 1B
8. Hayden Senger – C
9. Antonio Jimenez – 3B

Starting Pitcher: Tobias Myers

Opposing Lineup

1. JJ Wetherholt – DH
2. Ramón Urías – 2B
3. Iván Herrera – C
4. Jordan Walker – RF
5. Thomas Saggese – CF
6. Yohel Pozo – 1B
7. José Fermín – 3B
8. Nathan Church – LF
9. Brody Moore – SS

Starting Pitcher: Andre Pallante

Game Notes

• Per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, manager Carlos Mendoza stated that Francisco Alvarez feels better today after being pulled in last night’s game as a precautionary measure for back tightness. If no more issues pop up, he will be in the lineup on Saturday.
• The Mets optioned right-handed reliever Austin Warren today, strengthening southpaw Bryan Hudson‘s case to make the Opening Day roster.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Tobias Myers. Myers was included in the Freddy Peralta trade and is more than just a throw-in pitcher. Myers has the ability to start, spot-start, long-relief, be the bulk guy, etc. In four games so far this spring, he has pitched 9 2/3 innings allowing only two runs while scattering seven hits and four walks. He has 12 strikeouts over this time! Myers could be the X-factor for the Mets this season both in the ways he saves the bullpen’s workload when a starter falls short and his ability to pitch in high-leverage situations.
2. ABS Challenge Update. The Mets have been so bad this spring at balls and strikes challenges. Teams this spring have been successful 52% of the time. When the Mets are batting, they have been successful only 28% of the time. They’ve been a bit better when fielding, winning 38% of the time. If you rank every team by raw overturn numbers, the Mets are dead last.
3. Catching Depth. The Mets saw their catching depth tested on Thursday with Alvarez leaving the game early for back tightness (precautionary!). Luis Torrens is a great backup catcher, but he can’t catch all 162. On the 40-man roster, the Mets have Hayden Senger, who struggled offensively in 2025, but knows the Mets pitchers and is fine for a short stint if needed. The Mets also brought in Ben Rortvedt this spring. Rortvedt made his major league debut in 2021 with the Twins. In 2024 with the Rays, he got into 112 games and had 0.9 bWAR while slashing .228/.317/.303.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Spring Training Game Chat: Cardinals vs. Mets, 1:10 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Off the heels of recovering from a hamstring strain last season, Senga was back on the mound for his first start of spring on Saturday. He threw 2 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits and struck out two. His first strikeout was on an 87 mph slider. Overall he threw 50 pitches (34 for strikes).

While he did give up two long balls Saturday, what right-handed starter and the Mets were happy about is his up-tick in velocity. Senga clocked a fastball at 98.9 mph and averaged around 96.7 mph on his fastball overall, an up-tick from last season. Home runs aside, it was a productive spring outing for Senga and the Mets were pleased.

Senga spoke to the media following his outing on Saturday. He said, “This outing was really good. I think it’s pretty clear when I’m not feeling great, the velo doesn’t tick up like that,” he noted.

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

He stated one of the most important things he did was making some mechanical changes. “Battling back from that injury in 2024, getting myself, getting my body right to where I need to be so that I can perform and I feel like I’m there right now.” Senga said he still has a lot to prove this season coming into the season. He talked about how it’s either you perform or you don’t, and for him, he hasn’t performed to his peak yet.

After Senga, and some other strong performances out of the bullpen, Jack Wenninger closed out the day emphatically for New York. He threw three shutout innings, giving up just three hits and he struck out five as he continues to make a great case for himself ahead of the camp break.

Notably, Wenninger got 11 swings-and-misses on 25 swings, seven of which came on his splitter. He also touched 97.4 mph, a great sign for his velocity as well for the Mets’ No. 7 prospect.

He now has a 2.70 ERA over the course of 6 2/3 innings this spring. The right-handed pitcher has 10 strikeouts to go along with the two earned runs.

The post Senga Makes First Spring Start; Wenninger Dominates appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It’s been a busy week for the Mets. We had Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean’s first starts of spring. We’ve seen the first spring training home runs from Marcus Semien and Ronny Mauricio. There has been a lot to be excited about.

That all continues today as two critical players for the 2026 Mets make their spring training debuts. The Mets entered the offseason needing a frontline starter and a star closer. Devin Williams, while not the first choice for the latter, looks to bounce back and return to his former self as the Mets’ new closer. Freddy Peralta was the playoff-contending move the Mets desperately needed to make. It’s a great day!

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. Christian Arroyo – 3B
4. Jose Rojas – 1B
5. Hayden Senger – C
6. MJ Melendez – DH
7. Vidal Bruján – 2B
8. Jackson Cluff – SS
9. Nick Morabito – CF

Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta

Opposing Lineup

1. JJ Wetherholt – DH
2. José Fermín – SS
3. Nolan Gorman – 3B
4. Nelson Velázquez – LF
5. Ramón Urías – 2B
6. Thomas Saggese – CF
7. Pedro Pagés – C
8. Nathan Church – RF
9. Blaze Jordan – 1B

Starting Pitcher: Quinn Matthews

Game Notes

• Justin Hagenman, Huascar Brazoban, Williams and Alex Carrillo are the Mets’ scheduled pitchers after Peralta’s outing is finished.
• Craig Kimbrel, who signed a minor league deal with the Mets in January, is set to make his spring debut for the club on Saturday against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Freddy Peralta. The Mets have been searching for an established, major league ace to anchor the rotation for the last couple of seasons, and they finally got one in Peralta. He is coming off of his best season in the majors, as he had a 5.5 bWAR with a 2.70 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 1.075 WHIP and a 154 ERA+ over 176 2/3 innings for the Milwaukee Brewers. Today he finally makes his Grapefruit League Mets debut!
2. Devin Williams. Williams’ Mets journey starts today! The Mets were hoping to have Williams and Edwin Díaz in the back of the bullpen this year, but that wasn’t meant to be. Williams is coming off of a down year with the Yankees where he posted a -0.3 bWAR over 62 innings with a 4.79 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 1.129 WHIP and an 85 ERA+ over 62 innings. It was a major departure from his six years with the Brewers, where he had an 1.83 ERA, 2.39 FIP, 1.023 WHIP and 231 ERA+. The Mets are hoping that is the version of Williams that shows up when closing out games in the ninth inning this season.
3. Home runs. Save some home runs for the regular season! The Mets enter play today tied with the Royals for fifth in MLB with nine home runs this spring. The Yankees are running away at the top of the leaderboard with 15 homers, followed by the Diamondbacks and Rockies, who each have 12. The power on the Mets has come from regular, major league players and minor league players. Yesterday Semien and Tyrone Taylor hit homers off of Tatsuya Imai. The day before that, Mike Tauchman and Mauricio hit home runs in the first inning. All nine home runs have come from nine different players too!

Let’s go Mets!

The post Spring Training Game Chat: Mets vs. Cardinals, 1:05 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Position: IF/OF B/T: L/R

Player Data: Age: 28 (01/16/1997)

2025 Traditional Stats: 515 PA, .287/.353/.422/.775, 132 H, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 42 BB, 67 SO

2025 Advanced Stats: 119 wRC+, 119 OPS+, 13.0% SO%, 8.2% BB%, .315 BABIP, .346 xwOBA, 2.9 fWAR, 2.7 bWAR

Rundown

The St. Louis Cardinals are trending towards a rebuild. Since the start of the offseason, they have already dealt Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and now Nolan Arenado, three of their highest-paid players from a season ago. With that in mind, most, if not all, of the key pieces in St. Louis could be had in a trade. That includes Brendan Donovan, who was a first-time All-Star in 2025. The utility man has consistently hit since debuting in 2022, owning a career .282 batting average in 492 games. Donovan isn’t much of a power hitter, but a strength for him is his ability to put the ball in play. For his career, he has a 13.5% strikeout rate.

Donovan missed some time with groin and foot injuries last season, limiting him to just 118 games. But on the whole, the 2025 season was a strong one for him individually. He ranked in the 90th percentile or better in expected batting average, squared-up percentage, whiff rate, and strikeout percentage, among other offensive categories. After hitting .297 with a .797 OPS in a strong first half, Donovan fell to a .259 batting average and a .706 OPS post-All-Star break. Again, as mentioned before, injuries played a significant role in that drop off. He is expected to be 100% healthy for the beginning of spring training later next month.

In 2025, Donovan spent most of his time in the lineup hitting first or third, with his best numbers coming in the middle of the order. In 57 games, he slashed .309/.386/.423 with 21 extra base hits from the three-hole. If Donovan were to be traded to a team with a talented lineup, he profiles as someone who can still be effective further down the lineup. But more than anything else, his numbers from last season show that he can also do damage near the top of the order when given the opportunity.

Donovan is an intriguing trade candidate for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest one revolves around his versatility. Most of his time has been spent at second base and in left field, but he can play all over the diamond. Donovan has also featured at first base, shortstop, third base, and right field. That is certainly something that will only increase his value in a seller’s market, which the Cardinals are already super active in.

Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Package

Donovan is set to become a free agent in 2028, so any team trading for him would get two years of control. With that in mind, it would take quite a bit for the Mets to get him.

Mets Receive:

• IF/OF Brendan Donovan

Cardinals Receive:

• RHP Brandon Sproat
• OF Nick Morabito

The Cardinals are in desperate need of help in the starting rotation, especially with the departure of Gray. Sproat would give them a young arm with a high ceiling. Morabito is an outfielder with plenty of speed, one who could factor at the big league level potentially in 2027.

Recommendation

Is Donovan a player who could help the Mets take a step forward, particularly offensively? Absolutely, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they would be a good match.

Entering the 2026 season, the Mets have plenty of guys who occupy positions on the infield, especially given the most recent reported signing of star Bo Bichette. Outside of Bichette, there is also Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña. That does not even include one of the newer Mets, Marcus Semien, who is set to occupy the position that Donovan has spent the most time of his career at, second base.

If the Mets made a move for Donovan it would be for him to come in and occupy left field. Across his four-year career, Donovan has played 225 games at second base and 163 in left field. So, despite the infield logjam, the versatility that Donovan brings would still help him fit the Mets’ roster if they wanted to go that route. However, a despite that, a fit such as Cody Bellinger may make more sense.

The post Trade Profile: Brendan Donovan, IF/OF appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The full return for St. Louis is RHP Hunter Dobbins, RHP Yhoiker Fajardo, and RHP Blake Aita according to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic.

Contreras, 33 years old, is under team control through 2028 at a favorable price tag (includes an option). He made the transition to first base last season where he played at a Gold-Glove level. He slashed .256/.344/.447 (.791 OPS) with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs.

Contreras was widely reported as a target of the New York Mets. SNY went as far as confirming he’d be willing to accept a trade to New York as Contreras had a no-trade clause in his contract. However, a later report walked back the Mets’ interest, specifically after the Jorge Polanco signing, thus a deal was never formalized.

Contreras will now anchor a dangerous Boston Red Sox lineup. Boston continues their trend of being very active this offseason.

The post Report: Willson Contreras Traded To Boston 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.

Helsley has been with the Cardinals since they drafted him in 2015 and made his major-league debut six years ago in 2019. Over the course of his career, he has a 2.67 ERA, has recorded 105 saves, and totaled 355 strikeouts across 299 2/3 innings. In 2025, specifically, he has a 3.00 ERA, 21 saves, and 41 strikeouts through 36 innings.

He is a two-time National League All-Star (2022 and 2024), was named to the All-MLB First Team in 2024 while also being named the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year.

Helsley is a known for his impressive fastball velocity. This season the fastball has averaged at 99.3 mph, however, it has gotten hit around a lot this season (.406 BA, .332 xBA). The career-long closer’s best pitch is by far his slider, which he throws nearly 48% of the time. It has a BA of .092 and a xBA of .124. These pitches help Helsley generate a ton of chases (94th percentile) and swing-and-misses (86th percentile).

Notably, the 31-year-old is due to be a free agent at season’s end.

Ryan Helsley. Photo Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, the right-handed infielder, Baez, is slashing .242/.332/.390, with a .722 OPS in 2025. He has hit 10 home runs and driven in 42 runs. Baez looked to be on the ascent through the Mets’ organizational prospect rankings, as he had a .993 OPS in May with High-A Brooklyn. However, in June, that OPS decreased to .702, and in July, entering Wednesday, he had a .634 OPS. At only 20 years old, there is still a ton of time for the former top-100 prospect, by some outlets, to develop and improve.

Right-handed pitcher Nate Dohm has split the 2025 season between Single-A St. Lucie (seven games) and High-A Brooklyn (11 games, 10 starts). Between the two, he is 3-5 with a 2.87 ERA with 77 strikeouts and a 1.26 WHIP over the course of 62 2/3 innings. His underlying metrics (3.25 FIP, 3.15 xFIP) further paints an encouraging picture. The 22-year-old third-round pick was an intriguing arm, something the Mets have a plethora of in their system.

Frank Elissalt, thus far this season, also split time between St. Lucie (18 games) and Brooklyn (two games). He is 4-5, with a 3.04 ERA between the two and has 65 strikeouts and a 0.99 WHIP over the course of 56 1/3 inning. He was an unranked prospect within the Mets system by several outlets.

With adding Helsley, the Mets’ bullpen now features a fierce three-headed monster of Tyler Rogers, Helsley, and Edwin Díaz.

The post Mets To Acquire Reliever Ryan Helsley In Exchange For Three Prospects appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Mets remain in the market for significant relief help, and the idea of adding a legitimate setup man is one that the team could be considering. Sammon states that, “for instance, Ryan Helsley is a reliever the Mets have expressed some interest in, but they’ve yet to have any discussions about him with the St. Louis Cardinals (54-52), league sources said.” He continued to assert that, “the Mets are interested in a number of relievers,” as the deadline nears.

Helsley has been a shutdown closer for the St. Louis Cardinals for some years now and is in the final year of his contract; he would be a rental for the Mets. On the season, Helsley owns an ERA of exactly 3.00 with a 1.39 WHIP and a K/9 of 10.3 over 36 innings pitched. The month of July has been rough for the Cardinals, and they are now flirting with falling under .500 after dropping to fourth place in the division behind the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds.

Sammon also mentioned closers Pete Fairbanks of the Rays and Kenley Jansen of the Angels as other arms that the, “industry is monitoring.” Sammon has previously reported for The Athletic that even after adding Gregory Soto, the Mets are eyeing multiple more relief additions.

Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Offensively, the Mets have been heavily connected to Luis Robert Jr. as a potential addition in center field. Robert Jr is still only 27, and has begun to hit the ball much better of late. Over his last 13 games, Robert Jr. owns a 1.011 OPS with three homers and four stolen bases. Despite this, his season numbers still sit at an unimpressive .636 OPS and 10 homers. Robert has two club options remaining on his contract after 2025, giving him a few more years of team control as a boost to his value on the trade market.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that in any deal for Luis Robert Jr., the Chicago White Sox would want infielder Mark Vientos from the Mets. Vientos has been heating up for the Mets, but like Robert Jr., his overall offensive numbers are still unimpressive. Vientos has just six homers on the year with a .638 OPS, and has been in-and-out of the Mets’ lineup for most of the summer since his return from the injured list.

Vientos has been swinging a better bat of late, but has still been held to a .760 OPS over his last 12 games, and is in a 23-game home run drought. Defensively, Vientos has been something close to a disaster at third base with a negative-eight defensive runs saved and a negative-seven outs above average on the season. His role as the starting third baseman has seemingly been lost to a platoon that mostly sees Brett Baty starting at third base, with Vientos or Ronny Mauricio getting the occasional go at the hot corner.

The idea of trading Vientos falls in line with reporting from Sammon back on Monday, the 21, that the team is open to trading one of their four young infielders at this deadline: Vientos, Baty, Mauricio, and/or Luisangel Acuña, all of whom are currently on the active roster. Brett Baty appears to be a key piece to this Mets team, making it hard to see him being moved. Of note, Vientos is the only of the four without minor-league options and has the most major-league success of any of them.

The post Report: Mets Interested In Reliever Helsley, White Sox Covet Vientos For Robert appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Frankie Montas struggled yet again on Wednesday, making his place in the Mets’ rotation a point of contention. The newly acquired Montas had a line of 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K (80 pitches, 47 strikes) in his sixth rehab start since returning from a high grade lat strain. This outing actually lowered his ERA in rehab starts this season to 13.19 as he has given up eight home runs in 18 2/3 innings. Montas must be called up to the big league squad, assuming he’s healthy, but it could be hard to justify any major role given his struggles.

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

Atlanta continues to be a house of horrors for the Mets as they were shut out by Chris Sale for 8 2/3 innings while the Braves clinched the series win. The Mets turned mental lapses, defensive errors and a poor start from Paul Blackburn into a 3-0 deficit early on and could never climb back, resulting in their fifth straight loss. Click here for the full game recap.

The Mets will look to salvage the last game of this set as Clay Holmes (7-3, 2.87 ERA) will face Spencer Strider (1-5, 4.35 ERA) at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday night. 

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN released his MLB Mock Draft 2.0 and has the Mets taking LF Devin Taylor from Indiana with their first pick.

Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Brett Baty wasn’t available last night and is not sure if he will need an IL stint.

Latest MLB News

Dodgers owner Mark Walter is buying majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

The Tampa Bay Rays are in advanced talks to sell the club to a group led by Jacksonville home builder Patrick Zalupski, per Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. Parties have signed a letter of intent and the price is roughly $1.7B. Click here for more on the potential purchase.

Former Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was named Team Puerto Rico’s manager for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Franmil Reyes, who is now playing in Japan, is being sued for failing to follow through on his earning stake, per Michael McCann of Sportico. When Reyes was a 21-year-old minor league outfielder, he agreed to a player investment contract where he’d give up 10% of annual earnings in exchange for $302K.

Latest On MMO

Francisco Alvarez continues to struggle.

The Rays are in advanced talks about selling the team.

Tyrone Taylor continues to shine!

On This Date in Mets History

2014: Zack Wheeler throws a three-hit complete game shutout, the first shutout of his career.

2004: Mike Cameron tallies his second walk-off hit in as many days.

1989: Dwight Gooden records his 100th career victory, joining Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman in the exclusive Mets club.

Born on This Date: Logan Verrett (1990), Devin Mesoraco (1988), Jacob deGrom (1988), Collin McHugh (1987), Claudio Vargas (1978), Doug Mientkiewicz (1974), Bob Gibson (1957), Bob Aspromonte (1938), Larry Miller (1937).

The post Morning Briefing: Frankie Montas’ Rehab Struggles Continue appeared first on Metsmerized Online.