Carson Benge’s breakout season got the recognition it earned Monday, with the Mets prospect named a finalist for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
That headline sits at the center of a busy Mets morning that also brought a few roster moves, a notable contract for a young infielder, and another reminder that this offseason is already moving fast. New York claimed Jack Anderson and Pierson Ohl from the Twins and Rockies, respectively, and also signed Christian Cairo to a one-year, major league contract.
There’s more on the way for the organization, too. Joe DeMayo released his list of the club’s Top 30 prospects, while Nolan McLean is now up for a Platinum Glove vote. Sandy Alderson, meanwhile, has landed on the Hall of Fame ballot for the Contemporary Baseball Era.
The Mets also made one scheduling tweak that stands out: single-game tickets, which usually go on sale in December or January, will go on sale November 12 instead.
Elsewhere in the division, the awards season picture is coming into focus. Cristopher Sánchez and Chris Sale were named finalists for the NL Cy Young Award, Don Mattingly and Walt Weiss are up for NL Manager of the Year, and Jhoan Duran is a finalist for NL Reliever of the Year.
The Braves, as usual, have their own offseason decisions to sort through, and Mark Bowman asked fans to weigh in on the club’s needs. The Marlins claimed Cameron Weston off waivers from the Mets, and they also signed Robinson Cano Jr. to a $1 million deal.
Across baseball, the league announced finalists for the major awards, including the Most Valuable Player Awards, the Cy Young Awards, the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Awards, the Manager of the Year Awards, and the Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards. The ESPN staff also took a swing at the early free-agent buzz.
That buzz already has Tarik Skubal at the center of the conversation. Jeff Passan reported that the Cubs badly want him and could be the Dodgers’ toughest competition in the chase. CBS Sports weighed in on where Skubal might land, with one of its three writers picking the Mets.
Keith Law called this the weakest free-agent class in recent memory, and 21 more players entered free agency. Eight players received qualifying offers, including a couple who could be targets for the Mets, while Jazz Chisholm Jr. did not receive a qualifying offer from the Yankees.
There’s also a tight calendar looming for Japanese players who are being posted ahead of the MLB lockout, according to Ken Rosenthal. The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee revealed its Cooperstown candidates, and in Brooklyn, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were in Federal Courthouse yesterday as their trial began on four criminal counts related to pitch rigging. Sam Blum put together a guide to the trial.
Around the rest of the league, the Diamondbacks still have major offseason questions, with Ketel Marte at the center of them. The Rangers claimed José Buttó off waivers from the Giants, the Cubs signed Jacob Webb to a one-year deal with a team option for 2028, and the Orioles declined Ryan Mountcastle’s option while Heston Kjerstad cleared waivers and was outrighted.
And if you’re looking for one more opinion in the Skubal debate, Lukas Vlahos made the case that the Mets should not sign him.
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ESPN analyst Kiley McDaniel now projects Peralta for a four-year, $96 million deal in free agency, a far cry from the one-year prove-it path many expected when he was struggling in New York. For the Mets, it is the kind of rotation what-if that lingers, because a pitcher who looked like a short-term flier has suddenly become a much more expensive version of himself. [Read more 🡒]