Let’s cut right to the chase: The Mets are a bad baseball team. But worse than being bad, they’re borderline unwatchable. Ah, I see I’ve already contradicted the overarching purpose of this article. Apologies, let’s start over.
Yes, the Mets are bad. And yes, the Mets have been teetering on the precipice of completely unwatchable slop for much of the first half, but there have been some bright spots so far in this season. Despite carrying a 0.8% chance of making the postseason according to FanGraphs—remember
when they started the year at 86.6%? Pepperidge Farm remembers—there are still plenty of reasons to tune in beyond our overarching love for the sport itself and passing the time with America’s past time.
Even in the worst years, there are typically things to latch on to and keep us engaged—think Jacob deGrom’s Cy Young campaign in 2018, R.A. Dickey’s march towards 20 wins and the Cy Young in 2012, watching David Wright break every offensive record in the book during some bleak years, to name a few examples—and this Mets team has a few interesting story lines heading into the second half, even if making the postseason isn’t one of them. So without further ado, here are the top things for Mets fans to keep an eye on following the All-Star break.
Juan Soto
This one’s a bit of a cop out, but come on. As bad as this season has been, we get to watch one of the most special talents on the planet play baseball night in and night out. Soto has been as advertised since arriving in Queens, even with a slow start to his 15-year tenure with the Mets. Soto finished third in NL MVP voting last year, hitting .263/.395/.525 with a 156 wRC+ and 5.8 fWAR. He hit 43 home runs, stole 38 bases, scored 120 runs, drove in 105, and set a franchise record by walking 127 times. And he was inexplicably left off the All-Star roster. That wrong was righted this year, as the fans voted him into the starting lineup. He enters the break with 21 homers, 44 runs scored, 51 runs batted in, and an even better 163 wRC+ while hitting .290/.405/.562 despite missing time early in the year with an injury.
This positive comes with a tinge of sadness, as the realization of Soto’s greatness also comes with the bitterness of understanding that the team has now wasted two prime seasons. This is now two years where the Mets cannot capitalize on prime Soto, which seems to be their M.O.—how many years of prime David Wright did the team squander? Prime Matt Harvey? Prime Jacob deGrom? Prime Pete Alonso? Prime Francisco Lindor? The list goes on and on and on.
Despite that, adding a player like Soto in free agency felt like an unrealistic dream just a few seasons ago. He plays for the Mets, and that’s worth the price of admission alone most nights. Let’s just hope the team catches up to his talent one day.
The Psychopaths (Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing)
What else is there to latch on to in lost seasons if not the youth? Benge and Ewing have been, aside from Soto, the biggest bright spots in the lineup. Benge grabbed his opportunity right out of spring training, and despite a slow start, he’s established himself as a solid bat with a terrific glove in right field. Meanwhile, Ewing debuted a little bit later than Benge but has been no less impressive. Along with Soto, the team seems to have set up their outfield for the foreseeable future.
The 23-year-old Benge entered the break hitting .263/.326/.402 with a 106 wRC+ and 1.7 fWAR in 94 games. His 11 home runs and his 1.7 fWAR are second to Soto, and he leads the club with 52 runs scored and 15 stolen bases. Then there’s the 21-year-old Ewing, who is hitting .276/.350/.439 with seven homers, 27 runs scored, 24 runs batted in, and nine stolen bases. His 122 wRC+ is second to Soto, and his 1.2 fWAR is third behind Soto and Benge. He’s done all this while playing really strong defense in center. He has also hit well against lefties as of late, showcasing another strength. Both guys have been utilized up and down the lineup, including hitting leadoff and in the middle of the lineup.
When speaking about Benge and Ewing during a broadcast earlier this season, Keith Hernandez referred to them as “two golden nuggets,” which is an apt description of the team’s two youngest talents. Their continued development will be a big talking point, and both could factor in NL Cy Young voting, which would be a nice little win for the team. If nothing else, their emergence represents a bright light in what has been a really dark season.
Scott and McLean and pray for rain
This title is a bit misleading, as this is more about the overall view of the young arms, which goes beyond just these two. All that is to say that, if all goes well, the team will have an entirely new rotation next year that is (hopefully) made up of many of these up-and-comers. Out with the old, in with the new.
Nolan McLean had a terrific debut in 2025 and looked to be the undisputed future ace of the staff, but has been a bit more uneven this year. He’s struggled with his consistency, looking as good as he did in 2025 some times and looking like he needs more seasoning in Triple-A other times. Specifically, his home/road splits are perplexing, as he dominates on the road but struggles at home. Despite that, he’s had a really solid stretch over his past few starts and could be putting his early season struggles behind him.
Then there’s Christian Scott, who missed all of 2025 but has emerged as one of the team’s best pitchers this year. He enters the break with a 3.17 ERA in 12 starts, and the Mets have won nine of his 12 outings this year. He has struggled at times to go deep into games, and after missing all of last year, it’s likely the team will ease off the gas pedal with him to ensure he doesn’t tire himself out, but he seems to have inserted himself into the team’s future rotation plans with authority.
With the team likely to trade at least one (and possibly two or three) starters—more on that later—additional will open up in their rotation. That’s where Zach Thornton and Jonah Tong come in. Thornton struggled in his first start against the Nationals, but he’s been terrific in his last two appearances. His last time out specifically, he hurled seven shutout innings and would have gotten his first career win had Francisco Lindor’s error and Devin Williams’ ineffectiveness not conspired against him. Andy Green seemed to suggest he will make his next start at the major league level, and honestly there’s no reason why he shouldn’t. And should additional spots open up, the team could give Tong another shot, despite his Triple-A struggles. Depending on how they’re feeling about his development, there’s every chance he could be back up to finish out the year in the majors and get more seasoning in the bigs. Lastly, Jack Wenninger also could be in line for a call-up at some point after the break.
The trade deadline and restocking the farm
Probably the biggest story line for the next three weeks or so is how David Stearns and the organization will handle the deadline. Is this sexy? Not in the least. But is it important? Absolutely.
A successful deadline could set the franchise up for an immediate turnaround. The team has made it known that they are open for business, but they seem to be approaching the deadline more as a retool than any sort of rebuild. They are very much building towards being competitive again in 2027, so they can seek major league talent on their returns, or at the very least will look to restock the farm to set themselves up for sustained success. With the farm system ranked 24th after graduating some of their top talent and trading some other talent, it’ll be a welcome sight to see an influx of talent (and they could look to flip the players for major league talent later on).
There are no sure things in life, but I’d venture a guess as to say Freddy Peralta, A.J. Minter, and Brooks Raley will not be wearing a Mets uniform after August 3. If the club cannot work out an extension with Clay Holmes, who is almost sure to opt out after year’s end, they could look to deal him as well, and he could be one of their biggest chips. The team will also listen to basically everyone aside from the players listed above (Soto, Ewing, Benge, Scott, McLean, and Thornton), so any number of guys could be moved. That includes younger players like Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Francisco Alvarez, and other vets like Bo Bichette, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and Luis Robert Jr.
And then there is Francisco Lindor, who figures to be one of the more intriguing trade options. While the Mets have not actively talked about shopping him, there have been rumblings about whether they would consider it, to the point that he was recently asked whether he would consider waiving his no trade (he replied “no comment” to the reporter’s inquiry). Lindor missed significant time due to injury this year, which has kept his numbers very modest compared to his career norms, but it still feels premature for the club to move on from their star shortstop or actively argue that he is in the twilight of his career. A good Mets team in 2027 almost definitely features both Soto and Lindor performing well in tandem alongside the team’s young outfielders and pitchers. Still, Stearns and the organization will likely leave no stone un-turned at the deadline, so if a tantalizing offer is presented, they will certainty consider it.
The Mets kick off their second half schedule on Thursday night as they travel to Philadelphia to face the Phillies at 7:10 PM EDT.
