Jefferson Rojas, 4 more NY Mets prospects added at 2026 trade deadline we'll see in 2027

The 2026 season was a devastating season for New York Mets fans, but there was plenty of light at the end of the tunnel come summertime. Valuable pieces from the team's disappointing roster like Clay Holmes and Freddy Peralta were used to bring in a number of really impressive group of prospects. The best part of the deadline, however, is just how quickly some of these prospects could impact the major league club. Here's five pieces for fans to keep an eye on headed into next year:

Jefferson Rojas could be 2027's Carlos Benge... if playing time is there for him.

The Mets' top prize of the deadline was infield prospect Jefferson Rojas, who came over from the Cubs in the trade that sent Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to Chicago and could be one of the many ways the team tries to get revenge for the trade that sent Pete Crow-Armstrong to Chicago. Like Carlos Benge was this past year, Rojas should firmly be in the MLB club's plans for 2027. With that being said, expecting an identical trajectory might be putting a little too much on Rojas's shoulders.

That's because there's plenty of other factors to consider in this decision for the Mets. While they had plenty of space in their outfield mix to accommodate Benge after offseason trades of Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, the same cannot be said for the infield at this point. The Mets won't be starting Rojas at first base to open his MLB career, and the rest of the infield has established veterans penciled in: Bo Bichette at third, Francisco Lindor at shortstop, and Marcus Semien at second base.

Of course, that's not to say things can't change in a hurry to clear space up for Rojas. Bo Bichette deciding to opt out of his contract and return to free agency can't be ruled out, even coming off a merely league average season at the plate. That's because the free agent class is weak enough on right-handed bats and infielders that Bichette would have a legitimate chance of clearing his outstanding salary in free agency, albeit at what would surely be a much lower average annual value.

While a Bichette opt out would leave Brett Baty as Rojas's only obstacle to regular playing time, he could feasibly grab a starting role by the summer even if Bichette remains in Queens. That's thanks to Marcus Semien, who struggled badly this year with a .620 OPS, including a .566 OPS through the end of April. A similar ice-cold start could easily convince the Mets to bring up Rojas, pushing Semien into more of a part-time role.

Zach Franklin is a lock to pitch for the Mets in 2027

Moving on to a prospect who figures to be much less impactful than Rojas, but is just as (if not more) certain to play at the big league level next year, we have right-hander Zach Franklin. Franklin was acquired from the White Sox in the Huascar Brazoban trade over the summer. He was the secondary prospect in that deal, but at 27 years old he was already on the cusp of the majors when the Mets acquired him.

Since being added to the organization, Franklin has looked phenomenal. The righty got just over 15 innings in at Triple-A Syracuse, but those innings were very impressive as he posted a sterling 1.72 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate against a 10% walk rate. While Franklin may not be vying for the closer role any time soon, he's all but guaranteed to be an up-and-down relief arm for the Mets next season who will get plenty of opportunities to stick in the bullpen.

Could Gabe Davis fight his way into a big league role next year?

Franklin may have been the closest to the majors of the two prospects Stearns landed in exchange for Brazoban, but he isn't the most valuable. That would be righty Gabe Davis, who MLB Pipeline ranks 22nd in the team's farm system. While Davis struggled badly in ten Double-A starts with the White Sox this year, a switch appeared to flip when he joined the Mets. A 26.7% strikeout rate combined with a fantastic 2.53 ERA across 21 1/3 innings makes Davis look ready for a new challenge.

That challenge will almost certainly come at Triple-A first, but that would put him just one step away from the majors. That's not to say it's a lock he'll make that step, of course. Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, Zac Thornton, and even Jonah Tong are surely ahead of Davis on the depth chart, to say nothing of veterans like Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga who could get fresh looks in the rotation next year or free agent and trade additions who could be added.

That could leave Davis pretty far down the depth chart, but Mets fans should be all too aware from their years watching Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard bounce on and off the injured list that all it takes is a tough rash of injuries to radically change the rotation picture of a given franchise. It's not at all hard to imagine that Davis could make a spot start or two sometime this year, and perhaps that could turn into a larger opportunity should he earn it.

Emilien Pitre could be the first piece of the Freddy Peralta return to reach the majors

Freddy Peralta's half year with the Mets certainly could've gone better, but that hasn't stopped smoke from beginning to percolate about a possible reunion between the two sides this winter. That will be a fun story for fans to follow this winter, but while Peralta is pitching for the Rays in the World Series, the trio of prospects the Mets received for him will be preparing for their first offseason in the Mets organization.

That trio is led by Pitre, who was the Rays' second-rounder back in 2024. Pitre was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse upon arriving in the organization, where he hit a respectable .260/.357/.370 across 20 games while playing second and third base. While Pitre lacks much power, the rest of his tool set is rather impressive. It's not at all hard to imagine Pitre making his way up to the majors sometime next year, even if he's likely to slot behind Rojas on the depth chart.

Billy Amick might be the next Mark Vientos. Is that a good thing?

One place the Mets did quite well at the deadline this year was in selling their relievers. That included a trade with the Twins that sent southpaw A.J. Minter to Minnesota in exchange for slugger Billy Amick. Amick's profile as a hulking, power-first corner infielder should remind fans of Mark Vientos, as should his torrid 12-game stretch upon joining the organization at Double-A where his OPS reached 1.179 before his promotion to Triple-A.

After crushing seven homers in those 12 games, he hit eight over his first 24 at Triple-A. That power is undeniably impressive, but it comes with contact woes; Amick hit just .198 at Triple-A this year and struck out 34% of the time. That makes clear the slugger has some work to do before he's ready for the majors, but given the dearth of internal options at first base no one should be shocked if Amick finds his way onto the big league roster before the end of the year without an external addition.

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