Mets Roster Central 2027

[Edgy MD]

Congratulations on being part of another Mets season, however you might have participated.  While a lot went wrong — almost all the winter's MLB trades and free-agent acquisitions have been a sour harvest to date, leaving the team at the back end of the standings — not a little went right.  A scantly precedented class of four rookies, have shown themselves to be top-of-the-roster contributors, along with a rookie from two years prior making an unexpectedly robust return from UCL surgery.

If you like, you can throw Nate Lavender in the pile of assets that all matured at once, as ephemeral as relief help can be, and as hard to project as 21 2/3 innings can be.

Either way, it's a crop, leaving all something to look forward to, after a season that wasn't much to look back on. 

For the season immediately coming, the good news is the bad news, and the bad is the good — both being that no MLB contracts are expiring.  The guys you want to see are expected to be back, and so are the guys you don't want to see — with the key caveat that we have yet to hear from Bo Bichette on his opt-out. 

So, yeah, apart from buying insurance in the form of a thousand minor-league contracts, David Stearns has the option of totally standing pat.  He can trust his plan, count on young players to continue to mature and progress, and hope for better luck on the injury front.

We don't know how much taste he has for masochism, though, and moving things around — even to negative effect, as last winter, at least has the virtue of buying you some time.

So expect some changes, to the below.

Starting Pitching: What's below certainly appears to be something that can be a solid-or-better rotation, but over-reliance on youth can create volatility.  Look for at least one name-brand starter to be added and Jonah Tong to be demoted back to part of Plan B.  (And you always break the seal on Plan B.)

Relief Pitching: What's below represents the eight guys in the best position professionally on October 5, but a lot of deck-shuffling will take place before opening day.  The second half of the season certainly suggested that a bullpen you have developed and cobbled together can equal the bullpen of MLB veterans assembled on veteran contracts, but the Mets will still throw at least some resources after the latter.  If nothing else, it gives you beaucoups assets to deal at the deadline, and allows the former to be your backup plan.

Several names not appearing below — Daniel Duarte, Jonathan Pintaro, Nathan Lavender, Dedniel Núñez — gave solid late-season performances.  They currently sit behind guys with longer track records and fewer options, but they should re-emerge as the Mets make wintertime decisions on some of the more seasoned guys.  (Robert Stock is not a good candidate to last the winter on the roster, but hey, there he is.) 

Catching: It's an impressive unit, and the Mets will most likely field it in 2026.  It would be trading low to move an underperforming All-Star talent like Francisco Alvarez, but there's always a deal if you look hard enough.

Infielders: A whole lot of volatility here. 

• The firstbaseman missed most of the season. 
• His replacement is recovering from a serious concussion. 
• The secondbaseman took a step backwards (from an already precipitous decline) on offense and defense. 
• The shortstop is a fixture and a future Hall-of-Famer but saw his focus fall and his batting average drop to .225 following an extended injury.
• The thirdbaseman underperformed and still might opt for free agency.  

Oddly, two of the most reliable parts of the picture are Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, who have both demonstrated, even in failing to establish themselves, that they are pretty reliable platoon parts.  One can envision a season opening with Vientos sharing first base with Jared Young, while Baty alternates with Jorge Polanco, playing left field and bumping Juan Soto to DH against a righties.

One can envision that.  One quite possibly isn't rooting for that. 

Outfielders: Pretty set in stone, no?

Seven infielders and four outfielders is suboptimal, but Jared Young is experienced out there also.  Also, three guys on the bubble — Ronny Mauricio, Christopher Morel, and Christian Pache — have run out of options, but that likely only particularly concerns the Mets in the first case.

It's a team.  What you see below is definitely a team.  Probably not the team you're gonna see on March 25 when the season opens in Miami on March 25(!!). 

Watch this space as the picture evolves!

Your Projected 2027 New York Mets

	Starting Pitchers
	Sean Manaea	Nolan McLean	Christian Scott	Zach Thornton	Jonah Tong
	R/L DoB: 1992-02-01	R/R DoB: 2001-07-24	R/R DoB: 1999-06-15	L/L DoB: 2002-01-17	R/R DoB: 2003-06-19
Relief Pitchers
Chayce McDermott	Tobias Myers	Cionel Pérez	Kodai Senga	Robert Stock	Austin Warren	Devin Williams
L/R DoB: 1998-08-22	R/R DoB: 1998-08-05	R/L DoB: 1996-04-21	L/R DoB: 1993-01-30	L/R DoB: 1989-11-21	R/R DoB: 1996-02-05	R/R DoB: 1994-09-21
Relief Pitchers	Catchers		Infielders
Jefry Yan	Francisco Alvarez	Luís Torrens	Bo Bichette	Francisco Lindor	Ronny Mauricio	Jorge Polanco
L/L DoB: 1996-08-17	R/R DoB: 2001-11-01	R/R DoB: 1996-05-02	R/R DoB: 1998-03-05	S/R DoB: 1993-11-14	S/R DoB: 2001-04-04	S/R DoB: 1999-11-13
Infielders			Outfielders
Marcus Semien	Mark Vientos	Jared Young	Brett Baty	Carson Benge	A.J. Ewing	Juan Soto
R/R DoB: 1990-09-17	R/R DoB: 1993-12-11	L/R DoB: 1995-07-09	L/R DoB: 1999-11-13	L/R DoB: 2003-01-20	L/R DoB: 2004-08-10	L/L DoB: 1998-10-25

Also on 40-Player Roster

Starting Pitchers	Relief Pitchers
Tylor Megill	Philip Abner	Daniel Duarte	Reed Garrett	Justin Hagenman	Nathan Lavender	Dedniel Núñez	Jonathan Pintaro	Dylan Ross
R/R DoB: 1995-07-28	L/L DoB: 2002-05-04	R/R DoB: 1996-12-04	R/R DoB: 1993-01-02	R/R DoB: 1996-10-07	L/L DoB: 2000-01-20	R/R DoB: 1996-06-05	R/R DoB: 1997-11-07	R/R DoB: 2000-09-01
Relief Pitchers		Catchers	Infielders			Outfielders
Jack Weisen- berger	Cameron Weston	Hayden Senger	Christian Cairo	Christopher Morel	Eric Wagaman	Nick Morabito	Cristian Pache
R/R DoB: 1997-10-08	R/R DoB: 2000-08-27	R/R DoB: 1997-04-03	R/R DoB: 2001-06-11	R/R DoB: 1999-06-24	R/R DoB: 1997-08-14	R/R DoB: 2003-05-07	R/R DoB: 2020-08-21

Your Projected Mets Coaching Staff

Manager	Bench Coach	Pitching Coach	Hitting Coord.	Third Base Coach	First Base Coach	Bullpen Coach	Ass't Pitch. Coach
Andy Green	Kai Correa	Justin Willard	Jeff Albert	Tim Leiper	Gilbert Gomez	José Rosado	Dan McKinney
DoB: 1977-07-07	DoB: 1989-07-14	DoB: 1990-09-09	DoB: 1992-08-16	DoB: 1996-07-19	DoB: 1992-03-08	DoB: 1974-11-09	DoB: 1989-06-06
Hitting Coach	Strategy Coach	Catching Coach	Coaching Assistant	Bat'g Pract. Pitcher	Equip. Manager	Bullpen Catchers
Troy Snitker	Danny Barnes	J.P. Arencibia	Rafael Fernandez	Kevin Mahoney	Kevin Kierst	Eric Langill	Dave Racaniello
DoB: 1988-12-05	DoB: 1989-10021	DoB: 1986-01-05	DoB: 1988-08-03	DoB: 1987-05-11	DoB: 1964-07-09	DoB: 1979-04-09	DoB: 1978-06-03

Your Mets Training Staff

Director of Player Health	Head Athletic Trainer	Assistant Athletic Trainer	Recond. Coordinator	Recond. Therapist	Head Performance Coach	Assistant Performance Coach	Performance Coordinator	Soft Tissue Specialist
Brian Chicklo	Joseph Golia	Bryan Baca	Sean Bardanett	Josh Bickel	Dustin Clarke	Tanner Miracle	Jeremy Chiang	Hiroto Kawamura
DoB:1972-07-17	DoB:1978-??-??	DoB:Circa 1980	DoB:1988-06-23	DoB:1996-??-??	DoB:1987-??-??	DoB:1991-??-??	DoB:????-??-??	DoB:1962-07-19

2026-2027 MLB Free Agents

Manager	Relief Pitchers
Carlos Mendoza	Joey Gerber
S/R DoB: 1979-11-27	R/R DoB: 1997-05-03

2026-2027 Minor-League Free Agents

Starting Pitchers					Relief Pitchers
Eris Albino	Dalton Mall	Matteo Morelli	Christopher Rochin	Omar Victorino	Luis Alvarez	Adbert Alzolay	Jesüs Anton	Brett Banks	Mike Baumann
R/R DoB: 2004-02-24	R/R DoB: 1999-08-27	R/R DoB: 2006-02-27	R/R DoB: 2006-09-18	R/R DoB: 2005-06-09	R/R DoB: 2003-05-05	R/R DoB: 2995-03-01	R/R DoB: 2006-02-17	L/R DoB: 2001-10-03	R/R DoB: 1995-09-10
Relief Pitchers
Tyler Burch	Nick Burdi	Yoralbert Cadíz	Alex Carrillo	Joe Charles	Jamdrick Cornelia	Colton Cosper	Anthony Crespo	Chris Devenski	Franyel Diaz
R/R DoB: 1997-09-02	R/R DoB: 1993-01-19	R/R DoB: 2004-10-24	R/R DoB: 1997-06-06	R/R DoB: 2000-04-05	L/L DoB: 2005-11-17	L/L DoB: 2002-09-08	R/R DoB: 2004-05-04	R/R DoB: 1990-11-13	R/R DoB: 2004-12-18
Relief Pitchers
Luis Garcia	Kevin Herget	Jordan Geber	Wilson Lopez	Robinson Martinez	Yoelvis Martinez	Trey McGough	Pablo Medina	Jahzeel Montas	Layonel Ovalles
R/R DoB: 1987-01-30	L/R DoB: 1991-04-03	R/R DoB: 1999-07-31	R/R DoB: 2002-07-15	R/R DoB: 1998-03-20	R/R DoB: 2006-06-21	L/L DoB: 1998-03-29	L/L DoB: 2006-10-12	R/R DoB: 2005-01-06	R/R DoB: 2003-06-16
Relief Pitchers						Catchers
Rayner Reyes	Anthony Reynoso	Jun-Seok Shim	Jermayne Verdu	Deivy Victora	Brandon Waddell	José Aular	Austin Barnes	Julian Hernandez	Daniel Silva
R/R DoB: 2005-10-20	L/L DoB: 39102	R/R DoB: 2004-04-09	?/R DoB: 2006-07-27	R/R DoB: 2005-08-14	L/L DoB: 1994-06-03	R/R DoB: 2004-01-02	R/R DoB: 1989-12-28	R/R DoB: 2005-09-24	S/R DoB: 2005-01-12
Infielders
Christian Arroyo	TT Bowens	Jackson Cluff	Taylor Darden	Jefrey De Los Santos	Alexander Eneas	Cole Fowler	Yonny Hernandez	Grae Kessinger	Leandy Mella
R/R DoB: 1995-05-30	R/R DoB: 1998-05-27	L/R DoB: 1996-12-03	R/R DoB: 2000-01-16	R/R DoB: 2003-05-30	R/R DoB: 2007-09-12	L/R DoB: 2002-12-10	S/R DoB: 1998-05-04	R/R DoB: 1997-08-25	L/R DoB: 2007-02-24
Infielders
Diego Mosquera	Sam Robertson	José Rojas	Nick Roselli	Dangelo Sarmiento	JT Schwartz	Zack Short	Kevin Villavin- cencio	Trace Willhoite	Wyatt Young
L/R DoB: 2005-05-14	R/R DoB: 2004-07-17	L/R DoB: 1993-02-24	L/R DoB: 2003-03-31	R/R DoB: 38356	L/R DoB: 1999-12-17	R/R DoB: 1995-05-29	R/R DoB: 2003-11-24	R/R DoB: 2000-11-17	L/R DoB: 1999-12-05
Outfielders
Haniel German	Simon Juan	Adolfo Miranda	Jared Oliva	Jaylen Palmer	Jeffry Rosa	Matt Rudick	AJ Salgado	Mike Tauchman
R/R DoB: 2005-12-05	R/R DoB: 2005-07-13	R/R DoB: 2006-10-04	R/R DoB: 1995-11-27	R/R DoB: 2007-07-31	R/R DoB: 2004-09-11	L/L DoB: 1998-07-02	L/R DoB: 2001-09-16	L/L DoB: 1990-12-03

[ashie62]

Simon Juan was released by the Mets I believe 8/15/26

I get afraid for these international kids that get released. It feels like a tough uncertain future ahead for most of them

Maybe he can catch with someone here in MLB or elsewhere 

[Edgy MD]

3 minutes ago, ashie62 said:

Simon Juan was released by the Mets I believe 8/15/26

Yes, most of those minor-league free agents are guys the Mets have released during the season.

[ashie62]

I only noticed Simon when I was looking to see if he was a top 30 Mets prospect 

Jaylen Palmer is a Cublet for now anyway

[Gwreck]

It would be fun to have a running projection of 2027 wins as this roster changes over the course of the offseason.

As shown above:  that’s maybe a…75-win team?  

[ashie62]

I'm trying to come to grips with the idea that Baty and Vientos may still be reliable parts of a platoon

I just don't see it

[Edgy MD]

41 minutes ago, ashie62 said:

I'm trying to come to grips with the idea that Baty and Vientos may still be reliable parts of a platoon

I just don't see it

 

	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Brett Baty vs. Righties (2026)	382	.250	.318	.406	.723
Mark Vientos vs. Lefties (2026)	125	.252	.296	.513	.809
Combined	507	.250	.313	.432	.745
National League (2026)	92,354	.246	.321	.405	.726

 

 

It may not be what you want, but hey, even in a lousy year, it's there.

[Gwreck]

A .745 OPS would still have only ranked 20th among all teams at first base this past year.  And that’s before we even consider the 1B defense of Baty (not good) and Vientos (abysmal).  They’re just not good enough for a team that is serious about competing.

[seawolf17]

You know, looking at the roster... get us an ace, three or four bullpen arms, a first baseman, a second baseman, and a third baseman, and I think we've got a team that could win 120 games.

[Edgy MD]

10 hours ago, Gwreck said:

A .745 OPS would still have only ranked 20th among all teams at first base this past year.

It may not be what you want.

And nothing says either or both must be deployed at first base.

[Gwreck]

4 hours ago, Edgy MD said:

IAnd nothing says either or both must be deployed at first base.

Playing Vientos elsewhere would be wild, but ok!

All seriousness, I do think Baty would be valuable in a utility role off the bench and probably could get 300 PAs next year doing that.

[Edgy MD]

If opening day was today, and I went to work with a healthy version of the above roster, we probably open the season with Vientos being the firstbaseman against some or all lefties, and Baty playing left against some or all righties (alternating with Polanco, as Soto swung between DH and left).

Probably. 

Also, that probably wouldn't last.  We at Mets Roster Central are just saying narrower roles allow for strategic deployment and new talent to emerge.  At least until health breaks down and folks get over-exposed.

[Edgy MD]

As the annual reshuffling of the Mets coaching deck occurs, gleaning meaning from the moves is tempting, but it can be harder than reading Bigelow Tea leaves.  We watch a lot of baseball, and some of us watch a LOT of baseball, but we don't see too much coaching, and if we're honest, we can glean little insight into the coach/player dynamic.  But pay attention long enough, and patterns emerge.

Or delusions.  That happens too.

Transactions, 10/6/2026

GOING	GOING	GOING	NEUTRAL
Non-Tendered	Non-Tendered	Non-Tendered	Projected to Transfer from Hitting Coach
Hitting Coord.	Strategy Coach	Bat'g Pract. Pitcher	Hitting Coord.
Jeff Albert	Danny Barnes	Kevin Mahoney	Troy Snitker
R/R DoB: 1992-08-16 High Level: MLB (2026)	L/R DoB: 1989-10021 High Level: MLB (2026)	L/R DoB: 1987-05-11 High Level: MLB (2026)	R/R DoB: 1988-12-05 High Level: MLB (2026)
COMING	COMING	COMING
Projected to Be Promoted from Syracuse	Projected to Transfer from Director of Defense, Baserunning, & Gameplay	Projected to Be Promoted from St. Lucie Bench/Assistant Hitting Coach
Hitting Coach	Strategy Coach	Bat'g Pract. Pitcher
Nate Irving	Tucker Frawley	Jonathon Cramman
R/R DoB: 1992-10-17 High Level: MLB (2024)	S/R DoB: 1984-05-08 High Level: Development (2026)	R/R DoB: 1991-03-23 High Level: A (2026)

The highest-profile Met coachie to not get asked back is Jeff Albert. While repeating the caveat that we don't know what's going down, this comes as something of a surprise at Met Roster Central, as much of the 2026 offensive failure came from veterans — presumably more set in their ways and less sensitive one way or the other to the whims of coaching — while rookies Carson Benge (after needing an April mulligan) and AJ Ewing prospered.

Maybe it was the struggles of mid-career-types like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos that did him in.  Francisco Alvarez, too.  That's our theory.

That Mets previous hitting coordinator Eric Chavez, rather than finding new MLB work like many of his fellow 2025 veterans, spent much of 2026 telling everyone who would listen that the Mets (a) generally had their heads up their butts as an organization, and (b) that splitting the hitting coach role was counterproductive.  Now that his successor has followed him into the "ex-" column among Met coaches, we can expect him to double down.

Anyhow, we're putting our kranepools down on junior hitting coach Troy Snitker elevating to senior status.  Troy has not only the name-brand Snitker pedigree, but he has the track record, having been co-hitting coach (with Alex Cintron) for the 106-game/World Championship-winning 2022 Astros.

Who gets his junior chair is more likely to come from outside the organization, but Nate Irving is an organizational guy on the rise, having coached the superb 2025 Binghamton squad, who were near the league lead in pretty much all offensive categories, and then moved up to Syracuse in 2026.  He's coached Ewing and Benge in the minors as well as many of the prospects who will hopefully follow them.

Danny Barnes is a tough loss, as the former Princeton Tiger represented an organizational commitment to brains over brawn and the good old boy hiring network.  Danny, 36, had started with the ambigous title of "coaching assistant," and the team continuously re-worked the role to suit the man.  He spent five years with the big-league team in multiple roles under four different managers. He was even put in charge of organizing the team's MLB spring training camp.

With the manager coming out of the development staff, it is certainly easy to see the new strategy coach guy (assuming there is one) coming from there.  Among other things, Tucker Frawley has also had a broad portfolio that could serve him well at helping implement organizational strategy at the big league level, and was praised for his work with Mitch Voit,

Who knows how a batting practice pitcher gets fired, other than losing the strike zone, and figuring who his most likely replacement might be is clearly a shot in the dark, but we stayed within the organization, and our arrow struck St. Lucie bench coach/assistant hitting coach Jonathon Cramman. You have to go pretty low in the chain to find somebody who will take such a narrow role.  The Haringey, London, UK-born Crammy managed the Under-23 squad for Great Britain, so having had that sort of authority over young men, along with a smart British accent, could bring some authority to keep him from being a mere lackey. 

He could also bring some reverse-Ted Lasso fun to the clubhouse, along with an appearance of the Union Jack on our roster grids.

Mets Roster Central looks forward to updates involving players, but it'd b good to see Andy Green's braintrust in early in the offseason, even if they fail to bring back Antoan Richardson.

[MFS62]

I'm not sure whether I would want a hitting coach, albeit a successful one, from a team that plays half its games on turf (while you don't). It's that "approach" thingie - hitting down on the ball. Houston ‘s field is grass.  I hope Snitker works out.

Later

[Edgy MD]

As we prepare to regroup for the arrival of new faces at the major- and minor-league levels, hoping to propel the 2027 Mets forward, we are compelled to note that some around us have excused themselves from the table this summer without much notice, even (initially) among Mets Roster Central staff themselves.

But oh, what we have missed!  Carlos Mendoza's most fateful moment, the particle physicist employed by a major-league team, and more!

Transactions, 7/3/2026

GOING

Signed away by Monclava (Mexican League)

Relief Pitchers

Robinson Martinez

R/R DoB: 1998-03-20 High Level: AA (2025)

Robinson Martinez had been a fugitive from the Baltimore, Miami, and Philadelphia systems when the Mets spotted him in Dominican Summer League, liked what they saw, and signed him to a minor-league deal back in December, but there must've been a health issue, because they released him on April 1 without getting into a single Spring Training game.

It took until July for him to find a new home, getting into 16 games with Los Acereros de Monclava.  He's already made his first appearance back with Escogido, the same Dominican Winter League team he was with last season, hoping another version of the Mets will spot him anew.

Transactions, 7/14/2026

GOING

Signed away to Minor-League Contract by SFG

Relief Pitchers

Alex Carrillo

R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 High Level: MLB (2025)

Alex Carrillo — two R's, two L's — made three appearances for the Mets in 2025, and two were bad and the third was terrible.  In fact, it is not too much to say that third appearance was the most eventful and indicting of Carlos Mendoza's career as Mets manager.

The Mets found themselves up 2-1 over Cincinnati that July 18 evening at home.  It was the end of four, and Sean Manaea had been cruising.  But Manaea had been on a workload restriction as he worked back from oblique and elbow injuries.

That's too bad.  One can generally say that MLB managers baby pitchers in such situations, trying to preserve them for future situations that will perhaps never be as high leverage as the moment they are in, but we weren't there.  We did not know the fullness of Manaea's vulnerability to reinjury.  In retrospect, seeing how long it eventually took for Manaea to return to full effectiveness, one can give him a pass on the hooking.

BUT ... this was the first game back from the All-Star Break.  If the Mets had to get five innings holding a lead from their bullpen, this was the day to do it.  But with this slender lead, Mendoza did not turn to Brooks Raley.  Nor did he reach out to Brandon Waddell.  Going to Edwin Díaz that early was right out, but one might guess veterans like Reed Garrett, Max Kranick, and Kevin Herget were all chomping at the bit when the phone rang.  As, we hope, were José Buttó and Dedniel Núñez — young, but beautiful, throwing effectively, and well rested.

But Mendoza thought ... something, and decided to go to Carillo first.  Carillo, again, had appeared in two previous games and yielded runs in both.  Whatever greater good Mendoza was willing to sacrifice this moment for, sacrifice it he did, as the game blew up in his face over the course of Carillo's 1 1/3 innings, in which he gave up five runs on two walks and three hits — all three of which left the yard, lest you think those runs scored after he left the game.

We're not here to bury Carillo.  Young pitchers are a risky bet, and he didn't put himself in the game.  But the Mets would lose, 8-4. and finish the season tied with these very same Cincinnati Reds, losing the playoff berth to them based on winning the seasons series, making this decision easily the most fateful of Carlos Mendoza's Met tenure.

You don't like to make so much of one moment, but Carillo has yet to appear in the majors since, and Mendoza's career marches on.

Transactions, 7/16/2026

GOING

Signed away to Minor-League Contract by STL

Relief Pitchers

Rayner Reyes

R/R DoB: 2005-10-20 High Level: DSL (2026)

Rayner Reyes has a cool name.  It means "Counselor of Kings," or the like, but he didn't last long enough with the Mets, sadly, to acquire a face.  He threw 18 innings in the DSL and walked 16 batters.  While that be the place to work out your kinks, the Mets felt they had seen enough and let him go at the start of Spring Training.

Signed mid-season by St. Louis, the Cardinals either found a him to be a new man, or molded him into one, because he threw 9 2/3 innings for the Cards and only walked one guy — a guy with a .400 OBP.

Be patient and thoughtful, Mets!

Transactions, 7/17/2026

GOING

Signed away by Tijuana (Mexican League)

Relief Pitchers

Adbert Alzolay

R/R DoB: 2995-03-01 High Level: MLB (2024)

Adbert Alzolay was actually a case of the Mets trying to be patient.  The team signed the six-year Cubs veteran to a two-year minor-league contract to allow him to rehabilitate from UCL surgery under their watch without a threat of him jumping to a new team once he was ready.

Adbert, though never became ready, flaming out over 14 2/3 minor league innings this summer.  The Mets have done at least one of these creative every year for several years running — either signing guys injured drawing interest from other teams to two-year minor-league deals, or signing minor-league free agents to MLB contracts despite no MLB experience.

These are exciting flanking maneuvers to watch your team make, and they are the kind you keep your eye on, because if they work out, they can change how teams do business.

But none, so far, have worked out.

Transactions, 7/20/2026

GOING

Signed away by Ottawa (Frontier League)

Relief Pitchers

Jamdrick Cornelia

L/L DoB: 2005-11-17 High Level: DSL (2024)

Rooting we certainly were for young Jamdrick Cornelia, partly because it's always nice to see players coming from somewhere beyond the usual places (noting that Curaçao isn't that off the map, as far as baseball players go), partly because Curaçaoan players always give us an opportunity to type a cedilla, and party because he was signed three an a half years ago, but we still haven't been able to find a photo except the one at left, in which he looks like a second-grader who will need to throws to propel the ball the full 60 feet 6 inches to the plate.

Alas, Jammy — despite a 2.97 ERA over (small) parts of three seasons — hadn't pitched since 2025 when the Ottawa Titans signed him, and despite going unscored upon in three appearances, he found himself sent packing by them as well, after getting caught up in roster crunch.

Transactions, 7/28/2026

GOING

Signed away by Gastonia (Atlantic League)

Relief Pitchers

Tyler Burch

R/R DoB: 1997-09-02 High Level: MLB (2024)

Idaho native Tyler Burch never saw the field at all for the Mets at any level as the former Phillies/Orioles prospect spent the first half of the season on the Injured List with Binghamton.  Hopefully his 14 1/3 innings of Atlantic League action went some ways to getting his career back on track.

I'm pretty sure he's completely difficult guy from Tyler Burch, the particle physicist working for the Red Sox, but ... holy crap!  There's a particle physicist working for the Boston Red Sox!! 

Transactions, 8/4/2026

GOING

Signed away by Monterrey (Mexican League)

Infielders

Yonny Hernandez

S/R DoB: 1998-05-04 High Level: MLB (2023)

Yonny Hernandez hasn't tasted a major-league sunflower seed since 2023, but those seeds are so good, and so Yonny soldiers on, alternately working the grind and lying in wait for his next taste.  Along the way, he gave the Syracuse version of the Mets some of his best baseball, slashng at .305 / .394 / .385 // .779 for the team's top farm club while spitting time between second and third with a few cameos at short.

Sadly for Yonny, the opportunities that arose in the Mets infield this summer were for shortstops and firstbasemen, and he carried on with that near-.400 OBP while the likes of Gabriel Arias, Andy Ibáñez, Ronny Mauricio, Christopher Morel, Zack Short, Eric Wagaman, and Jared Young got calls Yonny did not get.

Most of those selections were defensible, but don't tell that to Yonny.

Fun Yonny Hernandez facts include his tearing up the Atlantic League in 2024 with a .325 batting average for the Long Island Ducks, and that he shares his name with a Colombian motorcyclist who has been tearing up the pavement with the MotoGP World Championship, among other biking circuits, since 2010. 

Transactions, 8/12/2026

COMING

Unretired and Activated from Voluntarily Retired List

Relief Pitchers

Brett Banks

L/R DoB: 2001-10-03 High Level: Brooklyn (2026)

Not everybody in these transactions are here because they quietly left the organization.  Some are here because they quietly came back.  Consider Brett Banks.  Brett, the 2023 11th-round pick out of UNC-Wilmington mysteriously retired after three appearances in 2026.  There was no reported injury and no apparent regression — just a guy hanging 'em up.

But hey, sometimes life doesn't cooperate with your career, and you have to walk away.  But the Mets kept him on the reserve list, and come mid-August, Brett decided to go back into the salt mines of St. Lucie.  He initially didn't prosper, which is to be expected coming back after time away from training, but he finished strong with 4 1/3 scoreless innings following a promotion to Brooklyn.

Mets Roster Central will reach out to the Mets and to Brett and try to get more to the story, and we hope everything is going well for the young Metling.

Transactions, 8/19/2026

GOING

Signed away by CHC to Minor-League Contract

Infielders

Jackson Cluff

L/R DoB: 1996-12-03 High Level: AAA (2026)

Jackson Cluff joins Yonny Hernandez in the club of AAA infielders who couldn't get a tumble with the big club in 2026, even as Zack Short (Zack Short!) somehow started three games for The Queensmen.  Unlike Yonny, who didn't get the call because he hadn't been playing shortstop, Jackson was just in the midst of a really terrible season going .169 / .289 / .309 // .598 in 216 plate appearances for Dick Scott in Syracuse.

A week after the Mets let him go, the playoff bound Cubs picked him up.  You need emergency depth down the stretch, or perhaps guys to play as you rest your regulars, and the Chicago scouts presumably told the team he wasn't as bad as he had played.

Jackson proceded to go .169 / .289 / .309 // .598 in 68 more trips for the Iowa Cubs, and those scouts are all, "Well, yeah, but we also told you about Pete Crow-Armstrong, so ... !"

Transactions, 8/19/2026

GOING

Signed away by York (Atlantic League)

Relief Pitchers

Jordan Geber

R/R DoB: 1999-07-31 High Level: AAA (2026)

Back in Spring Training, the Mets had Joey Gerber and Jordan Geber.  They were giving serious looks to both players and OH! the laughs we had!  Two guys with similar names!  Both funny names!

Joey, acquired for cash from the Rays before the 2025 season, pitched well enough to get into seven games with the big club before being released in August.  And while you may ask "Who didn't?" well, Jordan Geber didn't, spending most of the season with Binghamton, and cameoing with Syracuse before being released on August 3.

He was released, in fact, exactly one day after Joey Gerber, leading Mets Roster Central to strongly suspect someone in administration, confused the two, looked up and said, "Didn't we release that guy?" and released the other one, just to make sure.

Transactions, 10/15/2026

GOING	GOING	GOING
Signed away by PHI to Be Third-Base Coach and Infield Instructor	Opted for Free Agency	Opted for Free Agency
Manager	Infielders	Outfielders
Carlos Mendoza	Vidal Brujan	MJ Melendez
S/R DoB: 1979-11-27 High Level: MLB (2026)	S/R DoB: 1998-02-09 High Level: MLB (2026)	L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 High Level: MLB (2026)

No more looking back (for now), as these transactions bring us up to the current moment.  Vidal Bruján joined the 2026 Mets for nine appearances, but about 1,670% of his value can be found in a single game — way back on May 11.  The Mets were tied with Washington at six apiece in the 11th.  Mark Vientos had gone oh-for-five, but he was the magic runner that opened the top of the inning for the Mets, and Vidal was sent in to run for him.  The Mets had blown a late two-run lead, had had trouble advancing guys in scoring position, so who knows where things are going, but you don't want Vientos out there as the tying run.

Brett Baty lined one to center, giving Broojie a chance to advance to third, which he did, and then Marcus Semien lofted a fly down the left-field line, giving Vidal a chance to score, which he did.  Neither was superheroic, but neither would have been likely with Vientos out there!

Big whoop, right!  He did what any pinch-runner would be expected to do, but ... here's the thing — the game wasn't over.

VB stays in the game to play short, moving Bo Bichette to third, and Baty to first, improving the Mets D at all three positions.  The Nats score their magic runner in their half of the inning, despite Brujan getting an assist and a putout, and the Mets come up again in the 12.

These sorts of wars of attrition come too rarely these days, and you didn't want to see the Mets blow this. The 2026 Nats bullpen has not yet established themselves as the legendary unit they would be by the end of the year, but they are the 2026 Nats bullpen.

Hayden Senger (Hayden Senger?!) comes up, and everybody in the park knows he's bunting.  But still, he gets it down and advances magic runner mystic sprinter Tyrone Taylor to third.  And Carson Benge plates him with an infield hit.  A cheap way to get the lead back, but the lead is back.  In extra innings, with the free runner everywhere, however, a one-run lead is not enough.  We know this.

So, Bo Bichette singles up the middle, and the Nats walk the hell out of Juan Soto to bring up Vidal Brujan!  It's one of the easiest decisions of Blake Butera's season as Nats manager.  Vidal certainly wasn't in the game for this situation, but this is the one he found himself in. 

And then he did this:

RBI bunt single!  Gutsy as hell!  Popping it up in the air could have led to a double-play, but ... coulda but didn't!

And from there, the floodgates opened.  Game over.  That bunt broke the Nats pen for good, possibly for the season.  The Mets would put up a total of 10 runs before the inning was out, the most profligate extra inning in the team's long history, but Vidal's RBI was the biggest and bestest.

We will have far less trouble recalling MJ Melendez.  In between Mike Tauchman going down in Spring Training and Jared Young returning from meniscus surgery in late May, Melendez was their designated lefty firstbaseman/corner outfield type, and for a while, looked kind of like he can be a guy.  As the Mets' lineup floundered early in the season, he prospered a little, starting 56 games and regularly appearing in the third, fourth, and fifth spots in the lineup.  But as continued exposure dimmed his star, it only augmented Young's and when it came down to a choice between the two, it wasn't a hard one.

MJ had the good sense, to have perhaps his strongest game in his Mets debut, doubling twice off of Shohei Ohtani, who we hear can be a tough assignment.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza moves on to Philadelphia, despite the Alex Carillo Fiasco noted above.  Apart from him being exactly as maddening as the current model of asset-management manager is, we have fond memories of him, and wish him as much luck as possible without crossing with the good fortunes of his now-former team.

That catches you up.  We hope it was the thrilling trip for you that it was for Mets Roster Central.  We hope our future updates can be shorter.  Because believe it or not, here at MRC, we respect your time!

[MFS62]

When is the date when the roster has to be adjusted (cuts and adds) before the minor league draft? Is it the Winter Meetings, the earlier GM meeting or some other date?

I can't wait for the next thrilling chapter of roster madness.

Later

[Edgy MD]

If by your mean the Rule 5/Rule V Draft, that will be December 9.  Players will have to be added to the roster by November 17 to be protected.  Please watch this space for a preview.

[MFS62]

November 17 is the date I was looking for. I can hardly wait.

Thanks,

Later

[Edgy MD]

As the off-season progresses, the Mets will be forced to clear some roster space to make way for the December 9 Rule 5 Draft, to which a lot of their valued minor league veterans will be exposed if not added to the roster.

But first, a quicky transaction the Mets pulled off a week ago.

Transactions, 10/14/2026

COMING

Signed as International Amateur Free Agent out of Colombia, Projected for DSL

Relief Pitchers

Randy Gutierrez

R/R DoB: 2009-02-16 High Level: MLB (2024)

While Colombia (Cartagena, in fact) is hardly the most exotic of baseball origins, it's always nice to see the Mets' scouting eyes cast beyond the usual sources for talent. 

Rumors of Randy Gutierrez signing with the Mets organization had only surfaced a week before, and in fact, he had previously been linked to the Yankees.  So extra bonus points whenever the Mets bring in somebody who the Yankees had been keen on.

The really special thing about this signing, however, isn't that he's Colombian, and that he spurned the Yankees.  The really cool thing is that, when he signed (as depicted in the photo at left), he or his people wanted to capture the moment for posterity on their own terms, so he (or his people) placed a phone in front of him to get a photo, video, or livestream going.  But he needed to prop that phone up, and in the Mets foreign office, the foreign scouting execs looked around for a prop, and grabbed the first thing they could find.

A Jerry Koosman bobblehead doll.

Just look at Little Jerry getting his faced smooshed by 21st Century Technology the young and vibrant version of him represented in the bobble can scarcely conceive, let alone understand.  As adorable as it is, it's just great to see a kid born in 2009, who could conceivably be pitching for the Mets in the 2040s, linked to a player who debuted for the team in 1967.

May the world spin on, and may Mets alwas be a part of it.

Back to Rule 5 action.  Among the highest-profile players who have to be added or exposed are:

• Ryan Clifford, who had a stinky-poo year at AAA, but remains a top power prospect for the team, ranked 14th-best prospect in the system by MLB.com.
• Gary Gill Hill, a New Rochelle native and one of three prospects the Mets received in the Freddy Peralta deal, who reached AAA as he showed modest improvement in the limited time he had with the Mets after the trade.
• Kevin Parada, who has lost most of the shine that made the Mets pick him in 2022, but that first-round brand and a noticeable uptick in 100 AAA plate appearances this season still might be enough to make him pop up on the radar of other teams; also made more vulnerable in that a second catcher is the kind of guy that teams like to grab in the draft.
• Jacob Reimer, compact guy who backslid a little in AA with difficulty hitting offspeed pitches, but still one of the team's top 10 prospects, and likely to be protected.
• Jefferson Rojas, the team's biggest get at the trade deadline, acquired from the Cubs in the Clay Holmes deal, and a virtual certainty to be protected, especially after elevating his game in both Binghamton and Syracuse after the trade, as well as the Caribbean, where he is currently tearing up the Dominican Summer League.
• Chris Suero, a slugging corner guy who also catches, who hit .201 this year, but with beaucoup power, making it an interesting proposition whether they protect him or Parada.
• Marco Vargas, an on-basey utility infielder, who has gotten as high as 53 games at AA last season as a 21 -year-old, not a top prospect but could be a solid steal for a team with a hole in the infield and not looking at a particularly competitive 2027.
• Jack Wenninger, a starter with a healthy arm who watched everybody but himself get a shot in 2026, despite spending the whole season at AAA, and being routinely listed in the top 10 team prospectos.

Rojas is a near certainty to be added.  The others there, have varying likelihoods.  Clifford and Suero are valued players, but coming off terrible seasons, and so aren't great candidates for another team to try to carry all season without optioning down.  But who knows?

The Mets have several guys they can remove from the roster, in order to make room for the above, without a lot of pain: 

• Phillip Abner
• Cameron Weston
• Hayden Senger
• Christopher Morel
• Eric Wagaman
• Cristian Pache

If anything is more certain than Jefferson Rojas being added to the roster, it's Cristian Pache being removed from it.  But crossing off those six would leave six spots open, one or two of which will presumably go to free agents.  There is a good chance they will non-tender perpetual bubble starter Tylor Megill, so pick five names from that list above to pull onto your life raft, tap your Jerry Koosman bobblehead for good luck, and start rowing. 

---

FULL LIST OF RULE 5-ELIGIBLE METS MINOR-LEAGUERS

Pitchers: Ryan Ammons Eli Ankeney Justin Armbruester Juan Arnaud Brett Banks Jose Chirinos Irving Cota Candido Cuevas Felipe De La Cruz Jorge De Leon Joel Díaz Zach Franklin Saul Garcia Gary Gill Hill Cristofer Gomez Noah Hall Dakota  Hawkins Wyatt Hudepohl Bryce Jenkins Jonathan Jimenez Gregori Louis Ernesto Mercedes Douglas Orellana Cesar Rivera Christian Rodriguez

Luis R. Rodriguez Ben Simon Austin Troesser Jack Wenninger Calvin Ziegler Catchers: Ronald Hernandez Kevin Parada Vincent Perozo Chris Suero Francisco Toledo Infielders: Ryan Clifford Randy Guzman Nick Lorusso Jacob Reimer Jefferson Rojas D'Andre Smith Marco Vargas Outfielders: Yohairo Cuevas Estarling Mercado Yonatan Henriquez

[seawolf17]

No way Robert Stock or Justin Hagenman survive on the 40 either. So there will be spots.

[MFS62]

I will throw myself between my adoptee Chris suero and the person trying to cut him. 
later

[Edgy MD]

57 minutes ago, seawolf17 said:

No way Robert Stock or Justin Hagenman survive on the 40 either. So there will be spots.

Indeed.

[seawolf17]

Agree that Rojas is an obvious 40-man guy. So are Gill Hill (or is he just Hill?) and Wenninger.

Reimer feels likely, and so does Suero. I think a team might be willing to take a shot on Suero because of his solid OBP numbers.

Clifford and Parada are the big question marks. I could see Clifford being protected, just in case we don't find a true 1B and they want to see what happens in PSL.

[Gwreck]

On 10/22/2026 at 10:24 PM, Edgy MD said:

There is a good chance they will non-tender perpetual bubble starter Tylor Megill, 

I hadn’t seen that suggested elsewhere.  I’m not so sure about that prediction.  If anything, the fact that they tendered him a contract for 2026 (a year in which he would only rehab) is a strong indication they plan to keep him in 2027. 

[Edgy MD]

Fair enough.

We'll see, and as noted, Robert Stock's and Justin Hagenman's spaces also provide some room.

[Cowtipper]

Xzavion Curry has elected free agency.