Mets' offense shows potential, plus 4 other takeaways from the club's final long road trip of the season
Mets' Bo Bichette celebrates after hitting a three-run RBI double in the fourth inning against the Pirates at PNC Park on Aug. 9, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pa Credit: Getty Images/Justin Berl
The Mets have concluded their last long road trip of the season and now must play out the stretch and salvage whatever they can from a lost season. After taking series against the Guardians and Pirates, they wilted against Atlanta, but they learned some valuable lessons along the way.
Here are five takeaways from the nine-game set:
1. The offense has potential
This doesn’t mean a whole lot for this year, but one of the most notable parts of the trade deadline exodus is that it didn’t touch this team’s offensive core. The Guardians and Pirates have excellent pitching staffs, and in those two series, the Mets outscored them 42-27.
Carson Benge (.394), Bo Bichette (.361), Jared Young (.345) and Luis Robert Jr. (.296) have been on absolute heaters since the trade deadline. Benge is the future and Bichette is starting to look like the player we’ve all come to expect; if he does not exercise his player option, he should acclimate far more quickly to his environment next season. Translating any of that is a huge boon.
2. Next year’s rotation looks pretty good
And that’s mostly thanks to the three rookies — Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Zac Thornton. Forget the fact that all three pitch well (though that’s obviously the biggest factor); they’ve all shown an ability to navigate major-league lineups even when not at their sharpest.
Thornton gritted his way through Atlanta’s lineup Wednesday despite admittedly not having his best stuff and has a 2.78 ERA in eight starts.
Beyond that, Sean Manaea has rediscovered his heater, giving the Mets hope that he can make a meaningful contribution next year.
If the pieces fall into place, that puts this team a front-line starter away from having a very respectable rotation (but throw a depth piece in there as well, just in case).
3. Kodai Senga may be salvageable
Senga has never been able to touch the incredible promise he showed in 2023, but this latest bullpen experiment is intriguing.
By using him in short bursts and in high-leverage situations, interim manager Andy Green is underlining Senga’s greatest strengths — a fastball he can dial up to about 100 mph and the disappearing ghost fork that made him so dominant to begin with.
With Devin Williams on the shelf with a right shoulder strain and a bullpen gutted by the trade deadline, the Mets have the opportunity to see if they have something real in Senga’s new role.
4. The Mets may have something real in Nate Lavender
It’s been a long journey for the amiable lefty, who suffered two major elbow injuries — a UCL tear and bone spurs — both of which required surgery. But the Mets didn’t coddle him: He made his debut with two on and two out in the seventh inning and the Mets holding a 4-2 lead over the Guardians. That’s when Lavender, the 412th overall pick in the 2021 draft, stared down lefthanded-hitting Travis Bazzana, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft, and struck him out looking on an immaculately placed four-seamer.
Lavender has yet to allow a run in 3 1⁄3 innings, and though the sample size is small, the Mets continue to be impressed with what Green calls his “heartbeat.”
“Especially in relievers, you have to be able to trust the heartbeat,” he said. “I think he was about to slow that game down.”
5. The Mets may be able to do something with Robert
Robert was one of the players who seemed likely to depart at the trade deadline, but there were no offers tantalizing enough for the Mets to part ways with the oft-injured outfielder, who has a club option for 2027.
The Mets likely won’t want to spend $20 million, but he has shown flashes of the Robert of old since returning from the injured list. He could be an interesting platoon option and defensive substitution next year if they find a way to keep him on the field.
Robert is hitting only .203 since returning from the IL but often has said he hits better with consistent playing time, and he is 8-for-22 with two homers and five RBIs in his last six games. If the Mets are successful in converting him into a corner outfielder, they might consider buying him out for $2 million and signing him to a reduced contract as a depth piece — that is, if he keeps this pace going.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
