Mets Consider Future of Young Pitchers
David Stearns recently stated that the Mets aren’t currently focused on promoting top prospects Jonah Ton and Brandon Sprout for a playoff push, including potential bullpen roles.
Despite the need for more depth in the starting lineup, the team president hesitated to confirm any moves just yet.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” Stearns said during an appearance on “The Show” podcast with Joel Sherman and John Heyman. He added, “We haven’t made firm decisions about our future rotation, what starting pitchers might be included, or which ones could transition to the bullpen, so we’ll take it step by step.”
The Mets have already called up Nolan McLean from Triple-A Syracuse this August, where he has tallied two wins and a 1.46 ERA in 12.1 innings across his first two MLB starts.
As for Ton, the 22-year-old has had an impressive season, notching 179 strikeouts and a 1.43 ERA over 113.2 innings in 22 minor league starts.
On the other hand, Sprout, at 24, has struggled a bit, posting an ERA of over 4.50 in 25 games at Triple-A, including his initial bullpen outing last week.
When asked if he would consider promoting either player—especially to enhance the organization’s top pitching staff—even in bullpen roles, Stearns acknowledged, “That’s a very fair question.”
“As we approach the end of the season and potential playoff scenarios, the priority is determining the best 14 pitchers to construct a functioning major league pitching staff,” he noted. He reflected on his past experiences, saying, “In my earlier career, we had success using top starters from the bullpen, and while we aren’t fully committed to that approach here, it would be foolish not to consider it.”
Stearns clarified that Sprout’s recent bullpen appearance had been a planned move to help him adjust to a new role rather than simply an audition.
“I think this may have been misinterpreted. We often have our Triple-A starters pitch behind an opener, which is something we also do at the major league level sometimes,” he explained. “For instance, it’s how we managed things with Blade and Tidwell. This was simply Sprout’s turn to pitch behind the opener, and the training was intentional.”
