The Mets spent the back half of a lost season in evaluation mode, but not every chance to learn something was taken. Once the trade deadline passed and the roster got reshaped, the final two months became a kind of extended audition for players trying to show they belonged in the conversation for 2027.
Some got real looks. Others were left waiting.
That’s what makes a few of the Mets’ missed opportunities stand out. In a stretch when losses carried far less weight, the club still didn’t push certain experiments far enough - or at all.
Brett Baty is the clearest example. The Mets didn’t start him at shortstop until the penultimate game of the season, and the idea behind it was easy to understand.
They want roster flexibility next year, ideally without needing another backup shortstop. But one game hardly tells you anything.
Baty made an error in that lone start at the position, and that hardly feels like enough to shut the door on the idea. If shortstop was on the table at all, he should have gotten a longer runway much earlier.
First base was another area where the Mets could have done more. Baty got a handful of starts there, but he wasn’t the only player who should have been tested.
Because Jared Young bats left-handed, the Mets would have helped themselves by giving some right-handed options a look. Marcus Semien’s defense at second base is said to be trending down, which could have made him a candidate.
Francisco Alvarez also fits as a possibility. Juan Soto isn’t moving out of the outfield right now, though there’s a belief he’ll eventually end up as a regular first baseman before his Mets days are done.
The bigger issue is that the club’s worst first-base decisions came in the offseason, and it never did enough to search for a real solution - even for a spot as low as fifth on next year’s depth chart. The one positive spin is that they may wind up looking outside the organization.
Then there’s Ronny Mauricio, whose final weekend only raised the question of why he wasn’t around more often in September. He hit a couple of home runs and suddenly reminded everyone he was still there, but he had barely played all year and stayed in Triple-A even after the Mets had an extra roster spot.
At that point, it felt like his time with the club was already over. That would be easier to accept if the Mets had used the rest of the roster more wisely.
Christopher Morel and Cristian Pache occupied two of those spots, and while they can provide minor league depth, neither looks like an Opening Day roster contender. Mauricio, meanwhile, remains one of the more puzzling cases on the roster.
With the Mets now close to having to release him, trade him, or head into 2027 without a clear read on what he can offer, the lack of September playing time leaves the organization with more questions than answers.
In Other News...
Mets Fans Had Every Reason To Hate This Cheap Yankees Comparison
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The sting was less about the Yankees than the reminder of how quickly the Mets became an easy target when things were going wrong. Their defense did tighten up later in the season, and as the errors eased, so did the drumbeat of criticism around the club, which is part of why Heymans tweet felt so unnecessary to plenty of fans. In a season full of challenges, the Mets had already been through the hard part without needing the comparison dragged back up. [Read more 🡒]
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Cleon Jones and Wayne Garrett also played important roles in that series, but Agees bat loomed largest when the Mets needed it most. More than half a century later, the debate over a belated honor is less about rewriting history than finally putting a name on one of the franchises earliest and most important October performances. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Offensive Struggles Just Put More Of Andy Greens Staff In Focus
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What makes the move more notable is what is not changing. Andy Green is expected to keep the rest of his staff intact, including Troy Snitker, Justin Willard and Kai Correa, giving the Mets a clearer picture of who will be in place as they try to solve their offensive issues. For a team that has spent much of the season searching for answers at the plate, the composition of Greens staff is quickly becoming part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]