Mets Minors: Who contributes in 2025?

The Mets are weighing the options of being buyers or sellers in 2024 and their post Grimace resurgence has them confused if they should be one or the other. More than likely the Mets will wind up toeing a middle road where they do neither and that leads us to the question of who or what remains to contribute in 2025. There are only 8 (or 7) players on major league contracts set to return so what follows is how the Mets might stack out with only internal options. This is purely a hypothetical scenario and in no way a team I’d suggest the Mets field.

C1: Francisco Alvarez
C2: Kevin Parada – Parada is not ready for a MLB debut and won’t be to start the 2025 campaign but if you were wondering who internally would be the backup should Alvarez go down the answer would be Parada. With Alvarez’s success in the majors the Mets are hoping Parada ups his trade value more than they are hoping he’ll be their #2 catcher.
1B: Mark Vientos – In a future where Pete Alonso leaves the Mets through free agency, Vientos is the player who makes the most sense at first. His defensive limitations at third are mostly his arm and his bat has proven to be a lot more than his detractors expected.
2B: Jeff McNeil
3B: Brett Baty – While he has failed to impress in two major league stints, his minor league success suggests that it might be a mental problem. The gut says Baty is never a successful Met and that he becomes a viable major league regular with another franchise. If the Mets are handicapped to only internal options he’s slated for a third chance.
SS: Francisco Lindor
DH: Ronny Mauricio – The injured player looked like he was set to flourish in the majors his injury derailed his solidifying future. Mauricio now needs to come back and prove the bat still works before the Mets focus on their project of finding him a position he can field. Ultimately that position might be 3rd.
LF: Starling Marte
CF: Brandon Nimmo
RF: Drew Gilbert – Despite the fact he’s been injured almost the entirety of the season he’s still the player I’d give the edge to in the positional battle. Brian has already written on Luisangel Acuna but ultimately he hasn’t done anything to warrant a full time major league position being something he’s ready for.
SP1: Kodai Senga
SP2: Christian Scott – The current ranked top prospect on my list but he will be graduating before the end of the year. Scott has proven to be capable of performing at the major league level and the Mets will likely count on him in their 2025 rotation regardless.
SP3: Jose Butto – 2024 has been a breakout year for Butto who was sent down to AAA because of the Mets obsession with Tylor Megill. Butto has been steady and performed well.The Mets seem disinclined to put faith in him but his numbers support him being part of their 2025 plans.
SP4: David Peterson
SP5: Tylor Megill
CL: Edwin Diaz

Players Who Missed the Cut:

Luisangel Acuna, 2B/OF – Acuna has had an up and down season in AAA but even when at his best his numbers don’t jump off the page. He’s a speedy player who just doesn’t do enough with his bat to figure as a major league regular. His numbers before being traded were better but that could have been based on it being a more hitter friendly setting for him.

Blade Tidwell, SP – Tidwell earned his promotion to AAA but he isn’t ready for the majors, at least not as a starter. I think the Mets will see Tidwell in the 2024 season but I have the much maligned Megill returning to the rotation in my scenario above. I actually considered slotting Brandon Sproat into that 5th starter spot before I’d give it to Tidwell. His initial foray into the majors might need to be in a relief role.

Brandon Sproat, SP – Brandon Sproat looks like he’s got star potential but he’s not pitched in AAA yet and I wasn’t ready to assign him into the rotation just yet. If I was asked who I thought most likely to be the #1 prospect for the Mets next year it would very much be him. I think you might be seeing Sproat ascend into the rotation for the Mets by the end of 2025 regardless of their offseason plans.

Jett Williams, SS/OF – The top prospect to begin the 2024 season has been injured for most of the year and cannot be projected as part of the 2025 plan especially with him having been ahead of schedule for development. Expect him back in AA next year.

Alex Ramirez, OF – Ramirez is probably also a better candidate for a full time major league role than Acun and he’s not ready for 2025. I think he’s done enough in AA to see AAA to start his 2025 season but his inconsistency will make or break his career.

Ryan Clifford, OF/1B – Clifford seems on track for an MLB future but despite some strong showings in AA since his promotion, 2025 isn’t the right time for him.

AAA: Syracuse Mets

Blade Tidwell’s Got Control Issues – This is nothing new but Tidwell got the control issues under control after his initial struggles in both Advanced A and AA. He hasn’t flamed out in AAA but his walks are throwing a lot of doubt into his MLB future. He began the year as the highest rated pitching prospect in my rankings and despite earning a midyear promotion is now ranked 3rd. I’m beginning to suspect a shift to the bullpen may be in his future.

Brett Baty, 3B – He still has great numbers in AAA overall but it’s going to take a lot, or an injury, for the Mets to give him another chance during the 2024 season.
Luisangel, 2B/SS/OF – He needs to walk more and hit with more authority to make good on his prospect potential and I’m no longer seeing it.
Dom Hamel and Mike Vasil, RHSP – You can pretty well write off their 2024 seasons as failures.

AA: Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Stanley Consuegra has Been Granted Parole – The Mets determined that despite having a breakout 2023 in Brooklyn, that they’d hold the development of one of their outfielders until he could prove that to be repeatable. Brooklyn is a tough park to hit in and Consuegra did his best over multiple seasons to make it work. The problem is, he needs to prove he can hit more now that he is at the higher level and in a better environment. The results are far too early but he’s now riding a 4 game hit streak with 3 doubles.

Brandon Sproat, RHSP – His season keeps rolling along with success after success. At this point the Mets would be justified in promoting him to AAA based on his first 8 games in Binghamton.
Tyler Stuart, RHSP – Stuart had a nice outing on the 1st and managed 11 strikeouts over 7.0 innings. He doesn’t have a ton of big strikeout games but he gets them here and there.
Kevin Parada, C – Parada’s hitting goes up and down but one troubling stat that’s been consistently bad all season has been his strikeouts.
Ryan Clifford, OF/1B – He waffles from hot to cold and right now he’s hot hot hot. He also strikes out too much.
JT Schwartz, 1B – Never going to hit enough power to matter as a starter but he sure looks like a future bench bat to me.
Alex Ramirez, OF – His up and down season continues and seems presently to be in a downward swing.

A+: Brooklyn Cyclones

Kodai Senga on Assignment – Man, it’s good to see our Ace get to the mound. He’s in Brooklyn, which is a friendly park to pitch in and is getting through his rehab to get back to Queens. I would not be surprised if the Mets keep him in Brooklyn for his full rehab assignment instead of promoting him to AA or AAA which are farther from the big league ball club. He lasted 2.2 innings for Brooklyn and struck out 6 in his first game time of 2024.

Jonah Tong, RHSP – After some hiccups in early June, Tong seems to be dialed in and succeeding at the level. A very good sign.
Jesus Baez, SS – He got off to a rollicking start in Brooklyn but is listed as being on the 7 day IL.
Nick Morabito, OF – Morabito has begged me to start underestimating him again because my praise has brought his stats back down to earth.

A: St. Lucie Mets

Ronald Hernandez Awaits the Conga Line – The Mets have a wave of catchers waiting for Kevin Parada to earn his way out of AAA and Hernandez is probably the most likely to succeed of the bunch. He’s been the most consistent bat for the team and just watched Baez get promoted. Hernandez has done everything he’d need to to earn a promotion but the Mets have Suero in Brooklyn and Parada in Binghamton gumming up the path forward.

Colin Houck, SS/3B – His June saw his OPS climb over .700 for the month but he strikes out an absolute ton. He’s too young to call a bust but he did not deserve the Top 10 ranking he got.
Marco Vargas, 2B – The big news is that he’s healthy again.

Rookie: FCL Mets

Welcome Stateside Daiverson Gutierrez – I ranked Gutierrez 48th to start the year after the big name international signee did very little in 2023 to impress. In 2024 he showed up to the DSL with his game face on and proved to be the best overall hitter for the Mets down there. The offices must have taken notice because the Mets have brought him to Florida and he’s already showing signs of success. There is a lot for him to prove but he seems to have a great bat and an advanced eye. Him being stateside does mean reduced playing time for Julio Zayas.

Jeremy Rodriguez, SS – After a blistering May Rodriguez landed in the doldrums for June. His July has started with a bang or two so let’s hope June was just a slump.
Simon Juan, OF – I’ve said it before but Simon Juan is ready for a promotion.
Julio Zayas, C – As was stated, Zayas is waiting for the catchers ahead of him to move up so he can get more playing time.
Daviel Hurtado, LHSP – He’s not been consistently anything but he’s still being stretched out to starting.