When the Mets kick off their home series against the Nationals this Friday, they begin a period where four of their upcoming five series will take place at Citi Field.
This is far from encouraging, considering that heading into Thursday, New York held the third-worst home record in baseball, sitting ahead of only the Nationals and the Athletics, who are playing in a minor league venue in West Sacramento, California.
Given that the franchise is entirely out of the postseason race, supporters of the Mets can hardly be blamed if they decide to skip going to the stadium or tuning in on television for the remainder of the year.
Nevertheless, for those dedicated fans who still plan on heading to the ballpark through the rest of the summer and into the start of autumn, several key storylines merit attention:
Will Bo Stay or Go?
Bo Bichette’s slow start contributed significantly to the Mets’ early-season struggles, as the offseason acquisition failed to find his rhythm at the plate until around the beginning of June.
More than two months later, Bichette’s performance has closely resembled the All-Star form he regularly displayed during his tenure with the Blue Jays.
Although his road production still eclipses his home numbers—recording a .730 OPS away compared to just .643 at Citi Field—fears that moving from shortstop to third base would permanently damage his offensive output have proved unfounded.
Additionally, the looming question of his contract opt-out remains.
Bichette holds a $42 million player option for the upcoming season, assuming it proceeds, as well as for the 2028 campaign.
Back when he was mired in his deep early-season slump, exercising that opt-out appeared highly unlikely, as he wouldn’t have commanded anything close to that figure in free agency.
Bo Bichette’s offensive numbers have improved following a sluggish start, though he continues to struggle at his home ballpark. David Richard-Imagn Images
Even with his recent turnaround, his debut campaign in New York has been a difficult one, mirroring a season of massive underachievement for the club as a whole.
However, if Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto can stay healthy next year, Bichette might benefit from a more potent lineup and find the opportunity to put together a complete offensive season.
Is Lindor Returning to Form?
Bichette is far from the only seasoned bat to show improvement as the calendar progressed. Indeed, since July 19, only eight players in baseball have posted a higher OPS than Lindor’s .961 mark.
While the shortstop has still committed an unusual number of mental and physical mistakes this year, his slow offensive start was somewhat expected following spring surgery on his hamate bone.
For the Mets to have any realistic chance of rebounding next year, they will need Lindor to sustain this high level of play.
Francisco Lindor’s bat has heated up as the year progressed, but his defensive lapses have plagued the Mets. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Defensively, this has been his least productive season to date, a decline supported by virtually every advanced metric as well as the eye test.
At 32 years of age, a dramatic defensive resurgence is hard to anticipate.
In the Spotlight
A.J. Ewing has kept up his strong two-way play, matching fellow newcomer Carson Benge. Though some observers were surprised when Ewing was shifted to left field following the trade deadline to make room for Luis Robert Jr. in center, talent evaluators remain unconcerned.
“He is a pure athlete, and shifting his defensive positions shouldn’t hinder his growth,” commented an American League talent evaluator. “He didn’t have much experience in left during his minor league days, but now they’ve proven he can handle the transition smoothly.”
Behind only Juan Soto, A.J. Ewing boasts the top home OPS (.810) for the Mets among regular batters. Getty Images
While his hitting has shown slightly more variance than Benge’s, both players are in the top five among rookies for stolen bases since Ewing’s promotion in May.
Furthermore, Ewing’s .810 OPS at Citi Field is the highest on the roster for qualified hitters outside of Juan Soto.
Promising Young Arms
As things stand, Christian Scott, Nolan McLean, and Zac Thornton are scheduled to start on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
This group of young hurlers has flashed real potential, despite facing some recent obstacles:
Scott has posted a 5.30 ERA over his previous four outings.
McLean has surrendered five home runs over his past four games, a stark contrast to his previous ten appearances where he kept the ball in the park nine times.
Thornton remains the most overlooked pitcher of the trio, even as he managed to record only seven strikeouts over his three most recent starts.
The bullpen was severely thinned out at the trade deadline by the exits of Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, and Huascar Brazobán, a situation made worse by Devin Williams’ shoulder ailment. Consequently, the Mets are searching for anyone to step up as a dependable relief option for the season’s final stretch.
Might Kodai Senga fill that role?
Given his history, that outcome appears improbable.
Meanwhile, Nate Lavender has recorded five strikeouts while permitting only three runners to reach base across 3 ¹/₃ frames. The 26-year-old was selected by New York in the 14th round of the 2021 draft.
Chris Devenski, who suited up for 13 games (making one start) for New York last season, has returned to the franchise and threw a scoreless frame for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old righty was cut loose by the Pirates last week.
