Picking Biggest Surprise, Disappointment For Mets In 2026

The New York Mets have held down last place in the National League East for almost the entire 2026 campaign, failing to deliver anything close to what was expected after a seemingly positive offseason.

While the team as a whole has been disappointing, I want to take the time to pick one player who has epitomized the Mets’ failures this year and another who has provided a rare bright spot as a surprise player.

Designated hitter Jorge Polanco would certainly take the crown of being the biggest disappointment, but his 34 games played aren’t quite enough for me to give him the title. Instead, I’ll give the name fellow free agent acquisition Bo Bichette as the biggest Mets disappointment in 2026.

Bichette signed a surprise $126 million deal with opt-outs back in January to play third base in Queens – a position that would be completely new for the notoriously poor defender. Statistically, however, Bichette’s fielding has been the most valuable part of his game this season, which ranks just slightly above league average, pointing to a serious dip in his offensive numbers.

His .262/.310/.375 slash line with a 91 OPS+ is a huge step back from the 2025 numbers that earned him some MVP votes. Bichette’s slugging numbers have taken the biggest hit from last season, dropping from .483 in 2025 to .375 this year. Drops in his hard-hit and sweet-spot percentages have tanked his average exit velocity, making him a much tamer hitter at the plate.

With that said, Bichette has had moments where his offensive greatness has shown through. In the month of June, the 28-year-old slashed .321/.342/.541 with an .883 OPS. His July wasn’t as good, but he seems to have gotten back on track in August, where he’s recording a 147 OPS+ during that time.

Despite his positive moments, the season as a whole is still a disappointing one for Bichette and the Mets. The baseball world knows just how impactful Bichette can be, but his first year in Queens just hasn’t lived up to expectations. If he opts in for 2027, I think a second year in New York would see him put up much better numbers.

While Bichette is having a down year for the Mets, there is a right-handed pitcher who has stepped up as one of the most impactful players on the entire roster. 27-year-old Christian Scott has put up the fourth-best fWAR on the Mets roster in just 78 ⅓ innings this season.

Having previously started only nine major league games heading into the season, Scott wasn't expected to be one of the brightest spots in the rotation, but that’s exactly what the former fifth-round selection has been.

His 3.45 ERA trails only Nolan McLean among Mets pitchers with at least 10 starts. Scott’s 28.8% strikeout rate has put him in the 88th percentile in baseball, making up for below-average walk and groundball rates.

Scott has allowed 11 runs in his last four starts, but after his July 16 start, he had just a 2.87 ERA. While his ERA has taken a hit in recent games, Scott’s FIP has actually dropped from 3.75 to a great 3.27.

After trading away Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes at the trade deadline, the Mets’ starting rotation lacks depth. Scott’s sudden rise allows New York to worry about one less spot when it comes to retooling that rotation in the coming offseason.