Tom Gatto

Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images A 12-game losing streak in April put the New York Mets’ season in peril. To their credit, they've put together a solid month after stopping that skid. They're 14-12 in their last 26 games, and 6-3 over their last nine. Now, there's hope that this team will be watchable this summer — and maybe good enough to contend for a playoff spot. There’s recent precedent for such optimism, too. Two years ago, the Mets were 21-26 after 47 games — the same as they were at one point in 2026 — and, OMG, did they turn it on after that. They finished with 89 wins and rode the vibes to the NLCS. This year's Mets entered Thursday's action 13th in the National League but just 7.5 games out of a wild-card berth, with more than two-thirds of the season remaining. Still, the team has lots of problems. The roster doesn't have a Jose Iglesias-type veteran who can set the clubhouse alight. Current spark plug A.J. Ewing is a 21-year-old rookie who has yet to totally struggle at the plate. How will a slump affect his energy? The rotation is a minefield. The top bullpen arms are inconsistent. The offense (87 wRC+, 28th in the majors entering the finale of the Nationals series) can't be trusted, even though it averaged 7.6 runs per game during a recent 6-1 streak. Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez and Clay Holmes are out with long-term injuries. Those issues lead to this question: How much time should the front office give this flawed team to complete a turnaround — be at .500 or better, say — before going into sell mode ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline? Club president David Stearns has shown during his time in New York that he will be patient. Most recently, he stuck with manager Carlos Mendoza while the team was losing and the fans wanted the skipper to join the Red Sox's Alex Cora and the Phillies’ Rob Thomson on the unemployment line. Expect Stearns to give the players similar support even with half the everyday lineup — Lindor, Alvarez, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. — on the injured list. Some of those players might be available for part of an upcoming stretch that will answer our question. The Mets are early into a difficult part of their schedule. After this week's road trip to D.C. and Miami, they're looking at this group of series through the first week in July: Home vs. the Reds and Marlins At the Mariners and Padres Home vs. the Cardinals and Braves At the Reds and Phillies Home vs. the Cubs and Phillies At the Blue Jays and Braves All of those teams are capable of making it to October. Yes, even the Marlins, the team that killed the Mets’ playoff dreams last year. Once the gauntlet ends in Atlanta on July 6, the Mets will have played 91 games, barring rainouts. That'll be a sufficient sample size for Stearns and his lieutenants. It will also be the time that prices for deadline rentals start to increase. Bottom line: If the club is around..500 and 6.5 back or.closer in the wild-card race a week before.the All-Star break, then the front office can remain patient and maybe do some buying. If the Mets are buried in the standings — say, 10 or more games behind — then the sell-off should probably get underway. View full article

Carson BengeA.J. EwingJonah TongElian PenaRyan CliffordJacob ReimerJack WenningerMitch VoitNick MorabitoChris SueroJonathan SantucciZach ThorntonWandy AsigenWill WatsonRyan LambertEli Serrano IIIRandy GuzmanDylan RossAntonio JimenezR.J. Gordon

Image courtesy of © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The New York Mets' top offensive performer during the first month-plus of the 2026 season was obvious:. he was the one guy who hit in March/April. Choosing the two runners-up in our rankings was the real challenge. The decision came down to the few players who produced just middling wRC+ numbers. An uninspired method of sorting out an uninspiring group. With that process now complete, here's Grand Central Mets' inaugural Hitters of the Month list: Ranking Mets' Best Hitters In April 3. Francisco Lindor March/April stats: .226 AVG, .314 OBP, 18.1 K rate, 10.5 BB rate, .129 ISO, 94 wRC+ Lindor got off to an odd start at the plate. He walked 10 times in the club's first eight games and had twice as many bases on balls as hits. He looked like an old-school leadoff hitter. But then, the patience ran out. Lindor walked just once more in his next 16 games before he went down with a calf injury April 22 vs. the Minnesota Twins. His selectiveness (a career-low 45.3 percent swing rate) didn't translate to better outcomes. His contact rate was a career-low 76.9 percent and his line-drive rate was a career-low 17.6 percent. Still, his overall performance was good enough to rate a place on this list. 2. Francisco Alvarez March/April stats: .226 AVG, .313 OBP, 21.4 K rate, 9.2 BB rate, .179 ISO, 105 wRC+ The catcher was one of just two Mets regulars to produce an above-average wRC+ in the first month-plus. That was enough to put him on this list. He tallied four home runs and three doubles, but his overall batted-ball stats weren't exceptional: a 34.4 percent hard-hit rate, a 14.1 percent line-drive rate and a 50.0 percent ground-ball rate. But there were also signs that he was maturing as a hitter. He was on pace to post career highs in overall contact rate and zone contact rate prior to a late-month slump. 1. Juan Soto March/April stats: .345 AVG, .441 OBP, 11.8 K rate, 14.7 BB rate, .224 ISO, 185 wRC+ Soto did what he could to breathe life into the offense, both before and after missing 15 games due to a calf strain. He slugged .569 and got on base at a .441 clip in 68 plate appearances. He also smacked three home runs; his opposite-field blast vs. the Washington Nationals on April 28 punctuated a seven-run inning in an 8-0 win. At the time, it felt like the hit that would get everyone going. As usual, he was unwilling to expand the strike zone, no matter the situation. He walked at a 26.3 percent rate with runners in scoring position as opponents avoided pitching to the club's lone threat. And, he avoided becoming pull-happy with the club lacking in slug. His center-field batted ball rate was 42 percent, compared to a 40 percent pull rate. In other words, he remained Juan Soto, one of the best hitters in MLB. View full article

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The New York Mets are seeing results from owner Steve Cohen's commitment to improving the farm system. Homegrown players such as Nolan McLean and Carson Benge have already made it to Flushing, and the next wave of prospects is not far behind. Grand Central Mets is profiling that up-and-coming group in this series. You can find Part 1 (Nos. 16-20) here. Here's a look at the second set of prospects in our 2026 Top 20 ranking --- the players ranked 11th through 15th. Four of these prospects are teammates to begin 2026. The fifth player hasn't yet begun his pro career, but he may have the highest ceiling of this group. 15. Will Watson, RHP (Binghamton Rumble Ponies) Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff W L W-L% ERA RA9 G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2026 23 -2.0 BNG EAS AA NYM 0 1 .000 5.14 6.43 2 2 0 0 0 0 7.0 7 5 4 1 4 0 7 1 0 1 1.571 9.0 1.3 5.1 9.0 1.75 Watson, 23, was a two-way player in junior college but switched to full-time pitching after transferring to USC in 2024. The move paid off, as the Mets took him in the seventh round of the 2024 MLB Draft and then promoted him to Double-A late last year. He got a look in major-league spring training before going back to Binghamton for the start of the 2026 season. Watson throws a four-seamer, two-seamer, cutter, changeup and slider. Per MLB.com, his pitch speeds last year ranged from the mid-90s with his fastballs to the mid-80s with the slider. The horizontal movement on his changeup gives Watson reverse-splits potential. Left-handers compiled a .561 OPS and hit three home runs against him last season, while righties put up a .623 OPS with five homers. His ground-ball rate jumped after the promotion to Double-A -- 57.1 percent at Binghamton compared to 44.8 percent at High-A Brooklyn. Control was an issue, however, with an 11.6 percent overall walk rate. Watson issued four free passes in his first seven innings of 2026. 14. Wandy Asigen, SS (DSL Mets) The 16-year-old Asigen caused a stir during this year's January international signing period when he backed out of an agreement with the Yankees at the last minute to sign with the Mets for $3.9 million. Subway Series rivalry aside, Asigen's decision was significant because of his prospect status; he's ranked No. 2 overall in the January class by MLB Pipeline. Asigen's ranking is based on high-end tools. He has both 60-grade power and 60-grade speed according to MLB.com's scouting report. He has drawn raves for his bat speed (exit velocities in the 110s), his ability to lift the ball, and his ability to barrel up pitches. One concern is how he'll handle fastballs up and away, but that's a skill he can develop over time. He already has decent size, listed at 6-0 and 180 pounds. Asigen is not coming into the pro game as a raw prospect, either. He is already a seasoned international player, including representing the Dominican Republic in the 2024 WBSC U-15 World Cup. He'll debut in the Dominican Summer League, but he has the tools to move through the organization quickly. 13. Zach Thornton, LHP (Binghamton Rumble Ponies) Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff W L W-L% ERA RA9 G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2026 24 -1.0 BNG EAS AA NYM 0 0 .000 1.69 1.69 1 1 0 0 0 0 5.1 2 1 1 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 19 0.563 3.4 0.0 1.7 6.8 4.00 Thornton, 24, took a big step forward last year before suffering a season-ending oblique injury in June. He posted a 1.98 ERA, 28.5 percent strikeout rate, 4.0 percent walk rate and 1.8 percent home run rate in 14 starts and 72 2/3 innings between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. He made a good impression in spring training this year, allowing one run over 6 2/3 innings. The 2023 fifth-round draft pick out of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix relies on his ability to pitch. He complements a deceptive low-to-mid-90s fastball with a plus two-plane slider in the mid-80s and a cutter in the upper 80s. He also throws a changeup and a slow curveball. He attacks hitters in the strike zone, as evidenced by the walk rate. Thornton is back in Binghamton's rotation to begin 2026. Being left-handed with funk will give him an advantage as he works toward a promotion. 12. Chris Suero, C/OF/1B (Binghamton Rumble Ponies) Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB 2026 22 -1.9 BNG EAS AA NYM 6 29 21 8 6 0 1 3 10 3 1 6 11 .286 .448 .810 1.258 17 0 1 0 1 0 The New York-born Suero, 22, signed with the Mets as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2022. Four seasons later, he's a power-speed prospect who can play multiple positions. He had a breakthrough at High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton last year with 16 home runs and 35 stolen bases in 115 games. He caught in 73 games, played first base in 16 and played left field in 21. The Mets assigned him to the Arizona Fall League after the end of the minor-league season, and his numbers in 15 games there were excellent as well: a .283/.353/.567 slash line, five home runs and eight steals in as many attempts. He reached a maximum exit velocity of 112.5 mph. Suero is squat at 5-11 and 205 pounds, but he moves well enough behind the plate. According to MLB.com, his pop time to second base last season was 1.8 to 1.9 seconds. The raw throwing numbers were not exciting; Suero threw out 23.2 percent of base stealers (23-for-99). He'll get to work on that part of the game as he catches a prospect-laden staff at Binghamton. 11. Jonathan Santucci, LHP (Binghamton Rumble Ponies) Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff W L W-L% ERA RA9 G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2026 23 -2.0 BNG EAS AA NYM 0 0 .000 6.75 6.75 1 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 3 3 3 1 4 0 8 0 0 0 17 1.750 6.8 2.3 9.0 18.0 2.00 Santucci, 23, was a two-way player for most of his college career, but he was strictly a pitcher when the Mets selected him in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Duke. He made his pro debut last year, and by mid-July he was at Double-A. He was terrific for the Rumble Ponies, too, with a 2.52 ERA and 32.0 percent strikeout rate in 50 innings. He allowed just two home runs. Santucci relies on a low-to-mid-90s fastball that has good ride up in the zone and a high-80s slider that has excellent late bite. He comes at hitters from a high arm angle, which enhances the differences in eye level. His changeup and curveball are still in development, and he still needs to throw more strikes (8.5 percent walk rate). Left-handed batters fared better against him than did right-handers last year, but the overall numbers were still low: a .647 OPS for lefties, a .618 OPS for righties. Durability was an issue at Duke -- Santucci was sidelined by elbow surgery and a rib injury. He got through 2025 healthy, and he's taking a regular turn at Double-A to begin 2026. Continued health and another string of good starts should earn him a move up one or two levels. View full article

Image courtesy of © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Ronny Mauricio is getting another shot with the New York Mets, thanks to Juan Soto's calf injury. The club recalled Mauricio from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday as the corresponding move for Soto being placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 4. The return to the majors is an important moment for the 25-year-old. He needs to impress after a difficult ending to his 2025 season. The trouble is, he figures to be the same player who spent most of the final month on the Mets' bench. Let's refresh ourselves on the best (and worst) parts of his game and offer an overall outlook on what's to come for the former top prospect. Ronny Mauricio Returns: Weighing the Pros and Cons of His Game Pro: He Hits the Ball Hard and He Hits It Far The 25-year-old switch-hitter has eight home runs in 292 career plate appearances, and half of them are catalogued by Baseball Savant as no-doubters. Upper-tank rockets at Citi Field and Coors Field, both delivered from the left side, were "wow" moments and teases of his power tool. His maximum exit velocity is 117.3 mph, his barrel rate is an above-average 7.6 percent, and his bat speed is a zippy 73.8 mph. The Mets know he can provide big-time pop off the bench. Con: He Doesn't Hit the Ball Often Enough Pitchers are good at missing Mauricio's bat, especially if they throw in a wrinkle. He sports a poor 29.1 percent strikeout rate and 32.8 percent whiff rate for his young career. His biggest hole is breaking pitches -- he has a .150/.186/.250 career slash line against them. The curveball is an unsolvable mystery, evidenced by a 50.9 percent whiff rate. Mets fans are bracing for more of Mauricio dropping to a knee as he waves at the pitch. Pro: He's an Athlete on the Infield Mauricio is tall and lanky, listed at 6-3 and 166 pounds. His mechanics aren't the smoothest, but he gets to the ball and his big arm (76th percentile arm strength in 2025) gets it across the diamond. Now that he's more than two years removed from the ACL tear that cost him the entire 2024 season, he should be able to move well wherever he plays. And he's expected to play all over as the backup to second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Francisco Lindor, and third baseman Bo Bichette. Con: He Is a Liability Against Left-Handed Pitching Liability is putting it kindly: Mauricio sports a .134/.174/.195 career slash line and 36.0 percent strikeout rate in 86 plate appearances as a right-handed batter. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza would have a tough time justifying a start for Mauricio against a left-hander if Semien, Lindor, Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are all healthy. The Mets would be wise to consider making Mauricio a full-time left-handed hitter, or a simple platoon option if he wants to maintain some faux flexibility. Outlook: Mauricio Is a Full-Time Backup Mark Vientos has slipped into a full-time role in the starting lineup thanks to a white-hot start and a minor injury to Jorge Polanco, though most of the rest of the infield is struggling this season (Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette, in particular, are off to frigid starts). Mauricio will likely get an opportunity or two to spell them for a game, but he'll have to be really impressive in a small sample to stick around in New York for longer than it takes Soto to recover from his calf injury. View full article

Image courtesy of © Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The New York Mets found out Thursday just how much their attention to the major league roster will affect them in this summer's MLB Draft. MLB allotted the club $6.731 million to sign its picks, according to a league announcement. That figure is the third-lowest pool total in the draft and about three times smaller than the $19.1 million in pool money available to the top club, the Pittsburgh Pirates. More than half the Mets' bonus pool was dedicated to their first-round bonus slot: $3.47 million for the 27th overall selection. New York is picking 27th as a penalty for exceeding the second Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) surcharge threshold last season, with an estimated $347 million tax payroll. This is familiar territory for the club; It is the fourth year in a row MLB has dropped the Mets 10 spots for exceeding CBT thresholds. Last year, the team's first selection was 38th overall. The Mets chose University of Michigan two-way player Mitch Voit at that spot and signed him to a $1.75 million bonus. The club's 2026 draft was further compromised in February when it agreed to sign free-agent infielder Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract. Bichette had received a qualifying offer from his previous club, the Toronto Blue Jays, meaning the Mets had to forfeit their second- and fifth-round selections for signing him. Barring any trades for supplemental-round picks between now and the draft, the Mets will pick 27th overall and then not again until 92nd, their pick in the third round. They received a compensatory pick after the fourth round for the Dodgers' signing of free-agent closer Edwin Diaz. The Mets made a qualifying offer to Diaz, who rejected it. The 2026 MLB Draft will be held July 11-12 in Philadelphia, the site of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. The Chicago White Sox have the first overall selection; they're expected to take the consensus No. 1 draft prospect, UCLA infielder Roch Cholowsky. 2026 MLB Draft bonus pools Pittsburgh Pirates: $19,130,700 Tampa Bay Rays: $19,009,300 Chicago White Sox: $17,592,100 Minnesota Twins: $16,929,600 St. Louis Cardinals: $16,612,300 Kansas City Royals: $15,954,000 Atlanta: $15,870,800 Colorado Rockies: $15,557,600 San Francisco Giants: $14,080,400 Athletics: $13,840,300 Houston Astros: $13,712,700 Arizona Diamondbacks: $13,603,100 Baltimore Orioles: $13,114,000 Cleveland Guardians: $12,573,900 Washington Nationals: $12,278,300 Miami Marlins: $11,960,100 Los Angeles Angels: $11,755,400 Cincinnati Reds: $10,758,500 Texas Rangers: $10,219,200 Chicago Cubs: $9,644,100 San Diego Padres: $9,479,000 Detroit Tigers: $9,165,100 Boston Red Sox: $8,219,200 Seattle Mariners: $8,218,200 Milwaukee Brewers: $8,042,900 Philadelphia Phillies: $7,773,000 New York Yankees: $7,342,800 New York Mets: $6,730,900 Toronto Blue Jays: $5,543,100 Los Angeles Dodgers: $3,951,900 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The New York Mets didn't need a new #LOLMets viral moment this early in the season, but here we are. The fact a team leader produced it makes it worse. Now, there are more questions about whether the club's culture has improved at all after an offseason roster overhaul. By now, you've probably seen the blunders Francisco Lindor committed Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The shortstop forgot how many outs there were in the first inning and turned a routine double play into an embarrassing fielder's choice. Cameras caught Lindor tapping his chest afterward, claiming accountability. Fortunately for Lindor and the club, Freddy Peralta pitched around it and put up a zero. The play didn't directly factor into New York's eventual 2-1 loss in 11 innings, but, as Lindor noted after the game, Peralta had to throw more pitches and that needlessly shortened his start. "I forgot the outs,” Lindor said in response to a question by SNY's Steve Gelbs. “Unexcusable," he added. Manager Carlos Mendoza was brief, too, saying in his postgame presser Lindor "knows" he messed up. Lindor's other blunder did affect the final score, though. In the top of the sixth inning, he was picked off first base without so much as an attempt to get back to the bag. He was completely caught napping. Three pitches later, Juan Soto blasted a home run that would have prevented the game from going to extras had Lindor still been on base. Just over a week into a pivotal season for the club, the world can feel that all is right in it because the Mets are doing bad fundamentals again. Lindor's critics get another chance to gloat and troll. They can claim again that Lindor was never captain material. They can pile it onto the other dramas -- his reported tension with Juan Soto, the rumors Lindor disliked Brandon Nimmo for his politics (Lindor denied this one, telling the New York Post he "loves" his "brother"), his on-field issues with Jeff McNeil, the thumbs-down to booing fans. The league's media outlet had its own takes Thursday. MLB Network analyst Jake Peavy said on "MLB Now" that the team's vibe may still be off after it tries to move past last year's collapse. MLB Network analyst Kevin Millar said on "Intentional Talk" that mental errors are inexcusable and players show a lack of respect for the game when they commit them. Lindor tried to be a hero in spring training. He sped up his rehab from hamate surgery to be ready for Opening Day. He made it and started the first six games of the season, but he's off to another slow start: a .712 OPS inflated by seven walks, and just three hits. He needs to lock back in. Maybe Mendoza could give him a night off -- issue a suspension disguised as maintenance. If, instead, Lindor is in the lineup for every game against the Giants in San Francisco, then it'll be clear the people who matter have already moved on. It'll be left for the fans to chew on it and once more experience the bitterness that comes from rooting for a franchise that specializes in boneheaded moves. View full article

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images The New York Mets showed off their retooled roster this past weekend at Citi Field. Nine offseason acquisitions made the 26-man Opening Day squad. They represented the front office's emphatic response to last season's second-half collapse and reported clubhouse drama. Fans and media got to form their initial judgments on the key newcomers as all of them appeared in the club's series win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. What did we learn from their play? Here's a quick rundown: Bo Bichette's transition to third base won't be seamless Bichette had a bumpy first series at the hot corner. He showed good hands, but his throwing was poor, a carryover from his days at shortstop. Three times he pulled first baseman Jorge Polanco off the bag with throws. All of them sailed to the arm side, an indication his release point was too low. On top of that, fans booed him for a slow start at the plate. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Saturday that Bichette will put in the work to improve, but until that work pays off, he will be the weak link on the infield. Devin Williams will make the ninth inning interesting Edwin Diaz's replacement got the ninth in a 0-0 game Saturday. The results were good, but the process was messy. Williams allowed a double and a walk but then fanned Reynolds to end the threat. His pitch mix was his typical 50-50 split of changeups and four-seamers, but the heater averaged just 93.0 mph, more than 3 mph off his peak of 2019 and 2020. He was unavailable Sunday after throwing 19 pitches the previous day. If only Luis Robert Jr. can stay healthy... That has been the mantra around Robert the past few years. His injury history makes him a wild card. He's healthy right now, and he came up aces this weekend. He delivered a three-run, walk-off homer in the 11th inning Saturday, a pair of RBI singles on Opening Day and two more hits Sunday. He showed why the Mets took on all of his $20 million salary for 2026. Freddy Peralta looks as advertised Peralta's Mets debut on Opening Day looked like most of his Brewers tenure: lots of Ks, lots of pitches, lots of battling, not a lot of innings. The right-hander got through five on 80 pitches (53 strikes), striking out seven and allowing a pair of home runs to Brandon Lowe. Zero bases on balls was a positive sign, given that Peralta has a career 9.3 percent walk rate. Marcus Semien's bat may not bounce back Semien had hits in his first two times up on Opening Day (thanks, Oneil Cruz), and then none the rest of the weekend. He extended the drought to 11 plate appearances by going 0-for-3 with a sac fly Sunday. Maybe his 89 wRC+ and .134 ISO last season were signs rather than outliers. The second-base defense still looks solid as he starts his age-35 season, so there's that. Jorge Polanco had his own adventures at first base Between lunging for Bichette's throws and knocking down grounders behind the bag, the guy who's replacing Pete Alonso had a busy weekend at his new position. The good news is he got through it without incident. His weekend at the plate was just slightly better; five walks inflated his OBP to .500. The jury remains out on Luke Weaver Weaver did not resemble the 2024 version of himself. He turned in two scoreless outings, but he was inefficient. He stranded one runner in a tie game Saturday and two runners in a tie game Sunday. Control was an issue -- 20 strikes and 18 balls combined. He got the ninth inning Sunday with Williams down, but it's fair to wonder how long he'll remain the fill-in closer. View full article