As the Mets head into the offseason, the front office’s biggest problem is impossible to miss: the rotation still runs the show. New York made some notable organizational moves this week, keeping Andy Green as full-time manager and bringing Derek Falvey into the front office, but those changes don’t erase the roster holes that still define the club.
The bullpen, at least, looks far less daunting than it did earlier in the year. Strong second-half work from Dedniel Nunez, Kodai Senga, and Daniel Duarte has given David Stearns more to work with, and Devin Williams is already set to handle the closer role next season. Nate Lavender and Reed Garrett also look like part of the mix, giving the Mets enough pieces to build something workable.
There’s still room for another veteran setup man, and a left-hander would help, but the Mets are not staring at a bullpen that has to be rebuilt from scratch. Even the relievers they moved on from took steps back with their new teams, which only makes Stearns’ decision to sell high look better in hindsight.
Third base is more complicated, and it all depends on the Bo Bichette opt-out decision. If Bichette stays in New York for another season, that problem mostly disappears. He would hold down the spot and buy more development time for some of the organization’s top prospects.
If Bichette walks, though, third base suddenly becomes a real issue. The internal options are Brett Baty, who has been inconsistent for years, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos. With the free-agent market thin at the position, the Mets could be forced into the trade market if they can’t keep Bichette.
The offense also needs another bat in the middle of the order, and the designated hitter spot is the obvious place to find it. In theory, the Mets could spread the job around between Jorge Polanco, Juan Soto, Bichette, and Francisco Alvarez to keep everyone fresh, but this team isn’t deep enough to treat that as a luxury.
Polanco may wind up as the primary DH in the final year of his contract, but his Achilles injury makes that a tough spot to bank on. The Mets need more certainty there, and they need a hitter who can bring real force to the lineup.
First base is part of that same mess. Fan frustration over Pete Alonso’s departure has only grown because Stearns’ replacement plan missed badly. The idea of sliding Polanco to first and pairing him with Vientos and Baty as a broad replacement for Alonso didn’t hold up, and it went about as poorly as expected.
Jared Young has shown some promise this season, but the ceiling would still be limited if the Mets simply platoon him and Polanco at first next year. That setup could work only if the team lands a true slugger at DH, and even then first base still looks like the more pressing spot. Ryan Clifford’s drop at AAA Syracuse this year only adds to that concern.
But everything still circles back to the rotation. Stearns has tried to patch it together piece by piece, and the results have been uneven.
The Mets do have some big-league starters available, but the only true quality arms they can confidently pencil into the rotation are Nolan McLean and Christian Scott. Sean Manaea, Jonah Tong, and Zac Thornton are better suited to compete for the final spot.
The cleanest path would be to go after Tarik Skubal and then add another veteran for the middle of the rotation. That would give Scott a higher-end No. 4 role and leave the team with more protection if injuries hit. Relying on a handful of mid-tier one-year deals, or hoping a cluster of young pitchers all click at once, carries too much risk for a Mets team that needs a safer winter.
In Other News...
Several Familiar Mets Could Be Pushed Out After Another Costly Letdown
The Mets came out of 2026 in a familiar and frustrating place, having finished worse than they did a year earlier despite another round of major spending. That kind of letdown usually triggers a hard look at the roster, and this one is no different, with the front office facing pressure to sort through a group of veterans and younger pieces who did not exactly lock down their places for 2027.
Marcus Semien is among the names being talked about as a possible exit, while Ronny Mauricio and others also sit in a gray area because of performance questions, contract details and roster crunches. Some players have opt-outs or are heading toward arbitration, which only adds more uncertainty to what this group looks like next season, and the Mets may have to make some uncomfortable decisions before the winter is over. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Just Got A Brutal New Measure Of How Bad 2026 Became
By the time the 2026 season ended, the Mets had spent months living through the kind of year that drains a ballpark as much as it drains a clubhouse. A 74-87 finish and a 36-45 record at home told the story on the field, where injuries to key players and a wave of midseason trades left the roster in constant flux and the home product stuck near the bottom of the league.
The latest reminder of how far things slid came in the attendance figures. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Mets averaged 33,901 fans per game, a 14.8% drop from the previous season, and fell from fifth to 12th in MLB attendance rankings. Only opening day produced a sellout, a sharp sign of how quickly a disappointing season can echo beyond the standings and into the seats. [Read more 🡒]
Ronny Mauricio Just Forced A Mets Decision They Cant Delay
Ronny Mauricios latest burst of power gave the Mets something they have not had much of from him this year, and it came at a time when every impression matters. He launched two home runs in a late 2026 game, a reminder of why the organization has long viewed his upside so highly even as his season has been interrupted by a limited role. In 19 games, Mauricio has flashed enough to keep the conversation alive, but not enough to make the decision simple.
The complication for New York is the roster math and the calendar. Mauricio has already used all of his minor league options, he will be arbitration eligible next year, and the team has to decide whether to tender him a contract before the upcoming lockout or consider other paths, including trade talks. Andy Green has praised Mauricios potential while also pointing to the areas he still needs to sharpen, which leaves the Mets weighing present production against long-term control at exactly the wrong time to stall. [Read more 🡒]