3 NY Mets players who’ve already earned an elevated role on next year’s roster

August and September is open tryout season for the New York Mets. Not officially eliminated, it’s dizzying to believe they actually can sell at the trade deadline and somehow end up in the playoffs. It’s not as if they’ve made up for their 12-game losing streak in April. They’ve played some of their best baseball post-trade deadline, but the reality is they managed to beat up on below average ball clubs otherwise known as their peers.

Playing some catch-up in August gives players an opportunity to pad stats, show us what they’ve got, and give the kids a chance to learn what it’s like to win. Most important of all and easiest to measure is how certain players perform. Although the spotlight isn’t on the team, the individualized pressure has some heat.

No, the competitions aren’t over yet. There’s time left for players to win or lose playing time next year. But from what we’ve seen already, these three have at minimum earned an elevated role next season.

Put these three Mets players on your shoulders in 2027

1) Jared Young

Jared Young probably doesn’t have 162 games in him for the 2027 season (or whatever 100% of the games we get ends up being). However, there is no doubt he has risen well above being the last man to make the team out of camp.

Young is batting .266/.335/.446 with 8 home runs and 29 RBI. More notable is his 118 WRC+. Although he lacks the at-bats to qualify, he would be just within the top 50 in MLB in this statistic. He’s not a top 50 hitter in the sport over the course of a full season. What Young does give the Mets would be one of the best part-time, and full-time when needed, sluggers they could ever imagine and for cheap. His .826 OPS against right-handed pitchers is far too great to dismiss.

2) Daniel Duarte

He doesn’t scare anyone, but he gets outs. Daniel Duarte hasn’t been the ground ball machine the Mets expected him to be. At 38%, he’s notably below the rate he had in his last close-to-full season in 2024 when he was at 50% with the Cincinnati Reds. It hasn’t made a difference. Hitters are batting only .119/.192/.179 against him.

A 0.89 ERA through 20.1 innings of work, the Mets don’t have the luxury optioning him to the minor leagues. Considering how wide open their bullpen has become post-trade deadline, there’s plenty of room. It would be a mistake to not trust him as a capable middle reliever. Cheap and effective, he has already passed his audition.

3) Nate Lavender

Here’s where Nate Lavender fits in: he’s your second-best lefty and a guy you can option to the minors if he doesn’t work out well enough. Only 26-years-old and getting used in the most LOOGY way you can in the era of the three-batter minimum rule, Lavender has thrown 5.1 innings across 6 appearances and has yet to allow a run. In fact, he has only 1 hit allowed with a pair of walks and 6 strikeouts.

Lavender hasn’t been able to completely avoid right-handed hitters either. While lefties are 1 for 9, righties have gone hitless in all 9 chances. Both of his walks did come against them. It’s a minor hiccup on what has been an excellent start to his major league career. At the rate he’s going, Cionel Perez doesn’t have much of a role next year other than to maybe linger around in case of a preseason injury.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow