New York Mets Wiretap

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto is speaking out against Major League Baseball's proposed salary cap, which would allocate more than 20 percent of the Mets' theoretical cap space to his contract alone. Soto holds the largest contract in baseball history.

"I don't think that's right, to have a cap," said Soto. "Baseball is doing great. We've been increasing every year. It's been great for baseball. We are in the best moment in baseball right now in all kinds of ways. Why should we have a cap?"

MLB's opening proposal calls for a $245.3 million cap and $171.2 million floor for 2027, with a 50-50 revenue split. Soto is scheduled to earn $57.5 million that season under his 15-year, $765 million contract signed with New York in December 2024.

Mets pitcher David Peterson, the team's union representative, was equally blunt.

"It's ridiculous," said Peterson.

Soto responded simply when told of Peterson's remarks: "I'd agree with that."

League spokesperson Glen Caplin defended the proposal, citing competitive imbalance.

"The biggest issue we need to solve next to continue to grow the game off the field is fixing the payroll disparity unseen in any other major U.S. sport," said Caplin. "Fans overwhelmingly support a salary cap and floor like in the other leagues."

Peterson argued baseball's structure differs fundamentally from basketball, where cap systems are more practical given smaller rosters.

"It works in basketball in that way because they don't have as many guys, so you have a lot less guys for the pot to go around," said Peterson. "And that's a league where one or two people on the team pretty much sell the team. That's a lot harder to do in baseball."

New York's 2026 payroll stands at approximately $368 million. Despite the investment, the Mets sit at 27-35. Soto, however, has posted a 165 wRC+ and .959 OPS with 13 home runs despite missing 16 April games.

Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine, longtime friends, former roommates and New York Mets teammates who represent two different eras of the franchise, were still finishing each other's sentences when they were inducted into the team's Hall of Fame before Saturday's game against the Miami Marlins.

"When we were rooming together, we couldn't imagine us sitting in the room at nighttime and saying ..." Mazzilli said before Valentine interrupted him. 

"Because we never sat in the room at nighttime," Valentine said with a laugh.

The last-place Mets are making a change to their pitching rotation, demoting David Peterson to the bullpen and replacing him with fellow left-hander Sean Manaea.

It's a promotion for Manaea, who has been used mainly in long relief and mop-up duty this season after signing a three-year, $75 million contract in December 2024.

The New York Mets designated pitcher Craig Kimbrel for assignment Friday, ending the veteran reliever's short stint with the club.

Kimbrel appeared in 14 games for the Mets and allowed 10 runs over 15 innings. Kimbrel pitched the final 2⅔ innings of New York's 8-4 loss at Washington on Wednesday and gave up a two-run home run to Jacob Young.

"Super tough," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday of the decision to part ways with Kimbrel. "He understood. He was very professional but it wasn't an easy one for me when we talked to him last night."

With nearly two months of the 2026 season complete, 22 players from the preseason MLB top 100 prospect list have graduated from eligibility, reshuffling the rankings ahead of what figures to be an active trade deadline season.

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jesus Made, 19, moves to the top spot after posting 90th percentile exit velocities that rank among big league averages despite playing in Double-A. His ability to control the strike zone and his defensive profile stand out, though scouts note his swing produces insufficient lift to translate his raw power into home run totals. If that changes in the second half, a significant ranking jump could follow.

Among the most notable movers is Boston Red Sox shortstop Franklin Arias, who climbs from 36th to sixth after posting improved exit velocity and lift rates while maintaining contact. Athletics shortstop Leo De Vries jumps to second after his profile helped pry All-Star closer Mason Miller from Oakland. Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Seth Hernandez rises from 49th to seventh after slider and fastball shape improvements unlocked his ceiling.

Notable graduates from the list include the previous top two prospects, Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle, along with Samuel Basallo, JJ Wetherholt, Bubba Chandler, Carson Benge, Andrew Painter, and Carson Williams, among others.

Seven players currently on active big league rosters remain eligible but could graduate within weeks.

Top-50 MLB Prospects

60FV
1. Jesus Made, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (Previous: 3)
2. Leo De Vries, SS, Athletics (Previous: 11)
3. Colt Emerson, SS, Seattle Mariners (Previous: 6)
4. Max Clark, CF, Detroit Tigers (Previous: 8)
5. Sebastian Walcott, SS, Texas Rangers (Previous: 5)
6. Franklin Arias, SS, Boston Red Sox (Previous: 36)
7. Seth Hernandez, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (Previous: 49)
8. Eli Willits, SS, Washington Nationals (Previous: 41)
9. Kade Anderson, LHP, Seattle Mariners (Previous: 16)
10. George Lombard Jr., SS, New York Yankees (Previous: 20)
11. Travis Bazzana, 2B, Cleveland Guardians (Previous: 23)
12. Walker Jenkins, CF, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 9)
13. Trey Yesavage, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (Previous: 14)
14. A.J. Ewing, CF, New York Mets (Previous: 28)
15. Rainiel Rodriguez, C, St. Louis Cardinals (Previous: 19)
16. Aidan Miller, SS, Philadelphia Phillies (Previous: 10)
17. Ryan Sloan, RHP, Seattle Mariners (Previous: 24)

55 FV
18. Josue De Paula, LF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous: 21)
19. Josuar Gonzalez, SS, San Francisco Giants (Previous: 30)
20. Ethan Salas, C, San Diego Padres (Previous: 110)
21. Ryan Waldschmidt, CF, Arizona Diamondbacks (Previous: 63)
22. Thomas White, LHP, Miami Marlins (Previous: 18)
23. Alfredo Duno, C, Cincinnati Reds (Previous: 29)
24. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 54)
25. Caleb Bonemer, 3B, Chicago White Sox (Previous: 34)
26. Luis Pena, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (Previous: 26)
27. Ethan Holliday, SS, Colorado Rockies (Previous: 66)
28. Liam Doyle, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals (Previous: 50)
29. Tyler Bremner, RHP, Los Angeles Angels (Previous: 56)
30. Theo Gillen, CF, Tampa Bay Rays (Previous: 92)
31. Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Cleveland Guardians (Previous: 33)
32. Jett Williams, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (Previous: 32)
33. JoJo Parker, SS, Toronto Blue Jays (Previous: 52)
34. Zyhir Hope, RF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous: 40)

50 FV
35. Cam Caminiti, LHP, Atlanta Braves (Previous: 53)
36. Jonah Tong, RHP, New York Mets (Previous: 31)
37. Noah Schultz, LHP, Chicago White Sox (Previous: 96)
38. Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 79)
39. Angel Genao, SS, Cleveland Guardians (Previous: 80)
40. Gage Jump, LHP, Athletics (Previous: 42)
41. Jhonny Level, SS, San Francisco Giants (Previous: 84)
42. Emmanuel Rodriguez, CF, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 97)
43. Josh Hammond, SS, Kansas City Royals (Previous: 132)
44. Edward Florentino, CF, Pittsburgh Pirates (Previous: 78)
45. Eduardo Quintero, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous: 37)
46. Anthony Eyanson, RHP, Boston Red Sox (Previous: NR)
47. Eduardo Tait, C, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 38)
48. Didier Fuentes, RHP, Atlanta Braves (Previous: 88)
49. River Ryan, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous: 125)
50. Jamie Arnold, LHP, Athletics (Previous: 60)

New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette is hitting .210 with a .531 OPS through the early weeks of his three-year, $126 million contract, ranking fifth-worst in the league. The 28-year-old has zero extra-base hits in 61 at-bats since April 28.

"There are a lot of things I didn't anticipate," Bichette said. "Just dealing with everything. New teammates. New organization. Staff. New fan base. Just everything, I think."

Several factors appear to be contributing to his slow start. Expected statistics suggest significant bad luck, with Bichette's actual .210 average sitting 67 points below his .277 expected mark. He also leads the majors with 14 Good Fielding Plays recorded against him, compared to just eight all of last season.

Mechanical issues may also be a factor. Bichette's attack angle, measuring the vertical bat path at contact, is currently the flattest in the league. His groundball rate of 52.6 percent is a career high.

“I don’t know if it’s been the toughest stretch of my career,” Bichette said. “But it’s up there.”

Position changes have added further disruption. Bichette agreed to move from shortstop to third base as part of his contract terms, but shifted back to short on May 2 after Ronny Mauricio fractured his thumb.

Mets second baseman Marcus Semien, a former Toronto Blue Jays teammate, noted the added demands of the position.

"Short's a lot more demanding. I've played shortstop. It's harder to hit as a shortstop. He's adjusting back to that," Semien said.

The Mets, despite significant injuries to Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Francisco Alvarez, have gone 10-5 in May. Bichette remains determined.

"Just wanting to be the player that the Mets signed is something that I think about a lot," Bichette said.

The thin silver lining for New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes is that he most likely won't need surgery after fracturing his right fibula, but the right-hander is not completely ruling out the possibility.

"I don't think anything is off the table really right now," Holmes said before Sunday's Subway Series finale against the New York Yankees. "I think we're still gathering opinions and whatnot. It doesn't look that way, but I think at this moment the training staff is still trying to gather as much as they can and see what's there. But like I said, it doesn't seem to be the case, but there's still some opinions being gathered on that."

The Mets' nightmare season continued Friday when they suffered another devastating injury during their 5-2 loss to the Yankees in their Subway Series opener.

Starting pitcher Clay Holmes, one of the few bright spots for the last-place club this season, fractured his right fibula when he was hit by a 111.1 mph comebacker off Spencer Jones' bat in the fourth inning.

"He's going to be down a long time," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.

For once, the last-place Mets, ravaged by injuries this season, caught a break.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said X-rays on Juan Soto's right foot came back negative after the star exited Wednesday night's 3-2, 10-inning win over the Detroit Tigers after fouling a ball off the top of his right foot.

His status for Thursday's matinee against the Tigers is unclear.

The New York Mets will promote outfield prospect A.J. Ewing before Tuesday's game, according to league sources who spoke with The Athletic on Monday. The move comes as New York's injury-depleted roster sits at 15-25, the worst mark in MLB.

Ewing, 21, ranks fourth among Mets prospects per The Athletic's Keith Law, who also placed him No. 98 on his overall Top 100 list. The fourth-round pick had not yet been added to the club's 40-man roster prior to the promotion.

The left-handed hitter began 2026 in Double-A, posting a 1.052 OPS with solid center field defense before moving up to Triple-A, where he is hitting .326 across 12 games. Scouts credit him with elite outfield defense and growing power this season.

With shortstop Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. all on the injured list without clear return dates, the Mets' offense ranks last in OPS and wRC+. Club personnel believe Ewing's defense and baserunning will inject energy into a struggling team.

In the outfield, Ewing and Carson Benge could form a center-right tandem, with Juan Soto shifting to left field or designated hitter. MJ Melendez, Tyrone Taylor and Austin Slater remain additional options.

Ewing's defensive versatility allows him to cover second base and corner outfield spots. His absence from shortstop coverage opens the door for Brett Baty to return to third base while Bo Bichette takes on shortstop duties.

Last season, Ewing slashed .315/.401/.429 across 564 plate appearances at three levels. Despite limited Double-A experience, the Mets invited him to major-league spring training, signaling their confidence in his trajectory well ahead of schedule.