Last winter gave the Mets a blueprint, and it starts with Jeff McNeil.
The club moved on from a player coming off back-to-back underwhelming seasons and still found a way to clear payroll, sending McNeil to the Athletics in a deal that saved New York $10 million. The Mets remained on the hook for $5.75 million, while Oakland absorbed the rest. That trade is the kind of move that now hangs over Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga as the Mets look at their 2027 roster.
McNeil wasn’t useless after the swap. The Athletics leaned on him mostly at second base, with more first base work than many probably expected, and he logged 43 games there.
For those keeping score, he was worth 2 OAA. But the overall season never really took off.
He finished with a .681 OPS, even with half his games played in Sacramento, where the power environment should have helped. His batting average climbed to .264, but the pop never showed up and his on-base production dropped with the rest of his offense.
Oakland has already passed on his 2027 option, which sends him back into free agency. That leaves the obvious question: what exactly was the point of the deal for the Athletics?
That’s where the Mets’ current pitching puzzle comes in. Manaea and Senga are different pitchers, but the logic is similar enough.
Both are coming off down years. Both still carry enough name value that another team could talk itself into a role change and a fresh start.
Manaea, in particular, could fit the same kind of flexible bucket McNeil did - useful in multiple ways, maybe even as a shorter reliever. Senga also showed some promise in relief.
The issue is whether either should be starting for the Mets again.
The answer, from this angle, is no. If the Mets want the best possible roster, they need to decide whether Manaea is the swingman they keep around or the arm they move, and whether Senga is worth betting on as a reliever or worth shipping out instead. Either way, the goal is the same: get the salary off the books and bring back a prospect, even if it’s just a random one.
The money matters here, too. The Mets aren’t going to get away with paying only about a third of the salary, but if Steve Cohen covers half or more, the market opens up.
Manaea, as a free agent, would probably land around $10 million. Senga’s $15 million salary for 2027 isn’t outlandish either, and he may actually be easier to move because he showed enough in a closer’s role to make teams look twice.
There’s also a roster consequence that can’t be ignored. Keeping both Manaea and Senga on the 2027 roster blocks the Mets from upgrading those spots in a real way. It leaves them short either two bullpen jobs or one starter and one reliever, depending on how the pieces are arranged.
Pitching always costs, but it’s still a premium spot. If the Mets are willing to discount the price, last winter suggests there should be a team out there ready to take the gamble.
In Other News...
Mets Got An Early Look At What Nick Morabito Might Become
Nick Morabitos rise through the Mets system finally reached the majors in 2026, giving the club an early glimpse of the kind of player it drafted back in 2022. In 19 games across two stints, he didnt do much with the bat, but the bigger picture was always about the traits that carried him through the minors: speed, defense and the ability to give a roster some range in the outfield.
For a team that can always use versatility at the back end of the roster, Morabitos profile still points to a possible future as a fourth outfielder and late-game pinch runner. His limited big league sample offered only a small taste, but it also reinforced why the Mets kept him on the radar for so long, and why his next step will be about turning those tools into something more consistent at the highest level. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Bullpen Plans Suddenly Center On A Risk Fans Know Too Well
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But the bigger issue is less about Morejon himself than about the price tag attached to relievers in general. The Mets have lived through the downside of making a major commitment to the bullpen, and the front office has to decide whether it wants to chase another high-end arm or take a different route this winter. For a team that knows how quickly relief pitching can become a costly gamble, that choice looms over everything. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Face A Bullpen Trust Question With 2027 Decisions Looming
The Mets are already getting a clearer picture of how their bullpen depth might look beyond this season, and the early read is not perfectly tidy. Justin Hagenman, Tobias Myers and Devin Williams each come with a different kind of uncertainty, which is exactly the sort of thing front offices have to sort through when they start thinking about 2027 instead of just the next series.
Hagenmans limited work has come with a decent ERA, but the expected numbers underneath it raise some concerns. Myers looks a little more encouraging by those same predictive measures, though he still sits in that awkward roster gray area, while Williams appears to have been hit by some bad luck and could be in line for better results. None of it is a decision yet, but it gives the Mets a useful early framework for how much trust they can place in each arm when the longer-term planning starts to matter. [Read more 🡒]