For the first time in a long, long time, the Mets have an elite farm system, one that is lauded as one of the strongest in the game. One of the most significant ways the Steve Cohen-era Mets have consistently improved is the quality of their prospects, starting with the teardown during the 2023 trade deadline, to the hiring of David Stearns, and how he and Kris Gross (Vice President, Amateur Scouting) have revamped the Mets’ drafting and development apparatus.
However, it also may be having an unintended
consequence, especially when it comes to offensive free agents this winter. The offseason has moved at a glacial pace, with some big signings and trades happening here and there, but the vast majority of players still available as we get towards the New Year. The Mets are no different, as they slowly replace the departures of Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, and Pete Alonso, among others. That, in turn, has made people antsy, questioning what the plan is for 2026.
As we sit here today, it is hard to see the full vision of the offseason, mostly because it is far from complete yet. However, something that has seemingly gone under the radar is the strength and proximity of the Mets’ position player prospect pool, and how that may or may not influence how the Mets move this winter.
The Mets have a pretty regular set of Top 100 prospects that get mentioned, in some various order: Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, Jonah Tong, A.J. Ewing, and Jett Williams, with names like Brandon Sproat, Jacob Reimer, and Ryan Clifford also sometimes sprinkled in as well. Of course, some of these are pitchers (McLean, Tong, Sproat), and pitchers occupy a different role here, since you need so many starters since they are injury prone by nature, so we can ignore them for this exercise. That leaves us with Benge, Ewing, Williams, Reimer, and Clifford, which is a lot of names.
On top of the quantity of names, all of them are close to the major leagues. Benge, Williams, and Clifford all made it to Triple-A last year, putting their Major League ETA squarely in 2026. Reimer and Ewing are a bit behind, peaking in Double-A last year, but could be on the later 2026 radar, and likely on the 2027 radar. Frankly, whether you like this or not, the fact that they are so close to the majors is likely influencing the offseason plans.
Carson Benge is almost certainly going to be the Mets’ center fielder when Opening Day rolls around. Jett Williams could be used as trade bait due to the Marcus Semien acquisition, or move around the diamond as a utility player considering he can play both the middle infield and the outfield. Ryan Clifford is a first baseman with power, which is a help for the Mets at either first base or designated hitter. Now, of course, it is impossible for us to say who will or who will not pan out, but the only way to find out is by giving them a chance.
For the record, this article is NOT advocating for the Mets to just play rookies around Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, because that would be organizational malpractice. However, I do think it can help inform what the Mets may be looking for when it comes to the rest of the offseason.
Jorge Polanco signing for two years and $40m is a good example of this. If Ryan Clifford is good, then he and Polanco can split time at first and DH in 2027 — and if he is not, you can just play Polanco. If Jett Williams is still around and Semien regresses further, then there is an easy swap between the two. I would wager the Mets offseason is largely built around players like this, unless a Kyle Tucker falls into their laps, or they can get a Kazuma Okamoto, which renders Clifford as tradable.
The Mets should continue to be opportunistic for the rest of the offseason. Due to the strength of their upper minors (imagine reading that sentence on this website five years ago), they do not have to force any signings, especially when there is not a can’t-miss free agent available. When someone like Juan Soto pops up, or a Gunnar Henderson/Ronald Acuna Jr. hits free agency in 2028, you pursue them and figure out how your prospects fit around them. But when the position player crops are more understated, like after the 2026 and 2027 seasons, you have to pick your spots a little more carefully.
