Credit to the Mets Front Office
When the best players perform, everything else can fall into place. This has certainly been true for the Mets, but their front office deserves credit for making the moves that set the stage for this turnaround.
First, the decision to DFA Jorge López, who had posted a 6.23 ERA in his last 15 appearances, was crucial. They replaced him with Danny Young, who allowed just one run in seven appearances before being sent down when Edwin Díaz returned from the IL last week.
On May 31st, the Mets made the somewhat surprising decision to option both third baseman Brett Baty and rookie standout Christian Scott. While Baty’s demotion was expected due to Mark Vientos’ strong performance, Scott’s was more puzzling. Scott had a solid 3.90 ERA in his five starts, going at least six innings in three of them. As a top-25 prospect, he was one of the few bright spots for fans in May, but his presence forced the Mets into maintaining a six-man rotation.
With Tylor Megill and David Peterson returning from the IL, the Mets sent Scott down and brought up Dedniel Núñez, who had impressed in previous stints. Núñez had thrown two scoreless innings as the 27th man in a doubleheader on May 28th. Including that appearance and the six since he rejoined the 26-man roster, Núñez has allowed just one run and four hits with 16 strikeouts over 11 1/3 innings.
Núñez provides manager Carlos Mendoza with another reliable reliever for high-leverage situations and multiple innings of relief, a role Reed Garrett has excelled this season. With Garrett, Núñez, and Sean Reid-Foley (1.69 ERA in 21.1 IP), the Mets have a strong trio of setup men to bridge the gap to Díaz.
Additionally, demoting Baty allowed the Mets to add José Iglesias to the roster, giving them a true backup utility infielder. In the series sweep against the Nationals, Iglesias started ahead of Jeff McNeil in all three games, facing left-handed pitchers and hitting .400 in his first 25 at-bats.
On the last day of May, the Mets also made a key trade with the Yankees for catcher Luis Torrens, who had an opt-out in his minor league contract. To make room for Torrens, the Mets released Omar Narváez, who had been struggling with a .154/.191/.185 slash line and a -0.8 fWAR, the worst on the team.
Despite some skepticism, Torrens has been a revelation. In his first nine games with the Mets, Torrens has hit .333/.385/.750 with three home runs, including a multi-homer game off Patrick Corbin. He has also excelled defensively, throwing out three of four base stealers and ending the London Series with a spectacular 2-3 double play.
Torrens quickly claimed the backup catcher role, leading to the release of Tomás Nido, who had been with the organization for 12 years. With Torrens and Francisco Álvarez, the Mets now have a formidable catching duo.
The combination of strategic roster moves and the resurgence of their star players has the Mets looking like a team on the rise. The front office’s decisions have put the Mets in a position to capitalize on their recent success and maintain their momentum moving forward.
Mets World Series Winner +8500
