Megill was fantastic in what is his final start of the year, concluding a really good string of starts as he makes a case to be a member of the rotation in 2024. After battling with control in the first inning, Megill settled in and dominated what was admittedly not the Phillies’ most potent lineup. Nevertheless, Megill’s performance was another positive sign as he continues to show improvement.

After seven brilliant innings, Megill stayed on to start the eighth inning and got into his first trouble of the game by allowing back-to-back hits to start the inning. Megill stayed on for one more batter, recorded the out, and was pulled in favor of Brooks Raley. Megill’s night ended after 101 pitches and 7 1/3 innings, officially the longest start of his career.

Raley allowed one of Megill’s baserunners to score after allowing a two-out bloop single off the bat of Edmundo Sosa, breaking up the shutout that Megill had been throwing. Still, it was an extremely impressive performance. Over his 7 1/3 innings pitched, Megill allowed one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Megill’s best start of the season lowered his season ERA considerably from 4.92 to 4.70.

In addition to Megill’s dominance, the Mets helped their chances by going ahead early with a three-run first inning. The three runs in the inning were made possible due to aggressive baserunning by Rafael Ortega, Ronny Mauricio, and Francisco Lindor, who all made assertive moves on the base paths and subsequently came around to score. Pete Alonso (fielder’s choice) and Brett Baty (single) recorded RBIs in the inning, while Lindor scored via a wild pitch to give the Mets an early 3-0 lead.

Omar Narváez joined the party the very next inning, leading off the second with a solo homer to extend the Mets’ lead to four. Despite this early offense, the Mets’ bats quieted down as Walker settled into the game, and Walker finished his outing without allowing another run. Walker was pulled after seven innings, which is remarkable considering how disastrously the game started for him, and he allowed the Phillies to remain in the game.

After Raley was able to limit further damage in the eighth inning by allowing just one run to score, Adam Ottavino was called on to pitch the ninth inning in a 4-1 game. Ottavino made things interesting, starting off the inning by allowing a four-pitch walk to J.T. Realmuto. He missed on his next two pitches before ultimately getting Bryson Stott to ground out, but he then allowed an RBI ground-rule double by Brandon Marsh and an RBI single by rookie Weston Wilson to make it a 4-3 game.

Taking advantage of Ottavino’s extremely slow motion to the plate, Wilson stole both second and third base, putting the tying run just 90 feet away. Ottavino bent but didn’t break, striking out Jake Cave to bring the Mets one out away from a win before he got Cristian Pache to fly out, ending the game and securing a much-deserved win for Megill. With the victory, the Mets’ record improved to 73-86.

Player of the Game

There’s no question that Tylor Megill is the player of the game for the Mets. He looked comfortable all afternoon on the mound and didn’t even allow a baserunner to reach second base until the eighth inning. Over his last eight starts to finish the season, Megill allowed 15 runs in 45 innings pitched, which equates to a 3.00 ERA. Fighting for a spot in the 2024 rotation, Megill pitched about as well down the stretch as one could have hoped.

On Deck

There is still one more baseball game to be played tonight, with the Mets and Phillies meeting for the second game of the doubleheader. José Quintana (3-6, 3.39 ERA) will get his final start in what has been a really good debut season with the Mets. Quintana will match up against Michael Plassmeyer (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who is making his 2023 debut and just the third major league appearance (first start) of his career. The game will be broadcast on PIX11.

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Brett Baty. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets got the scoring started early, putting a run up against former Met Taijuan Walker in the first inning. With Brandon Nimmo standing on second, Pete Alonso hit a blooper into shallow right field that just stayed fair before bouncing into the seats. With the ground rule double, the Mets took an early 1-0 lead.

The Mets didn’t score again until the fifth inning, still in a 1-0 game. With Walker’s pitch count rising, he started showing signs of fatigue as he allowed three straight hits off the bats of Rafael Ortega, Omar Narváez, and Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo’s hit came with runners on the corners, and he hit a laser into right field to double the Mets’ lead to make it 2-0.

With the Phillies still not on the board in the fifth inning, it’s no surprise that Mets’ starter Tylor Megill was pitching well against what is a really good lineup. Outside of a Trea Turner walk in the first inning and a Kyle Schwarber double in the third inning, Megill had everything working for him early. Even in the fourth and fifth innings, when he found himself in trouble by allowing a leadoff baserunner, he was able to work around them to avoid putting the Phillies on the board.

Megill then found himself in trouble again in the sixth inning and that’s where things went south. With one out already recorded, Megill spiked a breaking ball in the dirt that came up and hit Bryce Harper who appeared to be in a bit of pain afterwards. Alec Bohm then reached on an infield single, putting two runners on with one out.

Megill then struck out Bryson Stott, needing just one more out to get out of trouble and likely secure a six-inning, no-run outing. However, J.T. Realmuto played spoiler and put a jolt into the Philadelphia crowd by unloading a fastball into the seats in left field, giving the Phillies a 3-2 lead for their first lead of the night.

BRETT BATY OFF CRAIG KIMBREL IN THE 9TH TO TIE THE GAME!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/nzqmAUeFG1

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 23, 2023

Despite allowing the home run to Realmuto and that being the moment that will define his start, Megill still had a really solid outing. Over six innings, he allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six, and with the performance, he now has a 2.89 ERA over his last five starts.

Phil Bickford relieved Megill out of the bullpen and the Phillies immediately tacked on to extend their lead. After Johan Rojas reached on a single, he advanced to third after a bad throw on his stolen base attempt at second base. Schwarber then poked a ball into left field, scoring Rojas, giving the Phillies a 4-2 lead.

The Mets wouldn’t go down quietly, though. With two outs in the eighth inning, Francisco Lindor launched a solo homer into left field for his 27th of the year to bring the Mets back to within one run. Jeff McNeil singled after him to bring Pete Alonso to the plate as the go-ahead run. Alonso popped up on the infield, failing to bring the runner home to end the inning.

With one final chance to tie the game or take the lead in the ninth, the Mets found themselves two outs away from another disappointing loss after Ronny Mauricio recorded the first out. Brett Baty then stepped up to the plate and provided a heroic late-game moment the Mets haven’t experienced much of this season, sending a fastball from Craig Kimbrel 432 feet to dead center to tie up the game at 4-4.

The Mets were able to hold the Phillies at bay in the bottom of the inning, setting the table for extras. In the top of the 10th inning, the Mets loaded the bases against Seranthony Domínguez with a chance to really put pressure on the Phillies in the bottom of the inning. Domínguez, however, struck out Alonso in a crucial moment in the game, sending it to the bottom of the 10th in a tie game.

Just as Megill’s start ended in disappointing fashion, so did the game for the Mets. Despite the late-inning heroics provided by Lindor and Baty, Adam Ottavino couldn’t keep the Phillies from scoring as Alec Bohm dumped a ball into right field on just the second pitch of the inning. Trea Turner scored easily, giving the Phillies a 5-4 victory for the second consecutive night. With the loss, the Mets are now 71-83 on the year and are officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Stat of the Game

With his home run in the eighth inning, Francisco Lindor broke his own record that he set last year for the most home runs in a season by a Mets shortstop. He is now just three home runs shy of a 30-home run, 30-stolen base, 30-double season and could become the first Mets player to achieve those numbers since David Wright did so in 2007.

On Deck

The Mets’ series with the Phillies will continue on Saturday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET. José Quintana (3-5, 3.02 ERA) will get the start for the Mets as his fantastic debut season with the team winds to a close. For Philadelphia, former Met Zack Wheeler (12-6, 3.63 ERA) will take the mound. The Mets roughed up Wheeler in his only start against the team this year, attacking him for five runs over 5 1/3 innings. The game will be broadcast on SNY and can be listened to on WCBS 880.

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Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

If there are two main reasons why the Mets have been a sub-.500 ball club this year, it’s because of first-inning struggles and inexcusable mental miscues. When you fall behind early and consistently make mistakes, you’re going to lose more games than you win.

That remained true on Friday night as the Mets fell behind due to multiple defensive mishaps and couldn’t get the offense going, losing 5-1 to the Phillies.

After the game, Buck Showalter pinpointed the Mets’ mistakes on trying too hard: “Everybody is trying to make the perfect play, be everything to everybody every night. The want to is through the roof — sometimes through that, you push for some things that aren’t there.”

The first example of this occurred during the Phillies’ first at-bat of the game when Brandon Nimmo dropped a Kyle Schwarber fly ball which resulted in a leadoff baserunner. Kodai Senga battled for the rest of the inning, throwing 28 pitches and giving up two unearned runs on a Bryce Harper bloop single and a Bryson Stott sacrifice fly.

An inning like that has a chance to affect a pitcher for the rest of the game, trying to pitch with a high pitch count and an early deficit. Not Senga, though, as he shut down the Phillies’ offense for the next several innings before leaving the game with runners on the corners and one out in the sixth.

Josh Walker came into the game and immediately induced a high pop-up just beyond the infield in left field, and it appeared as though the Mets would be getting a crucial second out in the inning while keeping the runners on their respective bases. Francisco Lindor seemed to call for the ball and wait underneath it before ducking out of the way at the last second, thinking it was Tommy Pham‘s ball. The ball fell to the ground and allowed the runner on third to score.

That miscue, which was ruled a single, was the second pop-up of the game with at least a 95% catch probability that was not caught by Met defenders and both resulted in runs. Lindor took responsibility after the game for not catching the ball during the play: “It was on me, I should’ve taken full charge of the ball.”

In support of both Nimmo and Lindor, Buck Showalter stated: “You’ve got a majority of people that usually execute it really well… Just miscommunication by two people who normally make those plays easily.”

With rain pouring at this point in the game both literally and figuratively, Trea Turner added on with a two-run single to extend the Phillies’ lead to 5-1.

Along with the defense, the offense just wasn’t there either. Save for a Nimmo solo homer in the third, the Mets rarely threatened to score as Taijuan Walker and the Phillies bullpen set the Mets batters down with ease. It was a night where little went right for the Mets as they dropped their third game in a row to fall seven games below .500.

Stat of the Game

Sitting now at 34-41, the Mets are closer to having the worst record in the National League than they are to being in a playoff spot. As the end of June nears, the Mets have not yet had the kind of turnaround they have been hoping for as things just keep getting worse.

The Mets are closer to the worst record in the NL (6 games) than they are a playoff spot (7.5 games).

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) June 24, 2023

Mid-Game Trade

During an otherwise mundane game for the Mets, it was announced by the Apple TV booth that the Mets traded Eduardo Escobar to the Angels. While the booth was doing a mid-game interview of Lindor, he said of Escobar: “He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. We’re going to miss him a lot.” Showalter said after the game that he told Escobar he was traded during the second inning: “It’s a tough conversation, I wish I had more time to spend with him. Everybody has a lot of respect for him.”

On Deck

The Mets look to end their three-game skid as the series with the Phillies continues on Saturday with a 4:05 p.m. ET first pitch. Max Scherzer (6-2, 4.04 ERA) was bumped up a day in the rotation so he will get the start for the Mets rather than going on Sunday. For the Phillies, it will be long reliever Christopher Sánchez (0-0, 3.24 ERA) who is expected to take the mound. The game will be broadcast on PIX11 and FS1.

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Josh Walker. Photo credits: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Walker is one of several left-handed pitchers the New York Mets are bringing in as non-roster invitees this spring. The six-foot-six reliever is 28 years old. Walker was drafted by the Mets in the 37th round back in 2017 out of the University of New Haven. He has a low-90 MPH fastball, upper 70-MPH curveball, and a changeup.

Walker also received a non-roster invitation to Mets’ camp last season. In 2021, Walker was mainly used as a starter, where he had a 3.73 ERA and a 1.020 WHIP over three different levels of minor league baseball. If he was going to make the major league squad last year however, it was going to be as a reliever.

Unfortunately, Walker picked up an injury in spring that kept him out of most of the season. Over the 13 games he did play in 2022, Walker tossed 22 innings with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.455 WHIP. He got most of his work in Syracuse (Triple-A) where he allowed 12 runs on 18 hits in 14 1/3 innings.

Walker then went to the Arizona Fall League, where he had a lot more success. He allowed only three earned runs over 9 1/3 innings in eight games. He also struck out 14 batters (2.89 ERA, 1.393 WHIP).

Walker, like Zach Muckenhirn and T.J. McFarland, will be battling it out to be the fourth left-handed reliever on the Mets behind Joey Lucchesi, David Peterson, and Brooks Raley. It is unlikely that he breaks camp with the Mets, but if injuries pile up this season, Walker is on the short list to get a shot in the majors.

Interestingly enough, Walker actually kicked off the Mets’ spring training slate of games last season. So, it was clear then that New York wanted to get an extended look at him. For this reason, it should be expected that he will get a similar look this season.

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Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

On Friday, three former Mets, including two members from the 2022 squad, were officially announced as joining new clubs. The Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland A’s, and Los Angeles Dodgers announced the signings of Taijuan Walker, Trevor May, and Noah Syndergaard respectively.

With the Mets last year Taijuan Walker put up a respectable 3.49 ERA in 29 starts with the team, although he faltered down the stretch as he did in 2021. The Phillies introduced him yesterday with a press conference, after it was reported on December 6 by ESPN’s Jeff Passan that he had signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the team.

Although he struggled with both injury and productivity in 2021, the A’s announced they officially signed Trevor May to a contract. Jeff Passan once again confirmed the numbers, a one-year, $7 million deal.

Though he wasn’t on the 2022 team, it is still noteworthy that the Dodgers officially announced the signing of Noah Syndergaard to a one-year, $13 million contract. In addition to their announcement, the team made a hype video for Syndergaard. He spent last year with the Angels and Phillies after spending parts of six seasons with the Mets.

Latest Mets News

According to Tim Healey of Newsday, the Mets will introduce Justin Verlander in a press conference at 10 A.M. next Tuesday.

The Mets officially announced the minor league signings of Tommy Hunter, Jimmy Yacabonis, Abraham Almonte, José Peraza, and Sean Reid-Foley.

Latest MLB News

Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported that Andrew Benintendi signed a five-year contract wiht the White Sox. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic added that it is for a total of $75 million.

The Red Sox announced that they designated Eric Hosmer for assignment.

Joey Gallo and the Twins agreed to a one-year, $11 million contract.

Jon Heyman of the New York post reports that Max Kepler is getting a lot of trade interest in the wake of the Joey Gallo signing.

The Braves announced that they have acquired Hoy Park from the Red Sox in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Rob Bradford reported that the Orioles have shown interest in Michael Wacha and Rich Hill.

Former Met Patrick Mazeika and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a minor league contract.

After adding Chris Bassitt to their 40-man roster, the Blue Jays designated another former Met in Anthony Kay for assignment.

Latest on MMO

John Sheridan assessed the state of the Mets’ catching situation with the recent addition of Omar Narváez.

Matt Lazaro profiled free agent Adam Ottavino and discusses a potential reunion with the Mets.

On the latest episode of MMO Weekly, Michael Mayer joins Sal Manzo to discuss some of the latest Mets’ signings and rumors.

Robby Waldrop took a closer look at the Mets’ newest minor league free agent signings.

On This Date in Mets History

1999: With the departure of John Olerud to the Mariners in free agency, the Mets signed Todd Zeile to be the team’s first baseman. Although it was tough to replace the steadiness and productivity Olerud offered, Zeile had one of his better seasons in the big leagues in 2000 and helped lead the Mets to the World Series.

Birthdays: Daniel Vogelbach (30), Josh Edgin (36), Dale Thayer (42), Edwin Almonte (46), Bob Ojeda (65)

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Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Updated post, 12/6/2022, 10:20 pm.

After signing Walker, the Phillies also signed right-handed reliever Matt Strahm, according to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal.

Original post, 12/6/2022, 9:36 p.m.

Taijuan Walker is signing with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to FanSided‘s Robert Murray. ESPN‘s Jeff Passan reports that the deal is for four years and $72 million–an $18 million average annual value.

The deal comes a day after the Phillies gave $300 million to Trea Turner.

Walker, who rejected a $7.5 million player option earlier this off-season, became a free agent after the Mets declined to extend a $19.65 qualifying offer. The righty becomes the second pitcher to leave the Mets this offseason, joining Jacob deGrom, who signed a five-year, $185 million deal with the Texas Rangers this past Friday.

Walker, who provided the Mets with a steady hand in the rotation over the past two seasons, went 12-5 in 29 starts with a 3.49 ERA, walking just 45 and striking out 132 in 157.1 innings with a 1.195 WHIP and 2.6 WAR in 2022. The 30-year-old carried a 2.66 ERA in the first half before having somewhat of a drop-off in the second half.

That was also an issue for Walker in 2021 as he represented the Mets in the 2021 All-Star Game following a superb first half in New York. Walker went 7-3 with a 2.50 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 90 innings in the first half of 2021, but his ERA would balloon to 4.47 as he struggled to finish out his first season in Queens.

The Mets will be seeing Walker, who will presumably be in the NL East for the next four seasons, quite often. He joins Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard as two other former Mets that have now defected to one of New York’s fiercest division foes. (Syndergaard is a free agent.)

With Walker’s departure, the Mets will focus on the likes of Chris Bassitt, Kodai Senga and Jameson Taillon to fill their third starter slot. They’ve also expressed interest in Ross Stripling and Nathan Eovaldi.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets have decided against extending the qualifying offer to right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Walker rejected a $7.5 million player option earlier this week and, with the Mets deciding not to pick up the $19.65 million qualifying offer, the righty will now hit free agency with no restrictions and will not be subject to draft pick compensation. Free agency opens at 5 p.m. ET tonight.

However, also per Heyman, the Mets will extend qualifying offers to pitchers Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt, and to outfielder Brandon Nimmo. All three will likely reject but it means the team will receive draft pick compensation if any of the trio sign elsewhere.

It is perhaps somewhat of a surprise that the Mets haven’t extended the qualifying offer to Walker, who gave the team two very solid years of baseball. After being signed as a free agent prior to the start of the 2021 season, the 30-year-old pitched to a superb 2.66 ERA in the first half before falling off after the All-Star break.

That was understandable given his lack of game time in the three years prior, but he bounced back in 2022 and was a valuable member of the rotation. In 29 starts, Walker went 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA, walking just 45 and striking out 132 in 157.1 innings pitched with a 1.195 WHIP and a 2.6 WAR.

Walker provided the Mets with some excellent depth after deGrom, Max Scherzer and Bassitt in the rotation, and he will likely receive plenty of interest in free agency from teams seeking a solid starter that can shore up the bottom of the rotation and be a dependable arm. For the Mets, it means they have plenty of work to do when it comes to pitching with deGrom and Bassitt both hitting the open market, although the team did pick up the $14 million option on Carlos Carrasco earlier today.

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Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Mets pitchers Jacob deGrom and Taijuan Walker have officially opted out of their contracts for the 2023 season.

The MLBPA released a list of nine new free agents on Monday, including deGrom, Walker, Boston’s Xander Bogaerts, and Minnesota’s Carlos Correa. DeGrom was scheduled to make $30.5 million if he accepted his option for the 2023 season. Walker had a $6 million option.

This brings the Mets list of free agents to 11 according to the MLBPA press release. But that number includes Edwin Diaz who the Mets inked to a reported five-year, $102 million deal. The remaining free agents are Tommy Hunter, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Tyler Naquin, Brandon Nimmo, Adam Ottavino, Joely Rodriguez, and Trevor Williams.

It’s hard to quantify what deGrom will seek out in free agency. A two-time Cy Young Award winner with setbacks due to injury the last two seasons. When healthy he’s shown he’s still the best pitcher in baseball. But that when looms large.

If deGrom opted into his deal for 2023, the Mets would have a team option worth $32.5 million for 2024.

Walker originally signed a three-year, $23 million deal in 2021. The 30-year old is set to out-earn that after his two seasons on the Mets. Walker made the All-Star team in 2021. Walker revived his career on the Mets, showing how durable a pitcher he could be, making 29 starts each of the last two seasons. The unfortunate part for Walker is his season splits. He performed much better in the first half of each season, then collapsed during the second half.

The Mets rotation will need to undergo a major rebuild for the 2023 season. The only starting pitchers under contract for next season are Max Scherzer, Tylor Megill, David Peterson, and Joey Lucchesi. The Mets have a team option on Carlos Carrasco that they have yet to accept. It is worth $14 million.

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Player Data: 30 (8/13/1992),

Primary Statistics: 29 GS, 12-5, 157 1/3 IP, 3.49 ERA, 132 K, 45 BB, 1.195 WHIP

Advanced Stats: 3.65 FIP, 111 ERA+, 2.6 WAR, 8.2 H/9, 0.9 HR/9, 7.6 SO/9, 2.6 BB/9

2022 Salary: $7 million

Grade: B-

2022 Review

Coming into the 2022 season, the Mets did not know what they had in Taijuan Walker.

In the first half of 2021 with the Mets, Walker looked like the steal of the offseason. He went 7-3 and recorded a 2.66 ERA in 16 starts. Walker also made the all-star game for the first time in his career and made an appearance in the game. However, Walker had an atrocious second half and went 0-8 with an ERA of 7.13. After allowing only six home runs in the first half of 2021, Walker allowed 20 in 64 1/3 second-half innings. Although there were many contributing factors to the collapse of the Mets’ 2021 season, Walker’s bad second half was one of the causes.

Coming into the 2022 season, the Mets hoped that Walker would pitch to his first half numbers from the year prior. After sustaining an injury in his right shoulder in April, Walker came back and pitched like an All-Star. The right-hander went 7-2 in the first half of the season and pitched to a 2.55 ERA. Walker cemented his great first half in July, pitching to a 2.93 ERA and striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings.

Once the All-Star game was over and the Mets continued on their quest to win the NL East, Walker looked worn down by his first half innings. August, in particular, was an alarming month for Walker due to his poor performance and injury scare. Not only did Walker record a 6.98 ERA in August, but he also lost two pivotal games against the Braves. In those two starts, Walker combined to pitch three innings and allow eight earned runs.

With many concerned that Walker would replicate his 2021 season, the Mets starter was able to turn his performance around in September and October. For the two months combined, Walker went 4-2 and recorded a 3.63 ERA. More importantly, Walker got back to inducing soft contact and held batters to a .393 slugging percentage.

Similar to the 2021 season, Walker’s second half numbers were inflated. He finished with a 4.80 ERA and allowed 11 home runs in 65 2/3 innings pitched. However, the 2022 season was different due to Walker’s ability to halt his poor performance. Walker finished the year with a 12-5 record and a 3.49 ERA. Even with his blow up August, batters slashed .240/.299/.364 against Walker during the season.

The 2022 season was an overall improvement for Walker. He had a better first and second half from the year prior and started 29 games. The Mets also got great value from Walker due to his low salary and performance compared to higher paid starting pitchers. For reference, Gerrit Cole was paid 29 million more dollars than Walker, yet finished the year with an almost identical 3.50 ERA and 111 ERA+.

2023 Outlook

Walker has a player option to come back to the Mets in 2023. It’s a no-brainer that Walker will decline the $7.5 million player option and receive the $3 million buyout.

When Walker decides to hit free agency, the Mets should make an effort to re-sign Walker. The right-hander recorded back-to-back mostly healthy seasons and killed the narrative that he cannot stay healthy. While Walker is now on the wrong side of 30, he has thrown less than 1000 innings.

Walker has solidified himself as a healthy commodity and will likely look for a multi-year deal on the open market in the likely range that Jon Gray (four years, $56 million) received last offseason.

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