Category: Baseball

With the Mets falling short and missing the playoffs after such high expectations for the 2025 season, many would like to point the blame at Carlos Mendoza.

President of baseball operations David Stearns is not one of them and expressed his belief in Mendoza's ability to lead New York on Monday, confirming that he will return as manager of the club for the 2026 season.

"Yeah, Carlos is coming back next year," Stearns made clear.

Mendoza helped the Mets to an 89-73 record during the 2024 season, knocking off the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card Series and the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series, before falling to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the NL Championship Series.

Stearns acknowledged the 2025 season was a completely different story. The Mets had the best record in baseball on June 12 at 45-24, but due to poor pitching, lack of clutch hitting, defensive issues, and injuries, the team went 38-55 from June 13 on, the fifth-worst record in the bigs over that span and finished outside of the postseason with an 83-79 record. Mendoza is now 172-152 over two seasons.

Despite the second-half downfall, Stearns is still very much confident in Mendoza as manager and personally took the blame for a number of the 2025 team's issues, including pitching.

"I believe Carlos has all the same traits and assets that I believed in when we hired him two years ago," Stearns said. "I think over the course of his tenure here, he has demonstrated that.

"We had a tough year this year, there's no question. We are all disappointed, we are all frustrated. Mendy, as much or more than anyone else. But I still believe he's a very good manager and I think he's going to demonstrate that."

As for the rest of the coaching staff, Stearns said everyone under Mendoza will be evaluated. SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported Sunday night that it can be expected for there to be "notable and perhaps widespread changes to the coaching staff" this offseason.

"We're going to go through an evaluation of our entire coaching staff and we'll do that over the course of the coming days to a week, and then we'll make our decisions there," Stearns said.

He added: "We're going to certainly sit down and look at everything, including our coaching staff. It's normal after any season to do a coaching staff evaluation. When you come off a season like this, it's certainly going to be a little more intense."

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was blunt, forthcoming, and reflective on Monday, speaking at Citi Field a day after New York's season ended in abject failure at the hands of the Marlins in Miami.

"I'm the architect of the team," Stearns said at the beginning of his news conference. "I'm responsible for it."

And while taking responsibility, a lot of focus was spent on the Mets' failure to prevent runs, which was a two-pronged issue caused by the pitching and defense. Stearns also touched on the offense, but much more of his time was spent alluding to what went wrong with the starting rotation -- and how to fix things.

"From a roster construction perspective, on the run-prevention side of the ball, we didn't do a good enough job of fortifying our team when we had injuries midseason," Stearns said. "Clearly, that was a point in our season where on the run-prevention side of things we went from a very good team to a team that wasn't good enough to maintain a sizable lead -- not only in the division, but in the playoff chase. 

"Our defense wasn't good enough, and that certainly contributed to our pitching challenges. And then offensively, we had a number of players who had really good years. But we failed to score the runs that we needed to score despite those really good years. You add all that up, and you get to a team that underachieved greatly. We know that. I certainly know that. And we're gonna work really hard to fix that going forward, learn from this, and do a heck of a lot better."

After storming out of the gates to a 45-24 record in mid-June, things turned for the Mets.

Before getting injured, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill had started to regress badly. Kodai Senga also suffered an injury, compounding the rotation issue since Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas were still out while rehabbing injuries suffered in spring training.

Faced with a rotation that was in disarray, the Mets were in a tough spot.

In the weeks after the injuries hit, New York utilized a handful of bullpen games and gave starts to pitchers like Paul Blackburn (they lost all four of his starts in June) and Blade Tidwell.

They also decided to not call Nolan McLean up at that point, even though he was performing in largely dominant fashion for Triple-A Syracuse.

While Stearns said the team should've done more over the summer to address the issue, he did not regret not adding to the rotation at the trade deadline.

"I think holistically as I look at our pitching staff, we needed to do more over the course of the season," Stearns said. "That is very clear. What we were faced at at the deadline? I think our fanbase would be perhaps even more upset if we had made some of those moves. But the entirety of our run-prevention unit was not good enough this year."

Above, Stearns seemed to be referencing the reported prices for the starting pitchers who weren't moved, which was relatively outrageous.

Regarding how the Mets will fix the rotation for 2026 and beyond, Stearns wouldn't rule out anything and noted that adding a top starter via free agency or trade is possible. But he stressed the need to develop top of the rotation starters, which the team might have just done with McLean.

Stearns also touched on what he learned during the season, and cited a need to be more proactive and aggressive.

"I think on a number of levels there are areas where we can probably be a little bit more proactive," he said. "And I can be a little bit more proactive. I think some of these lessons we're still investigating and still fully understanding various aspects of our team. But there are clearly times in the season, times over the offseason, where I can be a little bit more proactive."

He later noted:

"We are making the best decisions we possibly can with the information we have at the moment. I made the best judgments I did -- clearly some of them didn't work out. Now we try to learn and move forward."

In addition to the struggles of the starting pitchers who were healthy, the Mets were left in a precarious spot when it came to depth. And the bullpen was impacted because the starters didn't pitch deep enough into games.

Neither issue was lost on Stearns.

"We need more innings out of our starting staff," he said. "There's no question about that. We were on the edge for the first two and a half months this year, where we were getting five-plus innings per start pretty consistently. That worked because it was happening every night. The minute you then get your 2 1/3 inning start, you get into trouble. That got us into trouble this year -- when we stopped getting the consistent five-plus inning starts, and occasionally there was the really short start. And then the next start was 5 1/3 innings. That gets you into trouble."

Stearns added:

"Yeah, we were hit by injuries. But every team is hit by injuries, and we have to be able to have sufficient pitching depth to overcome that. And clearly when we got hit by injuries in the middle of the season, we did not have the depth to overcome that."

The billionaire owner of the New York Mets apologized to fans on Monday, after the team crashed out of the 2025 MLB season without securing a spot in the playoffs, despite boasting a $340 million payroll that’s one of the league’s highest.

“I owe you an apology,” Steven Cohen, who bought the team in 2020, wrote on X on Monday. “You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part. We will do a post-mortem and figure out the obvious and less obvious reasons why the team didn’t perform up to your and my expectations.”

“I know how much time and effort you have put into this team,” he added. “The result was unacceptable.”

The club’s season ended Sunday with a 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, prolonging the 39-year World Series drought for the Mets.

"There are no words to describe what we’re going through," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "It’s pain, frustration, you name it. We came in with a lot of expectations, and here we are going home. Not only did we fall short. We didn’t even get into October. Pissed. Sad. Frustrated. You name it."

The disappointing end to the campaign comes despite a promising season where in mid-June the Mets had the best record in baseball.

“I said at one point in the year, I felt like it was the most talented team I’ve ever played on,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo told MLB.com after the loss in Miami. “And we weren’t able to make the playoffs. That’s obviously coming up short and a failure in my mind.”

However, that momentum fell apart, as the Mets suffered three different seven-game losing streaks and saw stars including Kodai Senga, Griffin Canning, and Tylor Megill pick up injuries.

While the team had the second-best offense in the National League, commentators also pointed to poor defense down the regular season stretch as a hole for the Queens-based team.

Mets fans have been eager to see Cohen’s splashy tenure at the team pay off, one that’s seen blockbuster contracts like 2021’s $341 million deal for Francisco Lindor and last year’s record-breaking $765 million bid for Juan Soto.

They got a taste of that progress last year, when the Mets made it to the 2024 National League Championship Series.

Personnel changes are expected at the Mets in the offseason, with first baseman Pete Alonso saying he will opt out of his deal and become a free agent, while closer Edwin Diaz says he’s considering doing the same.

There are reportedly no plans to fire Mendoza, though.

Bruce Bochy open to ‘conversation' with Buster Posey on Giants managerial return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After the Giants announced the dismissal of now-former manager Bob Melvin on Monday, plenty of eyes turned to Bruce Bochy’s future with the Texas Rangers given the open vacancy on San Francisco’s top dugout step.

After all, Bochy led the Giants to three World Series titles from that step — and it turns out, he isn’t exactly shutting down the idea of a potential reunion after he and the Rangers mutually agreed to part ways on the same day Melvin was fired.

In an exclusive conversation with John Shea of The San Francisco Standard on Monday, Bochy said he “would always have a conversation with [president of baseball operations] Buster [Posey]” about the Giants, though he’s currently “sorting everything out” after three seasons with Texas.

While Bochy’s mutual separation from the Rangers would make it seem like he’s hanging up his hat — for good, this time — his comments to Shea show he’s at least open to the idea of managing in San Francisco again, though there’s always the possibility of a different role either in the Bay or back in Texas. The Rangers said Bochy can return as an advisor, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Monday.

Posey on Monday told reporters, “We’ve got to get back to a place where we’re getting in the playoffs, we’re making runs in the playoffs. That’s what our fan base deserves. That’s what the city deserves.”

While Bochy is a four-time World Series champion, it’s unclear if he would be the answer, and it’s certainly fair to say he represents the same “old-school” mindset the Giants just parted ways with. Aside from their 107-win 2021 MLB season, the Giants haven’t finished above .500 since 2016, and Bochy finished his last three seasons as San Francisco’s manager from 2017 to 2019 with a .440 winning percentage (214-272).

And, ironically enough, the 2025 Giants under Melvin’s leadership finished with the same record as Bochy’s Rangers at 81-81.

But from Day 1, Posey has said the Giants are in the memory-making business — and Bochy holds the key to some of the best memories in Bay Area sports history, a place where he loved to work.

“You know, I’d probably leave a note telling him he get the best job in baseball,” Bochy said in his final postgame Giants presser back in 2019, when asked what note he would leave for San Francisco’s incoming manager.

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Blake Snell did not sound bitter. Somehow, he was not wracked with regret.

Rather, when asked at his introductory Dodgers press conference this past offseason about the most infamous moment of his career, he took a brief moment to think. Then, unexpectedly, he expressed gratitude instead.

Five years ago, Snell was pitching the game of his life in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series. With his Tampa Bay Rays facing elimination against the Dodgers, he had answered the bell with five one-hit, nine-strikeout, virtually flawless Fall Classic innings.

What happened next remains controversial to this day. Snell gave up a one-out single in the sixth inning to Austin Barnes. Rays manager Kevin Cash came to the mound with a stunningly quick hook. The Dodgers went on to mount a rally against the Tampa Bay bullpen, snapping a three-decade title drought while the left-handed ace watched on from the bench. And in the aftermath, the second-guessing of the decision was as immediate as it was decisive.

Read more:Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Reds in the NL wild-card series

Almost everyone else in the baseball world thought Snell should have stayed in.

Over time, however, the pitcher himself came to view it as a valuable lesson.

“It was a moment in my life that I’m very appreciative of,” Snell said this winter, donning a Dodger blue jersey for the first time after signing with the club for $182 million as a free agent.

“If I wanted to stay out there longer, I should have done a better job before that game to make that decision easier on Kevin. It's ultimately up to me to be a better pitcher there in that moment.”

Five years later, he’s about to get his chance for postseason redemption.

Snell’s debut season in Los Angeles did not go as planned this year. He made two underwhelming starts at the beginning of the campaign while quietly battling shoulder soreness. He spent the next four months sidelined on the injured list, returning in time to make only nine more starts down the stretch.

Although his final numbers were strong (a 2.35 ERA, 72 strikeouts in 61 ⅓ innings, and Dodger wins in seven of the 11 games he did pitch), his injury left his overall impact limited.

To Snell and the team, though, none of that matters now. Their union was always rooted in postseason success. And on Tuesday night, when the Dodgers open a best-of-three wild-card series against the Cincinnati Reds, it is Snell who is expected to take the bump for Game 1 at Dodger Stadium.

“That’s why I came here,” Snell said amid the Dodgers’ division-clinching clubhouse celebration last week. “Get to the postseason, and see how good I can be.”

Read more:Clayton Kershaw caps off legendary career with a win, Dodgers complete sweep of Mariners

It’s an opportunity that’s been half-a-decade in the making.

Ever since breaking into the majors in 2016, and winning his first Cy Young Award with an immaculate 21-win, 1.89-ERA season two years later, Snell’s raw talent has never been in question. No starting pitcher in the history of the sport (minimum 1,000 career innings) has averaged more strikeouts per nine innings than his 11.2 mark. Even in the game’s modern era, few have possessed such a wicked arsenal, with Snell’s slider and curveball alone boasting a whopping career whiff rate of roughly 50%.

What Snell hasn’t done, however, is prove himself to be a workhorse. He has never had a 200-inning season. He has never gone six full frames in any of his 10 playoff starts. Through the years, he has been dogged by high walk rates and inefficient outings and a tendency to simply waste too many pitches. When Cash came to the mound in that sixth inning of the 2020 World Series, it only reinforced his five-and-dive reputation.

That’s why, when Snell looks back on that moment now, he views it through a lens of valuable perspective.

“I just learned, the manager’s job is to do whatever he thinks is gonna help the team win, and my job is to make him believe I’m the best option for us to win,” Snell said this past weekend, when asked about that ignominious Game 6 again. “And I didn’t do a good job of that, because he took me out.”

Thus, Snell has been on a different mission over the five years since. He not only wants to get back to the World Series and win his first championship. But he wants to do so as a bona fide October ace, the kind of anchor of a pitching staff that can get deeper into outings.

“[The playoffs are] where you want to see: What kind of player are you? How do you handle pressure situations? When everything is on the line,” Snell said. “That’s why I like it. It really allows you to understand who you are as a pitcher, where you’re at, and where you need to grow … How to find advantages to push yourself deeper in the game.”

The last time Snell pitched in the playoffs, such goals remained a work in progress. As a member of the San Diego Padres in 2022, he amassed just 13 ⅔ innings over three postseason starts, recording a 4.61 ERA while walking nine total batters.

Over the three seasons since then, however, he feels he has made more tangible strides. In 2023, he won another Cy Young by going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA, averaging close to six innings per start despite a major-league-leading 99 walks. Last year might have been even more transformational, even as he battled injuries with the San Francisco Giants.

Read more:Dodgers beat Mariners, but which players will make the wild-card roster?

During his lone season in the Bay, Snell picked the brain of Giants ace Logan Webb, who has led the National League in innings pitched over each of the past three seasons. Their talks centered on the value of short at-bats, the importance of “dominating the inside part of the plate,” and the significance of executing competitive misses on throws around the edge of the zone.

“That was probably one of my biggest years of growth and development, in the sense of how to go deeper into games,” Snell said.

The results certainly backed that up, with Snell rebounding from an injury-plagued first half to post a 1.23 ERA over his final 14 starts. In an early August trip to Cincinnati (his last time facing the Reds ahead of this week’s playoff series), he threw his first career no-hitter on just 114 pitches.

“That no-hitter was insane,” said current Dodgers outfielder and former Giants teammate Michael Conforto, who like Snell went from San Francisco to Los Angeles as a free agent last offseason. “He just had everything working. He was hitting every corner. He knew exactly where he wanted to put it, and he put it there every time.

“That’s the kind of performance he’s capable of every time he goes out,” Conforto added. “It’s just a very, very tough at-bat. Especially when he’s throwing strikes.”

This year, Snell’s evolution has continued around the Dodgers — where manager Dave Roberts has lauded him as a “next-level thinker” for the way he can read opponents’ swings, figure out their tendencies in the batter’s box, and adapt his plan of attack to what he feels a given matchup requires.

Since returning from his early-season shoulder injury, Snell has increasingly tapped into top form. He has cut down on walks and wasted pitches. He has posted a 2.41 ERA over his nine second-half starts. His last three outings in particular: 19 innings, one run, 28 strikeouts and only five free passes.

Read more:World Series hangover? Dodgers feel battle-tested for October by repeat challenges

The most important development has been his relationship with Roberts, who left Snell in the game after late-inning mound visits in each of his last two starts, and watched him escape high-leverage jams.

Those moments could be invaluable as the Dodgers enter the playoffs, giving Roberts a level of confidence to push his likely Game 1 starter and cover for what has been an unreliable bullpen.

“He understands his role on this ballclub,” Roberts said. “When you put a starter in a position where they know they have to go deeper, you’ve got to just naturally be more effecient.”

It’s a skill Snell has been honing ever since that fateful October night five years ago. Starting Tuesday night, it’s about to be tested again.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The postseason is upon us, and while a Mets-Dodgers Wild Card series would have been a great way to kick it off, especially bookended against the Yankees-Red Sox matchup, this still figures to be a wild October.

That is, it feels like anybody could win it all after a season in which no team won 100 games, and the expected super-team Dodgers have to fight their way through a Wild Card series.

With that in mind, here are nine bold playoff predictions:

Brewers can't get it done

It’s a nice story, the small-market Brewers posting the best record in baseball this season, with 97 wins, but their history of failure in the postseason in recent years puts a lot of pressure on them going into October, and I think it will be more of the same.

They’re the ultimate grind-it-out team, putting the ball in play, out-hustling teams on a daily basis. But talent usually wins in the postseason, and the San Diego Padres, after defeating the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round, will simply out-talent them.

Garrett Crochet sets the tone

Crochet had a Cy Young-worthy season coming over to Boston, and he dominated the Yankees along the way, going 3-0 with a 3.29 ERA in four starts against them. The Yanks scored five runs in one of his starts but only five combined in the other three, including a seven-inning gem in the Bronx in August.

As such, I think he sets the tone for the Wild Card series by winning Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, outpitching Max Fried and dominating through seven innings.

Aaron Judge struggles, Yankees lose

Judge had his moments against the Red Sox this season, with five home runs and a 1.008 OPS in 13 games against them, but he also struck out 22 times in 56 plate appearances as Boston pitchers attacked him inside. And Crochet was especially tough on him, so I think the Yankees’ captain will have to wait a little longer for his breakout October.

And as well as the Yanks finished the season, it’s hard to forget how poorly they played against good teams for most of the season, or that the Red Sox were especially tough on them, winning nine of 13 games -- including five of seven in the Bronx.

It should be an entertaining series, likely going three games, but I think the Yankees’ bullpen will cost them at least one game, and it’s hard not to like Alex Cora over Aaron Boone in such a short series.

It’s Cal Raleigh’s year

It’s very close, but I’d give the MVP to Judge, who had another historic season, with a combination of high batting average and power that should be rewarded. Yet I think Raleigh will stamp this as his year with a big October, building on those 60 home runs he hit in the regular season.

Raleigh was clutch all season for the Mariners, slugging over .600 with an OPS over 1.000 hitting with runners in scoring position, with two outs and RISP, and high-leverage situations as well, as defined by Baseball Reference. So I’m saying he hits some big home runs that makes this a memorable October for him.

Dodger blues

The Los Angeles Dodgers were supposed to be unbeatable this season, after spending another gazillion dollars in the offseason, yet they won only 91 games, third-best among NL division winners, meaning they have to play a Wild Card series against the Cincinnati Reds.

As an aside, it’s a shame the Mets aren’t part of this. It would have made for great fun if they had done their part to earn the third Wild Card spot and give them a shot at knocking out the Dodgers in a rematch after last year’s NLCS.

I don’t give the Reds much of a chance, despite their strong starting pitching. The Dodgers should advance, setting up a big-stage NLDS against the Phillies. And while LA’s high-powered starting pitching is the healthiest it has been all season, it’s the bullpen -- their Achilles heel all season -- that will cost them a shot at repeating as champs.

The Dodgers’ pen had a 4.27 ERA this season, ranking 21st in the majors, with 26 blown saves. Tanner Scott, the most sought-after free agent reliever last winter, has been a bust, and there have been plenty of other culprits. As a result, LA may use starter Tyler Glasnow out of the 'pen, at least in the Wild Card series, as well as fellow starters Emmett Sheehan and Roki Sasaki, who was injured for most of the season.

Shohei Ohtani shines

It won’t be enough to save the Dodgers from a disappointing October, but Ohtani will stamp himself as the most remarkable player in baseball history, as he takes his two-way talents into the postseason.

To a large extent, Ohtani has already done that, hitting 55 home runs this season while returning to the mound from elbow surgery in the second half, pitching to a 2.87 ERA over 47 innings.

Now he’s expected to line up as the Dodgers’  No. 3 starter in the postseason, behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell. He seems built for the biggest moments, famously striking out Mike Trout to win the World Baseball Classic for Japan in 2023, and he’s a good bet to make this a memorable October, at least on a personal level.

Jhoan Duran the difference-maker

Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski rather famously has a win-now mentality as a GM, more willing than most these days to give up top prospects in pursuit of a championship. And the case in point this year was his trade deadline deal to get Duran from the Minnesota Twins.

That deal, along with the late-season signing of David Robertson, were just what the Phillies needed for a bullpen that has cost them in postseasons past. The Mets likely could have had Duran if they’d been willing to trade better prospects than they gave up for Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers, and it’s fair to say that decision was a big part of why they fell short of the postseason.

Duran hasn’t been perfect for the Phillies, but he’s been mostly dominant, pitching to a 2.18 ERA with 16 saves in his two months since the trade. And I think he’ll be big reason the Phillies win what should be a heavyweight NLDS against the Dodgers.

Kyle Schwarber steps up

Schwarber had regular a spectacular season, hitting 56 home runs and totaling 132 RBI, and his knack for delivering in the clutch (1.252 OPS with two outs and RISP) fees like it could put the Phillies over the top in the NL and get them to the World Series.

It would be quite a feat, considering they lost ace Zack Wheeler to a season-ending shoulder injury, but the Phillies have the depth in the rotation to overcome it, and they have a team of October-tested veterans that should thrive in this postseason.

So I have them knocking off both the Dodgers and Padres to get to the World Series, with Schwarber leading the way and setting himself up for a huge payday as a free agent this winter. 

The Mariners? Yep, the Mariners

Why not? This might be the most wide-open postseason ever in baseball, with no super powers in sight, so in that sense it would be fitting for the Seattle Mariners to finally break through.

They’ve been underachievers for much of their existence, going all the way back to 2001, when they set the modern major league record by winning 116 games during the season, only to lose meekly to the Yankees in the ALCS in five games.

Since then they had only reached the postseason once before this season -- in 2022 -- and promptly got swept by the Houston Astros. But this year feels different. They went on a 17-1 roll in September to lock up the AL West title, sweeping the Astros in Houston last week to win the division.

With Raleigh leading the way, their offense is dangerous, and their strong starting pitching is mostly healthy after dealing with injuries during the season. But if Bryan Woo’s pectoral strain keeps him out of the rotation, that could hurt the Mariners’ chances.

All in all, it feels like anybody’s year. And nobody personifies anybody quite like the Mariners.

What are Red Sox options with Lucas Giolito sidelined vs. Yankees? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Red Sox manager Alex Cora might have to get creative with the season on the line.

That’s the reality with veteran right-hander Lucas Giolito sidelined due to an elbow injury. Giolito was left off the team’s American League Wild Card roster before the best-of-three playoff series against the Yankees. Giolito was expected to start either Game 2 or Game 3, but that’s no longer the case.

Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet will start Game 1 against Yankees lefty Max Fried while right-hander Brayan Bello will get the ball in Game 2 opposite left-hander Carlos Rodón.

“We’ll go the first two games, then we’ll decide,” Cora said at Yankee Stadium on Monday before Game 1 on Tuesday night. “Obviously, we have some kids over there who have started lately. But first thing’s first: Crochet, Bello and if we have to make a decision for Game 3, we’ll go from there.”

Here are a few options if the Red Sox and Yankees split the first two games and hold a winner-take-all Game 3:

Connelly Early, LHP

A rookie making his playoff debut at Yankee Stadium? And doing so less than one month after being called up to the big leagues? It would be a nerve-wrecking situation for the Fenway Faithful. But Early feels like the best option for the Red Sox. He struck out 11 batters in his MLB debut and has displayed a pitch mix that helped him produce like Boston’s fourth-best starter after Crochet, Brayan Bello and Giolito. In four starts, the 23-year-old recorded a 2.33 ERA with 29 strikeouts to four walks in 19.1 innings.

Longtime Red Sox insider and current radio host Tony Massarotti believes Boston should give the ball to Early if a Game 3 presents itself. In fact, Massarotti said he would’ve preferred for Cora to go with Early even if Giolito was healthy.

“I like the idea of throwing a lefty in New York,” Massarotti said.

Crochet complimented Early ahead of the series.

“The pitchability is beyond his years, man,” Crochet said. “It’s really good plus stuff. Five pitches for strikes and the swing and miss component. I think he’ll be a huge bolster to the staff here in the postseason.”

Kyle Harrison, LHP

Harrison is another young left-hander, but has more experience despite also being called up to Boston earlier this month. Harrison, who was traded to the Red Sox in the Rafael Devers deal, recorded a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings in Boston. He struck out 13 batters with five walks in three games (two starts).

Harrison has made 37 starts in the big leagues, including 30 starts for the Giants the last two seasons. He hasn’t pitched in a postseason contest, though.

Bullpen game

Cora’s decision could come down to whether or not Early and/or Harrison were used in Games 1 and 2. If the Red Sox use either or both in relief, there’s a chance Cora will go with a bullpen arm in the starting spot. Heck, even if neither are used in relief Cora still could opt for such strategy.

That’s what Massarotti believes will happen.

“That’s my guess,” Massarotti said. “I hope it’s Early. I hope he goes with Connelly Early and then if he gets in trouble goes to the bullpen. Cora, in that situation, will trust himself. He’ll manage the game with relievers and get through it that way.”

Mets owner Steve Cohenapologized to the fans following Sunday's loss, which resulted in the team missing the playoffs after racing out to a 45-24 record.

"Mets fans everywhere. I owe you an apology," Cohen wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part. We will do a post-mortem and figure out the obvious and less obvious reasons why the team didn’t perform up to your and my expectations.

"We are all feeling raw emotions today. I know how much time and effort you have put into this team. The result was unacceptable. Your emotions tell me how much you care and continues to motivate the organization to do better. Thank You to the best fans in sports."

The Mets entered the year with World Series expectations, but had one of the worst records in baseball from the middle of June through the end of the regular season.

That resulted in them falling out of playoff position, even though they had a chance in the final weekend to secure a spot in the postseason.

Had the Mets won Sunday's game against the Marlins in Miami, they would've punched their ticket to the Wild Card Series, where the Dodgers were waiting.

Instead, the Mets lost, 4-0, bringing their campaign to a close.

As the Mets look to reshape their roster ahead of the 2026 season, there are lots of burning questions.

Among them: the futures of Pete Alonsoand Edwin Diaz, how to fix the starting rotation, and whether the offensive core will be shaken up. 

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns will hold his end-of-season news conference on Monday at 3:30 p.m. It will air live across SNY's social media platforms. 

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