SNY analyst predicts the NY Mets reunite with 2 past players with bad endings

SNY’s Anthony McCarron decided it was time to put a bow on the offseason and make some final predictions. Focusing on the New York Mets and Yankees, as well as what could happen to their top potential targets, he put a claim in that the Mets would end up with Framber Valdez along with a pair of exes whose tenure didn’t end so well.

First, there’s Chris Bassitt. I genuinely like the idea of signing him. He’s the good secondary rotation addition for the Mets to make. He eats innings and will pitch you through a 162-game season easily. The ERA might creep over 4.00 and there’s always a chance his age catches up to him.

The rotation is set with Valdez and Bassitt in, with no mention of what the Mets have traded away (we can assume it’s Kodai Senga and David Peterson). In either case, McCarron doesn’t envision the Mets signing Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger. Their outfield addition is Harrison Bader.

We can work in Chris Bassitt, but re-signing Harrison Bader isn’t appetizing for a player who was benched for a good portion of his time

Bassitt’s time with the Mets ended badly with a poor start in Atlanta and another in the playoffs. McCarron tells us to get over it. We should.

Bader is different. He was a good Mets player to begin the year before reality set in. Much like the criticism of Tyrone Taylor for too much playing time, Bader was also exposed in 2024 when he went on a steady decline late in the year. The circumstances are much different now. He’s coming off of a productive year that took him from the Minnesota Twins to the Philadelphia Phillies. We regularly killed the Mets in 2025, wearing both uniforms.

Bader had his starting job in center field taken away from him in 2024. He also happened to underperform, batting below the .200 mark in August and September. He had only 9 plate appearances in the three rounds the Mets played in the postseason, often coming in as a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch runner.

The logic is there to sign him. However, with the knowledge that Carson Benge is barking for major league playing time, why would Bader want to repeat history all over again? It’s a case of “been there, done that” and far too fresh to revisit.

The Mets had a chance to trade for him last summer, instead choosing Cedric Mullins. It was a mistake they paid for. No closer to having a center field solution that isn’t a repeat of Taylor with a hope and a prayer Benge is near-MLB ready, Benge is a sensible free agent addition who statistically makes sense but historically doesn’t.

A good center fielder who can hit and play defense is hard to find. The Mets need to do something more at the position. This isn’t it; not because it’s a bad move but because the player should already see the writing on the wall.