The New York Mets have plenty of talented prospects, but one reliever could make an impact if he gets the promotion this year.
The New York Mets spent a lot of money in free agency, and that doesn't even include the money they might've spent if Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz returned to the club.
However, Diaz signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Alonso went to the Baltimore Orioles. Still, the Mets managed to add plenty of talent with Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco in free agency and Luis Robert Jr. and Freddy Peralta coming over via trade.
The Mets suffered an unreal collapse in 2025 and missed the playoffs altogether, so the pressure is on the front office and manager Carlos Mendoza.
The good news is that the Mets have some depth and even more talent ready in the minor leagues if injuries take place.
Sam Dykstra, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com named one potential impact prospect call-up for each team.
For the Mets, it was 23-year-old right-handed pitcher Ryan Lambert.
Here's what the experts wrote about Lambert.
"The Mets bullpen has been among the best in baseball to start 2026, but there’s always room for even more explosive stuff, especially like Lambert’s. The 23-year-old right-hander is up in Triple-A for the first time and is generating elite ride on his four-seamer with Syracuse. He touched 99.3 mph in Spring Training but has been below that in the northern cold early in the regular season. No matter, Triple-A batters have yet to touch his mid-80s slider either. Finding even slightly below-average control consistently could be all Lambert needs before reaching Queens."
Lambert was an eighth-round pick by the Mets in the 2024 MLB Draft after he played at the University of Oklahoma.
He spent the 2025 season with both A+ Brooklyn and AA Binghamton, but he started this minor league season at Triple-A Syracuse.
Lambert just threw a scoreless inning during Thursday's game with the Triple-A ballclub.
The velocity has increased for Lambert as well, and he made some noise during Spring Training.
MLB.com has Lambert as the 17th-ranked prospect in the Mets system, but he has experience and could give the Mets some much-needed bullpen help at some point this season.
He has yet to make his MLB debut, and he is barely getting started in Triple-A, but if he pitches as well as he did during spring, it might only be a matter of time before the Mets decide to promote him to the major league club and see what he can do with an extended opportunity.