OT: Mets 2026 Season Thread

[Knight Shift]

And to think we had PCA , but the previous bad GM traded him for a pack of smokes.
That GM thought he made the Mets a playoff contender off that trade.

So, are you saying that Stearns is an improvement?

What a terribly managed franchise the Mets are.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Excellent analysis. A few thoughts.

Benge - unfair comparison. Benge I think is a very good player and potential all-star. PCA is a frickin' unicorn.

Senga is intriguing. He's got a plus fastball and a nasty secondary pitch, which is all a closer needs.

Ewing I think will be fine.

Alvarez - Let's try to avoid comparisons to the #1 prospect we thought we were getting, and instead compare him to what else is out there at the catcher position. In that comparison, he still looks pretty good. Maybe he is destined to be Gary Sanchez - a bat-first career part timer. There are worse fates.

Williams - Not yet ready to give up on him. Relievers are SO volatile.

Pretty much agree on everyone else.

yeah- pretty much in line. You may be fair in regard to Benge vs PCA but, Benge's first year may be better than PCA's was. And Benge could reach 30/30 in year 2. Haven't seen a real hole in his game at all- he is pretty much a plus player in every catagory. But, yes, unfair to possible expect MVP type years.
I do think Ewing will find his way...But, it is concerning that his plate discipline has been horrible.
Alvarez- I just wish that he could play a lick of defense. That, in itself, would make his offense above average for a catcher but he is really a DH.
Williams has been bad in back to back years- but, as you said- RP's are a strange breed.

 

[MadRU]

 

[MadRU]

 

[Doctor Worm]

And to think we had PCA , but the previous bad GM traded him for a pack of smokes.
That GM thought he made the Mets a playoff contender off that trade.

The Mets WERE very much a playoff contender at the time of the trade. They led the NL East by 4 games!

Javy Baez held up his end of the bargain. His OPS as a Met was .886! Not his fault the rest of the team collapsed.

If you want to kill Eppler for this, which of course you do, kill him for going all-in while deGrom was hurt, and ultimately was out for the year. That effectively killed the Mets season. Whether Eppler knew how badly deGrom was hurt when he made the trade, will always be a mystery.

Meanwhile, Pete Crow-Armstrong was out for the season with shoulder surgery. No one knew whether it would affect him long term. And clearly no one projected what he would become. His projection was elite speed and defense, decent stick, below average power.

Back then, the guy whose loss we were all lamenting was Jarred Kelenic.

(Sorry to ramble. Just looking for a distraction from the events of the evening.)

 

[BigEastPhil]

The Mets WERE very much a playoff contender at the time of the trade. They led the NL East by 4 games!

Javy Baez held up his end of the bargain. His OPS as a Met was .886! Not his fault the rest of the team collapsed.

If you want to kill Eppler for this, which of course you do, kill him for going all-in while deGrom was hurt, and ultimately was out for the year. That effectively killed the Mets season. Whether Eppler knew how badly deGrom was hurt when he made the trade, will always be a mystery.

Meanwhile, Pete Crow-Armstrong was out for the season with shoulder surgery. No one knew whether it would affect him long term. And clearly no one projected what he would become. His projection was elite speed and defense, decent stick, below average power.

Back then, the guy whose loss we were all lamenting was Jarred Kelenic.

(Sorry to ramble. Just looking for a distraction from the events of the evening.)

The issue I had with the PCA trade was that the asking price for a good rental was a mid level prospect ( 10-15) that year

The Mets and the idiot GM gave up a top 3 - 5 prospect

The Mets - just like Rutgers and the Jets - continue to be terribly mismanaged with most decisions being foolish / amateur !

 

[Doctor Worm]

Very interesting interview with Zack Scott, the GM who made the trade:

* The guy the Cubs wanted was Matt Allan. Mets turned them down. Cubs then pivoted to Crow-Armstrong.

* Crow-Armstrong was not in great demand. Scott had gotten only one other inquiry about him. It was from Texas for Joey Gallo, which was quickly declined.

* Mets had Crow-Armstrong rated fifth, behind Alvarez, Baty, Allan, and Mauricio.

* Scott claims that the Mets did not know the scope of deGrom's injury at the time of the trade.

* Scott was with the Red Sox in 2020, the year PCA was drafted. The Red Sox did not rate him highly. This affected Scott's evaluation of PCA.

* PCA's shoulder injury was another factor.

* Scott said that in the year after the trade, PCA's market value tripled. That is very rare.

* Scott regrets the trade, not from a results standpoint (no one can foresee the future), but from a process standpoint. He admits that the pressure to "do something big" caused him to deviate from his usual discipline.

Did the Cubs initially want a different player in the PCA trade?

Pete Crow-Armstrong has blossomed into one of the best players in MLB, accruing 5.8 FanGraphs WAR thus far in 2026 -- second only to Shohei Ohtani. Crow-Armstrong has used his elite defense combined with an improved offensive approach to reach this mark. Of course, “PCA” wouldn’t be reaching...

www.mlb.com

 

[Zak57]

Back from another great vaca and so monitoring everything going on in Mets land. Nice series win against the Rays.

I loathed the PCA trade because everyone knew deGrom was hurt and Mets weren't going anywhere that year. The great Dr Worm covered everything above and sucks they got rid of him.

With all that said and I'm the biggest prospect hugger here and no one and I mean no one maybe not even PCA himself saw him turning into this kind of player. It's incredible what he's turned into. I don't know if he stayed with the Mets if he would have developed this way.

An even worse one was the Naquin trade which landed the Reds Hector Rodriguez. He started off a little slow after his call up but starting to hit as well.

 

[Doctor Worm]

That 2021 season was weird, wasn't it?

During the first half, everyone was hurt. The Bench Mob, led by the rhythmic pair of Kevin Pillar and Jonathan Villar, somehow kept the team afloat. The key was insanely good starting pitching. Jacob deGrom was at the very height of his powers, and Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker each had career half-seasons.

That first half of 2021 team was as likeable as any Mets team in recent memory.

Then came the second half. Francisco Lindor returned from injury and reportedly (never proven) orchestrated the acquisition of his buddy, Javy Baez. Lindor had his infamous "raccoon" incident with fan favorite Jeff McNeil. DeGrom got hurt, Walker came crashing back to earth, and the team pretty much collapsed.

From likable to unlikeable within months.

 

[Zak57]

That 2021 season was weird, wasn't it?

During the first half, everyone was hurt. The Bench Mob, led by the rhythmic pair of Kevin Pillar and Jonathan Villar, somehow kept the team afloat. The key was insanely good starting pitching. Jacob deGrom was at the very height of his powers, and Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker each had career half-seasons.

That first half of 2021 team was as likeable as any Mets team in recent memory.

Then came the second half. Francisco Lindor returned from injury and reportedly (never proven) orchestrated the acquisition of his buddy, Javy Baez. Lindor had his infamous "raccoon" incident with fan favorite Jeff McNeil. DeGrom got hurt, Walker came crashing back to earth, and the team pretty much collapsed.

From likable to unlikeable within months.

Don't forget the thumbs down stuff as well. Not sure what they were thinking with that.

 

[MadRU]

 

[RUnotentertained]

Clown franchise
Throwing out Tong Monday night when crowd is going to try and embarrass Stearns by cheering and chanting for Alonso all night

kid is going to get a real confidence boost if Pete goes deep and crowd goes crazy

 

[Doctor Worm]

Clown franchise
Throwing out Tong Monday night when crowd is going to try and embarrass Stearns by cheering and chanting for Alonso all night

kid is going to get a real confidence boost if Pete goes deep and crowd goes crazy

I suggest you recheck your calendar.

 

[RUnotentertained]

I suggest you recheck your calendar.

 

[Doctor Worm]

View attachment 1421438

Now take back those mean things you said about this franchise.

 

[Knight Shift]

So long Jeffrey. Did he make it to Syracuse in a single leap?

 

[yesrutgers01]

Since the season is almost over- it has to be said…we are paying big chunks of salary to two guys leading their new teams in hits and let a top 5 MVP candidate walk…
But at least we got Semien and a bag of balls. lol
And yes, it would have made a huge difference in this season.

 

[Doctor Worm]

So long Jeffrey. Did he make it to Syracuse in a single leap?

Tobias Myers got the win today. He is now the 24th Met pitcher to win at least one game this year. Considering the Mets have only won 65, that stat is kind of insane.

 

[Doctor Worm]

Since the season is almost over- it has to be said…we are paying big chunks of salary to two guys leading their new teams in hits and let a top 5 MVP candidate walk…
But at least we got Semien and a bag of balls. lol
And yes, it would have made a huge difference in this season.

Why does that have to be said? I'll explain why I think it doesn't.

1. Nimmo has a 1.8 WAR. Whose spot in the lineup would he be taking? Benge? 2.8 WAR. Ewing? 2.4. So no, Nimmo would not have made a huge difference this season. BTW, the Rangers assumed 5 years of Nimmo's contract totaling about $97M. Mets are paying $5M of that. Big deal.
2. McNeil has a WAR of 0.7, Semien 0.4. Neither is good. Swapping out one for the other would not move the needle.
3. Yes, Alonso is having an Alonso year with a 3.8 WAR. His primary replacement, Jared Young, is at 1.4. A difference of 2.4 wins. I know you are skeptical of WAR, so let's stretch it and say that Alonso's absence has cost the Mets four wins. In a lot of years, that's a big deal. This year, it is not.

 

[Knight Shift]

Tobias Myers got the win today. He is now the 24th Met pitcher to win at least one game this year. Considering the Mets have only won 65, that stat is kind of insane.

Is that some sort of record, and where would one find such a stat?

 

[Doctor Worm]

Is that some sort of record, and where would one find such a stat?

I have no idea, and I have no idea. I did see that it is a franchise record though.

 

[Leonard23]

Why does that have to be said? I'll explain why I think it doesn't.

1. Nimmo has a 1.8 WAR. Whose spot in the lineup would he be taking? Benge? 2.8 WAR. Ewing? 2.4. So no, Nimmo would not have made a huge difference this season. BTW, the Rangers assumed 5 years of Nimmo's contract totaling about $97M. Mets are paying $5M of that. Big deal.
2. McNeil has a WAR of 0.7, Semien 0.4. Neither is good. Swapping out one for the other would not move the needle.
3. Yes, Alonso is having an Alonso year with a 3.8 WAR. His primary replacement, Jared Young, is at 1.4. A difference of 2.4 wins. I know you are skeptical of WAR, so let's stretch it and say that Alonso's absence has cost the Mets four wins. In a lot of years, that's a big deal. This year, it is not.

Thinking Alonso was only worth 4 more wins is laughable.

 

[cubuffsdoug_rivals]

Why does that have to be said? I'll explain why I think it doesn't.

1. Nimmo has a 1.8 WAR. Whose spot in the lineup would he be taking? Benge? 2.8 WAR. Ewing? 2.4. So no, Nimmo would not have made a huge difference this season. BTW, the Rangers assumed 5 years of Nimmo's contract totaling about $97M. Mets are paying $5M of that. Big deal.
2. McNeil has a WAR of 0.7, Semien 0.4. Neither is good. Swapping out one for the other would not move the needle.
3. Yes, Alonso is having an Alonso year with a 3.8 WAR. His primary replacement, Jared Young, is at 1.4. A difference of 2.4 wins. I know you are skeptical of WAR, so let's stretch it and say that Alonso's absence has cost the Mets four wins. In a lot of years, that's a big deal. This year, it is not.

Won't a better comparison be Nimmo for Semien? They were traded for one another. It was all about money saved. McNeil was never wanted by Stearns and just needed a reason to get rid of McNeil. Alonso should be compared to Young/Polanco/Vientos because those are the players who played first as replacements for Pete.

Stats are great to look at, but they don't always tell the whole story. If stats were the only reason to judge players/team, then the Mets should never have made the NLCS two years ago. Heart and determination were the driving force for that run. There is no analytics to judge that.

 

[Doctor Worm]

Won't a better comparison be Nimmo for Semien? They were traded for one another. It was all about money saved. McNeil was never wanted by Stearns and just needed a reason to get rid of McNeil. Alonso should be compared to Young/Polanco/Vientos because those are the players who played first as replacements for Pete.

Stats are great to look at, but they don't always tell the whole story. If stats were the only reason to judge players/team, then the Mets should never have made the NLCS two years ago. Heart and determination were the driving force for that run. There is no analytics to judge that.

Quality response. I completely agree that the Nimmo/Semien trade was financially motivated. Especially in light of the possible salary cap. Stearns was looking to dump five years of Nimmo, and was willing to take on three years of Semien in return.

Once Semien was on board, McNeil was expendable and was a partial salary dump. Mets could not find a taker for his full salary. I agree that Stearns was no fan of McNeil regardless of salary.

There is no question that from a 2026 performance standpoint, both Siemen and Polanco have been huge disappointments. We knew that Semien was declining offensively. But no one could have predicted that he would go from a Gold Glover in 2025, to possibly the worst defensive 2B in the league.

Polanco I think will have a comeback year in 2027 and be at least serviceable offensively, if he is healthy. Hopefully he can DH.

TBH, I am tired of talking about Alonso. Three years ago, he could have remained a Met through 2030. He instead chose to bet on himself, which I totally respect. Stearns chose to bet the other way. Alonso won the bet - this year. We'll see what happens over the next four.

Lastly, I totally agree with your comments about heart and determination. But from that standpoint, do the Mets really miss any of the guys who are gone? I mean, people questioned their heart and determination last year. Seems like the veteran leadership was provided by role players like Iglesias and Marte.

 

[Zak57]

I will say Semien has not been the worst defensive 2B. He hasn't been GG quality but he's been plenty fine. I didn't think he'd hit but I didn't think we were going to need him too if everyone else in the lineup performed as expected.

Benge is already better than Nimmo and we saved money and years in the long run.

Having Alonso instead of Polanco doesn't do anything but move the needle by a few wins. We weren't making the playoffs the way everyone under performed to begin the year and was hurt.

The biggest mistake Stearns made was not firing Mendy in the off-season or right during or after the long losing streak. Green has way less talent after the selloff and basically the team is performing better.

 

[BigEastPhil]

I will say Semien has not been the worst defensive 2B. He hasn't been GG quality but he's been plenty fine. I didn't think he'd hit but I didn't think we were going to need him too if everyone else in the lineup performed as expected.

Benge is already better than Nimmo and we saved money and years in the long run.

Having Alonso instead of Polanco doesn't do anything but move the needle by a few wins. We weren't making the playoffs the way everyone under performed to begin the year and was hurt.

The biggest mistake Stearns made was not firing Mendy in the off-season or right during or after the long losing streak. Green has way less talent after the selloff and basically the team is performing better.

Was never a Mendoza fan !

He seemed that his primary objective in the clubhouse was to be liked !

He should have been fired after the end of season 25 debacle but the 24 NLCS run saved his butt!

However as you said - it was organizational malfeasance once again not canning him during the 12 game losing streak in April !

If everyone recalls- I was running the “ Fire Mendoza immediately “ Club in April !

Would Iove to see Green keep the job!

He s been terrific and an excellent motivator and communicator !

 

[RUnotentertained]

Mets are now winning too much
They have moved up to 6th worst and can move to 8-9-10 with just a few more wins.

Any team facing the 10 draft spots payroll penalty will have it moved to their 2nd round pick if they land a top 6 pick

 

[Doctor Worm]

Mets are now winning too much
They have moved up to 6th worst and can move to 8-9-10 with just a few more wins.

Any team facing the 10 draft spots payroll penalty will have it moved to their 2nd round pick if they land a top 6 pick

Just to clarify, it's a weighted draft lottery with six winners, similar to the NBA. All non-playoff teams are in the lottery, with an exception that there is a rule against repeat winners.

As of right now, for lottery purposes the Mets have the 5th worst record, not 6th. That is because the Giants are ineligible due to the repeat winner rule.

If the lottery were held today, the Mets would have a 63.3% chance of a Top 6 pick. If they continue to win, their chances decrease. If they don't win a Top 6 pick in the lottery, then the earliest they can pick is 17th, as they will be docked 10 spots as a luxury tax penalty.

 

[Doctor Worm]

Was never a Mendoza fan !

He seemed that his primary objective in the clubhouse was to be liked !

He should have been fired after the end of season 25 debacle but the 24 NLCS run saved his butt!

However as you said - it was organizational malfeasance once again not canning him during the 12 game losing streak in April !

If everyone recalls- I was running the “ Fire Mendoza immediately “ Club in April !

Would Iove to see Green keep the job!

He s been terrific and an excellent motivator and communicator !

Green has stated that he doesn't want the manager job full time, and expects to return to the front office. Obviously, that could change.

There is speculation that Green will be appointed to the GM position (which currently doesn't exist) reporting to Stearns.

 

[shields]

Mauricio ranked ahead of PCA. What a joke? He can't hit breaking ball.

 

[Doctor Worm]

Mauricio ranked ahead of PCA. What a joke? He can't hit breaking ball.

Back in 2021 when PCA was traded, that wasn't a joke at all. Mauricio was a Top 100 prospect who has underperformed relative to expectations. PCA was an injury risk who has overpeformed beyond anyone's imaginings. Including those of the Cubs I might add. Remember, PCA was not the guy they wanted. They settled for him when the Mets refused to give up Matt Allan.

 

[shields]

He still can't play.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Why does that have to be said? I'll explain why I think it doesn't.

1. Nimmo has a 1.8 WAR. Whose spot in the lineup would he be taking? Benge? 2.8 WAR. Ewing? 2.4. So no, Nimmo would not have made a huge difference this season. BTW, the Rangers assumed 5 years of Nimmo's contract totaling about $97M. Mets are paying $5M of that. Big deal.
2. McNeil has a WAR of 0.7, Semien 0.4. Neither is good. Swapping out one for the other would not move the needle.
3. Yes, Alonso is having an Alonso year with a 3.8 WAR. His primary replacement, Jared Young, is at 1.4. A difference of 2.4 wins. I know you are skeptical of WAR, so let's stretch it and say that Alonso's absence has cost the Mets four wins. In a lot of years, that's a big deal. This year, it is not.

1- Whos spot would Nimmo take? Nimmo/Soto split LF/DH, Ewing CF, Benge RF - that would be pretty damn awesome. And sure, we only paid $5 mil to get rid of him but over the 3 years of Semien's contract- we are paying out +22mil in salary if you include the $5mil. We most likely do take a hit in those final 2 years of Nimmo's contract but the swing of money really isn't that big. A total of just over $20 mil difference.

2- So, you are saying McNeil's war is twice as good as Semien? And McNeil can play 1B, 2B, OF and never looks lazy

3- Alonso- if you are saying it is a difference of 4 wins- you really should not be allowed to talk baseball. I know that may be a harsh statement as you are a great fan and I do know that you know baseball- but that may be the dumbest statement I have seen all year. A dude that may lead his league in RBI and a top 5 MVP candidate vs whatever the Met's have put at 1B...Just taking Vientos off of 1B saves us 2-3 loses just on defense alone.

So sure- old news. But a team of C- Alvarez, 1B - Alonso, 2B - McNeil, 3B - Bichette, SS - Lindor, LF- Soto/Nimmo, CF - Ewing, RF - Benge, DH - Soto/Nimmo

Would be well work a few dollars and would be a lot of fun to watch and would be so much better.

 

[Knight Shift]

I will say Semien has not been the worst defensive 2B. He hasn't been GG quality but he's been plenty fine. I didn't think he'd hit but I didn't think we were going to need him too if everyone else in the lineup performed as expected.

Benge is already better than Nimmo and we saved money and years in the long run.

Having Alonso instead of Polanco doesn't do anything but move the needle by a few wins. We weren't making the playoffs the way everyone under performed to begin the year and was hurt.

The biggest mistake Stearns made was not firing Mendy in the off-season or right during or after the long losing streak. Green has way less talent after the selloff and basically the team is performing better.

Can someone advise who GG is? Have racked my brains, searched using AI tools, and there has not been a Mets second baseman with initials GG. AI comes up with: Gordon Gekko. Some of you guys are real baseball savants, but please help out the less savvy.

 

[RUnotentertained]

Can someone advise who GG is? Have racked my brains, searched using AI tools, and there has not been a Mets second baseman with initials GG. AI comes up with: Gordon Gekko. Some of you guys are real baseball savants, but please help out the less savvy.

Greg Gutfeld
Glen Gary Glenn Ross
Greg Gumbel
Gilbert Gotfried

 

[RUnotentertained]

 

[RUnotentertained]

 

[Zak57]

Can someone advise who GG is? Have racked my brains, searched using AI tools, and there has not been a Mets second baseman with initials GG. AI comes up with: Gordon Gekko. Some of you guys are real baseball savants, but please help out the less savvy.

I love ya Knight but please tell me you're kidding on this one. Gold glove.

 

[Doctor Worm]

1- Whos spot would Nimmo take? Nimmo/Soto split LF/DH, Ewing CF, Benge RF - that would be pretty damn awesome. And sure, we only paid $5 mil to get rid of him but over the 3 years of Semien's contract- we are paying out +22mil in salary if you include the $5mil. We most likely do take a hit in those final 2 years of Nimmo's contract but the swing of money really isn't that big. A total of just over $20 mil difference.

2- So, you are saying McNeil's war is twice as good as Semien? And McNeil can play 1B, 2B, OF and never looks lazy

3- Alonso- if you are saying it is a difference of 4 wins- you really should not be allowed to talk baseball. I know that may be a harsh statement as you are a great fan and I do know that you know baseball- but that may be the dumbest statement I have seen all year. A dude that may lead his league in RBI and a top 5 MVP candidate vs whatever the Met's have put at 1B...Just taking Vientos off of 1B saves us 2-3 loses just on defense alone.

So sure- old news. But a team of C- Alvarez, 1B - Alonso, 2B - McNeil, 3B - Bichette, SS - Lindor, LF- Soto/Nimmo, CF - Ewing, RF - Benge, DH - Soto/Nimmo

Would be well work a few dollars and would be a lot of fun to watch and would be so much better.

I will try again. Pete Alonso has a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 3.9. In other words, Pete Alonso's overall performance so far this year is worth 3.9 extra wins, as compared to a generic replacement.

This places him 47th among all players. If you eliminate pitchers, and focus just on Offensive WAR, he is 18th. His overall ranking is pulled down somewhat by his Defensive WAR of -0.8. His glove cost the Orioles about one win.

Overall, this is pretty damn good. Not surprising, as Alonso is a pretty damn good player. No one disputes that.

WAR is not the be-all and end-all metric of a player's value. But IMHO, it is the best we've got. When I said Alonso was worth about four wins, I did not pull that number out of my butt.

If you think anyone who puts any credence in WAR should be disqualified from talking baseball, then you will be pretty lonely out there.

 

[Knight Shift]

I love ya Knight but please tell me you're kidding on this one. Gold glove.

Nope, not kidding at all. Call it a mind block, I was thinking a person, not an award, particularly when we are talking about Mets, and correct me if I am wrong, the last Mets infielder to win the award was David Wright in 2008. So, no kidding aside, that's a stretch to even consider for a Mets infielder, isn't it?

My first guess was Gio Gonzalez won a gold glove and could play second base?

Last Met 2B to win the gold glove was Doug Flynn in 1980!