1 NY Mets prospect who looks like he’ll be on the MLB roster before Brandon Sproat

Brandon Sproat made his 2025 debut on Sunday without much success. The cosmically universal number one New York Mets prospect according to practically anywhere you look struggled to get out of the third inning.

Much of the attention on the Syracuse Mets this year, at least in the first few weeks, will be on the pitching staff. Both the legitimate prospects and the veterans in the bullpen with MLB experience will have our eyes on them. It takes a literal army of arms to get through a major league season. Sproat, whom many went into this season believing could have an impact on the rotation early in the first-half, remains one of the most attention-grabbing of the players in Triple-A.

His struggles in Triple-A along with a few other factors could have him a little further away from making his MLB debut. It was a fast rise last year for him. However, if the Mets need a young starting pitcher on the staff for a prolonged period of time, Blade Tidwell might make more sense.

Brandon Sproat is the more highly-regarded Mets pitching prospect but it’s Blade Tidwell at a now or never status

Tidwell is at a crossroads of his career. Eligible for this December’s Rule 5 Draft, the Mets will need to make a choice if he isn’t already on the 40-man roster. Do they leave him available for a team to claim away as what happened with Mike Vasil and could have with Dom Hamel? The results of this season will determine exactly how they feel about him. A strong enough season could negate the process altogether as Tidwell would already be on the 40-man roster.

Tidwell had a strong debut on Friday for Syracuse, going 5 innings and allowing just 1 earned run. A somewhat forgotten Mets prospect despite being drafted in the second round in 2022, he’s younger than Sproat and yet far more experienced. He has been pitching in the minors since 2022 and has followed a pattern many notable Mets prospects have.

Remember when Francisco Alvarez would reach a new level and struggle? It happened with Tidwell. His ERA jumped from 3.09 in 2023 to 4.72 in Double-A back in 2023. Last year, his 2.41 ERA in Double-A made a similar climb to 5.93 in Triple-A.

The health of the Mets starting pitching staff and performance of the ones they can easily dump due to the contract obligations will play a role in whether or not Tidwell actually reaches the majors this season. He has been somewhat of a workhorse over the last two seasons, logging 116 innings in 2023 and another 122.1 last year. The 23-year-old should very much be in the conversation to join the Mets as early as possible this year as long as all of the signs of being MLB-ready are there. The team has already dipped into its depth chart with Tylor Megill. Although he doesn’t currently have a spot on the 40-man roster, some open spots will allow the Mets to add him when and if the need arises.

Tidwell isn’t a “must” for this year and doesn’t have to be forced into MLB action. But if all things are equal between him and Sproat, we should expect him to get the nod first if for no other reason than the upcoming Rule 5 Draft decision the team will need to make after the season concludes. The latest update on Sean Manaea should have the Mets looking closely at Tidwell as a possibility as soon as they shift to a six-man rotation or shortly thereafter.