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Pete Alonso sets Mets record with 253rd career homer
Pete Alonso sets Mets record with 253rd career homer

Reuters

time4 days ago

  • Sport
  • Reuters

Pete Alonso sets Mets record with 253rd career homer

August 13 - New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso broke the team's career home run record in the bottom of the third inning of Tuesday night's game against the Atlanta Braves. Alonso's two-run homer against Spencer Strider gave him 253 in his seven-season career, one more than Darryl Strawberry clouted in his tenure with the franchise. With Brandon Nimmo aboard after a two-out single, Alonso lined a first-pitch fastball over the right-center field wall for his 27th homer of the year. The crowd at Citi Field erupted and Alonso shared hugs with many players and manager Carlos Mendoza following the blast. Alonso set the record in his 965th game - 144 fewer than Strawberry. Alonso's homer gave New York a 5-1 lead. --Field Level Media

The Mets' trade deadline moves show the real value of prospect development
The Mets' trade deadline moves show the real value of prospect development

New York Times

time31-07-2025

  • Business
  • New York Times

The Mets' trade deadline moves show the real value of prospect development

SAN DIEGO — No trade market is perfect. It has strengths and weaknesses, surplus and scarcity. The best organizations are the ones that can bend the market to best fit their needs. That's essentially what the New York Mets did Wednesday by adding a pair of relievers in Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers. Advertisement In a deadline landscape lacking a clear-cut front-line starter, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and company doubled down on late-game weapons. In a market replete with controllable relievers, the Mets targeted the best rental options available. They capitalized on the growth of their player development operation to make the cost high on paper but palatable in the long term. 'The Mets beat the market,' one league source said Wednesday night. While it has performed well all season, New York's starting rotation still doesn't project to be its strength come October. Mets starters rarely pitch past the fifth inning in the regular season, and a few of them may be limited to facing an opposing order only twice in postseason games. Though the Mets could add a starter before the deadline, it's clear they took an alternate route by bulking up the bullpen even more than expected. With Helsley and Rogers joining earlier acquisition Gregory Soto, other arms the team has trusted to hand the ball to Edwin Diaz may now have to pitch in the middle innings. 'It allows me to have more flexibility to match up and be more aggressive when I need to,' manager Carlos Mendoza said. 'They just make our unit a lot deeper back there.' On the surface, it may not seem like the prices the Mets paid for those arms are a win. The six players New York surrendered for two months of single-inning relievers are mostly guys you've heard of before. José Buttó has been a useful part of the major-league bullpen for more than a year. Blade Tidwell made an awaited big-league debut this season, and Drew Gilbert has the chance to do so between now and the end of September. Jesús Báez has been a top-10 prospect in the system for a couple of years and even landed on a top-100 list this spring. Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt were recent draftees but ones opening eyes in their first full professional seasons. Thank you, José. Good luck in San Francisco! — New York Mets (@Mets) July 30, 2025 Wednesday, however, was evidence of how much the Mets' farm system and entire player development operation have evolved over the last several seasons. Back in 2021, the last time the franchise was this aggressive around the trade deadline, it was backed into moving a single high-end prospect (Pete Crow-Armstrong, as you didn't need us to specify) because its system was so shallow. The Mets had nothing left over to acquire the starting pitcher they badly needed to preserve their division lead. Advertisement In 2022, the Mets were not confident enough in their developmental infrastructure to move anyone within, as then-GM Billy Eppler memorably specified, their 'top 19 prospects.' Now, a pitcher like Tidwell, who straddles the line between a starter and reliever in the majors, is expendable. Not just because the Mets have other near-ready starters in Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, but also because they know they can develop other pitchers into Tidwell-like talents. Dohm and Elissalt, selected in the third and 19th rounds of last summer's draft, respectively, support that confidence. In less than 13 months, they have gone from draftees to integral parts of a major deadline trade. If Wednesday's trades were overpays, they were ones the Mets can afford. It's fair to wonder whether they even qualify as overpays. Over the last couple of days, a few high-ranking officials from different teams pointed to last year's trade of reliever Jason Adam from the San Diego Padres to the Tampa Bay Rays, in exchange for three prospects, as something of a new precedent. By Tuesday night, some of the same officials complained of high asking prices for relievers with club control, especially Jhoan Duran. The next day, the Philadelphia Phillies ended up acquiring Duran from the Minnesota Twins for the steep price of top-100 prospects Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait. Duran comes with two more years of club control. Those control years are not as valuable at a position as volatile as relievers. Executives from other teams say the calling card for Stearns and Mets vice president Eduardo Brizuela is an ability to expertly read markets. They saw evidence of that on Wednesday. 'They've crushed it so far this deadline,' a league source said. This is the type of organization the Mets have longed to be since Steve Cohen bought them in the fall of 2020: one capable both of developing talent that appeals to other teams and of discerning if, and when, it's expendable.

Mets' bullpen problems are connected to rotation needs. Can they fix it at the trade deadline?
Mets' bullpen problems are connected to rotation needs. Can they fix it at the trade deadline?

New York Times

time19-07-2025

  • Sport
  • New York Times

Mets' bullpen problems are connected to rotation needs. Can they fix it at the trade deadline?

NEW YORK — One day into the second half, a cacophony of boos and groans during the middle innings of Friday night's game at Citi Field spelled out the New York Mets' most obvious need ahead of the trade deadline. The Mets must find answers for their bullpen. Even with lefty Brooks Raley finally on the active roster and right-hander José Buttó (illness) on a rehab assignment (he tossed a scoreless inning for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday), New York should probably add two relievers. Advertisement The quality of the Mets' bullpen depth (or lack thereof) showed up in their 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. In his first start of the season, Sean Manaea, who closed out the first half in relief on Sunday, worked under a pitch limit. Manaea threw 69 pitches in four innings. He gave up just two walks, one hit and one run, courtesy of Austin Hays' solo home run. With a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning, the Mets turned to Alex Carrillo, and things went off the rails. The Mets asked Carrillo, formerly of independent baseball, to pitch two solid innings, and he couldn't do it. He faced 10 batters and retired just four. Along the way, he gave up two home runs, a pair of walks and hit a batter. While pitching at Citi Field for the first time, he said he tried to do too much. The boos came loudest in the sixth inning after Spencer Steer's walk, which was sandwiched between the home runs. The Reds tagged Carrillo for five runs. 'I needed to cover five innings there,' Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. 'We are giving these guys a look here, and it just didn't happen today with him. There were some balls out of the hand, and when he came in the zone with the fastball, they didn't miss him — they were all over the fastball there.' THE WOOOOOOO BIRDS ARE OUT — Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 19, 2025 Perhaps if the Mets boasted more trustworthy options for high-leverage roles, someone else capable of pitching multiple innings — Huascar Brazoban? — could've been used for the lane they picked for Carrillo. On the other hand, it was worth trying Carrillo in the spot, given his production in the minor leagues (3.24 ERA, 40 strikeouts in 25 innings). Either way, it didn't work out and only reinforced the idea that the Mets have room for quality in their bullpen. Maybe Carrillo's opportunity was a prime spot for Buttó, but even if that's a one-for-one swap, the bullpen still contains journeyman Chris Devenski and left-hander Brandon Waddell, who allowed two runs, four hits and three walks. And it's not as if others are working their way back from the injured list. Dedniel Núñez had elbow surgery on Monday. Max Kranick is set to undergo either Tommy John surgery or a flexor repair surgery, but he's out for the season either way. Advertisement The Mets' needs in the bullpen are connected to their starting rotation, too. Do they need another starter? Maybe not, if they can count on length from the pitchers that they already have. But that's part of the problem. Their rotation finally looks the way club officials envisioned it at the start of spring training, but the production that they expected remains to be seen. The Mets' rotation out of the All-Star break after Manaea is as follows: Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Kodai Senga and Frankie Montas. Manaea's next start is scheduled for Wednesday. That game precedes an off day, giving the other starters an extra day of rest. Plenty went into the way the Mets lined up their rotation. The Reds' worse numbers against lefties (.658 OPS compared to a .734 OPS against right-handers) played a role. New York also took into consideration how things looked over the next four weeks. In addition, it wanted enough space between Manaea and Senga, who just came off the injured list last Friday. Neither pitcher is expected to provide much length quite yet. While Senga lasted just four innings and 67 pitches in his latest start, Manaea has yet to reach 75 pitches in any outing, including rehab appearances, so far in 2025. During his rehab, he threw 73 pitches before suffering a setback, his second of the year (the other involved his oblique), because of a loose body in his elbow. In his final rehab start, Manaea threw 65 pitches. On Sunday, he threw 65 again, that time through 3 1/3 innings of relief. 'Is it a challenge? Maybe,' Mendoza said with a smile in regards to navigating games with his pitchers unable to get deep into them, 'but it is what it is.' Manaea's volume is lacking, but his stuff at least has looked sharp. On Friday, he recorded six strikeouts after racking up seven in his previous outing. Mendoza said he was 'pretty confident' Manaea would be able to cover more innings at some point soon, though it's unclear precisely when. Manaea said he felt healthy and anticipated lasting longer in his next outing, but was unable to provide specifics. Advertisement 'You're not going to go from 60 to 85 right away, especially for a guy who has been through a lot,' Mendoza said. 'Hopefully, the next time out, we can increase his pitch count a little bit more obviously.' While the Mets evaluate their rotation and look for bullpen upgrades, they need to take a long look at their lineup, too. Reds lefty starter Nick Lodolo held them to two runs and four hits through seven innings. Against the Reds' bullpen, the Mets rallied in the ninth inning for two more runs and loaded the bases for Francisco Lindor, but he popped out to end the game. Nothing should be ruled out, but center field is primed for an upgrade. Jeff McNeil has filled in admirably, but Jose Siri (fractured tibia) has yet to resume running and defensive standout Tyrone Taylor (0-for-3 on Friday) hasn't hit enough (.574 OPS). Indeed, there is plenty for the Mets to sort out regarding different segments of their roster with just under two weeks remaining until the July 31 trade deadline. But even in that context, upgrading the bullpen stands out as a given. 'We are going to need length out of the starters,' Mendoza said. 'Obviously, with Sean, that's where we are at, but guys will step up. We feel comfortable with the guys that we got back there (in the bullpen). Today was one of those nights where Carrillo didn't have it. But, overall, we will continue to give opportunities to some of these guys. We know the main guys who have been here the whole year. And we'll continue to evaluate the situation here while we try to win baseball games, obviously.'

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