Mets Morning News: the Mets are weighing a possible pursuit of Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato and watching CBA talks closely, since a salary cap would hit them hard. Rob Manfred still wants a cap, and a lockout looms. Brewers took World Series Game 1, 3-2. ⚾
Daniel Duarte earned an A- for 2026: a 2.12 ERA and 30 K over 29 2/3 IP. He returned from elbow surgery on a minor league deal and became Kodai Senga's setup man after the deadline sell-off, until a hamstring injury ended his season. 🔥
John Smoltz, on the FOX broadcast of World Series Game One, called Brewers closer Trevor Megill a former Mets starter, mixing him up with his brother, Tylor Megill, who is the Mets pitcher. Fans noticed. 🎙️
Brewers took World Series Game 1 over the Rays, 3-2. The Mets angle: Pat Murphy was reportedly Brodie Van Wagenen's pick to manage in 2020, but the Wilpons balked and hired Carlos Beltrán. Luis Torrens and Francisco Alvarez are set to debut in Venezuelan winter ball. 🎯
A hypothetical 2022 Mets package for Shohei Ohtani, which never happened, looks lopsided in hindsight. Brett Baty, Kevin Parada and Alex Ramirez were the top-100 headliners, and Baty has settled in as a so-so utility type. Christian Scott would've been the real loss. 😬
Reese Kaplan's review of Stearns' pitching moves is mostly harsh: Manaea's $25M deal has produced an 8-12 record and 5.03 ERA across 2025-26, with $25M still owed for 2027. Peralta flopped and Devin Williams slumped, while Holmes and McLean earned praise. 😬
Boston Baro, the Mets' 2023 eighth-round pick, went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs for Surprise in the AFL, despite a 12-11 loss. He missed all but 11 games in 2026 with injury, so he's banking some overdue reps. ⚾
Jared Young (.266/.330/.429 for the Mets) is being compared to Brewers breakout Jake Bauers (26 HR, .266/.389/.484), who has also been floated as a Mets free-agent target. The question: can Young find similar power? Bauers' 4.5% HR rate to Young's 2.6% is the gap. 🔍
MLB.com's early 2027 mock draft has the Mets taking Arizona State OF Landon Hairston at No. 4. The Golden Spikes finalist hit .400/.509/.860 with 28 homers and more walks than strikeouts. A mock pick, not a done deal. 🎯
Austin Warren turned sporadic big-league work into a key bullpen role in 2026. After a brutal July and a forearm strain, he allowed 5 earned runs over his final 15 1/3 innings. He looks like a tender candidate, and the mustache helps. 🥸
Teruaki Sato could be a Mets fit, with first base open, but it's a pros-and-cons debate, not a deal. The Mets haven't signed a Japanese position player since Kaz Matsui's flameout, but they've stayed active in the Japanese market with pitchers. ⚾
Robert Stock's 2026 report card: D+. After thoracic outlet surgery, he went 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA and 1.75 WHIP over 8 games (7 starts), then his season ended early with numbness in his fingers. He's a free agent who plans to keep pitching.
SNY's Chelsea Janes reportedly thinks the Mets could skip a Teruaki Sato pursuit and enter 2027 at first base with Jared Young, Jorge Polanco and lesser options, citing David Stearns' track record. Young posted a .759 OPS in 342 plate appearances. A big splash looks unlikely. 🧊
Mets Morning News: Laura Albanese's grades have Carson Benge at A+, Andy Green at A and David Stearns at D-, a split verdict. Elsewhere, the Rays-Brewers World Series opens tonight, with six former Yankees and Mets on the rosters.
A Mets fan column asks what David Stearns actually got right, and the answers lean on luck. Carson Benge made the Opening Day roster only after Mike Tauchman's torn meniscus, and A.J. Ewing emerged after the Luis Robert deal flopped. Jared Young (.266, 9 HR) earns real credit. 🔍
Mets pitching depth is deeper than the usual names. Lefty Daviel Hurtado (#23 prospect, 21) posted a 2.93 ERA over 86 innings in 2026, with a 93–95 mph fastball, slider and curve all grading 50+. Arms to watch in 2027. ⚾
Mets fans get a World Series preview from the sidelines: Milwaukee (103 wins) faces Tampa Bay (98) tonight, with one franchise guaranteed a first title. Also, ex-Mets international scouting director Steve Barningham is joining the Rockies' scouting department.
Mets offseason wish list: five 2026 World Series players, including Rays' Yandy Diaz ($12M 2027 option, 35) and Drew Rasmussen ($8M option), could be targets. Diaz is a tricky fit as a DH-only bat, and the verdict is that he'd be costly. 💰
Mack's third base chain analysis grades the Mets a B, with the position's future resting largely on prospect Jefferson Rojas (27 HR in 2026, 12 in 35 Mets games). Bo Bichette's return is unresolved, and Mack would have Christopher Morel open in Queens.
Mets 9th-round pick Ryan Tayman hit .316/.432/.579 with 5 homers in 21 games for St. Lucie, earning MLB.com's top-performer nod from the 2026 class. The bat plays; the below-average arm behind the plate suggests a position change. 🔄
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