The Mets have a young core worth keeping intact, but Carson Benge stands above the rest. After a rookie season that already ranks among the best in franchise history, he looks like the player around whom the next version of this team should be shaped.
That’s the big decision waiting for David Stearns as the 2027 offseason approaches. The Mets have plenty to sort through, but the clearest long-term move is to build with Benge at the center of it all. The argument is simple: if the Mets believe in him, they should act before his price climbs.
There’s a blueprint for that kind of move, and it comes from a division rival. The Atlanta Braves have made a habit of locking up young talent early, including Ronald Acuna Jr, who signed an 8-year, $100 million deal in 2019, and Ozzie Albies, who agreed to a 7-year, $35 million deal that same year. The gamble comes with obvious risk, especially after just one season, but baseball has a long history of rewarding teams that trust their young players before the market catches up.
Benge gave the Mets plenty to like in his first season, even if it didn’t all come easy. He fought through early adversity in the majors and pushed past a rough slump, the kind of stretch that can tell you a lot about a player’s makeup. If he keeps trending the way the Mets hope, his value is only going to rise from here, particularly once arbitration enters the picture.
That’s why the question for the Mets is so clean. Is Benge someone worth believing in, and would an extension now save the team money later?
The on-field fit matters too, because the Mets still have a specific need that Benge helps address: stolen bases. He and A.J.
Ewing have already given the club real speed, but the team still finished 23rd in the league in steals in 2026 with 83. Benge and Ewing combined for more than half of them, which tells you both how much they matter and how much work still remains.
Help could come from inside the organization. Jefferson Rojas, the Mets’ top prospect, would bring speed along with other useful traits, and his 21 stolen bases would have ranked third on the big-league club in 2026, just one behind Benge.
Nick Morabito is another possibility. His bat still needs refinement, but his 42 stolen bases at Triple-A hint at a different kind of weapon, and he could eventually give the Mets another outfield option in left field while allowing Juan Soto to DH.
Taken together, the outfield already looks set, and Benge is a huge reason why. He’s been Stearns’ most significant addition so far, and there’s a strong case that he could turn out to be the most enduring one as well.
The Mets have seen this movie before. Back in 2004, David Wright debuted for a team that wasn’t very good, and the organization eventually chose to build around its young stars. That approach helped fuel one of the best seasons in Mets history in 2006.
That’s the lesson here. Good teams prioritize their young stars, and right now Carson Benge is the one the Mets should be building around.
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Jefferson Rojas Is Giving The Mets A Real Opening Day Dilemma
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The real question for the Mets is not whether Rojas has improved his stock, but where he would fit if they decide to protect him and bring him onto the 40-man roster. Third base is part of that conversation, though his path there depends in part on what other players do with their contract decisions. For a team that is always balancing present needs against future control, Rojas has created the sort of Opening Day dilemma that tends to linger right up until the last minute. [Read more 🡒]