The New York Mets are cruising. At 18-7, they’re not just good — they’re the best team in baseball as of Thursday. And they’ve done it without some serious firepower.
Imagine flying a plane with a couple of engines out, yet still soaring above the clouds. That’s the Mets right now, missing names like Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Alvarez, and Dedniel Nunez — yet finding a way to win seven straight.
Reinforcements Incoming
The cavalry is arriving, though, in the form of McNeil and Alvarez, both set to return Friday. McNeil’s oblique and Alvarez’s broken hamate bone are healed, and the duo is ready to jump back into a clubhouse that’s been holding its own just fine without them.
That’s where the good news gets complicated.
The Roster Crunch
When a team is hot, like fresh-out-the-oven pizza hot, the last thing you want to do is mess with the recipe. But with two players returning, the Mets will have to send two others packing — at least temporarily — to Triple-A.
Hayden Senger seems like the first domino to fall, even though the industry respects him more now. With Alvarez rejoining the fold and Luis Torrens swinging a respectable bat — six doubles, a homer, and eight RBIs — there’s just no space for a third catcher. That decision, while tough, is fairly straightforward.
The second roster move is murkier. Enter Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña.
Hard Choices Ahead
Baty just homered off Zack Wheeler — a former Mets ace, no less — and has been seeing beach balls at the plate lately, slashing .296/.367/.556 over his last nine games with a 156 wRC+.
Pulling him now would feel like waking someone up from a dream just when it’s getting good.
Then there’s Acuña. After a quiet start, he’s heating up with a .283 average, .356 OBP, and six stolen bases. His added versatility as a potential center field option makes him a valuable Swiss Army knife for a team that suddenly seems interested in experimenting with McNeil and Acuña in center to replace Jose Siri.
Jose Azocar could be the odd man out, given he doesn’t need daily reps. Still, he’s a glove the Mets might not want to lose if they do follow through with that center field shuffle.
No Easy Answers
If McNeil and Acuña both see time in center, Baty could survive the cut by shifting between second and third. But that’s a big if. Someone has to go — maybe Baty, maybe Azocar — and while it’s a sign of a deep, successful roster, it’s also a reminder that even good problems are still problems.
Decisions are looming, and the Mets are about to find out just how deep they’re willing to dig into their talent pool.