NY Mets prospect promotions to AAA all but confirms the endgame with Cedric Mullins

Cedric Mullins was not the top choice for center field at the trade deadline nor was he necessarily the second-best option. The New York Mets had to pivot to him because the asking price on Luis Robert Jr. was getting ridiculously high. Harrison Bader went to the Philadelphia Phillies and probably never was going to come back after the way he finished off 2024 on the bench. There was also Ramon Laureno, an ex-teammate of Mullins on the Baltimore Orioles. But more of a corner outfielder than center fielder, it wouldn’t have fit as ideally on defense.

Left with Mullins, they haven’t been rewarded nearly enough offensively. We knew he’d be a downgrade on defense compared to Tyrone Taylor. 3 of his 4 hits have come in the last two games so maybe he is starting to heat up.

Regardless of what Mullins does, he’s likely headed into free agency. Anything short of a Daniel Murphy-like tear in the postseason and Mullins is officially a Mets rental. Even then, the Mets showed us a sign they want as many options as possible open for next year with the slew of prospects they just called up from Double-A to Triple-A.

The Mets are getting a head start on an exciting center field competition for 2026

We shouldn’t look too far ahead to the future because the present has a chance to taste a little sweeter. As badly as the Mets have performed, they’re still in the playoff hunt. They may be kissing the NL East goodbye within weeks, but the expanded playoff system should have them relevant even if they underachieve.

Jonah Tong’s promotion to Triple-A is long overdue. Ryan Clifford and Jett Williams are about right on time. It’s easy to forget how young they are, 22 and 21 respectively. Most exciting could be the quick ascent of Carson Benge. Actually older than Williams at 22, the Mets wasted no time leveling him up through the minors this season. He’ll play his next game one level away from the major leagues, a refreshing difference from the organization regularly holding back its top young players in favor of development and planned timing of promotions.

Both seasons under Stearns involved kicking the can down the road for any kind of permanence in center field. He inherited a team with Brandon Nimmo as the center fielder. He’d appear in 28 games last season at the position with just 2 in 2025; neither was a start. Rather than frustratingly repeating the cycle, the promotion of Benge after 32 games in Double-A ensures they’ll have more alternatives than Williams at the start of next season.

Would the Mets be so bold as to name one of the rookies their starting center fielder in 2026? Free agency offers few better choices with New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham being one of the stronger choices, but at a higher price than he’ll live up to thanks to a power explosion this year. At worst, the Mets choose between Benge and Williams, selecting wrongly. They can easily reset and try with the other.

Williams probably won’t end up as the regular starting center fielder, but rather a second base choice. He could intern in center field if deemed ready sooner while being the team’s pinch runner extraordinaire in games he doesn’t start.

Normally we’d see the Mets hold back Benge a little longer to get at least 50 games under his belt in Double-A. Thanks to his age and college experience, he’s more advanced than others. Cancel your late August road trip to Binghamton and instead book a flight to Syracuse. Overnight, that’s the loaded farm team.