Mets mailbag: Newsday Mets beat writer Laura Albanese provides answers to fans' questions

By boasting the second-highest payroll in baseball while simultaneously being out of contention by mid-August, the Mets season so far has left fans with more questions than answers.

Today, we try to answer a few of them. Newsday’s Mets Mailbag, courtesy of its readers.

Q: What is the notion in the Mets’ front office about Kodai Senga’s future role on the team? He seems to be doing better with needing to focus on fewer things, throwing just a couple pitches (namely the fastball and forkball), and doesn’t need to worry about seeing batters multiple times in an outing. Personally, I like him in a bullpen role. — Josh Wilets, Millington, N.J.

President of baseball operations David Stearns hasn’t spoken to the media on record since the trade deadline, so there’s no definitive answer here, but we can certainly extrapolate from what’s happening.

Owed $15 million next year, the Mets are trying to see if they can get Senga to play to his strengths — either to be a bullpen option or to at least be a tradeable asset, which he isn’t right now. I agree that Senga is at his best when he’s out of his own head and leaning on his strengths, which are the fastball and forkball. The fastball plays much better, and hits a far higher velocity, during shorter outings.

I prefer him in a bullpen role, but Senga has been adamant in his desire to return to the starting rotation. One thing is certain: There’s a reason the Mets went from not pitching Senga for 13 straight days to throwing him straight into the fire as a high-leverage reliever. This is an experiment, and whatever comes of it will not only give them the data they need going into the future, but potentially increase Senga’s worth.

Q: What do the Mets make of Zac Thornton and his chances to stick in 2027? He’s obviously been successful in the majors thus far, but his peripherals on [Baseball] Savant are almost all below average and the word “regression” gets thrown around a lot when people write about him. — Josh Vinitz, Brooklyn

Thornton was on the farm system’s radar as a possible addition to the 2026 team, even before most noticed he existed. It’s true that regression is a real issue, but peripheral stats can be misleading when you’re talking about a pitcher who profiles like Thornton does. He’s a soft-tossing lefty but has excellent pitchability and a good mental makeup. I expect him to regress next year to an extent, but lefties who know how to pitch, rather than just throw, tend to do better than guys who rely on stuff alone.

There’s real potential here because when we talk about regression, we’re usually talking about the league “adapting” to pitchers; but it’s hard to adapt to pitchers like this. Thornton won’t be perfect, but my estimation is that his stuff will play, even if he occasionally gets knocked around. He throws seven different pitches and knows when to execute them — which is why, though his run value per 100 pitches for changeup is -4.7, it’s only -1 overall. Don’t underestimate a crafty lefty with confidence.

Q: Except for a very few key players, do you expect the Mets to be torn down to the studs? And will any rebuild include some of the younger players? If so, who’s on your list? — Ed Helinski, Auburn, NY

I don’t think they’ll be torn to the studs, because it happened already. I think the core is going to stay together, but there are real questions about whether Brett Baty, Mark Vientos or Ronny Mauricio will be on this team; Francisco Alvarez has been the most successful of the “baby Mets” but he’s been knocked around a lot, has seen some defensive regression, and there could be a situation where the Mets decide to sell high. Right now, Baty seems like the most retainable player besides Alvarez.

Beyond that, the Mets will have to navigate the new collective bargaining agreement and what it says about the money they’re allowed to spend. They’re fortunate to have cheap, in-house talent in Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, Thornton, A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge and a total steal in Luis Torrens as a backup catcher for the upcoming year. Jared Young has been a bargain basement hero. I don’t see much change except in the way of addition, particularly in the bullpen.

Q: What odds would you give to [Bo] Bichette opting in for one more year? — Gian Rosa, Flushing

This is the thing I’m most personally interested in. Bichette is becoming the Bichette we grew to appreciate during his days in Toronto, and it’s clear that he misses his old stomping grounds. But . . .

I don’t have any insider information here, because he’s played things close to the vest, but my slight inclination is that Bichette stays. And in this rare instance, I don’t think it’s solely a money thing. Bichette made his payday with a $40 million signing bonus, and opting out costs him a guaranteed $84 million over the next two years. That said, a weak free agent class means he can maybe command more (but not by much).

Bichette has been a team player and is clearly frustrated that he wasn’t able to deliver in New York. He came here for a reason, and given his competitiveness and focus, I can see a world where he wants to keep the needle moving in one of the most difficult markets in baseball. He’s getting situated and the rookie class this year gives this team hope; if I’m him, I stay.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.