The New York Mets are 6-4 through 10 games in 2026 and the pitching staff, specifically the bullpen, has been great in the early going.
Given that the New York Mets made an abundance of roster changes since last season’s horrendous collapse, being 6-4 through 10 games is impressive.
The roster got better in some areas and declined in others, but for the most part, the newcomers have been solid in a Mets uniform.
While third baseman Bo Bichette is slashing just .200/.229/.244 (.474 OPS, -0.4 WAR) and infielder/designated hitter Jorge Polanco is slashing .188/.297/.281 (.579 OPS, -0.1 WAR), second baseman Marcus Semien has been swinging it well to start the season, adding a home run and six RBI to a .257/.341/.400 (.741 OPS, 0.2 WAR) slash line.
Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is having a career resurgence with a walk-off home run, six RBI, eight walks to five strikeouts and is slashing .333/.474/.433 (.907 OPS, 0.2 WAR). Robert has helped carry the offense in the early going, but what has really kept the Mets afloat is the pitching.
The state of the starting rotation was met with a lot of questions after everyone seemingly forgot how to pitch deep into games and give the team a chance to win down the stretch, so the Mets went out and traded for All-Star ace right-hander Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Peralta didn’t have the best start to his Mets tenure, although he got the win in a five-inning, four-run performance on Opening Day, he bounced back with a vintage Peralta start against the St. Louis Cardinals in his second start; he allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out seven through 5.1 innings.
Aside from lefty David Peterson (4.66 ERA, 1.97 WHIP through 9.2 innings), the rest of the rotation has been quite good. Righty Clay Holmes has a 1.42 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through 12.2 innings; rookie right-hander Nolan McLean has a 2.61 ERA and 0.87 WHIP through 10.1 innings and right-hander Kodai Senga has a 3.09 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 16 strikeouts through 11.2 innings.
The Mets have the third-best ERA in Major League Baseball (2.53) and the bullpen can be thanked for that. New York’s reconfigured bullpen, with former New York Yankees right-handers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, has been the second-best unit in the sport so far. With a 1.66 bullpen ERA, New York is behind only the Atlanta Braves (1.08) to begin the 2026 campaign.
Both Weaver and Williams haven’t allowed a run yet through four innings apiece. Weaver has a hold and Williams has two saves.
Righty swingman Tobias Myers has proven to be an excellent addition alongside Peralta in the Brewers deal, posting a 1.13 ERA and 0.38 WHIP through eight innings. Right-hander Huascar Brazoban has allowed just two hits in five appearances, lefty Sean Manaea has allowed just a solo homer through five innings in a long-relief role and left-hander Brooks Raley has picked up where he’s left off since joining the Mets in 2023.
Outside of slower starts for Bichette, Polanco, shortstop Francisco Lindor and right fielder Carson Benge, this is exactly what the Mets front office were hoping to see to start the season. It’s a small sample size, but this bodes well for the organization moving forward.