The 2026 World Series matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays comes with a pretty sharp twist: both clubs are sitting at the center of a bigger league conversation about a possible salary cap and/or floor, and neither side is exactly flexing financial muscle. These are bottom-half payroll teams that didn’t go shopping for a title the way the New York Mets have been trying to do.
That kind of setup usually means movement. With contracts to sort through and payroll pressure in the background, both clubs may end up choosing who to keep, who to move, and who can be flipped before things get tighter.
The Rays, especially, have team options to evaluate and some pieces that could become available. And for the Mets, there are a few players in this World Series worth monitoring.
Yandy Diaz is the most obvious name, even if he’s not the cleanest fit. He’s a quality bat, but he looks more like a designated hitter than a true first baseman, which makes the roster fit tricky for a Mets club that may already be counting on the best from Jorge Polanco.
Still, Diaz has been a highly productive hitter for years, carrying a lifetime .291/.370/.442 line and averaging 22.9 home runs and 86 RBI per 162 games over the last four seasons. He won a batting title in 2023 and led the league with 180 hits this past year.
The problem is the money and the age: he’s got a $12 million team option for 2027, and at 35, he may be the kind of player the Rays look to move before decline starts creeping in.
Verdict: Too complicated to make it work without eating a lot of money.
Drew Rasmussen is a different kind of case. Tampa Bay holds an $8 million option for 2027, and that number almost certainly makes him a candidate to stay put for the Rays - or to get dealt while his value is at its peak.
He’s coming off his best major league season and his second straight All-Star nod, and the Rays have a history of moving pitchers a year early instead of a year late. That kind of team control on a pitcher this effective doesn’t come cheap.
If the Mets wanted him, the asking price could land in serious territory, with Jefferson Rojas and Jonah Tong mentioned as the minimum they’d likely have to part with.
Verdict: Too expensive for what the Rays should demand.
Nick Martinez sits in a slightly different lane. Tampa Bay gave him a real shot to hold down a starting role, and he rewarded them with a season built on limiting free passes and soft contact.
His 1.3 BB/9 was the best in baseball, and while his 5.5 K/9 is low, the formula works because he keeps hitters from doing damage. The wrinkle is the mutual option: $20 million.
That figure feels steep for the Rays, and it may also limit the market if they try to move him. At 36, he’s the sort of arm teams could view as due for regression.
If he reaches free agency, though, the Mets should be in the mix.
Verdict: He’s probably a Plan-C as a free agent.
Trevor Megill is another pitcher the Mets have already had some level of interest in. He’s been successful closing games, and with his arbitration salary set to rise, this could be the right time to pounce before he gets to the open market.
The question is role. If the Mets were to pay up, would they be comfortable bringing in a proven closer only to use him as a setup man in front of Devin Williams?
JoJo Romero may be the cleanest fit of the bunch. He’s a free agent, and the Mets need another left-handed reliever.
Romero has built his game around getting ground balls, with a career average of more than 50% worm burners, and that profile lines up with the kind of bullpen addition New York should be able to make without breaking the bank. The Mets also have Nate Lavender developing as a young southpaw, so Romero wouldn’t be asked to carry the load alone.
On a short-term deal, he makes sense as long as the club isn’t trying to go too cheap.
In Other News...
Mets Suddenly Have A Real Ron Darling Question
Ron Darling has given the Mets a broadcasting storyline to watch heading into the offseason, even if it has nothing to do with the roster or the dugout. Darling said he is still undecided about returning to the booth next season, despite having two more years left on his deals with both TBS and SNY, and he described his approach as a year-to-year evaluation of his options.
For Mets fans who have come to expect Darling as part of the familiar broadcast rhythm, the uncertainty matters because it touches a voice that has long been part of the team's daily presence. Darling also weighed in on former Met Freddy Peralta's success with the Tampa Bay Rays, saying the organization helped restore Peralta to the form he already had rather than fundamentally changing him, a reminder of how closely he still follows the broader baseball landscape even as he weighs his own future. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Fans May Not Like David Stearns' First Base Plan
First base became an issue for the Mets in 2026 after Pete Alonso departed, and the position never quite settled down the way the club would have hoped. Jared Young surfaced as one of the more notable internal answers, even if his overall impact was limited, and that has only sharpened the question of how aggressively New York will try to fix the spot heading into 2027.
Chelsea Jane of SNY suggested the Mets may not make a major splash there, instead leaning on Young, Jorge Polanco and other in-house options. That would fit the way David Stearns has tended to operate, with a preference for shorter commitments and cost-conscious moves, but it is not the kind of approach that will thrill a fan base still looking for a more certain solution at first. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Prospects Are Emerging For Real Roles In Queens Soon
The Mets next wave of prospects is starting to look less like a distant idea and more like a real part of the conversation in Queens. A handful of names in the system have put themselves in position to matter at the big league level, with the organization weighing not just talent but fit, versatility and where the roster may need help down the road. Players like Rojas, Morabito, Santucci, Pitre and Wenninger have all drawn attention for different reasons, and the front office has plenty to sort through as it maps out the next few seasons.
What makes this group interesting is that it is not built around one obvious path or one clean position battle. Some of these players bring defensive flexibility, others have impressed with their recent work in the minors, and all of them seem to be pushing toward a window where opportunities could open in a more meaningful way. The Mets do not need every prospect to arrive at once, but if even a few of these names keep moving in the right direction, 2027 could arrive with a very different feel in the organization. [Read more 🡒]