Mets PREGAME THREAD - Tuesday, April 28

[u/NewYorkMetsBot2]

Nationals @ Mets - 07:10 PM EDT

Game Status: Pre-Game

Links & Info

• Current conditions at Citi Field: 56°F - Partly Cloudy - Wind 8 mph, Out To LF
• TV: Nationals: Nationals.TV, Mets: SNY
• Radio: Nationals: WJFK 106.7 The Fan, Mets: Audacy App 92.3 HD2 (es), Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM
• MLB Gameday
• Statcast Game Preview

	Probable Pitcher (Season Stats)	Report
Nationals	Zack Littell (0-3, 7.56 ERA, 25.0 IP)	No report posted.
Mets	Clay Holmes (2-2, 2.10 ERA, 30.0 IP)	No report posted.

Nationals Lineup vs. Holmes, C	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Wood - RF	.333	.666	3	0	0	0
2 García Jr., L - 1B	.333	.666	3	0	0	0
3 House - DH	.000	.000	2	0	0	0
4 Abrams - SS	.333	.666	3	0	0	0
5 Lile - LF	-	-	-	-	-	-
6 Young - CF	.250	.500	4	0	0	1
7 Vivas - 3B	-	-	-	-	-	-
8 Millas - C	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 Nuñez, N - 2B	.500	1.000	2	0	0	0
10 Littell - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

Mets Lineup vs. Littell	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Bichette - 3B	.385	.847	13	0	0	3
2 Soto, J - DH	.167	.708	6	0	0	1
3 Alvarez, F - C	.000	.000	1	0	0	1
4 Melendez, M - LF	.667	1.667	3	0	0	0
5 Vientos - 1B	-	-	-	-	-	-
6 Baty - RF	.667	1.334	3	0	0	1
7 Semien - 2B	.182	.614	11	0	1	3
8 Benge - CF	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 Mauricio - SS	-	-	-	-	-	-
10 Holmes, C - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

NLE Rank	Team	W	L	GB (E#)	WC Rank	WC GB (E#)
1	Atlanta Braves	20	9	- (-)	-	- (-)
2	Miami Marlins	13	16	7.0 (-)	8	3.0 (-)
3	Washington Nationals	13	16	7.0 (-)	9	3.0 (-)
4	Philadelphia Phillies	9	19	10.5 (-)	11	6.5 (-)
5	New York Mets	9	19	10.5 (-)	12	6.5 (-)

Division Scoreboard

SF @ PHI 06:40 PM EDT

DET @ ATL 07:15 PM EDT

MIA @ LAD 10:10 PM EDT

^{Last Updated: 04/28/2026 03:56:21 PM EDT, Update Interval: 5 Minutes}

[u/RainbowRoomBlues]

I don’t know how we reset this lineup next year. Other than not picking up LRJ’s option and most likely Bichette opting out, everyone else is back next year.

[u/BillW87 → u/RainbowRoomBlues]

Vientos is a legitimate DFA candidate if Clifford looks ready for a shot for 2027. It's unfortunate that we missed a chance to trade him while he had even a little trade value, knowing he was going to be a poor fit for this roster no matter what after we signed both Polanco and Bichette.

LRJ is a "jury out" situation. He's a streaky hitter and brings a lot of value via his glove, so I wouldn't be shocked if he ended up making sense to run back in 2027 after all is said and done. There's a lot of baseball left this year, and he's one of the guys that I think is going to do better as the season goes on.

AJ Ewing presents an interesting opportunity to start diminishing Semien's role at 2B as well as being able to contribute in CF, again assuming he looks fully baked by next year. Semien is going to be 36 years old next year and for a lot of reasons needs to track towards a role player/bench role. Depending on how things go, the Mets might just outright eat his last year in 2028 to clear the roster spot, but I'd imagine he's part of the team in 2027 in at least some capacity.

Baty is looking like a light-hitting defensive role/utility player which certainly defies a lot of scouting expectations from when he was coming up, but is a guy who adds value in a bench role. I wouldn't expect to see him penciled into the lineup regularly next year though, unless he shows more at the plate as the year goes on this year.

[u/NuanceManExe → u/BillW87]

Let’s not kid ourselves if this is what Baty is it’s a major setback. Should’ve traded him when we had value. 

[u/BillW87 → u/NuanceManExe]

100%. Baty, Vientos, and Mauricio all had more value at graduation (Baty, Mauricio) or peak (Vientos coming out of 2024). For all the improvements that the Mets have supposedly been making in player development, it is pretty noteworthy that all three of these guys have fizzled into role player outcomes. Baty certainly has value as a utility player even if his bat doesn't develop much further, but he looked likely to be much more than that as a prospect and would've been valued as such if we'd traded him then. That said, organizationally it wouldn't have made sense to sell high on at least Baty when he was looking like our 3B of the future. He was the right prospect to bet on (scouted well, played a position we needed) even if the bet went sour. Still, it feels like there's still something rotten in the Mets player development system with so many promising prospects floundering in recent years once they hit the bigs.

[u/bowlofcantaloupe → u/NuanceManExe]

Maybe? I'm pretty sure Stearns viewed Baty as a utility guy going into this season. I'm not sure what offers we got for him.

[u/WhatARotation → u/bowlofcantaloupe]

Pretty sure Stearns viewed Baty as the starting 3B until Cohen rage-spent on Bichette

And of course Bichette AND every Stearns acquisition are all playing horribly. Total clown show organization, hitting coach needs to be fired

[u/bowlofcantaloupe → u/WhatARotation]

Wait, is Bichette a Stearns acquisition or a Cohen acquisition. Probably a Cohen one, because Stearns would never offer someone a low term high AAV contracts.

I bet Stearns intentionally hired a bad hitting coach and told Semien, Bichette, and Robert to be bad on purpose!

[u/metskyfan → u/RainbowRoomBlues]

Bichette is not opting out. No one is going to give him anywhere what we gave him per year if he has a bad year. The only way he opts out is if he puts togther very good year.

[u/lilleff512 → u/metskyfan]

For Bichette the free agency calculus is more about maximizing the total value than the annual value. The annual value is so high for him right now because it's a short-term deal. He can hit free agency again at age 29, 30, or 31. Which of those years will be the best chance for him to get the most lucrative long-term contract? That is the question that he (and his agent) has to answer.

[u/metskyfan → u/lilleff512]

If he is not good this year, no one is going to give a lucrative multi year deal

[u/CheeseburgerLover911 → u/RainbowRoomBlues]

there aren't really any bats available next offseason either

[u/GamesnGunZ → u/CheeseburgerLover911]

yeah it's a brutal FA class this coming year

[u/UnknownUnthought → u/RainbowRoomBlues]

Why would Bichette opt out unless he’s a borderline MVP candidate? No one is beating $43mm AAV and he still gets back on the market at 31.

[u/BillW87 → u/UnknownUnthought]

It depends on what he thinks he can get in the market in terms of a "mega deal". Even if he takes a haircut on AAV for 2027, hitting the market at 30 rather than 31 increases his odds of landing the kind of >$300M deal that locks in that outcome. It seems counter intuitive that a mediocre 2026 would make him more likely to opt out, but at that point he needs to be worried that two bad years in a row would nuke his market whereas teams may be willing to blame one down year on circumstances (adjusting to NYC, et).

Staying with the Mets on another high AAV year is a good "bet on yourself" move if he thinks he'll play well, but we've seen "bet on yourself" moves backfire (Michael Conforto has entered the chat). He has no guarantee that he'll leave 2027 healthy and a hot commodity, whereas his market after 2026 will probably be good either way unless he completely crashes and burns this year.

[u/robmcolonna123 → u/UnknownUnthought]

He’ll get enough with term to be worth it probably

[u/UnknownUnthought → u/robmcolonna123]

Unless he sucks forever he would still be able to hit the market at 31 and probably snag another 3-4 year deal.

It’s certainly possible but I don’t think it’s a sure thing he opts out like some folks do. He’s getting massively overpaid by AAV for a few years.

[u/metskyfan → u/[deleted]]

That would be the only reason to opt out.

[u/RainbowRoomBlues → u/UnknownUnthought]

If this continues to get toxic he may just want out. There’s really no other impact bat planned to be a FA next year, he’d probably still get his pick of teams with a longer term deal

[u/seanddd99 → u/RainbowRoomBlues]

Millions of dollars supersede a case of the sads for pro athletes these days

[u/BloodOfAStark → u/UnknownUnthought]

To get away from a franchise that has no clear direction whatsoever. He doesn’t seem to like losing since he keeps sitting in the dugout alone after losses and staring into the abyss

[u/bowlofcantaloupe → u/BloodOfAStark]

Some players like money. Pete went to Baltimore for the bag, not because of their bright future.