As the Mets close out the 2026 schedule, the real action is in the questions still hanging over the roster. Some spots feel settled.
Others are still very much up for grabs. And for a team trying to sort out next year while the current one winds down, these last games matter because they help answer what comes next.
Kodai Senga’s move from starter to closer has been one of the biggest late-season tests. The upside was always obvious.
The concern was just as clear: whether he could stay on the mound often enough to make the role work. That delay in shifting him wasn’t random; it came after the Mets had run out of alternatives.
So far, the results have been better than the downside case, but the sample is still too small to make a final call. The best read right now is that the Mets are still gathering evidence.
Prediction-wise, the good and bad both stick around, and he still leaves the club without a clean answer for 2027. Even with offseason trade chatter, the Mets keep him around as Devin Williams insurance.
He offers some of that, but not enough to be fully trusted.
Luis Robert Jr. is another name that sits squarely in the gray area. He’s been swinging the bat well in August, and that keeps the conversation alive around his future.
His $20 million option for next year feels too steep to simply pick up, but a buyout followed by a cheaper new deal is a real possibility. The Mets also have a practical need here: A.J.
Ewing’s quiet month is a reminder that extra outfield depth matters, especially with Robert able to help in center and left if injuries hit. The question isn’t whether he fits in some sense - it’s whether he’s the right fit.
The prediction is that he keeps making a case for himself, only to be outbid in opportunity by another team that can offer more playing time. He’d be smart to turn a strong 2027 into something longer-term in the offseason.
Francisco Alvarez may be the most uncomfortable conversation of all. His catching workload has dropped, his bat is now being used more at DH, and the confidence level isn’t exactly soaring.
Another Alvarez slump is here, and the defensive questions aren’t going away either. When the Mets are already committed to Luis Torrens at more than $5.75 million over the next two seasons, that says plenty about where their investment currently sits.
And with the two offering far too similar production at the plate, the case for Alvarez keeps circling back to what he might become rather than what he is right now. The prediction: he’s the most notable player moved this offseason.
There aren’t many roster-shaking moves available to the Mets, and a club with more patience - or a more urgent catcher need - ends up giving them a big leaguer in a multi-player deal.
Second base is no cleaner. Marcus Semien looks like the likeliest Opening Day starter there, though Brett Baty could still grab the job.
Either way, confidence is hard to come by, especially with both players likely to struggle just to reach a .650 OPS. Baty’s future is still unsettled, but the Mets’ willingness to keep giving him chances, plus the minor league option still in play, gives him a path to stick.
The prediction here is a Semien-Baty setup with prospects pushing behind them. The Mets live with it for now, but once the first month of the season is over - April, hopefully - the trade chatter starts again.
Then there’s Zac Thornton, who might be the clearest answer of the bunch. Right now, he’s pitching to a 2.88 ERA after his latest outing on Tuesday, and that puts him in strong position as a fifth starter.
The Mets would have to add a much bigger arm - something like Tarik Skubal, plus another proven pitcher - to push him out. He may not miss a ton of bats, and his Baseball Savant page doesn’t light up with red, but the results are hard to argue with.
He’s getting outs and keeping runs off the board. That counts for a lot.
In Other News...
Mets Prospect Sammy Stafura Is Suddenly On A Fast Track
Sammy Stafuras path has moved quickly since the former Panas standout was taken by the Reds and cycled through multiple minor league stops, but his latest landing spot may be the one that changes the conversation around him. The 2023 graduate, who was also Gatorade New York Baseball Player of the Year, was traded to the Mets on Aug. 3 in a deal that sent reliever Luke Weaver and cash back to Cincinnati, and he is already working with High-A Brooklyn.
For the Mets, Stafura now becomes one of the more interesting names to watch in the system because of the speed with which the organization thinks he can move. Manager Eduardo Nunez expects him to climb the ladder quickly through the minors, with the possibility of an MLB debut as soon as next season if everything keeps trending in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
The Mets Trade Linked To Atlantas Most Painful World Series Loss
For a franchise that spent plenty of time chasing Atlanta in the old NL East, this is one of those back-end transactions that wound up carrying a strange little footnote in baseball history. On Aug. 28, 1991, the Mets sent reliever Alejandro Pena to the Braves for Tony Castillo and a player to be named later, a move that barely registered at the time compared with the bigger picture of the season.
Pena settled in well enough with Atlanta during the stretch run and into the postseason, helping the Braves reach the World Series before the final act turned brutal in Game 7 against Minnesota. He later returned to Atlanta and had mixed October moments after that, but the trade still sits in a memorable corner of Mets-Braves history because of how closely it connects New York to one of the most painful losses in Braves history. [Read more 🡒]
Former Mets Pitcher Protected His Team In A Frightening Hotel Incident
Kevin Lomon is best remembered in Mets circles as a former big league pitcher, but over the weekend he was in the news for something far more immediate than baseball. The current head coach at Cameron High School in Oklahoma stepped in at a hotel in Shawnee when a man pulled a knife on one of his players, turning what could have been a frightening scene into a split-second act of protection.
Lomon confronted the man, identified as Christopher Stevens, and held him down until police arrived, according to authorities. Stevens was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and public intoxication, and no players were injured, a disturbing episode that quickly shifted from a team trip to a reminder of how fast a routine stay can turn dangerous. [Read more 🡒]