The Mets used their 120th overall pick on Texas A&M left-hander Shane Sdao, a senior arm whose path to this point has been anything but straightforward.
Sdao spent his first two seasons at Texas A&M as a high-volume reliever before being lined up for a move into the rotation in 2025. That plan got wiped out when he missed the entire year following Tommy John surgery, and he ended up going undrafted even though Baseball America had viewed him as a possible mid-round name. He returned to the mound in 2026 and worked mostly as a starter, finishing 4-4 with a 7.03 ERA, 783 strikeouts, and 21 walks across 71.2 innings.
There’s real arm talent here. Sdao can reach the upper 90s, and he does it with above average extension.
He also brings three breaking ball offerings, with the best of the group being an east-west slider that fits the Mets’ preference for horizontal breaking ball profiles. Beyond that, he has shown a curveball, cutter, and changeup, though the changeup is clearly the least developed pitch.
Even with his age - he’s closer to 23 than 22 - there’s still some projection left because of his lean frame and the fact that he’s only recently come back from injury. Baseball America had him 91st on its top-500.
Taking a senior sign this early, even one of the stronger ones on the board, points to a clear strategy: the Mets may be trying to preserve money for other selections. That could mean Carson Wiggins is closer to slot than expected, or that Aiden Robbins needs even more overslot money, which would not help the already mediocre evaluation of those two picks.
Another possibility is that the Mets want to keep more cash available to spread around later in the draft. The rest of the board will tell the story on Day 2.
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Juan Sotos All-Star Week Decision Says Plenty About The Mets
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The decision also says something about where Soto and the Mets are right now. He has already taken part in the Derby twice, so there is no mystery about the stage or the spotlight, but this time the priority is rest over spectacle. And while Sotos plans for All-Star Week are now clear, the Mets also made a quieter roster move by outrighting Matt Seelinger to Triple-A Syracuse, keeping him in the organization after his MLB debut. [Read more 🡒]