Mets Face New Year With Talented Freshman Class
PLUS: CRAZY TRADES SPICE UP THE GAME
Reader Reacts to Bregman Comment
“Your comment about Alex Bregman and Wrigley winds is irrelevant.
First, Wrigley winds are notably capricious. They blew in quite a bit in 2024, helping Cubs pitchers, but returned to a more normal pattern in 2025.
See the attached Alex Bregman spray chart from last year. You will see that a lot of balls he hit at Fenway that were doubles off the Green Monster would have been home runs at Wrigley.
I look for him to have a big year with the Cubs.”
— Al Yellon, Chicago
Pregame Pepper
Anyone who doubts the Phillies are an old ballclub should check out these ages: Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Aaron Nola are 33 this season, JT Realmuto is pushing 35, and already-injured Zack Wheeler hits 36 in May . . .
Think San Diego has a long drought? It last won an NLCS 28 years ago . . .
Houston manager Joe Espada and GM Dana Brown have expiring contracts . . .
Same with Angels pilot Kurt Suzuki and his boss, Perry Minasian . . .
Three Tigers starters who can be free agents this fall: Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, and Casey Mize . . .
After inking a two-year, $45 million pact, A’s pitcher Luis Severino posted a terrific 3.02 ERA on the road but a woeful 6.01 in Sutter Health Park, the minor-league Sacramento facility where the Athletics play while their Las Vegas park rises . . .
Because the Boston Red Sox outfield is loaded with Wilyer Abreu, Ceddane Rafaela, and Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran is either a trade chip or a designated hitter.
Leading Off
Mets Have Multiple Chances at 2026 NL Rookie of the Year Honors
By Ray Kuhn
It’s all about the next big thing. That’s become our never-ending quest as we are always looking towards the future. In a lot of situations, the buzz becomes quite noisy, and sometimes, it is more warranted than others.
But what if that player is hiding in plain sight?
In fairness, you are forgiven if you thought the race for National League Rookie of the Year was already over. Can anyone really compete with Konnor Griffin?
Not only does Griffin’s reputation precede him after an insane 2025 season in which he rocketed through the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor-league system, but he’s backed that up with two insane home runs so far this spring. And Griffin falters, isn’t up to the lofty expectations, or has to spend substantial time in the minor leagues, it doesn’t mean we are without options.
Sal Stewart had a successful cup of coffee towards the end of last season with the Cincinnati Reds and brings potential with him into 2026. The same can be said for top prospect JJ Weatherholt as he looks to have an everyday role with the St. Louis Cardinals.
And then let’s go to New York.
The fact that we got this far into an article about the 2026 National League Rookie of the Year and have yet to talk about Nolan McLean.
At a time when the Mets needed it most last year, McLean emerged on the scene. After a strong minor-league career in which he flashed his upside, McLean took advantage of now being a full-time pitcher. That shift has only served to benefit McLean and has given him more time to work on his craft and become a true pitcher as opposed to a talented thrower.
In eight starts with the Mets last season, McLean finished with a 5-1 record while averaging six innings per start. Not only did he strike out over 10 batters per nine innings, but McLean had a ground ball rate of 61.1%. That translated into a 2.06 ERA (3.56 xERA and 2.97 FIP).
The future is bright, and McLean got off to a great start with four hitless innings in his first start this spring. McLean struck out six and appeared to be in mid-season form — a good thing as he prepares for the World Baseball Classic. If it weren’t for the acquisition of Freddy Peralta, McLean would potentially be the Opening Day starter for the Mets.
While he deserves attention, and it’s warranted, everyone knows that McLean is a good pitcher. But he’s not alone. He’ll likely be joined on the Opening Day Roster by Carson Benge.
It’s no secret that Benge is one of the better prospects both in the Mets’ system and in baseball overall. There had been talk at varying times this winter about Benge figuring prominently in the Mets’ 2026 plans. While the trade for Luis Robert, Jr. took center field away, other than on the days that the veteran rests or is inevitably injured, right field is very much open.
The shift of Juan Soto from right field to left couldn’t have worked out better for Benge. Right field happens to be his natural position and the Mets have a clear opening. They have been focusing more on young talent and Benge is a perfect example of this.
After a strong career at Oklahoma State, Benge was taken in the first round of the 2024 draft by the Mets. He began last season in High-A and ended in Triple-A which sets himself up perfectly for this season.
Between the three levels, Benge hit .281 in 116 games with 15 home runs, 73 RBI, 87 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases. It’s a well-rounded skill set only enhanced by his 13.1% walk rate and there’s a lot to like with his 17.7% strikeout rate.
With three hits in eight at bats so far this spring, Benge hasn’t looked overmatched. It was also telling that he hit atop the lineup, and in front of Juan Soto, on Friday.
While the Mets are clearly trying to win now, we also can’t overlook their young players looking to make their debut. Benge is doing his best to be part of those plans and deserves our attention.
Ray Kuhn can be found covering Fantasy Sports and the MLB on Fantrax, Prospects Live, Dr Roto, and the Big Lead after previously covering the Houston Astros as part of the FanSided network at Climbing Tal’s Hill. Reach him on X/Twitter at @ray_kuhn_28 or raykuhn57@gmail.com as he is always interested in talking or writing about our great game.
Cleaning Up
Zany Swaps Are Always Fun to Follow
By Dan Schlossberg
Before the advent of agents, multi-year contracts, and no-trade clauses, baseball history included a myriad of ridiculous trades.
Frank (Trader) Lane, perhaps the most impulsive general manager in baseball history, broke hearts in two cities when he engineered the trade that sent American League home run champ Rocky Colavito from Cleveland to Detroit for batting champ Harvey Kuenn on the eve of Opening Day 1960.
Despite massive protests that included heartsick teen-aged girls in Cleveland hanging Lane in effigy, the frenetic front-office executive waited only a few months before sending Joe Gordon, then managing the Indians, to the Tigers for Jimmie Dykes. It was a trade that helped neither team, as many swaps often do.
Long-time Detroit broadcaster Ernie Harwell was once traded for a catcher. He was announcing for the minor-league Atlanta Crackers when Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey heard him on the air.
Seeking an emergency replacement for regular announcer Red Barber, who was ill, Rickey called Atlanta owner Earl Mann to ask for Barber’s release. Seeing an opportunity, Mann asked Rickey to send him catcher Cliff Dapper, then playing for the Dodgers farm club in Montreal. Mann wanted Dapper as a future manager.
Rickey agreed, launching Harwell’s long Hall of Fame career, which also included gigs with the New York Giants and Baltimore Orioles.
Cash-pressed clubs also made some unexpected trades.
Joe Engel, the innovative owner of the Chattanooga Lookouts, once needed a turkey for a Thanksgiving dinner. He called Charlotte owner Felix Hayman, who also owned a butcher shop, and sent him shortstop Johnny Jones in trade for a plump turkey.
Other player-for-food swaps happened when Wichita Falls traded Euell Moore for a plate of beans, when Dallas shipped Joe Martina to New Orleans for two barrels of oysters, and when San Francisco sent Jack Fenton to Memphis for a box of prunes.
When in the minors, future Hall of Famer Lefty Grove went from Martinsburg, West Virginia to Baltimore for a center-field fence. The maneuver began when Jack Dunn, who owned the minor-league Orioles, learned that Martinsburg needed a fence it could not afford. He paid the bill and got Grove in exchange.
An earlier Hall of Fame pitcher, Cy Young, was once swapped by Canton to Cleveland for a suit of clothes. Once with the Indians, he became the biggest winner in baseball history (511 victories).
Some trades have a lot of bite: Minneapolis manager Joe Cantllon sent outfielder Bruce Hopper to the Chicago Cubs for a hunting dog.
Players have also been traded for golf clubs (Nashville’s price for Charlie “Greek” George) and even an airplane (Omaha’s Barney Bush got one for two players).
The St. Louis Browns, a team that always seemed to have money trouble, trained in Montgomery, AL one year but had a leave a player (Clyde “Buzzy” Wares) behind when it couldn’t pay the cost of renting the field.
The 1905 Detroit Tigers also paid their spring rent bill with one of their players, leaving pitcher Eddie Cicotte in Augusta, GA when the rest of the team went north.
HtP weekend editor Dan Schlossberg is the author of 43 baseball books, including The New Baseball Bible, Here’s the Pitch 2026, and Home Run King: The Amazing Record of Hank Aaron. He also covers the game for forbes.com and other outlets. Dan’s email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Extra Innings: Was Artificial Turf Deadly?
Found this online from Jim Koenigsberger a few days ago:
"The Philadelphia Inquirer found dangerous chemicals in the astroturf of the now-demolished Veterans Stadium. Six Phillies who played on that turf, Tug McGraw, Darren Daulton, John Vukovich, John Oates, Ken Brett, and David West died of a rare and aggressive brain cancer. All died in their 40s or 50s, roughly three times the rate of the average adult population. Even more alarming was their mutual diagnosis of glioblastoma.
“The Phillies sold pieces of turf in sealed 4 x 4" bags. The Inquirer purchased four of those on eBay. Samples analyzed by two separate labs found 16 types of dangerous chemicals in the turf. They are referred to as ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t break down and can last in the human body for years. The US federal government estimates that 12,000 artificial turf fields containing PFAS or “forever chemicals” exist in the USA.”
Timeless Trivia: Reporter’s Notebook
Homers aren’t everything: the Yankees led both leagues last year with 274 — 83 more than the Toronto Blue Jays, who took the Dodgers 11 innings in Game 7 before losing the World Series . . .
Surprise, surprise: Kyle Schwarber, not Juan Soto, has the best OPS against southpaws over the last two seasons (.933) . . .
Here’s his pitch: former slugger Joey Gallo, primarily a strong-armed outfielder during his career, hopes to resume his career as a pitcher . . .
Remember me? One-time Dodgers prodigy Yasiel Puig faces up to 20 years in jail after a jury found him guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to federal prosecutors.
Know Your Editors
Here’s the Pitch is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.