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Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Giants play a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Friday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

5 things to watch

The transformed roster

Before the trade deadline, the relief corps was the Mets' biggest question mark. Now, they have arguably the best bullpen in baseball.

By trading for Gregory Soto last week and then swinging huge deals for Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers on Wednesday, the Mets have added three legitimate late-inning arms to help bridge the gap to closer Edwin Diaz, who is having a phenomenal season.

And by dealing for Helsley (triple-digit fastball, filthy slider), Rogers (nasty sinker from a submarine delivery), and Soto (lethal against left-handers), the Mets will be adding three very different looks to the 'pen.

Additionally, the acquisitions allow the Mets to slot Reed Garrett (2.70 ERA), Ryne Stanek (3.82 ERA), and Brooks Raley (0.00 ERA in five games since returning from Tommy John surgery) lower on the depth chart, and should ease the strain on a unit that had been logging tons of innings while making up for a starting staff that -- outside of David Peterson -- hasn't gone deep often.

What looks great on paper will still need to translate to the field, but the Mets now have a championship-level bullpen that has a chance to be the best in their history.

In addition to the bullpen moves, the Mets found a new center fielder -- swinging a deal for Cedric Mullins on Thursday.

Mullins has picked it up offensively lately, slashing .321/.333/.547 in 57 plate appearances over his last 16 games.

Overall this season, he has hit .229/.305/.433 with 15 home runs, 19 doubles, and 14 stolen bases. His OPS+ is 103, which is a tick above average.

Will The Fab Four get going?

The Mets' Jekyll and Hyde offense was kept in check during the last two games against the Padres earlier this week, though there's the caveat that they were without Juan Sotofor most of Tuesday's game and all of Wednesday's.

Still, three of the players who were dubbed part of The Fab Four by owner Steve Cohen are all in the midst of serious slumps -- though some are deeper than others.

Soto is hitting .114/.262/.229 in 42 plate appearances over his last 10 games,Francisco Lindor is in an 8-for-59 stretch, and Pete Alonso is slashing .083/.162/.150 in 68 plate appearances over his last 17 games.

Lindor has looked a bit frustrated lately, while Soto has seemed mostly like himself -- and was done in multiple times in San Diego by horrid calls made by the home plate umpire.

The situation with Alonso bears watching, as he's started to get away from the patient approach that helped him get off to such a torrid start.

Can Kodai Senga lock back in?

Senga was dominant before hitting the IL due to a hamstring issue, and looked like he hadn't missed a beat upon his return on July 11, when he tossed 4.0 shutout innings. But things have taken a turn since.

Senga allowed four runs while lasting just 3.0 innings against the Angels on July 21, then gave up three runs in 5.0 innings against the Giants while walking five.

During his recent struggles, Senga has pointed to issues with his mechanics and overthinking.

Senga gets the ball on Saturday.

The Giants are weakened and reeling

After spending the majority of the season in playoff position, the Giants have lost eight of their last 10 games -- including six in a row -- to fall to 54-55.

They are now on the outside of the postseason picture, and their trade of Rogers to the Mets reflects their position in the standings.

As San Francisco has struggled, Rafael Devers has gotten off to a horrible start after being acquired from the Red Sox in a blockbuster trade earlier this season.

In 37 games for the Giants, Devers is hitting .219/.327/.365 with four home runs and eight doubles in 162 plate appearances over 37 games.

Robbie Ray and question marks

Logan Webb pitched on Wednesday, meaning he will miss the series against the Mets.

That leaves Robbie Ray, who is having a very good season, in line to start the series-opener on Friday night.

Ray has slowed down a bit, but was solid against the Mets in his last start this past weekend in San Francisco, limiting them to two runs on five hits in 5.2 innings.

The Giants haven't announced starters for Saturday or Sunday.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Juan Soto

Soto seems primed to emerge from his slump.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

David Peterson

Peterson has been the Mets' rock, tossing 6.0 innings or more over his last four starts while allowing just three earned runs.

Which Giants player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Matt Chapman

Chapman went deep against the Mets twice last weekend.

Tyler Rogers reacts to being traded to Mets, grateful for Giants tenure originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Tyler Rogers expressed the utmost gratitude for his seven seasons with the Giants when discussing being traded to the New York Mets at the 2025 MLB trade deadline with reporters at Citi Field on Friday. 

“I spent so long in San Francisco,” Rogers said hours before the Giants start a conveniently timed three-game series in the Big Apple. “Great people over there. I gave them everything I had. I can’t say enough about them, the people over there, the city; it’s where I started, it’s where I got drafted. I can’t say anything much more about them.”

During his tenure in San Francisco, Rogers posted a desirable 2.79 ERA with 296 strikeouts and 74 walks in 396 2/3 innings pitched. 

He wasn’t the only reliever who caught the eye of a New York team, as San Francisco traded Camilo Doval to the Yankees on Thursday.

Rogers will miss his buddies in the Orange and Black, but he was extremely thankful for the opportunity to fly with the Giants one more time before suiting up in the opposite clubhouse. 

“You know what? It was kind of a blessing because I got to say goodbye and do stuff on the plane,” Rogers said. “So, that actually worked out really well.”

The cross-country flight from San Francisco to New York offered Rogers, a Colorado native, the perfect opportunity to “put a bow” on his cherished Bay Area experience. 

Though the reliever did need a quick change of clothes, as he actually was an opponent of the Giants upon landing in New York.

“We got there Wednesday morning, and I gave my suitcase to the travel people, and I was wearing a Giants travel sweatsuit, as we all were,” Rogers said humorously. “I got traded, and I was like, ‘I need to trade my clothes.’ And they were like ‘Your bag’s on the plane already.’ And I was like, ‘Can I just ride with my bag then?’ 

“And I think there were some phone calls. …”

Rogers spoke to reporters in his new Mets gear, but he’ll always be a Giant.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Tyler Rogers reacts to being traded to Mets, grateful for Giants tenure originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Tyler Rogers expressed the utmost gratitude for his seven seasons with the Giants when discussing being traded to the New York Mets at the 2025 MLB trade deadline with reporters at Citi Field on Friday. 

“I spent so long in San Francisco,” Rogers said hours before the Giants start a conveniently timed three-game series in the Big Apple. “Great people over there. I gave them everything I had. I can’t say enough about them, the people over there, the city; it’s where I started, it’s where I got drafted. I can’t say anything much more about them.”

During his tenure in San Francisco, Rogers posted a desirable 2.79 ERA with 296 strikeouts and 74 walks in 396 2/3 innings pitched. 

He wasn’t the only reliever who caught the eye of a New York team, as San Francisco traded Camilo Doval to the Yankees on Thursday.

Rogers will miss his buddies in the Orange and Black, but he was extremely thankful for the opportunity to fly with the Giants one more time before suiting up in the opposite clubhouse. 

“You know what? It was kind of a blessing because I got to say goodbye and do stuff on the plane,” Rogers said. “So, that actually worked out really well.”

The cross-country flight from San Francisco to New York offered Rogers, a Colorado native, the perfect opportunity to “put a bow” on his cherished Bay Area experience. 

Though the reliever did need a quick change of clothes, as he actually was an opponent of the Giants upon landing in New York.

“We got there Wednesday morning, and I gave my suitcase to the travel people, and I was wearing a Giants travel sweatsuit, as we all were,” Rogers said humorously. “I got traded, and I was like, ‘I need to trade my clothes.’ And they were like ‘Your bag’s on the plane already.’ And I was like, ‘Can I just ride with my bag then?’ 

“And I think there were some phone calls. …”

Rogers spoke to reporters in his new Mets gear, but he’ll always be a Giant.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

The Mets had a big trade deadline, adding three late-inning relievers and center fielder Cedric Mullinsto a team that is looking to hold off the Phillies for the NL East title.

One thing they didn't do? Add a starting pitcher to a rotation that has some question marks, including Clay Holmes' workload and Frankie Montas' effectiveness.

Speaking after the deadline passed, president of baseball operations David Stearns discussed his reasoning, explaining that while the Mets were engaged in the market for starting pitchers, they felt they took the best course of action while addressing the bullpen.

None of the pitchers with frontline potential who were rumored to be on the block were actually moved -- a list that included Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins, Joe Ryan of the Twins, and Dylan Cease of the Padres.

The best pitcher who was traded was pending free agent Merrill Kelly, and it took a strong package of prospects for the Rangers to pry him away from the Diamondbacks.

With that as a backdrop, Stearns talked about what the Mets have in-house if a need arises -- namely top prospectsBrandon SproatandNolan McLean, who are with Triple-A Syracuse.

"They can help. It’s just a matter of their continued development and when the opportunity does arise, is it the right time," Stearns said. "Both guys have taken very nice steps forward in their development.

"We’re going to continue to challenge them. We’re going to continue to ask them to get better and work on things. They are doing a good job. If we need someone from Triple-A, we’ve got people down (there) and they are among them who can help us."

Shortly after Stearns spoke, Sproat took the mound for Syracuse and fired five dominant shutout innings.

In his five innings of work, Sproat allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out nine while throwing 95 pitches. He induced 15 swings and misses, and his fastball topped out at 100 mph.

Thursday's start was the continuation of a lockdown run for Sproat, who has allowed just three runs over his last six starts -- a span of 33.0 innings. During that stretch, Sproat has given up only 16 hits while striking out 39 batters.

Meanwhile, McLean continued to impress in his most recent start, allowing two runs on three hits in 6.0 innings while walking three and striking out six.

That came on the heels of a 7.1 inning performance on July 24 when McLean gave up two runs on four hits while walking none and fanning six.

Sproat and McLean will very likely seriously impact the Mets next season, but -- as Stearns noted -- it's their ability to possibly do so this season that helped color New York's decision to not add starting pitching at the deadline.

Here's when Dustin May will make his Red Sox debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Dustin May is set to take the mound at Fenway Park for a second straight Sunday. This time, however, he’ll be wearing a different jersey.

The 27-year-old righty is scheduled to make his Boston Red Sox debut Sunday morning against the Houston Astros, just three days after he was acquired by the team and exactly one week after he made what turned out to be his last start with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Red Sox picked up May in a trade with the Dodgers as the clocked ticked down to the 6 p.m. ET MLB trade deadline on Thursday.

Boston dealt outfield prospects Zach Ehrhard and James Tibbs III in the exchange. Tibbs III, who ranked fifth on the MLB Pipeline list of Red Sox prospects, was acquired as part of the return package for Rafael Devers. Ehrhard ranked 27th on the team’s prospect list.

May, a former top prospect who has undergone two Tommy John surgeries, is 6-7 with a 4.85 ERA and 1.346 WHIP in 2025. He was handed a loss in his final outing with the Dodgers, surrendering four earned runs across five innings in a 4-3 defeat against the Red Sox.

May was one of just two deadline pickups for the Red Sox. The team also added veteran lefty Steven Matz in a swap with the Cardinals that sent infield prospect Blaze Jordan to St. Louis.

Cooper Criswell is slated to start Boston’s series opener on Friday night against the AL West-leading Astros before Walker Buehler gets the nod on Saturday. May will then make his Red Sox debut during the Sunday morning matchup to close out the series.

Here's when Dustin May will make his Red Sox debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Dustin May is set to take the mound at Fenway Park for a second straight Sunday. This time, however, he’ll be wearing a different jersey.

The 27-year-old righty is scheduled to make his Boston Red Sox debut Sunday morning against the Houston Astros, just three days after he was acquired by the team and exactly one week after he made what turned out to be his last start with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Red Sox picked up May in a trade with the Dodgers as the clocked ticked down to the 6 p.m. ET MLB trade deadline on Thursday.

Boston dealt outfield prospects Zach Ehrhard and James Tibbs III in the exchange. Tibbs III, who ranked fifth on the MLB Pipeline list of Red Sox prospects, was acquired as part of the return package for Rafael Devers. Ehrhard ranked 27th on the team’s prospect list.

May, a former top prospect who has undergone two Tommy John surgeries, is 6-7 with a 4.85 ERA and 1.346 WHIP in 2025. He was handed a loss in his final outing with the Dodgers, surrendering four earned runs across five innings in a 4-3 defeat against the Red Sox.

May was one of just two deadline pickups for the Red Sox. The team also added veteran lefty Steven Matz in a swap with the Cardinals that sent infield prospect Blaze Jordan to St. Louis.

Cooper Criswell is slated to start Boston’s series opener on Friday night against the AL West-leading Astros before Walker Buehler gets the nod on Saturday. May will then make his Red Sox debut during the Sunday morning matchup to close out the series.

• Motherwell have won two of their past four league meetings with Rangers (D1 L1), as many as their previous 71 beforehand (W2 D16 L53). The Steelmen are looking to pick up back-to-back league wins over Rangers for the frst time since April 1960.
• Rangers are unbeaten in 30 away league visits to Motherwell (W20 D10) since a 1-0 defeat in December 2002. Only at Morton (41 from 1920 to 1987) have the Ibrox side ever enjoyed a longer unbeaten away run in the league.
• Motherwell's Jens Berthel Askou will be the frst Danish manager to take charge of a side in the Scottish top-fight since Ebbe Skovdahl, who oversaw 130 league matches with Aberdeen from 1999 to 2002 (W40 D31 L59).
• Rangers have failed to win or even score on matchday one in both of their past two league seasons (D1 L1); they last failed to win their opening game in three straight league campaigns from 1982-83 to 1984-85 (D3) – one of which was a 2-2 draw at Motherwell.
• Rangers have won their first league match under a new manager (including interim/caretaker) in seven of their past eight attempts, with the only exception being Steven Gerrard's 1-1 draw at Aberdeen in 2018-19.