BY MIKE RIFKIN
For the first time in three months Jonah Tong pitched for the Mets on Monday, and he pitched really well. The stat line won’t show it : five innings, four hits, four runs, one walk and seven strikeouts. But the four runs all came in one inning against Tong. These last few weeks are very important for the 23 year old Tong, who is looking to solidify his spot in the 2027 Mets rotation. Nolan McLean and Christian Scott are going to be in the rotation, Zac Thornton has shown he has a bright future as well. The Mets will have to add a true ace to this rotation whether it’s Tarik Skubal or they try and trade for someone, like they tried this season with Freddy Peralta.
If you look across the league you hear talking heads talk about cores and nucleuses, and you’re starting to see a new Mets core. We can talk about Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, but they’re the knowns, We also have to take Bo Bichette’s opt out clause seriously. But, if he stays adding him to the youth could be what David Stearns imagined the 2026 Mets to b. Carson Benge, AJ Ewing, McLean, and Scott are the beginnings of the next core of the Mets. Both Benge and McLean are in the running for NL Rookie of the year, Scott has come back strong after Tommy John, and Ewing has been a real bright spot as well, locking down Center Field, and maybe the best defender out there for the Mets since Juan Lagares.
Then there are the veterans, what role will they have? Sean Manea, who will be in the final year of his deal, has had a roller coaster season to say the least. He started in the bullpen, with a dipping velocity, and once he came into the rotation he got better. We all know baseball teams don’t make it through the season with five starters. Then there’s Kodai Senga, who has flourished in the closers role, telling teams to “Beat it”.
I’ll be the first to admit I have been very critical of David Stearns. But if Tong is good enough, you might be seeing some glimpses of what the Mets can become. I know there are pundits and talking heads who will say they’re just playing well when the games don’t matter, but I think you’re starting to see what the future could look like, and with Steve Cohen’s checkbook (even if there’s a salary cap) the Mets might be onto something here.
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