Anthony DiComo, MLB.com’s Mets beat reporter, held an “Ask Me Anything” this week on Reddit with Mets fans at r/NewYorkMets. This mailbag features excerpted questions and answers from that event (some lightly edited for clarity). The full AMA is available to read here.
On a scale from 1-10, how confident are you that this team can make a deep playoff run, and why or why not?
Let's call it a solid 5.
Reasons for pessimism: The Mets have demonstrated significant, significant flaws, no doubt about it. I’m never going to be sold on this rotation, outside of David Peterson. The Francisco Alvarez thumb injury hurts a lot. Plus, even accounting for the Zack Wheeler thing down in Philadelphia, the Mets have put themselves in a position where getting a first-round bye is going to be really, really tough. If you don't do that, let's face it -- you're a coin-flip shot just to make it out of the Wild Card Series. So it’s hard to get more excited than a 5.
All that said, the Mets should still make the playoffs fairly easily in my eyes. (If they drop below the Reds, I have no sympathy for anyone.) If they do, teams aren't exactly going to be lining up to face a club with Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso in October. If Nolan McLean is the real deal (and he sure looks like it), the rotation thing becomes a lot more palatable. And there's still a very real chance we see Brandon Sproat (ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Mets' No. 5 prospect) before the end of the season, too. I still think this is a more talented club on paper than the one that made it to Game 6 of the NLCS last season. So it's certainly not outlandish to think this bunch can also go far.
Which Mets top 10 prospect has you most excited about?
I’m super excited to see No. 4 prospect Jonah Tong at the highest level. Over the past year, I’ve watched multiple scouts revamp their evaluations from “flash in the pan” to “hey, maybe he’s got a shot” to “holy [bleep], this guy’s legit.” (I'm paraphrasing here.) He's just such a unique prospect. The stuff is out of this world. He’s a total athletic freak. The body type is concerning from a long-term health perspective, but for now ... yeah. That's one interesting prospect the Mets have got down there in Syracuse.
Regarding the pitching staff, how do you foresee the rotation filling out towards the end of the season? Sproat/Tong coming up? Clay Holmes in the ’pen? I'll hang up and listen.
I do think Sproat has a chance to come up soon. He's been killing it down in Syracuse, and the Mets would like to add a sixth starter at some point next week to ease this stretch of 16 games in 16 days. To my knowledge, team officials haven't begun talking names for that start, but I'm sure Sproat's will at least be in the conversation. Even if Sproat doesn't get the call, it would be hard to keep him down all September given his recent results at Syracuse. He has a full year of Triple-A experience at this point -- the last two months of it very, very good.
And yes, at some point, the Mets are going to have to figure out who's in their playoff rotation and who's not. But they're still a couple weeks away from having to make hard decisions like booting someone from the rotation. The boring answer (as usual) is that these situations tend to work themselves out. Not everyone is going to stay healthy through the end of the season.
Can you see the Mets using Francisco Alvarez as a DH in September once rosters expand, assuming he can play through his thumb injury?
I don't see that as super realistic, no. The thing with Alvarez right now is hitting. If he's healthy enough to hit with any sort of authority, he should be healthy enough to catch, as well. He's either going to be their starting catcher or end the season on the IL, most likely.
Do you know the Mets’ long-term plans for Brett Baty? Do they have plans to transition him to a full-time third baseman, or are they just going to platoon and use him as a utility player?
I don't think the Mets are really thinking beyond the season at this point. They'll reevaluate third base in the offseason, and that could be a difficult conversation. For now, though, team officials have clearly decided that Mark Vientos is a DH only, and Baty is their best option at third most nights. He'll continue playing there more often than not.
How do you see Christian Scott factoring into the pitching staff when he’s back healthy at some point in 2026? It feels like he’s been completely forgotten given his injury.
Definitely not forgotten, but this is the nature of the beast with Tommy John surgery.
The good news with Scott is he should be fully ready to go by the start of Spring Training. That said, it's not like we're talking about an established starter with years in the league. He's going to have to prove not only that he's healthy, but that he's one of the Mets' five best options at the start of the season. There's definitely a world in which he's in their Opening Day rotation. There's also a world in which he starts in Triple-A as the Mets look to ease him back into a full-time workload.
What’s your favorite food at Citi this year?
As far as new offerings go, I'm a big fan of the curried chicken patty at Chef Kwame's Patty Palace.
Also ... I haven't tried this yet, but the Taste of the City stand in center field was offering a sausage banh mi last homestand. I intend to try it next week ... have never seen Vietnamese food at a ballpark before.