Whose number is next to be retired by Mets?
Former Mets player David Wright looks on during his number retirement ceremony before the game between the Mets and Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field on Saturday. Credit: Getty Images/Ishika Samant
Who’s next?
Now that the Mets have retired David Wright’s No. 5, which former player or players are in line for that honor in the future?
Since Steve Cohen bought the Mets in 2020, the team has cleared what many considered a backlog of either retiring numbers or inducting players into the team’s Hall of Fame (in Wright’s case, he was granted both honors on Saturday).
If the Mets decide to do either in 2026 for any former player, it will be decided in the offseason. Here are some of the leading candidates:
* Former closer John Franco. The club’s all-time saves leader with 276, Franco first wore No. 31 with the Mets but gave it up when the club acquired Mike Piazza in 1998. Franco switched to 45. Piazza’s 31 was retired by the club in 2016.
* Former catcher Gary Carter’s No. 8. Though Carter went into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Montreal Expos, he is beloved in Flushing for his leading role with the 1986 World Series champions. Carter died in 2012.
* Former centerfielder Mookie Wilson’s No. 1. Wilson is always around Citi Field as an ambassador for the Mets. He spent the first 10 years of his career with the Mets from 1980-89.
* Mets Hall of Famers. The Mets have multiple players who are in their Hall of Fame but have not had their numbers retired, including Carter, Franco, Wilson, Bud Harrelson, Rusty Staub, Ed Kranepool, Cleon Jones, Jerry Grote, Tug McGraw, Tommie Agee and Al Leiter.
* Current players. If they finish their careers with the Mets, it seems certain that Brandon Nimmo (9), Francisco Lindor (12), Pete Alonso (20) and Juan Soto (22) eventually will see their numbers hanging from the rafters at Citi Field. All but Alonso have long-term contracts with the Mets.
But that’s a ways away.
The Mets have retired the numbers for Piazza, Dwight Gooden (16), Keith Hernandez (17), Gil Hodges (14), Jerry Koosman (36), Willie Mays (24), Tom Seaver (41), Casey Stengel (37) and Darryl Strawberry (18).
Jackie Robinson’s 42 has been retired throughout baseball since 1997.
Alvarez update
Catcher Francisco Alvarez went into Saturday batting .240 with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs for Triple-A Syracuse. When might he return to the Mets?
“I’m not going to put a timeline [on it], but he is in the conversation,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s doing everything we’re asking him to do. So again, it could happen at any moment. But the big thing for us is that he continues to work on and continues to improve in the things that we’re asking him to do.”
Mendoza said the reports on both sides of the ball have been promising.
“Basically, everything we’ve seen — the power, obviously, with the way he’s been driving the baseball to all fields — but the defense, the reports that we’re continuing to get are pretty impressive,” he said. “The receiving, the blocking, everything that we’re asking him to do, he continues to make improvement on it.”
Of Alvarez’s defense, Mendoza said: “We just wanted to see some consistency there. Framing, blocking, just in general as a catcher, and he’s doing that. He’s putting himself in a position where we continue to have those conversations, and we’ll see what happens here.”
Extra bases
The Mets called up righthander Kevin Herget from Triple-A Syracuse and sent down lefthander Brandon Waddell, who pitched 3 2⁄3 innings of relief in Friday’s 8-4 loss to the Reds.
Herget, 34, made one appearance for the Mets on April 29 before being claimed by Atlanta, making an appearance for that club on July 1 and returning to the Mets on a minor-league deal.
Brooks Raley, in his first appearance since April 19, 2024, struck out two in a scoreless inning. Raley had been out after having Tommy John surgery.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
