The Mets acquired right-hander Freddy Peralta from the Brewers earlier this week, which led to immediate speculation about his new club potentially pursuing an extension. That probably won’t happen right away, however. Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the club plans to give Peralta some time to get comfortable with his new club. President of baseball operations David Stearns later addressed the media via videoconference and his comments matched that reporting.
“I’m not going to speculate on that Day 1 here,” Stearns said of the extension possibility, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN. “We’ll let Freddy get acclimated to the organization. And, you know, any conversations that we may have or have in the future I think we’re going to do our best to keep private and not talk about publicly.”
The reason Peralta was traded away from Milwaukee is that the Brewers generally don’t spend at a level to keep their best players. Guys like Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams have all been traded in recent years as they reached free agency. Peralta ended up going down the same road but his new club has far deeper pockets than his previous team.
Stearns is very familiar with Peralta and is clearly fond of him. He already signed him to an extension once, when both were with the Brewers back in 2020. This week, Stearns surrendered a couple of notable prospects by sending Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to Milwaukee in order to reunite with Peralta and acquire Tobias Myers.
Now that Stearns has access to more financial resources, he would presumably love to get Peralta to sign on the dotted line again. Based on this week’s scuttlebutt, it seems there won’t be a rush to get that done. Spring training is a common time for extension talks to take place, so maybe more news will trickle out in the next couple of months. In-season extensions are rare but not totally unprecedented. If Peralta gets to the end of 2026 healthy and without a deal in place, he would be a lock to receive and reject a qualifying offer on his way to free agency.
Stearns also addressed a couple of other players on the roster in a sit-down with team reporter Andy Martino. In that interview, Stearns says that outfield prospect Carson Benge still has a chance to break camp with the team even after the Luis Robert Jr. acquisition and that Kodai Senga is expected to be in the rotation.
Back in November, Stearns said that Benge would have a chance to make the team. Not long after making those statements, the Mets opened up a big hole in their outfield by trading away Brandon Nimmo for second baseman Marcus Semien. They then made a spirited effort to sign Kyle Tucker, offering him a four-year deal with a heavy average annual value, but he accepted a similar offer from the Dodgers. The Mets then pivoted and acquired Robert from the White Sox via trade.
After the shuffle, there’s still a path for Benge. The Mets currently project to have Juan Soto in right and Robert in center. At the moment, Benge would seemingly be battling with Tyrone Taylor for the job in left. Taylor is a light hitter but a strong defender, so he would ideally be pushed into a fourth outfielder role by Benge taking the left field job. And given Robert’s history, there’s a decent chance of Taylor ending up getting regular playing time in center as well.
Benge has no major league experience yet and isn’t on the 40-man roster. His Triple-A work is also short and unimpressive, though he was perhaps unlucky there. He began last year at High-A and tore through that level as well as Double-A, slashing a combined .308/.413/.513 for a 174 wRC+ at those two stops while playing all three outfield positions. He finished his 2025 with a .178/.272/.311 slash at Triple-A, though that was in a tiny sample of 103 plate appearances, during which he had a .188 batting average on balls in play.
The Mets are showing a good amount of faith in Benge by leaving a door open for him, even after he put up those rough numbers in Triple-A. If he doesn’t perform in the spring, they have a few fallback options in addition to Taylor. Brett Baty no longer has a position after the Bo Bichette signing and could end up out in left field. Vidal Bruján and Jared Young are infielder/outfielders on the roster. Cristian Pache and Ji Hwan Bae are non-roster options. The Mets may add to that group but it may be more depth additions if they want Benge to still have a path.
As for Senga, he looked dominant in 2023 when he posted a 2.98 earned run average but hasn’t been as much of a sure thing since then. He missed most of 2024 due to injury. Last year, he struggled enough to get optioned to the minors in September. He then popped up in some trade rumors this offseason but is still on the roster. Assuming Stearns is being forthright in his recent comments, Senga will have a rotation job when the season begins.
As of now, the rotation candidates include Peralta, Nolan McLean, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea and Senga. McLean still has options but it would be quite surprising if the Mets sent him down, given how he dominated in his first eight big league starts. If everyone stays healthy, then the Mets may need to run a six-man rotation or bump someone to the bullpen.
Holmes was a reliever prior to last year and could return to that role but he had a pretty good season as a starter, posting a 3.53 ERA. Manaea and Peterson have occasionally been bumped to long relief roles and could perhaps do so again. A six-man rotation would keep all the starters a bit more fresh but would leave the Mets with a seven-man bullpen, given the 13-pitcher roster limit.
This would only really be an issue for as long as everyone is healthy, which doesn’t happen very often in today’s game. If multiple injuries arise, Myers, Jonah Tong, Christian Scott and others are on the roster and should be ready to step up.
Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images
Penciling Benge into LF on opening day is a mistake. Mets need to sign a mid-level LFer – Even Starling Marte if he is durable. Someone who can fill the gap while Benge is at AAA or if Benge opens hitting .150 in April/May.
With the money they are spending on players, it doesn’t make any sense to rush the guy.
Marte is basically DH only at this point. They’ll use Taylor if Benge falters and hope that his 2025 was a fluke. He’s had at least a 91 OPS+ every other year in the majors.
Get a left fielder. Best lineup (offense and defense) is to have Baty at third and Bichette DH.
Why you think that is beyond me. I realize Baty is the experienced 3B, but Bichette played SS, where he was subpar defensively due to his below average range, not a concern at the corner. He still has SS hands.
And Bichette’s arm is actually better than Baty’s. It’s not a rocket arm but it’s actually about 2 mph stronger than Baty, if you look it up.
Also, this is not an uncommon transition. There are probably more current starting MLB 3B that transitioned from middle infield than there are guys who came up as primarily a 3B. This is not comprehensive but the list includes Machado, Chisholm, Maikel Garcia, Jose Ramirez, and Correa just off the top of my head.
This whole worry about Bichette to 3B is entirely way overblown. There is no reason to believe he will struggle defensively, and very well could be a plus defender at 3B. Time will tell but this shouldn’t be a worry.
I’m far more concerned about Polanco and Baty at 1B because of the specific nuances of playing that position than Bichette at 3B.
Bichette will be at 3B. Baty will be a util player.
Polanco was primarily a SS and 2B and the biggest issues for him were his range and arm. The transition to 1B should not be an issue.
I heart Steve
The difference between guys like Correa, machado, rameriez ect being able to make the switch to third was because they were already great defensive short stops. Bo isn’t. Hes a below average defensive player so why would you expect him to suddenly become a better defender than Baty who had a really solid defensive season between 2nd/3rd?
I agree about polonco completely. Hes another one of the run prevention”
Wrong bagong. Machado and Correa were negative SS defensively before their position switch DUE TO RANGE SHORTCOMINGS, which is the exact reason Bichette is switching. He is not a bad fielder, he does not have the range for SS.
STEAMER projects Bichette to be a plus defender at 3B this season.
I heart Steve
What are you talking about bud? Correa won a gold glove at short stop in 2021 and after one bad half season in 2018 with the O’s machado graded out at an average short stop(+5 DRS) with the dodgers for the rest of the year. They also have cannons for arms which Bo does not and are both on the taller side at 6’3 while Bo is only 6 foot. Which does matter when you’re trying to stab at balls in the hole or on a rope at or above shoulder level. Not sure where you’re getting your info from but maybe double check the source, I know from personal experience it’s a little embarrassing to unknowingly push a false narrative.
False narrative? Maybe not the best examples because it’s hard to say if Correa is the 3B for defense or if it’s because Peña is the SS, but what is clear is that Correa being a GG in 2021 is irrelevant. Correa has had a negative DRS at SS for the last 3 seasons and last year it was -11.
Machado played a lot of 3B and came up but when he was a SS in 2018 he had a DRS of -9. Both players also negative UZR in those seasons.
The point is being a negative defender at SS specifically because of range doesn’t prevent you from being a very good 3B.
You know, Alex Bregman recently won a GG, he’s 5’11”. Ramon Urias won a GG at 3B at 5’9″.
The false narrative being pushed here is that a 6’0″ SS who was considered bad defensively bc of lack of range shifting to 3B means there should be some worry here. No, this shift has happened many times before for the same reason and former shortstops have done well there.
And in terms of arm strength, Bichette avg velo was stronger last year than Baty, and Baty received good marks for his glove work last year at the corner.
There’s not a valid reason for concern at this point.
How about a guy who is a converted middle infielder, won a GG at 3B in 2022.
He’s 5’9″, his average throwing velo in 2022 was 81.4 mph.
Ramón Urías.
Bo Bichette average throwing velo in 2025: 82.3 mph.
Sorry, not going to freak out about a transition that many 3B in the game have made before, both current and former players, who have done it and even won gold gloves at 3B.
You nailed this one!
Steve
The false narrative is that Correa was a bad defender and Jazz is a good one for starters. You also keep picking the exceptions to the rules while discounting anything that proves what you said was false.
Again.
Correa was a gold glover at short in 21 and is now in his early 30s. It’s entirely expected for his defense to fall off the older he gets.
Machado as I said, was bad for the Os and then for the dodgers actually much better at short.
Jazz was a bad fielding second baseman who was bad in the outfield and bad at third base which is why the Yankees picked up what’s his face from the Rockies to play third. If Jazz was good enough defensively he would have stayed and they wouldn’t have made that move.
Naming 2 guys under 6 foot who played 3rd base and won a gold glove (while again always being looked at as atleast average to good fielders) does not mean you can move a shorter bad defender to third and suddenly make him good.
It especially won’t make him good when the guy who’s playing first base is one of the worst defensive players in all of baseball and has exactly one pitch of experience playing first. So get ready for lots of throwing errors from the left side of the diamond sine there’s no Pete (who’s one of the best at picking balls outta the dirt) there to help bail out guys.
Basically all you’re doing is saying something as silly as well Justin verlander is still a quality starter in his 40s therefore any pitcher who pitches at 40 years old is going to be a quality starting pitcher because verlander was. You sound very silly and uneducated.
I gave recent examples, they’re hardly the only ones. And I gave extreme examples. No one is expecting Bichette to win a GG at 3B. That isn’t why they signed him. He needs to play good enough 3B but he’s in Queens for his bat.
What I vociferously push back against is the notion that because he was a negative defensive player at SS (entirely related to his range, which also is likely due to age-related diminishing athleticism, like others cited) means there is any reason for concern he can be a plus 3B defensively, or, perhaps more poignantly, that he will be a disaster there.
You cited his arm strength and height, not me. I gave recent examples of guys shorter than him with less arm strength that woman GG at the corner.
Perhaps you should also look at Placido Polanco’s career through that lens.
The examples I gave show these factors, based on historical metrics, aren’t legitimate reasons for concern.
I didn’t make the claim that Bichette is a worry at 3B defensively, you did. It seems entirely based on speculation, despite the litany of examples that have shown otherwise, even those of lesser height and arm strength, as you cited.
I have no need for a pissing contest about this. He may or may not be a good defensive 3B, but to insinuate that it’s the latter based on metrics that haven’t proved to be a stumbling blocks for others isn’t a reason for concern before he’s shown otherwise, as this has been done many times before.
Steve.
You gave 2 examples of shot guys who transitioned well (while also just ignoring the fact they were already at worst average defensively). That’s not extensive. You completely hand waved over Correa winning a gold glove at short and the fact that every one of those guys you named in machado, Correa, rameriez and jazz (except for Jazz who was always a bad fielder and lead the league in errors at one point) were already considered at worst average defensive players just to make the wild claim that there’s no reason to worry about Bo being a bad defender at a position he’s never played before because guys who were better defensively made the switch successfully. That makes no sense.
Dude. You’re just flat out wrong with like 80% of the stuff you’re saying and for the life of me I can not figure out why you won’t just admit it. No one excepts you to be infallible. You said something dumb like jazz was a good defender and Correa was a bad one. Own it. You said something dumb like no one thought Jose rameriez was a good defender. Own it. You said something dumb in saying just because a few short guys made the switch then every other short guy can also make the switch reguardless of how good they were defensively to begin with. Own it.
No one is gonna judge you for being wrong and saying something dumb. The judgement only comes if you refuse to just accept tht you are wrong and said some dumb stuff.
You keep talking about Correa, remind me again his DRS at SS last year?
And another thing, I never said anything about Ramirez’s defense in a negative fashion.
The point was and has been it’s been a very common transition from guys who have either come up as a middle infielder and moved to SS or made the transition later. It’s not unusual, it’s very common. And that transition in and by itself doesn’t warrant any concern about Bichette’s ability or lack thereof to play 3B at a good level. That’s it, that was the only point.
Right now, I see LF as Benge if he proves ready, Baty if he doesn’t, with Taylor doing some fill-ins for Benge and Baty occasionally, especially Baty as he learns the position, and for Baty defensively late in close games with the Mets in the lead.
Taylor should still see a great deal of time in CF. LRJ is not a guy that is going to play 150 games. Taylor, Baty, and Mauricio should all get some time in LF, especially if Benge falters. Benge is talented enough that if he has a good spring he should be handed the job and keep it unless he shows he can’t do it.
Mauricio will be in AAA to start the season and he has a lot to improve on before he’s even considered for another call up unless injuries force it.
Even then, he’s only played 26 games in the OF in his pro career, all in 2023 in AAA, none last year. I have to believe that he looked bad out there and that’s why they abandoned further development to make him a corner OF last year, or he would’ve gotten more reps there.
We’ll see with Baty but if he gets significant time in LF, then that means a lot of Vientos at 1B/DH, and I think this off-season has signaled that he doesn’t really factor much into there plans, because if he did why would they push Polanco to 1B, a position he’s never played before, when you have Vientos?
I think Vientos will either be traded or a short-side DH platoon primarily.
Interesting. Stearns said quite a bit about Mauricio and none of it included him being in AAA to start the season. It dd include that he had the skills to play in the OF if needed.
I didn’t say Baty would get significant time in LF, I said Taylor, Baty, and Mauricio should all get some time in LF. Big difference.
Polanco is the 1B apparently. Stearns talked about his ability to play SS and 2B translating to 1B easily. Stearns mentioned that it starts with defense up the middle and went on to say. “We believe that Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco, two former shortstops, will be able to play their new positions at a high level.” Going out on a limb here, but I think Stearns knows what they are planning to do and why.
He didn’t seem to have confidence in Vientos. At least he never talked about him being one of the “core of young players” like he did with Baty, Benge, and Mauricio.
Mike Tauchman.
baty
I imagine the Mets will add another bat before we’re said and done, even if one more roster move is needed as a result.
Austin Hays is still out there.
It would be nice to sign Bader who can play CF if (or when) Robert is out. But Bader had a career year last year and probably expects more money. Given his unimpressive performance in most of his other seasons, and his age, he really doesn’t merit an expensive deal.
There are only so many roster spots.
Mauricio probably to start the season in AAA, which would give them another roster spot on the 25 man, which they would need for Benge.
40-man not a concern as they can move Megill, Nuñez, and Garrett will eventually be moved to 60-day IL. Right now only Soto, Robert, Tracy are OF on the active roster. Even if you pencil in Benge (not a given), you probably still need a 5th OF. I don’t expect a big splashike a trade for Laureano but a signing like Hays makes some sense.
dugmet:
I don’t think Marte can handle regular outfield play anymore, but I agree with your sentiment. I think the Mets need to sign someone. Maybe like Austin Hays. That kind of guy who can start for a while and then go to the bench or be traded once Benge seems like he’s mastered triple AAA.
MLB needs more Steve Cohens and needs to fix its biggest problem of owners who cry poor who really don’t want to do what it takes to win. I understand the brewers have won a lot recently, but you’d figure their owner would open up the pocketbooks a little because of that. No contending team should ever have to trade its best pitcher
Nope we gotta stay busy crying bc our billionaires claim they have no money
well said
If there were 30 Steve Cohen’s in the MLB, the real Steve Cohen would just outspend the other 29 leaving everything the same as it is now. And it’s not a coincidence that highest payrolls primarily come from the largest markets/TV deals.
I don’t think anyone is asking for 30 Cohens, I think we’re sick of people who have enough wealth to last multiple lifetimes and get revenue sharing that they can’t possibly spend an extra dime on their team
Successfull business people do not routinely put personal worth at stake. The majority of owners very likely look to break even over a 162-game schedule. IF the team makes the post-season, then maybe profits might be pocketed or reinvested in the next years’ roster.?
Except teams with owners who entirely fund their team via shared revenues and competitive value monies.
Then they pocket all revenues from fans at the ballpark to fund other business ventures.
“ The reason Peralta was traded away from Milwaukee is that the Brewers generally don’t spend at a level to keep their best players.”
MLBTR staffers…what a horribly worded sentence. You should be ashamed of yourselves and should edit this immediately. The Brewers have the smallest market in baseball and can’t spend 200 million on every Burnes/Hader/Adames/Peralta that they possess. The opposite sentence of “The Brewers generally play chess and let the bigger markets play checkers” is a better way to word it. The edit that you should make can be something more neutral in between though. Something like, “The Brewers have the smallest market in baseball and have made the playoffs 7 of the last 8 years by making this sort of trade by obtaining multiple top 100 players and continuing on their path” would suffice. But your wording makes it sound like Milwaukee is dumb when in fact they might be the smartest organization in baseball and will be in the playoffs again in 2026 while opening up a new window that likely turn them from a perennial playoff team to a squad likely to be a top World Series favorite the five years following the new CBA given how good they are now and continue to be while possessing the very best farm system in baseball.
Basically every writer on this site and most of the readers already know everything you’re trying to say
Jswag- MLBTR is saying nothing about the Brewers being dumb or they are not trying to win. All they are saying is that the Brewers as a whole don’t spend lots of money on players. Jswag, if anything, you should be ashamed of yourself for your comment.
No the Trade Rumors staff is 100% correct, a billionaire owns the team and refuses to spend money so he can increase is own profits, u don’t need to spend like Cohen or the Dodgers to try to keep a top player on occasion, teams like the brewers and pirates don’t even try to keep a single one.
Successfull business people do not routinely put personal worth at stake. The majority of owners very likely look to break even over a 162-game schedule.
1. Brewers owner is not a billionaire and is most likely the least wealthy owner in baseball and most professional sports
2. No owner spends their own money. They spend from their revenue which comes from the size of their market
3. Milwaukee has the smallest market in baseball but outspends 7-10 other teams depending on the year
4. They do sign their own players: Yelich, Chourio, Braun, and even Peralta was on a 2nd deal. They just can’t do it on the open market bc they don’t have unlimited revenue
5.Comparimg the Brewers and Pirates lol. Brewers may have the smartest FO in baseball, are consistently good and make opportunistic signings and trades to keep their window open every year. Signing 30+ yr old FAs is something big market teams can do and just eat bad years and sign more. Small market teams can’t if they want to stay competitive
6. All business owners want to make a profit and not spend their own money. This isn’t hard. Big market owners just have massively more revenue to spend from. I’d guess the Brewers, Dodgers, Mets etc all spend a similar % of their revenue. The other teams just have a way bigger pot based on geographic location and market.
“2. No owner spends their own money. They spend from their revenue which comes from the size of their market“
Uh Steve Cohen
Mark Attanasio is a billionaire. His net worth is about $2 billion.
Ccohen is definitely spending his own money. So was the Padres owner. It may not be the norm for the Fishers, Shermans, and Nuttings of MLB, but it does happen.
The Brewers won the most games in MLB last season. They are doing things right and obviously they are trying and succeeding.
What they can’t do is spend more than they bring in. They are in the smallest media market in baseball and the Dodgers CBT payroll, what they are spending on their 40 man roster, is $100 million more than the total revenue of the Brewers.
The Brewers do sign players long term, they currently have 3 players on 5 year or longer deals, but it takes two to tango and they cannot force people to sign there.
Please don’t lump the brewers in with the Pirates. A) we are better than the Mets basically every year in the past decade and probably will be this year too (not to mention your Sproat and Jett’s will prove to be thorns in your side the next six years. We gave Yelich over 200 million, gave Chourio over 80 million before playing a major league game, etc. Just enjoy your Mets off season and we can revisit where our two teams sit in September, then again next off season when we will be top five World Series favorites which you will only hope to be of Cohen’s massive dollars spend correctly to put you in our tier going into 27 (or 28 if lockout).
MIL wasn’t wrong in not extending those winning contract bids to Hader, Burnes, Williams. Hader and Burnes already look like an overpay. Williams is TBD, but also, the prospect return that MIL is better than most in obtaining. That being said, they need to lock up Contreras before he travels the same path.
We have Jefferson Quero at catcher in AAA coming off a bad injury that would otherwise maybe sit atop our prospect list. Quero will be the catcher in 27 (28 if the lockout lasts a full year). Two more top 100 prospects will be incoming for Contreras this time next year but Quero will quickly be a top ten catcher in all of baseball the minute he takes over the catching position.
So does he take over for Contreras, letting him presumably walk? Most teams are going the 2-catcher route with Contreras perfect for mostly DH duty, if so willing.
Depends how Quero does in AAA to start the season and how he does second half in the opportunities he is given. But he was right with Chourio as a prospect as 2024 began and if not for his injury last year is a top 50 prospect. If he performs as expected, look for two more top 75 prospects being to traded to Milwaukee next off season for Contreras and Quero succeeding taking the reigns when baseball resumes in 27 or 28.
Surprised they don’t throw Polanco in LF and have Baty at First.
This site really needs a sarcasm font to distinguish between people trying to make a joke and outright morons.
Assuming Polanco can handle first and doesn’t end up DHing, Baty belongs at third with Bichette as the DH. It’s called the hot corner for a reason and who says Bichette will work out there? As great a hitter as he is, his shortstop play has been brutal. Baty though looks very comfortable playing third.
Bichette is very likely going to be very good at 3B.
SS to 3B is very common. Probably half the starting 3B in MLB have made the transition from MI to 3B just fine.
Bichette has a stronger arm than Baty, btw.
They need to make a trade for Alonso and plug him in at third
Baty should be getting reps in LF in training camp and i wouldn’t be surprised if the open the season with a Baty/Taylor platoon in LF. Benge’s path is the inevitable injury stint for Robert
Mets do NOT need to sign another position player or LFer. They need optionable slots.
Baty would be a fine convert to LF in the interim if it was necessary. But I think Benge will be fine there.
Teams do not evolve if every position is blocked by a MLer without options if they struggle.
As it is, this year Ewing, Reimer, Clifford, Tong, Scot, are essentially blocked.
Hey Jdawg… agree with you mostly, but guys get hurt in general and this group of Mets hitters looks more fragile than most. I think the younguns will get their chance if they prove they are ready. I’m more concerned that Ewing, Reimer, and Clifford WON’T be ready if and when they are needed. Dealing Jett and Acuna these last few days definitely put a ding in their young depth guys.
I can see a case for the Mets signing Andujar or Hays just to give them another veteran bat. Not a deal-breaker either way but when Robert inevitably gets hurt, Taylor may end up starting a LOT of games. Better to have another professional hitter who can play a passable left field.
I can understand the sentiment, but if you sign a Hays or Andujar now, you are making even fewer positions optionable
Assume:
Alvarez
Polanco
Semien
Lindor
Bichette
Soto
Robert
Benge
Bench + DH of Baty, Vientos, Brian, Torrens, Taylor
Out of 13 PPs, only Benge is optionable. If you sign a Hays, not a single position has an optionable player.
Same with the pitching staff.
Peralta, Senga, McLean, Peterson, Manea, Holmes
Pen of: Williams, Weaver, Raley, Minter, Garcia, Brazoban, Myers
Only Myers and McLean are optionable and McLean is going nowhere. Brazoban MAY still have one.
Who is Brian?
Brujan, who I suspect they will try to pass through waivers and option. Brujan’s bat doesn’t play, so he’s only be a defensive replacement, and he’s a MI, not going to replace Semien or Lindor defensively. Other than that he’s basically the pinch runner when they need one. Not sure you carry him for that as Tracy can do that, unless you need Tracy to play CF bc LuBob gets hurt.
Brujan…oops.
I also think Baty will be fine in LF if Benge isn’t ready on opening day. The only two that are blocked this year are Tong and Scott. And with Tong not spending much time in AAA last year and Scott coming from a year off it’s best for them to start the year in AAA. Tong also needs to work on his secondary offerings. Scott will also probably be on an Innings count this year coming back from serious injury. With frequent Pitcher injuries having those two ready to be called up from AAA is a nice cushion to have.
Ewing and Reimer haven’t even played in AAA yet and will probably be there the entire year. Maybe a September call up if they have great years. Clifford only had 34 games in AAA and needs to work on hitting off speed stuff. He has a good eye and power but needs the year to fine tune. Also to get more time playing 1B as that looks like his future. He reminds me of Pete when he was coming up through the Minors. If he can get close to being Pete at 1B I think most Met fans would be happy. The one thing with having all these great young players in AAA is they’ll have good replacements for any mid season injuries on the MLB level.
Agree mostly, but Ewing is the type of player who relies on high avg and speed, and those types tend to transition more easily to MLB. I actually think he could be up midseason if needed, assuming he doesn’t get completely overwhelmed at AAA.
You don’t need optionable players if you don’t have guys knocking down the door for a look. The Mets have some talented kids getting closer but that doesn’t make them immediately ready to start in NY
Regardless of where you’re coming from perspective wise, the Mets are going to be interesting to watch this season.
Their seasons, helped by the over the top NY media, are like a combination of reality TV shows (Survivor, America’s top model, etc), with teen dramas (will they? won’t they?), and a dash of traditional soap opera.
I have popcorn ready.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see Baty start in LF to begin the season until Benge is ready. Baty is going to be this year’s McNeil, play a little bit everywhere.
I think they will try to get Baty reps in LF unless another move is made, but they already tried him there I think two seasons ago and it was a short-lived experiment. I don’t think they would prefer Baty there as opposed to 1B and DH, occasional 2B and 3B if Semien or Bichette get injured or need a blow. The latter scenario would be pretty rare, I would think.
The best thing they could do is get him reps at 1b and LF. He is a hard worker, a good athlete and a quick study.
He could get plenty of at bats backing up first, second and third. Give those guys time at DH. Hopefully Benge is in LF but if not, also LF.
I think Brujan will be this year’s McNeil in that he can play multiple positions fairly well. Batys defense isn’t quite as good. He’s OK at second and third but unproven at 1b and LF
the only thing stearns has done has increased the probability for yet another implosion with this roster. multiple guys out of position and just about every new face comes with injury history and risk.
icantstandyous:
I mean, I think a lot of infielders can move to first base. Let’s not act like it’s rocket science here. We’ll see about Bichette at third base, but I doubt it’s the disaster that some people are trying to paint it out to be.
How about speculating on day 2?