2 NY Mets players we'll be thankful for in 2026, 2 who'll sit at the kid's table

The New York Mets are in the midst of roster shuffling, as is every team in late November. We saw Brandon Nimmo unexpectedly sent to Texas. We've seen options both exercised and declined. And plenty more rumors are circulating.

We're still a while away from opening day, but now is when the depth chart projections really heat up. With Thanksgiving coming up and the whole world taking time to reflect on what they're thankful for, we decided to do the same thing with player personnel. We'll touch on two players we'll all be more grateful for in 2026, but also two players who will show their true colors for the worse.

Let's start positive, with our thankful list.

Thankful: Francisco Alvarez

When Alvy broke onto the scene, he was an immediate fan favorite. How could he not be? His energy is infectious. All it takes is one upward swing pointed toward the sky in left field, an aggressive yet smooth flip of the bat, and a slow skip to first base with his back pointed to the field as he enthusiastically acknowledges the home dugout and fans, to light up all of Queens.

Hand up, I'll admit it, I have an Alvarez jersey. He hasn't been just an electrifying power bat. He's been a pitching staff general and locker room leader. The 25 home runs, .228 ISO, 90.1 EV, and 45.1% hard hit rate he posted during his rookie campaign certainly don't hurt either. But since that season in 2023, the results have not met that standard.

After 423 plate appearances in his rookie year, he dropped to 342 and 277, respectively. A combination of injury and slumping has caused his time in the lineup to dwindle each season. But the truth is, Francisco Alvarez isn't just a good power bat. He has a special ability at the plate. While his overall output has decreased due to a lack of total innings on the diamond, both his OPS+ and OBP% have increased steadily, as has his walk rate. And he posted the highest exit velocity and hard-hit percentage of his career in 2025, at 93.1 and 54.3% respectively.

These are metrics that point to a great hitter, not someone who had one flukey season. The kid just turned 24 this past month. Do we really think he's peaked? I'll bet on the "dip" and buy low. Assuming health, he will return to the level we've been expecting since his debut. And Queens will be lit up by his moon shots to the left field seats once again.