The Mets’ deadline haul is already paying off in a big way, and not just because the big club has gone 8-3 since the trade deadline passed. The more encouraging sign for the organization might be what’s happening down on the farm, where several of the prospects David Stearns brought in this summer have wasted little time making noise.
That group is showing up everywhere you look. MLB.com’s latest update included nine Mets Top 30 prospects who arrived via in-season trades, a strong reflection of how the front office and scouting department targeted young talent with real upside. And at the top of that list sits Jefferson Rojas, the new No. 1 prospect in the system after coming over in the deal that sent Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to Chicago.
Rojas was the Mets’ lone Top 100 prospect in MLB.com’s update, and he has looked the part since arriving at Double-A Binghamton. In his first nine games with the Rumble Ponies, he’s hit .286 with a home run, 11 RBI, and an .811 OPS.
The idea for the Mets is pretty clear: if he keeps moving like this, he could be in position to help at third base by the end of 2027, around the time it would make sense for Bo Bichette to opt out of his contract. Rojas has already handled his age-21 season at the Double-A level, which could set him up to begin 2027 in Triple-A Syracuse.
Another newcomer making quick work of his new surroundings is Sammy Stafura, the only player the Mets received in the Luke Weaver deal. A Cortlandt Manor native who grew up rooting for the Mets, Stafura had already started to turn heads in July with Pittsburgh’s High-A affiliate, and that surge has carried right into Brooklyn.
Through eight games with the Cyclones, he’s hitting .281 with five doubles and a .752 OPS. That comes after a massive July in which he batted .358 with 14 home runs, 35 RBI, and a 1.305 OPS in 81 at-bats for Greensboro.
If this adjustment keeps rolling, he could be on the move to Binghamton soon.
The Mets also landed Aidan Smith from Tampa Bay in the Freddy Peralta deal, and he’s looked like a different hitter since joining Brooklyn. Smith, who had once been the Rays’ major return in the Randy Arozarena trade, had not fully lived up to that prospect billing before the change of scenery.
So far with High-A Brooklyn, though, he’s been locked in. In his first 34 at-bats, Smith is batting .382 with four home runs, eight RBI, and a 1.230 OPS.
Because he struggled at this same level with Tampa Bay’s affiliate in Bowling Green, the Mets will likely let him settle in on Coney Island before thinking about a jump to Binghamton next season.
Émilien Pitre, another piece of that Peralta deal, has also kept hitting. He first caught Mets fans’ attention with a strong season for Tampa Bay’s Double-A affiliate in Montgomery, where he hit .323 with a .943 OPS in 37 games after a midseason promotion from High-A.
Since arriving in Binghamton, he’s kept the bat hot: 15 hits in 36 at-bats over his first nine games, good for a .417 average and an .827 OPS. Pitre has also swiped 32 bases across both minor league levels this year, giving him a pretty clear identity as a hit-first second baseman.
If the bat stays this lively, Triple-A Syracuse could be in play before the season ends.
Then there’s Gary Gill Hill, the final piece from the Freddy Peralta deal and another local name for Mets fans to keep an eye on. A New Rochelle native who played at John F.
Kennedy Catholic in Westchester County, Gill Hill came over after going 4-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 15 Double-A starts for Tampa Bay. His first two starts for Binghamton have gone well.
He’s picked up wins in both outings, posted a 3.27 ERA, and delivered a 9:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 11 innings. At just 21 years old, he’s young for Double-A, and with the right development, he could become a depth option for the Mets as soon as next season.
Billy Amick may not show up in the Mets’ Top 30 prospects, but he’s forcing the issue with his bat. One of the two players the Mets received from Minnesota in the A.J.
Minter deal, Amick brings the kind of raw power the organization can use. Since landing in Binghamton, he has hit .304 with seven home runs and 22 RBI in just 46 at-bats.
His production all season has been eye-opening: 30 home runs and 92 RBI combined between the Mets and Twins’ Double-A affiliates, plus a 1.179 OPS entering Sunday for Binghamton. Keep this pace up, and he’ll start climbing prospect lists before long.
In Other News...
Mets Are Trying To Fix One Trade Mistake With A New Plan
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The Mets have responded by trying to rebuild that lost infield thump in a different way, adding several power-oriented infield bats through both trades and the draft. It is a clear attempt to make sure one trade does not leave a longer-term hole, even if the original deal has already become the kind of transaction teams keep circling back to when they assess how they manage their prospect capital. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Already Face A Tough Marcus Semien Decision At Second Base
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Semiens place in the picture is not as straightforward as it once seemed, which is why the Mets are weighing several different directions at once. A move to add a third baseman could ripple across the alignment and change where Bo Bichette fits, while standing pat would leave the team to sort through second base internally. For now, it is all possibility and no final answer, but the uncertainty is exactly what makes this one worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Are Giving Citi Field A Reason To Care Again
The Mets have been giving Citi Field something it has lacked too often this season: a reason to stay engaged deep into games. New York has won eight of its last 11, and the latest example was a walk-off 5-4 victory over the Nationals, one that featured Francisco Lindor coming through with the game-winning single and Sean Manaea grinding through five solid innings before the sixth got messy.
Andy Green has been pointing to the same underlying trait through the streak, even with the usual flaws that come with a team still trying to find its best version. The results have been imperfect, but the resilience has been real, and for a club that has spent much of the year fighting to give its home crowd anything to latch onto, that matters as much as the box score right now. [Read more 🡒]