The Mets have enough moving parts this winter that a solid 2026 season won’t guarantee anyone a steady role in 2027. That’s the reality for a few players who helped themselves last year, only to find that the front office could still shuffle them into smaller jobs if the roster gets upgraded.
Zac Thornton is the clearest example. He was one of the season’s nicer surprises, even jumping Jonah Tong for at least a stretch despite not flashing much red on his Baseball Savant page.
Thornton earned outs by getting hitters to chase and by staying away from free passes. The results were good enough to matter: a 3.42 ERA over 15 starts is more than most rookies can reasonably be asked to deliver.
Even so, the underlying numbers leave room for doubt, and the Mets have a whole winter to look for better options. That could push Thornton down to sixth starter territory and send him to Triple-A to open the year.
If that happens, he’d still be the kind of arm who can get the call quickly if injuries hit.
Jared Young also did plenty to make himself useful in Queens. He hit .266/.330/.429 with 9 home runs and helped stabilize first base, which had been in danger of becoming the literal worst spot in MLB.
His glove held up, too. But his hold on the job may depend on what kind of partner the Mets bring in.
Young could wind up as the strong side of a platoon if the club adds a right-handed bat. If the Mets land someone like Teruaki Sato or Ty France, Young’s role shrinks.
Paul Goldschmidt, meanwhile, would fit best and likely wouldn’t take much playing time away from Young against right-handed pitching. Even after a good year, Young still has work to do if he wants to keep first base to himself.
Dedniel Nunez finished with the kind of late-season line that makes you pay attention. After returning from injury, he posted a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings, didn’t walk a batter and struck out 20.
That was a strong way to close the year after a shaky start to his IL return. Still, bullpen construction can be unforgiving, and Nunez’s minor league option could make him vulnerable if the Mets need to juggle the roster.
Nate Lavender is in a similar spot, though as a lefty he may have a better chance of benefiting from the situation. Even so, Nunez shouldn’t be stuck in the minors for long, especially if the Mets manage any demotion carefully so they can preserve his final minor league option for 2028.
In Other News...
Mets Linked To Catcher Swap That Puts Francisco Alvarez In Focus
The catcher market has a way of turning speculative fast, and Shea Langeliers is the latest name to surface in a conversation that naturally pulls Francisco Alvarez into the spotlight. The Athletics have not locked Langeliers up to an extension yet, and if that situation drifts without a deal before the 2028 season, the possibility of a trade could start to feel more real. For the Mets, that kind of opening invites a familiar question: whether they would consider reshaping the position by dealing from a young catcher of their own.
Alvarez remains the more obvious long-term piece for New York because of his offensive upside and his contract status, which is why any swap involving him would have to be weighed carefully. Langeliers brings his own appeal, especially with the bat, and the comparison between the two makes for an intriguing fit-versus-ceiling debate. For now, it is only a proposal, but it is the sort of idea that keeps the Mets catching picture in focus and leaves plenty of room for the front office to decide how aggressive it wants to be. [Read more 🡒]
Mets May Have A Better First Base Fit Than The Name Fans Knew
Jake Bauers is off the board after signing a four-year deal with the Red Sox, and that takes one familiar first-base name out of the Mets mix as they continue to sift through possible answers at the position. For a club still looking for a cleaner fit, the search now shifts toward a different kind of target, one whose profile may line up better with what New York needs.
Andrew Vaughn has emerged as a more intriguing possibility for the Mets, especially because his offensive profile and ability to handle left-handed pitching could make him a useful complement to Jared Young. With Vaughn now in Milwaukee, the trade market may offer a better path than the free-agent route, and the Mets could find that the more interesting first-base solution is not the one fans first expected. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Offseason Plan Is Starting To Look Very Different Than Expected
The GM Meetings came and went without a splashy Mets move, but the quieter message may have been just as important. Rather than treating a right-handed bat as the central offseason need, the club appears more intent on adding multiple starting pitchers, a shift that says plenty about how it views the roster after an offense that was slowed by injuries and underperformance last season.
There is still work to do on the position-player side, with first base and possibly the fourth outfielder spot still on the radar. Even so, the Mets seem more comfortable leaning on internal answers at second base and catcher, while banking on a healthier lineup to look more like the version that improved in September. [Read more 🡒]