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.

Note, all statistics are as of Sunday morning prior to the beginning of any games.

Gregory Soto Deal

The first deal the Mets made came on July 25 as New York acquired left-handed reliever Gregory Soto. In exchange, the Mets departed with two pitching prospects: Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster. Aracena was the 15th ranked prospect in Metsmerized’s midseason top-50 list while Foster was unranked.

Aracena picked up right where he left off so far in the Orioles’ system. He appeared in one game at the Single-A level, the same level he was at with the Mets, and two games at the High-A level after a deserved promotion. Across those three combined starts he has thrown 13 2/3 innings allowing three hits, one run, and has struck out 17. The 20-year-old is continuing a sensational season.

Meanwhile, Foster, 26 years old, was assigned to Triple-A within the Orioles’ system, the same level he was with the Mets prior to the deal. He has appeared in five games in relief, allowing seven hits and three runs over 5 2/3 innings. His combined season Triple-A ERA sits at 9.64 through 9 1/3 innings.

Tyler Rogers Deal

In the team’s second deal leading up to the deadline, the Mets departed with three players in exchange for right-handed reliever Tyler Rogers. New York dealt big leaguer José Buttó and two Triple-A players in outfielder Drew Gilbert and right-handed pitcher Blade Tidwell. Gilbert and Tidwell ranked 15th and 19th, respectively, in Metsmerized’s top-50 midseason prospect list update.

Buttó has been strong in relief for the Giants since the deal. He has appeared in six games and has not allowed a run across 5 2/3 innings. He has allowed two hits and three walks. Meanwhile, 24-year-old Gilbert has made his major-league debut, but has struggled mightily, going 1-for-18 at the plate with five strikeouts.

Lastly, Tidwell has been terrific for San Francisco’s Triple-A team. He has appeared in three games (two starts) and has tossed 16 innings, allowing nine hits, three earned runs, and has struck out 23. Importantly, he has only walked five. A promotion back to the big leagues appears near.

Jesus Baez. Photo by James Villani, MMO

Ryan Helsley Deal

In the Mets’ third and final bullpen move, they acquired right-handed reliever Ryan Helsley. In exchange for him, they gave up infielder Jesus Baez as well as pitchers Frank Elissalt and Nate Dohm.

Baez was the highest-ranked prospect the Mets departed with, according to Metsmerized’s midseason top-50 prospect list (No. 7). He has struggled mightily at the High-A level since the deal, slashing .179/.304/.179 across 39 at-bats. Baez struggled mightily with High-A Brooklyn in the month prior to the trade.

The 23-year-old right-handed pitcher, Elissalt, has also struggled since the move. He has appeared in three games (two starts) at the same level he was at with the Mets prior to the move (High-A). In these three games, he has opted a 7.04 ERA across 7 2/3 innings. He has walked seven hitters which has directly led to his struggles.

Lastly, 22-year-old Nate Dohm has made two starts since the trade at the High-A level. He has thrown five innings and allowed two runs, four hits, and has struck out six. The former Mississippi State Bulldog has a 2.93 ERA across 67 2/3 innings on the season.

Cedric Mullins Deal

The last deal the Mets made prior to the deadline was their only position-player deal. New York acquired outfielder Cedric Mullins in exchange for three pitchers: Anthony Nunez, Raimon Gomez, and Chandler Marsh. They ranked 23rd, 32nd, and 46th, respectively, in Metsmerized’s midseason top-50 prospect list.

Nunez has appeared in the Double-A and Triple-A levels for the Orioles thus far, combing for five innings, one hit, one run, and six strikeouts. He is having a breakout season, as he owns a 1.60 ERA and 66 strikeouts over only 45 innings.

Marsh, 22 years old, has thrown four innings at the Double-A level for Baltimore, allowing five hits and two runs. His High-A ERA on the season sits at 3.57.

Gomez, a flamethrower, has not thrown a pitch in the Orioles’ system yet, as he is currently on the injured list.

The post Early Look At How The Trade Deadline Subtractions Have Performed appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mullins Trade

Anthony Nunez, 24, struck out 60 in 40 innings combined between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, with 25 2/3 of that work coming at Binghamton. He pitched to a 2.10 ERA at Binghamton and was ranked No. 23 on Mike Mayer of Mets Merized Online’s list of top 50 prospects.

Raimon Gómez, 23, of Venezuela, was excellent at Low-A St. Lucie (0.69 ERA in 13 innings pitched), but struggled since a promotion to Brooklyn (6.95 ERA in 22 innings pitched). He was No. 32 on the MMO list.

Chandler Marsh, 22, pitched to a 3.45 ERA in 31 1/3 innings at Brooklyn, striking out 38 and walking 16. He was ranked No. 46.

Jesus Baez. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Helsley Trade

Jesus Baez, 20, of the Dominican Republic was the highest rated MMO prospect (No. 7) to be dealt at the deadline. The infielder slashed .244/.337/.406 with 10 homers, 42 RBIs and seven steals in 70 games for Brooklyn.

Nate Dohm, 22, was taken in the third round of last year’s draft out of Mississippi State. He was 1-2 with a 2.62 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) covering 34 1/3 innings for Brooklyn. He struck out 43 and walked 13. He was ranked No. 17.

Frank Elissalt, 23, was selected in round 19 of the draft last year out of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He struck out 57 in 50 2/3 innings for St. Lucie and eight in 5 2/3 innings for Brooklyn. The right-hander’s ERA was 3.04 combined at the two levels. He was ranked No. 37.

Rogers Trade

Drew Gilbert, 24, slashed .243/.347/.430 with 12 homers, 47 RBIs and four steals in 361 plate appearances at Triple-A Syracuse. The outfielder acquired from Houston when the Mets traded Justin Verlander was ranked No. 14.

Blade Tidwell, 24, was 6-4 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 79 innings pitched at Syracuse, where he struck out 87. He had a 9.00 ERA (15 earned runs in 15 innings) in four appearances with the Mets. He was ranked No. 19.

Buttó, 27, was 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA and 1.38 WHIP for the Mets. He struck out 41 in 47 innings pitched.

Soto Trade

Wellington Aracena, 20, of the Dominican Republic went 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.14 WHIP for Low-A St. Lucie. The right-hander struck out 84 in 64 1/3 innings. He was ranked No. 15 on MMO.

Cameron Foster, 26, was a 14th round Mets draft pick in 2022 from McNeese State. The right-handed reliever struck out 34 in 26 2/3 innings for Binghamton and pitched to a 1.01 ERA. He was not ranked on MMO.

The post Mets 2025 Trade Deadline Roundup appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Soto, 30 years old, is in his seventh big-league season. After starting his major-league career with the Detroit Tigers, where he was named an All-Star twice and posted career seasons in 2021 and 2022, he was dealt midseason to Philadelphia. His time with the Phillies was turbulent, as he posted a 4.42 ERA across 95 2/3 innings in parts of two seasons. Soto was then dealt to the Baltimore Orioles in July of 2024, where he tossed 54 innings (4.33 ERA) before being dealt tt the Mets.

As mentioned, Soto’s best seasons came in 2021 and 2022 where he made the All-Star game in each season. In 2021, he posted a 3.39 ERA across 63 2/3 innings. He followed that up with a 3.28 ERA across 60 1/3 innings in 2022. On the surface, his play decreased in 2023 and 2024, after those All-Star seasons, as he posted a 4.62 ERA in 2023 and a 4.42 ERA in 2024. However, a deeper dive into those numbers paints a picture of some bad luck. His FIP across those two seasons sat at 3.59 and 3.68, respectively. Additionally, his 2.79 xERA in 2023 was the lowest figure of his career.

In 2025, Soto’s traditional numbers are much closer to his 2021 and 2022 seasons. Through 36 1/3 innings with Baltimore, Soto has posted a 3.96 ERA and 44 strikeouts allowing only 29 hits. His strikeout rate is the second-highest of his career and walk rate is the second-lowest of his career.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

A deeper dive into the analytics this season paint an even more encouraging picture. Soto’s xERA (3.34), FIP (3.28), and xFIP (3.80) are all comfortably lower than his actual ERA, showing that Soto’s been deserving of better results than he has been getting. Specifically, he is generating a ton of whiffs (87th percentile) and avoiding barrels when contact is made (94th percentile) which is helping suppress hits (.216 xBA, 83rd percentile). Additionally, playing mainly in a ballpark that is very kind to pitchers in Citi Field (22nd in Baseball Savant’s “ballpark factor” rankings) compared to Camden Yards (10th in Baseball Savant’s “ballpark factor” rankings), should also help get the ERA closer to what the underlying metrics are saying Soto deserves.

As far as his pitch arsenal goes, Soto is mainly a sinker and slider pitcher. He has thrown the sinker almost 52% of the time this season and his slider nearly 36% of the time. His slider is elite as it has an .182 BA and a .192 xBA. The slider has a “Stuff+” rating of 113, which ranks 91st among 336 qualified pitchers. Meanwhile, hitters are only hitting .220 against his sinker, which averages 96.7 mph.

The Mets dearly needed another reliable left-handed arm in their bullpen as the route to a National League pennant would likely feature facing some of the best left-handed hitters in the game such as Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman. Soto’s splits against left-handed hitters, throughout his career, and this year specifically, are extremely strong. In his career, lefties are batting .206 with a .605 OPS against Soto. Meanwhile, in 2025, these figures are even stronger, as he has allowed an .138 batting average and .547 OPS to left-handed hitters.

With all that being said, the one area that Soto struggles, and really is the only area that has not allowed him to emerge as one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball, is his inconsistent control. Soto’s walk rate, despite being the second-best of his career, ranks in the league’s 10th percentile. His “Location+,” which is a pitch molding metric that basically weighs how often pitchers put their pitches in their desired location, is only 85 this season (average is 100). That figure is the eighth-lowest in the big leagues among 363 pitches to throw at least 30 innings this season.

Soto should compliment Brooks Raley well as the two left-handed pitchers in the Mets’ bullpen. As mentioned, this role is going to be extremely important come playoff time, as New York will likely have to contend with some of the premier left-handed hitters in the big leagues. The only aspect of his game that would hold Soto back is his control. However, if he can reel that in, he has elite stuff, as he has been displaying all season long in one of the better seasons of his career.

The post Deep Dive Into The Newest Mets Reliever, Gregory Soto appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Triple-A 

Game 1: Syracuse Mets (45-48) 16, Norfolk Tides (36-53) 7

Box Score

• C Francisco Alvarez: 2-for-5, 2 HRs (9, 10), 4 RBIs, 3 R, BB (1.085 OPS)
• DH Omar De Los Santos: 1-for-2, HR, 4 RBIs (.875 OPS)
• RF Gilberto Celestino: 3-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 BB (.773 OPS)

In the resumption of July 18th’s unfinished game, the Syracuse Mets exploded for 16 runs and 18 hits. Leading the way was Francisco Alvarez, once again, as he hit his ninth and 10th Triple-A home runs. Omar De Los Santos came off the bench to contribute a grand slam in the ninth inning. Seven of the 10 batters in the lineup had multiple hits.

• RHP José Buttó: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 SO (0.00 ERA)
• RHP Nolan McLean: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 6 SO (3.08 ERA)

Both José Buttó and Nolan McLean appeared in the game on July 18, before its suspension. Buttó continued his rehab, as he started the game in an opener role and posted a scoreless inning, working around two hits. McLean had the roughest outing of his Triple-A career, allowing four hits and six runs over 3 2/3 innings. Between Double-A and Triple-A, the five earned runs McLean allowed was the highest in any appearance this season.

Brandon Sproat. (Photo Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

Game 2: Norfolk Tides (37-53) 6, Syracuse Mets (45-49) 

Box Score

• LF Luke Ritter: 2-for-4, RBI (.716 OPS)
• DH Francisco Alvarez: 1-for-2, 2 BB (1.098 OPS)

Despite the continuation of the previous day’s game only being a couple innings earlier in the day, Francisco Alvarez started in the designated-hitter role in Game 2 of the “doubleheader” Saturday. Alvarez walked twice and also singled, increasing his Triple-A OPS to 1.098. Luke Ritter was the lone Met with multiple hits in the loss.

• RHP Brandon Sproat: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 9 SO (4.34 ERA)
• RHP Julian Merryweather: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO (5.40 ERA)
• RHP Austin Warren: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 SO (4.31 ERA)

Brandon Sproat struggled for a large majority of the season, however, one of the top pitching prospects in the Mets’ system has been lights out his last four appearances. Thanks to five hitless innings on Saturday, Sproat has extended his stretch of not allowing an earned run to 24 innings. He struck out nine and induced 14 swing-and-misses while topping out at 100.4 mph; the hardest pitch throwing in Triple-A Saturday.

Carson Benge. (Photo via Brooklyn Cyclones)

Double-A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (36-53) 11, Binghamton Rumbe Ponies (58-29) 6

Box Score

•  CF Carson Benge: 2-for-4, BB (.979 OPS)
• LF D’Andre Smith: 2-for-4 (.735 OPS)
• SS Jett Williams: 1-for-4, BB, 2 R, SB (.894 OPS)

In a losing effort, the Rumble Ponies’ offense struck for nine hits and six runs. Carson Benge continues to lead the way as one of the top prospects within the Mets’ system, and the league as a whole, reached base three more times Saturday. His Double-A OPS is at .979 across his first 51 at-bats. Meanwhile, Jett Williams reached base twice, and also stole his 28th base of the season.

• LHP Jonathan Santucci: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 1 SO (3.52 ERA)
• RHP R.J. Gordon: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO (5.56 ERA)

It was a turbulent outing for the 22-year-old Jonathan Santucci as he walked three and allowed two hits over only 1 2/3 innings. Despite allowing four runs, only one was earned. He has now walked seven batters over his last 13 2/3 innings.

Former Oregon Duck, R.J. Gordon, had by far his worst start of the season in only his second appearance since being called up to Double-A. His first outing for the Rumble Ponies saw him strike out eight over seven innings of one-run ball. However, on Saturday, he gave up a season-high six runs across only 4 1/3 innings.

Will Watson. (Photo by Katharine Lotze)

High-A

Hub City Spartanburgers (46-42) 2, Brooklyn Cyclones (57-32) 1 (10 innings)

Box Score

• CF A.J. Ewing: 2-for-4, 2B, 3B (.800 OPS)
• SS Colin Houck: 0-for-4, 2 SO (.478 OPS)

The Cyclones only mustered five hits and one run on Saturday as A.J. Ewing led the way, accounting for two of those hits, each of the extra-base variety. Colin Houck has struggled mightily since being called up, as he is now 10-for-61 (.164) with a .478 OPS with High-A Brooklyn.

• RHP Will Watson: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO (2.29 ERA)
• RHP Joel Díaz: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO (3.59 ERA)

Former seventh-round pick (2024), Will Watson, turned in another stellar outing as he posted 4 2/3 scoreless innings. His 2.29 ERA across 35 1/3 innings with High-A Brooklyn is an improvement over his 3.66 ERA across 39 2/3 innings with Single-A St. Lucie earlier this season. 21-year-old Joel Díaz threw three innings in relief, building on his best professional thus far and lowering his season ERA to 3.59.

Trace Willhoite. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Single-A

St. Lucie Mets (49-38) 11, Palm Beach Cardinals (41-45) 1

Box Score

• 1B Trace Willhoite: 2-for-3, HR, 4 RBIs, 2 BB (.850 OPS)
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 2-for-4, BB (.678 OPS)
• SS Jeremy Rodriguez: 2-for-5 (.574 OPS)

One of the more underrated performers in the Mets’ system this year has been former Lipscomb Bison Trace Willhoite. Willhoite reached base four times and clubbed his 11th home run of the season in the game’s first inning. 19-year-old catcher Daiverson Gutierrez also reached base three times.

• RHP Wellington Aracena: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO (2.38 ERA)
• RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 SO (2.67 ERA)

Wellington Aracena continued his under-the-radar season, posting 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. He struck out seven and now has 84 punch outs over 64 1/3 innings in Single-A. His .166 batting average against is an elite figure.

Florida Complex League

FCL-Mets (24-27) 4, FCL-Nationals (28-24) 0

Box Score

• 1B Randy Guzman: 3-for-4, 2 RBIs (.854 OPS)
• CF Edward Lantigua: 1-for-2, BB (.780 OPS)

Randy Guzman led the FCL-Mets by driving in two runs. The 20-year-old international free agent is breaking out this season with an .854 OPS after posting figures below .695 his first two professional seasons.

• RHP Jose Guevara: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO (5.50 ERA)
• RHP Christian Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 SO (3.26 ERA)

Jose Guevara started the game and posted three perfect innings. After struggling to begin the season, Guevara has now posted three-straight hitless outings (9.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 16 SO).

The post Mets Minors Recap: Sproat Extends Earned Runless Streak To 24 Innings appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Nolan McLean, Photo by Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets

Hitter of the Month: Yonny Hernández

Stats: 21 G, .458/.549/.593/1.142, 2 3B, 4 2B, 12 R, 9 RBI, 11 BB, 6 SO

Yonny Hernández is far from a household name. The 27-year-old journeyman infielder signed a minor league deal with the Mets this offseason, his sixth organization since originally signing with the Texas Rangers in 2014. Hernández has played 69 MLB games in parts of three seasons, first with the Rangers in 2021, then with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023.  He spent the first half of 2024 in Triple-A for the Milwaukee Brewers before he was released at the end of July.

Hernández played 17 games for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies this season before moving back up to Triple-A, and in June, he took off. He’s not a power hitter—his 11 home runs in 763 career minor league games are proof enough—but he doesn’t strike out much, can draw some walks, and can play second base, third base and shortstop. It’s probably a long shot he makes the big league roster at any point this season, but if the Mets decide they want to get some of the younger infielders (most likely Ronny Mauricio) more regular playing time, Hernández is a candidate to fill a bench role.

Pitcher of the Month: Nolan McLean

Stats: 5 G (5 GS), 26.1 IP, 16 H, 10 R (9 ER), 23 SO, 12 BB, 3.08 ERA, 1.06 WHIP

Nolan McLean is a bona fide top prospect, and he’s emerging as one of the most exciting pitching prospects in all of baseball. His sweeper is elite, and he has a well-rounded arsenal around it that has a real chance to play in the big leagues. June was simply more of what he’s been doing all season: turning in good outing after good outing. He was far from perfect. McLean walked at least two batters in all five games, he never struck out more than six, and he never turned in a scoreless game. However, he also never gave up more than two earned runs and averaged over five innings per game.

The most interesting thing about McLean is that he really hasn’t been a full-time pitcher for that long. This is the first full season where he’s no longer hitting. It’s very possible he’s only scratching the surface of what he can do on the mound. It wasn’t the best month anyone’s ever seen, but it was a good one, and it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t pitch in the big leagues at some point in 2025.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Hitter of the Month: Jett Williams

Stats: 25 G, .307/.445/.534/.979, 2 HR, 3 3B, 8 2B, 19 R, 8 RBI, 21 BB, 27 SO

Jett Williams is the future at second base in Queens. He’s not there yet, and he’s not even playing too much second base right now, but if he keeps playing the way he is, he will be. Jeff McNeil will likely be a free agent after 2026, and Williams is the natural successor. Even if Williams comes up in 2026 (or, to get really crazy, in September 2025), McNeil’s versatility allows Williams to get his fair share of reps at second base. He has an elite approach, good bat-to-ball skills and more power than expected for someone who is 5-foot-7. He is the Mets’ best hitting prospect and probably the top prospect in the organization.

Williams was the best Rumble Pony in June, but everyone knows what he’s capable of already. It was a really great month for many players on that roster who deserve their flowers. Kevin Parada (yes, really) hit .328 with a .977 OPS. Ryan Clifford hit another five home runs and a .871 OPS. Nick Morabito hit .322 with a .846 OPS and 10 doubles. It’s a loaded lineup right now in Binghamton, and that doesn’t even include the recently promoted Carson Benge and Jacob Reimer. The next wave of Mets hitting prospects is really, really good, and closer than some might think.

Pitcher of the Month: Jonah Tong

Stats: 5 G (5 GS), 29 IP, 11 H, 3 R (3 ER), 43 SO, 9 BB, 0.93 ERA, 0.69 WHIP

It’s Jonah Tong—again—both here at MMO, and officially with him winning his second-straight Eastern League Pitcher of the Month. He is ridiculous. Even the walks, which have been his biggest bugaboo, have come down. His walk rate is down to 11.4% on the season, but it was just 8.4% in June. Couple that with a strikeout rate over 40%, and you have hands down maybe the most dominant pitcher in the entire minor leagues.

At this point, it’s confusing why Tong is still in Double-A. He has nothing left to prove at this level. It’s time to see what he can do at Triple-A. Or, if the Mets want to get really bold, in the big leagues. Pitchers can go straight from Double-A to the big leagues—the Mets did it with Jonathan Pintaro this month. The biggest question is if his primarily north-to-south arsenal will play as well vs more experienced hitters, but his new Vulcan change gives him a potential game-changing offering if it sticks. And, the only way to find out is by trial and error. It’s time.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones

Hitter of the Month: Chris Suero

Stats: 23 G, .299/.421/.519/.940, 4 HR, 1 3B, 3 2B, 17 R, 17 RBI, 14 BB, 24 SO

Chris Suero is a really interesting prospect. This season, he has played 43 games at catcher, 13 games in left field and 11 games at first base. His versatility as a catcher who can also play in the infield and outfield provides serious value. He’s a legitimate plus runner, which is rare for a catcher, and isn’t afraid to use it on the basepaths. Oh, and he can hit. He has power and can draw his walks, and while his strikeout rate probably needs to come down a bit, it’s not at an alarming level.

A year ago, Suero was more of a good story. Now, he’s a legitimate top prospect in this organization, and he’s flown past some of the other catching prospects who were top draft picks or signed big deals as international free agents. Learn the name.

Pitcher of the Month: Brendan Girton

Stats: 5 G (3 GS), 20.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 ER), 23 SO, 4 BB, 2.21 ERA, 0.64 WHIP

This was probably the hardest one to pick, but ultimately, it goes to Brendan Girton for the second straight month. What set him apart from the rest was the WHIP—Girton allowed 14 baserunners to reach all month. Nine hits. Four walks. One hit by a pitch. He might not have had the lowest ERA of the bunch, but he was arguably the most dominant.

That said, the entire staff shoved. The Brooklyn Cyclones had seven pitchers throw at least 15 innings in June. The highest ERA among them was 2.49. That’s a level of dominance from a staff that’s almost unheard of. The other six besides Girton:

• Jonathan Santucci, 25 1/3 innings with a 2.13 ERA and 0.99 WHIP
• R.J. Gordon, 23 innings with a 2.35 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP
• Joel Díaz, 21 2/3 innings with a 2.49 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP
• Noah Hall, 18 1/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP
• Will Watson, 18 1/3 innings with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP
• Nate Dohm, 16 2/3 innings with a 1.08 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP.

Girton is the Pitcher of the Month, but really, the whole staff gets a gold star.

Colin Houck. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets

Hitter of the Month: Colin Houck

Stats: 16 G, .317/.411/.524/.935, 2 HR, 1 3B, 5 2B, 12 R, 10 RBI, 10 BB, 22 SO

Former first-round pick turned struggling minor leaguer Kevin Parada nearly took home Hitter of the Month honors in Double-A, and while he fell just a little short, fellow struggling former first-round pick Colin Houck wins it in Single-A. After a dreadful first full season in the minor leagues in 2024 that saw Houck hit just .206 with a .610 OPS in 112 games at Single-A, he returned to the level to start 2025. Initially, it was more of the same, hitting under the Mendoza line in April, but he turned a corner in May and fully figured things out in June.

The next step is High-A, which Houck was promoted to on June 23. He’s had a mixed start, and the strikeout woes are still very much an issue, but he also has a handful of extra-base hits. Houck still has a long way to go before he recaptures some of the prospect shine that he had coming out of the 2023 MLB Draft, but this is a positive step in the right direction.

Pitcher of the Month: Wellington Aracena

Stats: 5 G (2 GS), 24 IP, 8 H, 4 R (3 ER), 29 SO, 11 BB, 1.13 ERA, 0.79 WHIP

Wellington Aracena might be the next true breakout pitching prospect in the Mets system. The 20-year-old right-hander was absolutely dealing in June, and it was really just an extension of what has been a true standout season. In 55 2/3 innings, Aracena has a 2.75 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 73 strikeouts. Like many young pitchers, he can struggle with walks, but there’s plenty of time to try and iron that out.

As of now, he leans heavily on his 4-seam fastball and his cutter, but his slider and curveball have shown serious promise. He’s raw. Most young pitchers are. But the Mets have a flamethrower in Single-A who, with the right development, could turn into a serious, serious prospect.

Florida Complex League: FCL Mets

Hitter of the Month: Haniel German

Stats: 16 G, .286/.367/.381/.748, 4 2B, 5 R, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 17 SO

It wasn’t a great month for the Florida Complex League Mets hitters. Haniel German takes the top spot with the highest OPS of the bunch, and he’s the only Mets hitter with at least 10 games played to post a batting average above .225.

A 19-year-old outfielder, German had a solid showing in the Dominican Summer League in 2024, hitting .269 with a .751 OPS. He struggled in his first month of 2025, but turned it around in June. He wasn’t outstanding, but he was good, and good was good enough to be the top dog in the FCL Mets’ June offense.

Pitcher of the Month: Jonathan Jimenez

Stats: 4 G (2 GS), 13 IP, 8 H, 6 R (4 ER), 15 SO, 6 BB, 2.77 ERA, 1.08 WHIP

Where the offense struggled, the pitching shone. Jonathan Jimenez, a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher, was one of four Mets arms to throw double-digit innings, and while he didn’t have the best ERA of the bunch, he was the most effective in keeping runners off the bases.

Jimenez was just one of many pitchers to have strong Junes. Jace Hampson, Omar Victorino, Joel Lara, Nicolas Carreno, Jermayne Verdu, Yuhi Sako, Gregori Louis and others all impressed, but Jimenez’s combination of sample size and success earned him top marks.

Dominican Summer League: DSL Mets

Hitter of the Month: Yunior Amparo

Stats: 16 G, .432/.532/.784/1.316, 3 HR, 1 3B, 2 2B, 15 R, 10 RBI, 7 BB, 5 SO

Dominican Summer League play began in June, and the DSL Mets had a handful of standout players. All eyes are naturally on Elian Peña, but his 0-for-26 start cost him big time here. Instead, it goes to Yunior Amparo, who slugged three home runs along with three other extra-base hits in June.

Amparo has the second-highest slugging percentage and OPS among all DSL players with at least 50 plate appearances this season. He’s not striking out much, walking some, making a ton of contact and hammering the ball when he does. He’s someone to monitor as the season progresses.

Pitcher of the Month: Osiris Calvo

Stats: 5 G (3 GS), 19.2 IP, 10 H, 4 R (2 ER), 26 SO, 4 BB, 0.92 ERA, 0.71 WHIP

It’s not often there’s a pitcher in the Dominican Summer League who really stands out, but Osiris Calvo is doing just that. He dominated hitters. He’s 21 years old—old for a pitcher in the DSL—so he’s probably too old for the level, but he also missed all of 2024 due to injury. You can only play who’s in front of you, and Calvo is dominating who’s in front of him.

Calvo has the second-best ERA among all qualified pitchers in the DSL, the best FIP, the second-best batting average against, the second-best swinging strike percentage, the second-best strikeout rate and the seventh-best walk rate. He’s been one of the best pitchers at the level, and easily the best pitcher on the Mets. He will probably head stateside at some point this season.

The post McLean, Williams Highlight Mets’ Minors June Players of the Month appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Triple-A

Worcester Red Sox (43-41) 0, Syracuse Mets (39-46) 4

Box Score

• C Francisco Alvarez, 0-for-3, R, BB, 3 K (.745 OPS)
• SS Luisangel Acuña, 2-for-4, K (.706 OPS)
• RF Gilberto Celestino, 1-for-3, HR (6), 3 RBI (25) (.779 OPS)

Alvarez had a rough night at the plate and in the field. He made a throwing error and was charged with a passed ball.

• RHP Brandon Sproat (5.05 ERA) 5 IP, 2 H, 8 K, BB
• LHP Brooks Raley (0.00 ERA) IP, H, BB, K, W

Sproat threw 51 of 89 pitches for strikes, induced 11 swings and misses and his fastball topped out at 99.3 mph. The Mets selected him in the second round of the 2023 draft from the University of Florida. Raley has thrown 6.2 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts combined while rehabbing at three levels.

Double-A

Hartford Yard Goats (43-36) 4, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (51-26) 1

Box Score

• SS Jett Williams, 2-for-4, K (.863 OPS)
• CF Carson Benge, 0-for-4, 2 K ( .768 OPS)
• DH Ryan Clifford, 1-for-3, 2B, BB (.824 OPS)

Benge, a first-round pick in last year’s draft, is 7-for-29 with a home run and a double in nine games since being promoted to Binghamton.

• RHP Jonah Tong (1.83 ERA) 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, L

This was Tong’s fifth double-digit strikeout game. He hadn’t given up more than one run in a game since May 23 (six starts).  He was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for June on Thursday, the second-straight month he’s won the award.

High-A

Hudson Valley Renegades (45-32) 4, Brooklyn Cyclones (54-25) 7

Box Score

• LF Chris Suero, 1-for-4, HR (12), 2 RBI (48), 2 K (.852 OPS)
• 2B Colin Houck, 3-for-4, 3B, 2B, RBI (2), 3 R, K (.670 OPS)
•  3B Jesus Baez, 2-for-4, HR (9), RBI (41), 2 R (.769 OPS)

With the game taking place a stone’s throw from the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, the Cyclones relished the chance to make hot dog puns on the team’s X account.

• RHP R.J. Gordon (3.06 ERA) 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, BB, 5 K
• LHP Ryan Ammons (1.96 ERA) 1.2 IP, K

Ammons, 24, has struck out 32 in 23 IP.

Low-A

St. Lucie Mets (42-35) 6, Daytona Tortugas (36-42) 2

Box Score

• 1B Yohairo Cuevas, 2-for-4, HR (2), 2B, RBI (9), K (.813 OPS)
• SS Jeremy Rodriguez, 1-for-5, RBI (20), SB (18), K (.562 OPS)
• LF Willy Fanas, 2-for-4, RBI (8), SB (3), K (.537 OPS)

Cuevas’ .275/.447/.366 slash line through 47 games is up dramatically from last year when it was .213/.333/.296 in 457 plate appearances for St. Lucie.

• RHP Wellington Aracena (2.75 ERA) 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Aracena was the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month for June (1.13 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 29 strikeouts, 24 IP).

Dominican Summer League

DSL Tigers (7-16) 0, DSL Mets Orange (14-9) 5

Box Score

• 2B Elian Peña, 2-for-4, 2B, R (.812 OPS)
• C Yeider Mindiola, 1-for-1, HR (2), RBI (8), 2 BB, 2 R (.951 OPS)
• CF Adolfo Miranda, 1-for-3, HR (4) 3 RBI (15) (1.052 OPS)

Peña is 5-for-11 in July with two doubles and two walks. (The 17-year-old is rapidly maturing.) Miranda’s homer was his third in two games. The 18-year-old Cuban has also stolen seven bases in 19 games.

• LHP Luis Sotillo (3.38 ERA) 4 IP, H, BB, 3 K

DSL Mets Blue (10-14) 10, DSL Rangers Blue (5-19) 11

Box Score

• 1B Yunior Amparo, 2-for-3, RBI (11), R, BB (1.236 OPS)
• DH Yovanny Rodriguez, 1-for-5, 2B, RBI (9), R, BB, K (.974 OPS)
• LF Alex Acosta, 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, K (.848 OPS)

Amparo, an 18-year-old from the Dominican Republic, is hitting .422/.525/.711 with three home runs in 19 games.

• RHP Christopher Rochin (4.73 ERA) 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, K

The post Mets Minors Recap: Sproat Sharp for Syracuse appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Tong was nearly untouchable in June, posting a 0.93 ERA and 0.69 WHIP over five starts while striking out 43 batters in 29 innings. That followed a stellar May in which he recorded a 1.35 ERA and 42 strikeouts, a month that also featured 6 2/3 perfect innings against Reading on May 10.

The combination of strikeout dominance and consistent deep outings has made Tong perhaps the most talked-about arm in the Mets’ system. He’s drawn comparisons to Tim Lincecum for his extreme overhand delivery, and it’s working for him. Even with roughly average velocity, his fastball jumps on hitters thanks to its sharp vertical break, and his breaking stuff plays up because of the unique angle.

Through 14 starts this season, Tong owns a 1.73 ERA with 115 strikeouts in just over 73 innings. Opponents are hitting a mere .137 against him, and his 40.5% strikeout rate ranks among the best in the minors. He’s also been selected to represent the Mets in the 2025 Futures Game, joining outfielder Carson Benge.

One of the fastest risers in the system, Tong’s back-to-back Pitcher of the Month awards indicate just how dominant he’s been. If he keeps this up, who knows what could happen. The Mets have taken a more cautious approach with his development, but his performance could end up forcing New York’s hand.

Aracena Dominates Florida State League

Flamethrowing righty Wellington Aracena was dominant in June with Low-A St. Lucie, posting a 1.13 ERA over 24 innings. His performance earned him the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month Award. Altogether, he has a 2.56 ERA across 52 2/3 innings as both a starter and reliever. Aracena sits 96-99 mph on his fastball, per FanGraphs, but has touched 101. He has yet to really refine his command.

In FanGraphs’ most recent re-ranking of Mets prospects, Aracena checked in at 14th in the Mets’ system. “Everything he throws is hard and requires a ton of effort, making him a cleaner fit in the bullpen. There Aracena has a chance to be a special weapon. There aren’t really many other big league pitchers whose stuff bears a resemblance to Aracena’s cutter-heavy mix,” FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote.

The post Jonah Tong Named Eastern League Pitcher of the Month Again appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Over the last two weeks, New York has seen three of their top four minor league affiliates clinch playoff berths by winning their respective league’s first halves. Double-A Binghamton, High-A Brooklyn, and Single-A St. Lucie all topped their respective divisions, clinching a playoff berth.

Double-A Binghamton, currently sits at 44-22, 10 games to the good over the Hartford Yard Goats in the Eastern League. Binghamton clinched via a 6-5, 10-inning win on June 13. Offensively, the Rumble Ponies are led by Jett Williams (168 wRC+), Ryan Clifford (.803 OPS), and Nick Morabito (136 wRC+, 27 stolen bases). On the mound, Jonah Tong has dominated, emerging as one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball (minor-league leading 107 strikeouts in 67 innings).

High-A Brooklyn edged Greensboro by a half-game for a first half South Atlantic League (SAL) North championship via a 46-20 record. Brooklyn’s record was the best among either the North or South divisions in the SAL. Brooklyn is led by an elite offense, which features first-round pick Carson Benge (163 wRC+), breakout Jacob Reimer (.898 OPS), as well as Chris Suero, A.J. Ewing, and Eli Serrano, who each have wRC+ above 140. Pitchers Nate Dohm (1.64 ERA), Brendan Girton (2.92 ERA, 3.64 FIP), and Zach Thornton (0.44 ERA across 20 2/3 innings) have all thrived as well.

Lastly, Single-A St. Lucie took home the Florida State League East title with a 34-31 first half record. Former first-round pick Colin Houck leads the team offensively with a 120 wRC+. Pitchers Wellington Aracena (2.87 ERA, 3.49 xFIP) and Franklin Gomez (2.83 ERA) lead a St. Lucie pitching staff that was one of the first half’s best.

Combined, Binghamton, Brooklyn, and St. Lucie went a combined 124-73 en route to three first half championships and three playoff berths.

The post Mets’ Organizations Continue To Dominate The Minor Leagues appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

From Nolan McLean at Triple-A to Jose Chirinos, who recently got promoted from the Florida Complex League, and every level in between, there is pitching talent with tantalizing potential throughout the organization.

Nolan McLean. Photo Credit: Kylie Richelle

The Stable

The headliners are McLean and Jonah Tong, prospects with big-time helium who are taking off in 2025.

McLean started the year at Double-A, dominated, got promoted to Triple-A, and hasn’t missed a beat. He has an elite sweeper that has been big league ready from the moment he stepped onto a professional mound, a mid-90s heater, a sinker that has been missing bats like crazy, a cutter that has been inducing weak contact, and a changeup and curveball he mixes in occasionally.

Tong boasts the best fastball in the organization. Due to it’s elite IVB (induced vertical break), it was already the best fastball in the organization when he was throwing it in the low-to-mid 90s. Now, he’s routinely throwing it 95 and can get it up to 97. He has a big looping curveball and a slider that can both be plus pitches, but his new Vulcanchange has been a game changer, giving him an effective offspeed pitch that he had been searching for. He’s too good for Double-A, and should probably receive a promotion to Triple-A soon.

There’s also Brandon Sproat, who is probably more of a household name than Tong and McLean despite those two passing him in the prospect ranks. Sproat flew through the minors last year, making it all the way to Triple-A in what was his first season of professional baseball. However, he struggled mightily once he got there, and those struggles have continued in 2025. Sproat has a bunch of solid offerings, but no standout pitch like Tong and McLean. He’s still just 24, and is less than a year removed from dominating hitters at Double-A, so there’s plenty of time for him to right the ship. (He has a 2.25 ERA in his last 16 innings as of publishing.) He remains one of the top pitching prospects in the organization, the hype has just faded a bit.

Blade Tidwell is at Triple-A as well, and he’s been one of the most effective pitchers in the league. Don’t let the 4.02 ERA fool you—that’s pretty good for the International League. It’s also a full run lower since he was returned to Triple-A after making his big league debut a little over a month ago. He got hit around a bit by the Cardinals in that debut, but he has good stuff, and it’s very possible he makes another big league start at some point this season.

Meanwhile, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies have a stacked rotation just one level below. It’s headlined by Tong, but there are multipe probable future big leaguers on that staff as well.

Jack Wenninger. Photo by Kylie Richelle

Jack Wenninger has turned in the fourth-highest strikeout rate among  Double-A qualifiers, only behind Tong, top MLB pitching prospect Chase Burns and rising Cardinals prospect Tekoah Roby. Jonathan Pintaro, a former Division II pitcher who was signed out of indy ball last year, would be near the top of those leaderboards as well if he were qualified. He’s a great story, and while he is older at 27, he’s turned himself into a legitimate prospect in this system. Then there’s Zach Thornton, a southpaw, who rarely walks people while still posting a high strikeout rate. Over his last three starts, he’s given up just three hits and one run over 19 innings while striking out 22 and walking four.

High-A Brooklyn has maybe even more talent. 2024 second-round pick Jonathan Santucci actually has the worst ERA of the bunch at 4.32, but after a rough start he’s thrown 20 and 2/3 innings of one-run ball over his last four starts. Third-rounder Nate Dohm has turned in four good starts after his promotion from St. Lucie, and Noah Hall, Brendan Girton and R.J. Gordon all have ERAs under 3.30 in over 40 innings.

The Cyclones actually have too many pitchers for available starts. Gordon and Girton piggybacked each other earlier this week, with Gordon going the first three and 2/3 and Girton going the next four and 1/3. Two days later, Dohm and Hall did the same, throwing a respective five and four scoreless innings en route to a shutout victory.

It continues down to Single-A St. Lucie and the Florida Complex League. Irving Cota has a 1.85 ERA in 35 innings and even threw five scoreless innings in a spot start at Double-A before being sent back to St. Lucie. Will Watson had success, earning a promotion to Brooklyn in early June. Edgar Moreta and Wellington Aracena have both had strong seasons. Jose Chirinos was great in the FCL, and then threw four and 2/3 scoreless with seven strikeouts in his Single-A debut.

There are more. Joander Suarez had a lot of success at Double-A and is now getting his first taste of Triple-A action. Joel Díaz has had a solid season at High-A. Former top prospect Matt Allan is finally back on the mound, pitching for Brooklyn. These guys might be more like organizational depth pieces, but they have all flashed before.

There are also, of course, relievers. Some are former starters, like Douglas Orellana, Felipe De La Cruz, Saul Garcia, Cameron Foster and Dom Hamel. There are a few fireballers, like Ryan Lambert, Dylan Ross and Raimon Gómez, who are capable of touching triple digits. Then there are other relievers, like Ryan Ammons, Anthony Nunez and TJ Shook, who have consistently turned in good results.

The farm system is deeper than it ever has been before.

The Mets have had groups of highly-touted pitching prospects before. Generation K. The Big 5 of the mid-2010s. Maybe it’s a reminder that so often, prospects don’t pan out as expected. But the Mets have also never had the infrastructure to support these pitching prospects as they do right now.

The Big Picture

The Arizona Diamondbacks just provided the baseball world with an unfortunate reminder this past week with the news of Corbin Burnes needing to undergo Tommy John surgery becoming official—don’t sign starting pitchers to long-term contracts. Develop pitchers, that way you’re not forced to sign free agent starting pitchers to big-money, multi-year contracts.

The Mets have leaned heavily into that philosophy in the first two years under David Stearns. They pursued Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a unicorn in the free agent market at 25 years old, but other than that, they’ve stayed away from the big-name, high-priced free agent pitchers. No Burnes. No Max Fried. No Blake Snell. Fried has been great, but it’s an eight-year contract. That’s a long time to count on a pitcher to be healthy. Burnes and Snell are both already on the shelf.

Instead, the Mets opted for shorter deals. In 2024, it was Sean Manaea and Luis Severino. In 2025, it was Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning, Frankie Montas and re-upping Manaea. Montas and Manaea both opened the season on the injured list, but they are signed to two-year and three-year deals, respectively. There’s no true long-term commitment to either.

Is the Big Money Worth It?

Pitchers are inherently a high-risk free agent buy. Burnes signed a 6-year, $210 million deal with the Diamondbacks this offseason. He will miss the rest of 2025, and there’s a good chance he will miss all of 2026 as well. Arizona will pay him roughly $62 million for what could be 11 total starts from 2025 to 2026. The next time he pitches for the Diamondbacks will likely be when he is 32 years old. He already showed some early signs of decline this year before the injury. Who knows how he will look in 2027, especially coming off a major arm injury? Arizona will then be on the hook for four more years, with Burnes making over $30 million each year, and then owe him over $10 million a year for six more years in deferred money starting in 2031.

The Mets are better equipped than most to withstand injuries to players on big contracts, but no team wants that much dead money on the books. Even Steve Cohen wants to avoid paying people to not play as much as possible.

But how does a smaller market team justify that risk? That much dead money can be a backbreaker for a team that only signs a handful of players to big-money contracts — and “handful” might be too optimistic for a few organizations.

Since 2022, 11 pitchers (and Shohei Ohtani, who is yet to pitch for the Dodgers) have signed 9-digit free agent contracts: Max Scherzer, Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman, Carlos Rodón, Edwin Díaz, Aaron Nola, deGrom, Yamamoto, Burnes, Fried and Snell. Eight of those 11 pitchers have made at least one trip to the 60-day IL. That includes the youngster Yamamoto, who made just 18 starts for the Dodgers in his rookie season.

Aaron Nola hasn’t, but after signing a seven-year, $172 million deal entering his age-31 season, he’s regressed so much just one year later that his contract is beginning to look like an albatross. He’s also currently on the 15-day IL and just had his return timeline pushed back. Fried hasn’t, and again, has looked fantastic, but he’s just two months into an eight-year deal. Gausman is the outlier, not taking a single trip to the injured list over the three years and change of his five-year deal, and has remained productive.

It’s an unfair line of thinking for pitchers, and it raises a lot of questions about a much larger issue. How does the league balance a need to compensate pitchers fairly for their work with the obligations of a front office to do what’s best for their organization?

Organizations getting what may be the best years of a pitcher’s career, while significantly underpaying them for six years for the value they are providing, and then tossing them aside when they finally have the opportunity to get paid is, to put it bluntly, a pretty crappy way to treat pitchers. However, organizations should always do what is in their best interests as they pursue the ultimate goal of winning a championship, and that includes wisely distributing their payroll. Smart organizations pay players for what they believe they will do over the course of their new contract, not what they have already done.

History shows it is not smart to sign free agent pitchers to long-term contracts, but underpaying pitchers for years only to cut them loose when it’s finally time for them to make money feels borderline predatory. Short-term contracts for pitchers will always exist, but even if they have high average annual values, they lack the security many players desire.

Is the solution players hitting free agency earlier, maybe after four years instead of six (or seven if their service time is manipulated)? That way, players hit free agency younger, they can cash in earlier, and maybe long-term deals for pitchers are more justifiable if that pitcher is 26 or 28 instead of 30 or 32.

Of course, that opens a much, much, MUCH larger can of worms, and would likely have a ripple effect on many other parts of the Collective Bargaining Agreement — too much to get into right now.

It’s such a difficult issue. Players deserve to be compensated fairly for the value they create, but ultimately, teams need to do everything possible to win, and anything less is malpractice. Unfortunately, that usually means staying away from giving long-term free agent deals to pitchers, signing pitchers to short-term deals when needed, and ideally, developing your own pitchers instead of buying them.

The Mets didn’t have a ton of MLB-ready, quality arms in the minor leagues in 2024 or to begin 2025. They turned to undervalued veterans with good tools like Manaea, Canning and the others, and focused on getting the most out of them. Soon, some of those big league starts will be taken by players the Mets have developed through the minor leagues themselves. McLean has the best combination of talent and proximity, but Sproat, Tidwell, Tong, Wenninger, Pintaro and Thornton are all at least at Double-A. Once you reach that level, the big leagues are within striking distance.

Not everyone will stick in the big leagues, but some will, and that’s an exciting thing for Mets fans to look forward to.

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