Brandon Glick

The 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists have been announced, and the New York Mets have three nominations to celebrate. First up is rookie pitcher Nolan McLean, who did an excellent job fielding his position on the mound. He finished third among all NL pitchers with +4 Defensive Runs Saved, though he did make three errors on the season. His competition is Chris Sale (Braves) and Michael McGreevy (Cardinals). Next is "backup" catcher Luis Torrens, who continues to supply tremendous value from behind the plate. Despite playing fewer than 700 innings at the position this year, he ranked second among all NL backstops with +12 DRS and +9 Fielding Run Value. The other finalists are Gabriel Moreno (Diamondbacks) and Freddy Fermin (Padres). Last but certainly not least we have rookie outfielder Carson Benge, who can add yet another feather to his cap after an all-around brilliant rookie year. He finished fourth among NL right fielders in DRS (+6) and second in FRV (+6), though his lackluster range (-1 Out Above Average) might have hurt his case with voters. The winners will be revealed on Nov. 1. View full rumor

MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Tobias Myers 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nate Lavender 0 17 0 0 14 31 Kodai Senga 0 19 0 0 0 19 Justin Hagenman 0 0 0 0 70 70 Jonathan Pintaro 0 0 0 0 17 17 Jefry Yan 0 0 0 16 37 53 Devin Williams 0 0 13 0 0 13 Dedniel Núñez 0 8 0 0 0 8 Cionel Pérez 0 0 21 0 22 43 Austin Warren 0 0 0 20 0 20

For the last time this season, here I am making the game thread (Brock will be on desk tomorrow). Thanks for all of your support during our debut campaign! I hope you enjoyed the coverage we had on the Mets (even if the team themselves wasn't enjoyable to cover). See you all in 2027... whenever the season actually gets going.

MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Tobias Myers 0 0 0 32 0 32 Nate Lavender 0 23 0 0 18 41 Kodai Senga 24 17 0 0 0 41 Jonathan Pintaro 14 23 0 0 0 37 Jefry Yan 0 0 32 0 0 32 Jack Weisenburger 0 0 52 0 0 52 Dedniel Núñez 14 0 0 0 11 25 Austin Warren 0 14 0 13 0 27

Let's keep ruining the Phillies' weekend, fellas.

SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Tobias Myers 0 0 0 0 32 32 Nate Lavender 11 0 23 0 0 34 Kodai Senga 0 24 17 0 0 41 Jonathan Pintaro 0 14 23 0 0 37 Jefry Yan 0 0 0 32 0 32 Jack Weisenburger 0 0 0 52 0 52 Dedniel Núñez 0 14 0 0 0 14 Austin Warren 16 0 14 0 13 43

Solid chance for the Mets to play spoiler this weekend. The Phillies are tied with the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot.

Welp. So much for this idea. Onto waivers he goes!

Updated bullpen chart: MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Nate Lavender 0 20 0 0 11 31 Kodai Senga 0 0 0 0 9 9 Jonathan Pintaro 0 19 0 0 21 40 Jefry Yan 0 13 26 0 0 39 Dedniel Núñez 0 0 8 0 10 18 Daniel Duarte 0 0 0 0 0 0 Austin Warren 0 15 0 26 0 41

MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Nate Lavender 2 0 9 0 14 25 Kodai Senga 0 0 21 0 0 21 Jonathan Pintaro 14 0 13 0 0 27 Jefry Yan 0 8 0 0 11 19 Dedniel Núñez 0 17 0 0 0 17 Daniel Duarte 14 0 10 0 8 32 Austin Warren 0 0 17 0 0 17

It's Christian Scott day! [I promise this is real excitement and not the throes of the dog days of summer talking.]

Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Some fans were left disappointed by the New York Mets' return for Luke Weaver, one of the best relievers on the market, as the front office only pried Sammy Stafura out of Pittsburgh. So, in order to get a better prospect from the Chicago Cubs, David Stearns packaged two of his best remaining trade chips into one deal. Yes, Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor are on the move, completing the second trade between these two teams after the David Peterson deal a month ago. In return, the Mets are receiving Jefferson Rojas, a consensus top-100 prospect with enormous upside. Holmes, 33, has a 2.39 ERA this season, but it’s come in just nine starts. He fractured his leg in May and is just now on the cusp of a return to the majors. He’s under contract for $13 million this season, so he’s owed about $4 million the rest of the way. He can also earn $12 million in 2027, but if he comes back and pitches well the rest of the way, he’ll almost certainly opt out, which the deal allows him to do. Meanwhile, Taylor is an excellent fourth outfielder who hits lefties well and plays solid defense at all three positions on the grass. He's exactly the kind of player every winning team needs, which makes his inclusion in the deal more understandable when it means that a player like Rojas is the return. Speaking of, Rojas is a 21-year-old hitting .270/.339/.461 in Double-A this year, and he's got potential to be a five-tool player. He's long been seen as a "jack of all trades, master of none" kind of player, but he's played good defense at third base this year while hitting 15 homers and swiping 17 bags. He immediately becomes one of the best prospects in the farm system and is positioned to be Bo Bichette's heir apparent at the hot corner. In truth, this trade is somewhat reminiscent of the Pete Crow-Armstrong trade from 2021, when the Cubs sent two of their better trade chips (Javier Báez and Trevor Williams) in order to land the star outfield prospect. Hopefully, this deal ages just as well for Rojas and the Mets. View full article

Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Three relievers down, how many to go? After a late-night trade that sent Huascar Brazoban to the Chicago White Sox, David Stearns clearly woke up with some urgency. Brooks Raley is now on the move, and he'll be staying in the NL East as he joins the Philadelphia Phillies. Though the destination is a little surprising, the move itself is anything but. Raley is a rental reliever, and much like A.J. Minter before him, was better suited to help a contender down the stretch than the Mets. Meanwhile, the Phillies recently lost Brad Keller for an extended period of time and have been in desperate need of a quality left-handed set-up man. In return, prospects Luke Gabrysh and John Spikerman (incredible name) will be coming back to New York. Raley, 38, has been a fixture in Queens since 2023, his first season with the team. He's pitched to an incredible 2.31 ERA over 149 appearances in that time, including a 1.96 ERA in 41.1 innings this year. He's as soft a tosser as you'll find, but he uses his flat arm angle to create an unmistakable advantage over opposing hitters, emerging as one of the best contact managers in the league. Though it'll be hard to root for his success in Philly, he'll always be remembered for an excellent tenure in New York. As for the prospects coming back, Gabrysh was the Phillies' 15th-round pick in 2024 out of Saint Joseph's and is regarded for having three pitches (fastball, slider, cutter) that all have plus potential. It shouldn't be too surprising, then, to see that he has a 29% strikeout rate in High-A this year. The problem is that he poses incredible reliever risk, due to poor command and some concerns about his ability to turn over lineups multiple times. He's started 36 of his 39 pro appearances thus far, but the 23-year-old may benefit from a shift to the bullpen. Spikerman is the more notable prospect, ranking at No. 27 on MLB Pipeline's list of the Phillies' top prospects. He has absolutely no power to speak of (zero home runs, .078 ISO this year), but he's still got a .753 OPS and 116 wRC+ this year thanks to a mature plate approach and decent bat-to-ball skills. More importantly, he's an elite base runner and plus outfield defender, which gives him a very solid floor as a potential fourth outfielder at the major-league level. He just probably won't emerge as more than that. It's a reasonable return for an aging rental reliever, featuring both a high-ceiling and high-floor player. The package will likely be easier to appreciate once the Mets wrap up the deadline and we can assess their entire haul. View full article

MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Xzavion Curry 0 0 0 0 62 62 Luke Weaver 0 0 12 0 0 12 Kodai Senga 0 0 0 0 49 49 Huascar Brazobán 13 0 11 0 0 24 Devin Williams 0 0 18 17 0 35 Daniel Duarte 24 0 27 0 0 51 Brooks Raley 0 0 0 14 0 14

Mostly just hoping at this point that no one gets traded during the game. Let's be civil about this fire sale, shall we?

MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Luke Weaver 0 15 0 0 0 15 Kodai Senga 0 0 0 0 0 0 Huascar Brazobán 0 0 16 0 0 16 Devin Williams 0 15 0 0 0 15 Daniel Duarte 0 0 24 0 0 24 Cionel Pérez 0 0 25 0 13 38 Brooks Raley 0 15 0 0 23 38 A.J. Minter 0 0 19 0 12 31

Hard to complain about the pitching matchup at least...

SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Luke Weaver 0 0 15 0 0 15 Kodai Senga 0 0 0 0 0 0 Huascar Brazobán 22 0 0 16 0 38 Devin Williams 0 0 15 0 0 15 Daniel Duarte 0 0 0 24 0 24 Cionel Pérez 18 0 0 25 0 43 Brooks Raley 0 0 15 0 0 15 A.J. Minter 14 0 0 19 0 33

T-minus 11 days until the trade deadline...

FWIW, the Sox called up Eduardo Rivera to take the start today. Bello is sticking in the minors.

At long last, the 2026 MLB Draft is here! You can find DiamondCentric's Big Board here for a rundown on all of the top prospects, though you'll want to stick here on Grand Central Mets for everything New York Mets centric this weekend. As a reminder, the Mets selected Mitch Voit with their first-round pick last year, and he was their lone top-100 selection. That won't be the case this year, as the team has the No. 27 and 92 picks at their disposal. They also have a fourth round pick (No. 120) that'll wrap up their first day of the draft. The draft begins with the first four rounds Saturday, then finishing Sunday with Rounds 5 through 20. TV coverage begins at 1pm EST on NBC and Peacock, with it switching to MLB.com, MLB Network, MLB.tv and MLB+ at 1:30 p.m. Sunday’s telecast begins at 11:30 a.m. on MLB.com, MLB.tv and MLB+. The team will be working with a scant bonus pool ($6,730,900), which is the third-lowest figure in the league. Not having a second-round pick (or any competitive balance round picks) will help alleviate some of that stress, but having such a small allotment to work with means the front office won't be able to aggressively pursue over-slot players in the early rounds of the draft. As a reminder, players drafted in the 11th through 20th rounds do not technically have a slot value, although they are soft-capped at $150,000 without counting toward the bonus pool. Any amount above $150,000 will go against the cap. That amount also applies to undrafted free agents. Teams have until July 27 at 4 p.m. CT to sign their draft picks. Who do you think the Mets should take with their first pick? View full article