The Arizona Fall League is barely underway, and two New York Mets prospects brought in through separate trades have opened with quiet bats.
Cole Mathis and Bruin Agbayani are both playing for the Surprise Saguaros, and neither has found much rhythm through their first 24 at-bats. Mathis is 1 for 11, while Agbayani is 1 for 13, leaving the pair a combined 2 for 24 as the fall season gets rolling.
Mathis, acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the David Peterson swap, has at least shown some patience at the plate. He has drawn four walks and struck out three times.
That discipline stands out because his regular season was interrupted by a wrist injury, and he appeared in only 13 games with the Mets. Counting his time in the Cubs’ minor league system, he logged 52 total games this year and hit .238/.370/.487 overall, with most of the damage coming in A-Ball with Chicago.
Agbayani, who came from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for A.J. Minter, has had a rougher start.
He has one walk and six strikeouts in his first 13 at-bats. He played just 13 total games across both organizations and has only 18 professional games since being drafted by the Twins in 2025, so the sample size is still tiny.
At this point, evaluation is mostly about his prospect standing and the belief scouts have in his tools.
Another Mets prospect, Boston Baro, has also been slow out of the gate. He is 1 for 8 and remains unranked for now. Like Mathis and Agbayani, he missed significant time and is using the AFL to get extra reps.
On the mound, Irving Cota has been the most notable Mets arm so far. He leads the roster with 4.2 innings pitched and has given up two runs on one hit, a solid early showing in fall ball.
That’s the nature of the Arizona Fall League: it mixes players who are close to the majors with others who are still years away. The gap between Agbayani and someone like Ryan Lambert makes that clear.
For some players, the league is about getting long-delayed innings or at-bats back on the books. For others, a strong performance can be a real boost, while a rough one can hint that more development is needed.
For now, Mathis and Agbayani are right in line with what a small sample can produce. One hot week can change everything, and one cold stretch can do the same. Nick Morabito hit .362 in the 2025 AFL, a good example of how much a fall league line can help shape the conversation, even if the offensive game still has work to do.
In Other News...
Edwin Diaz Is Making The Mets Regret This Decision
Edwin Diaz has already started to make the Mets think twice about how they handled his departure. After a rough regular season with the Dodgers, the right-hander found his form again once he returned from the injured list in September, and by the time the postseason arrived he looked much more like the pitcher New York remembers than the one who struggled early on in Los Angeles.
The timing only sharpens the sting for the Mets, who moved on and turned to Devin Williams instead. Diazs strong finish in the NLDS against Atlanta only adds to the sense that he was settling in when it mattered most, and it leaves New York with an uncomfortable reminder of what it gave up. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Should Think Twice Before Copying The Braves On Young Extensions
Around baseball, early extensions for promising young players have become almost routine, especially for teams that want to buy cost certainty before a prospects price rises. The Braves have been the poster team for that approach, moving quickly on players like Ronald Acua Jr., Ozzie Albies, Spencer Strider and Austin Riley, and turning those deals into a central part of their roster-building identity. It is easy to see why clubs covet the model: if the player develops, the team controls a core piece at a manageable rate for years.
For the Mets, though, the lesson is not to treat that blueprint as automatic. The club has its own young talent to think about in Carson Benge, Nolan McLean and A.J. Ewing, but extensions handed out this early can carry real downside when health or performance changes the trajectory of a career. Atlantas experience shows the rewards are obvious when the gamble works, yet the risk can linger long after the agreement is signed, which is why New York has reason to be cautious before rushing to copy a division rivals playbook. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Face A Tough Zac Thornton Decision As 2027 Plans Take Shape
As the Mets look ahead to the 2027 season, the front office is weighing every avenue to upgrade a roster that could still use more impact, and the trade market remains part of that conversation. One name that naturally comes up is Zac Thornton, the left-hander who turned in a strong rookie season and quickly made himself a potential asset if New York decides to chase help elsewhere.
The catch is that Thorntons value is tied to how much the organization believes in his long-term profile, not just what he already showed. The Mets have been clear about wanting to keep a deep stock of starting pitching in the system and on the roster, a philosophy that complicates any discussion about moving a young arm with upside, especially when the club is trying to balance present flexibility against future stability. [Read more 🡒]