The Mets are headed toward a busy deadline, and the fallout could open the door for a few young players to get real run in the majors. With two trades already done and more involving Freddy Peralta, Luke Weaver and/or Luis Robert Jr. still in play before Monday’s deadline, the organization is looking at a reshuffled big league roster and a farm system getting a fresh wave of talent.
That kind of turnover should matter for the kids. Back in 2023, the Mets’ deadline sell-off didn’t lead to much of a youth movement, and fans ended up watching stopgap veterans like Rafael Ortega and Jonathan Araúz soak up a lot of the innings and at-bats.
This time around, that’s not expected to be the script. David Stearns has made a habit of carving out opportunities for younger players since taking over before the 2024 season, and while nobody is suggesting a full Syracuse-to-Queens parade on Aug. 4, three names stand out as possible extended call-ups in the coming weeks.
The first is Drew Gilbert Morabito. The Mets already gave him a brief look earlier this season, and it did not go well: he went hitless in 11 at-bats and struck out nine times. Since then, though, he’s settled in at Triple-A Syracuse and put together a strong run, hitting .263 with 10 home runs, 38 RBI, 33 stolen bases and a .771 OPS in 335 at-bats.
If the Mets deal at least one of Robert or Tyrone Taylor, they’ll need another outfielder, and Morabito looks like a natural candidate to get that shot. He could also be useful against left-handed pitching, especially with both A.J.
Ewing and Carson Benge batting left-handed. Veteran Mike Tauchman is another possible answer if both Robert and Taylor are moved, though he’s currently on a rehab assignment after a knee injury suffered in spring training.
Still, the Mets need to find out whether Morabito can handle Taylor’s fourth-outfielder job on the inside track before Stearns has to go shopping for that role this winter.
The bullpen could use a similar internal test. A.J.
Minter is gone, and Brooks Raley is likely next, which means the Mets are staring at a clear need for left-handed relief. That puts Lavender on the radar.
He’s been impressive since returning from Tommy John surgery, and the Mets have to be encouraged by what they’ve seen since bringing him back from Tampa Bay this spring.
Lavender went 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA in 33 appearances, and the strikeout numbers jump off the page: 68 punchouts in 42 innings. Left-handers have had a rough time against him, too, hitting just .204 with 27 strikeouts in 14.2 innings. With so many bullpen spots potentially changing hands by the deadline, the Mets would be smart to find out whether Lavender can become a lefty option for the 2027 bullpen.
There’s also the rotation picture, and that may be where Tong gets the best chance to prove something. Jack Wenninger could get a look at some point, but the cleaner move for the Mets would be to give Tong an extended stretch as a starter. He’s been uneven for Syracuse, posting a 3-5 record and a 5.24 ERA in 18 starts, but he did rebound from a rough June with a string of solid outings in July.
If the Mets move on from Peralta and Clay Holmes, they’ll have at least one rotation spot to fill over the final two months. Kodai Senga turned in flashes of brilliance in a spot start for Peralta on Friday, but the club already knows what it has there after years of major league looks.
Tong, on the other hand, has only had a brief taste of the majors since debuting in September of 2025, making just three appearances in the 2026 season. The Mets have already asked him to make a few adjustments to improve against big league hitters, and the best way to find out whether those tweaks are working is to give him a real turn in the rotation.
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