The New York Mets have spent the offseason overhauling their roster, and the pitching staff has been mostly revamped as part of all the changes. The noteworthy new names on the staff are right-handed ace Freddy Peralta and closer Devin Williams, but one change that hasn’t been discussed much is the potential to fill in some of the pitching gaps with young arms.
Joe Trezza of MLB.com did a rundown of the guys who could make the jump, and it contains names that are both familiar and new. It’s well worth a rundown, so let’s see who he came up with and how he assessed the candidates.
Dylan Ross, RHP
Ross is the name the fan base knows, mostly because of his velocity. He’s hit triple digits on the radar gun, and Ross has risen rapidly through the Mets’ minor league system. Last year was his first full season despite the fact that Ross was drafted in the 13th round in 2022, according to Adler, but now that he’s healthy, his strikeout rate of 13.3K/9 in 49 games at multiple minor league levels has both fans and evaluator excited.
It’s not just about velocity, either. The arsenal is a big part of that excitement, as Ross throws a splitter with a high spin rate that registers just below 90 mph to make hitters look especially foolish. The fly in the ointment at the moment, though, is control, as that 5.5 BB/9 rate isn’t going to fly at the next level, so that will be what to watch for in spring training.
Jonathan Pintaro, RHP
Every bullpen needs a surprise spring training candidate, and Pintaro is that guy for the Mets. He’s 28, and Pintaro’s career got off to a slow start due to his background as a Division II college star followed by two years of independent ball.
He’s making up for lost time, though, to the point where Pintaro is an interesting long shot to make the pen. His ERA of 4.28 at Double A and Triple A is high, but 103 strikeouts in just 82 innings automatically gets noticed, and he could play a variety of roles in the pen if he continues to progress. Adler also added an interesting footnote, which is that Pintaro didn’t give up a home run to a left-handed hitter in 2025.
Ryan Lambert, RHP
Lambert is the last guy we’ll cover from Adler’s list, and he’s well worth mentioning since he might have the best fastball in the Mets’ system other than starter Jonah Tong. He posted a 1.62 ERA with a 14.6K/9 rate in 50 innings as a closer for Double A Binghamton, and while he hasn’t pitched at Triple A yet, it’s not uncommon for prospects with those kinds of pen numbers to skip the next level and make the jump to see how they fare.