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In an alternate reality, the Mets would have fallen beyond hope from playoff contention before the All-Star break, prompting a pivot toward the evaluation phase of the season.
But it raises the question: What exactly would the Mets be evaluating?
The ideal scenario for team brass was always going to be the possibility that players such as Luisangel Acuña, Drew Gilbert, Jett Williams, Mike Vasil and Dom Hamel would be ready to step in this season and audition for 2025.
But a combination of injuries and underperformance has created almost a lost season for the Mets, in a sense, from a development standpoint. It could create an interesting dynamic in the offseason with the veteran players the Mets acquired last winter to bridge the gap still needed for next year.
For example, could the Mets look to retain Harrison Bader as they await further clarity on players such as Gilbert and Williams? In the rotation, could one or more from the group of expiring contracts that include Luis Severino, Jose Quintana and Sean Manaea (he has an opt-out he’s almost certain to exercise) be pursued for longer stays?
If the Mets had punted on this season, players such as Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Bader, Severino and Quintana might have been unloaded at the trade deadline.
It would have left a void, with many of the organization’s top prospects still trying to prove they can handle Triple-A, never mind the major leagues. Others are trying to get healthy, including Christian Scott, who was respectable for the Mets before a sprained ulnar collateral ligament sidelined him.
Of course, it’s possible had the Mets traded Alonso, the return might have been a hot prospect that we would now be watching at Citi Field. Or it could have been for a player or players who were still several years away.
The Mets have cover as they compete for a postseason berth. The team’s midseason surge turned fans’ attention away from the future and toward trying to gain entry into the October tournament.
So how is the next generation doing? Let’s take a look at some of most notable prospects:
Acuña: The 22-year-old infielder started the Triple-A season slowly, and following an uptick in performance, had a rough stretch in July before regaining steam recently. There is plenty to like about his speed — he has 31 stolen bases — but Acuña’s .311 on-base percentage is a concern. It’s conceivable he could be a September call-up to provide energy off the bench, but he largely overlaps with Jose Iglesias.
Brett Baty: He had his shot as the Mets’ starting third baseman to begin the season, but struggled. Mark Vientos arrived and claimed the position in a big way — a win for player development — but questions persist whether the 24-year-old Baty will become an everyday player for the Mets or if he’s a Quadruple-A talent. Baty has produced for Triple-A Syracuse, but the Mets don’t have a spot for him.
Gilbert: The vision when the Mets acquired him just over a year ago from Houston in the Justin Verlander trade was that Gilbert ideally would be ready to play for the Mets by the start of 2025. But that timeline appears dubious: Gilbert missed much of the season due to a right hamstring injury, and has struggled offensively since returning with an overall .632 OPS. It doesn’t help that he got hit in the groin area with a pitch on Wednesday.
Williams: Last season’s organizational Player of the Year underwent right wrist surgery in June that pushed his focus toward 2025. Williams, who appeared in just 11 games for Double-A Binghamton, may not have been ready to contribute at the major league level this season, regardless. But now his timeline potentially gets pushed into 2026.
Ronny Mauricio: The first significant jolt for the Mets occurred over the winter, when Mauricio tore his ACL playing in the Dominican Republic. He could have helped the Mets at third base and second base this season, but that also would have affected the opportunities for Vientos and Iglesias (and both have flourished).
Vasil: Once considered the best among the Mets’ crop of young pitchers, the right-hander has since been bypassed by Scott and Brandon Sproat, among others. It’s been rough sledding at Syracuse for Vasil, who owns a 5.31 ERA in 22 appearances with 112 hits allowed in 103 ⅓ innings pitched.
Hamel: The organization’s Pitcher of the Year in 2022 has struggled with walks this season. He’s pitched to a 6.66 ERA for Syracuse.
Awards season could be quiet
Francisco Lindor is probably the Mets’ best hope in the awards races, but he will likely need a big finish to legitimately compete for MVP. Shohei Ohtani, Ketel Marte and Bryce Harper are among the players in the hunt.
Lindor’s 5.1 WAR ranks fourth among NL position players. Ohtani (37 homers, 35 stolen bases) is the front-runner, but will voters take into account that he’s strictly a DH?
How far are the Mets removed from the Cy Young race? Consider that Sean Manaea has the highest WAR on the pitching staff at 2.1, which ranks 50th in MLB in that category. Next on the list for the Mets is José Buttó, 78th on the list with 1.7 WAR.
Carlos Mendoza still could emerge as a Manager of the Year candidate, but most of the teams in the postseason race will have a worthy possibility.
If the Brewers win the NL Central — and they are the only team in the division with a winning record — it might be hard to overlook Pat Murphy, in his first season as manager following Craig Counsell’s departure for the Cubs.
Sundays are for … Roku?
The Mets’ 12:05 p.m. start on Sunday against the Marlins will be broadcast on Roku, which this season replaced Peacock for the streaming rights to a Sunday game of the week.
For a significant number of Mets fans, that will mean listening to the radio broadcast.
It’s bad enough when fans get shut out from their local TV broadcasts during the week, but shouldn’t weekends be sacred?
Evidently not.
