Jonathan Santucci

Now you've got a college guy that I want to take you here to.

And I guess the first question would be, are the other indicators outside of ERA pointing in a positive direction for a Jonathan Santucci in the New York Met system? If you remember back to the 2025 Met minor league season.

season like it just seemed like everybody was underwhelming with the exception of like a Carson bench right and then Tong was great but at the beginning of this year it seemed like everybody was kind of taking a downturn with the exception of A.J. Ewing and then he gets up very very quickly but Santucci put together a really solid year 125 innings at a 403 ERA but he struck out 163 guys which paced all of Major League Baseball and I'll tell you one thing real quick Before we get into Santucci, 163 leading minor league baseball makes me even more impressed with what Brandon Fott did and Quinn Matthews did when they came 200 guys like that is a special, special minor league season when you can run the K numbers that high.

It's interesting because the National League side, I feel like didn't have the same caliber of candidates as the American League side.

I- I'll be honest, I thought you were gonna take this person.

I'm gonna take Jonathan Santucci from the Mets.

Um, he's not in the top 100.

I just double-checked.

I got River Ryan with the Tigers, Liam Doyle with the Cardinals, Kendry Rojas with the Twins, Christian Zazueta with the Dodgers, and Anthony Einsu with the Orioles as my starters.

Brody Hopkins with the Rays, Alexander Alberto with the Rays, and Brandon Clark with the Cardinals as my relievers.

Ian got Ryan Sloan with the Mariners, Jackson Flora with the Giants, Joseph Zerwa with the Orioles, Jonathan Santucci with the Mets, Michael Ferret with the Orioles as his starters.

Carlos Lagrande, Ben with the Yankees, Ben Graybeal with the Nationals, and Josh Ecnis with the Marlins as his relievers.

Again, there's a reason why Andy Green has raved about him as much as he has prior to Andy officially becoming the Mets manager during his time in player development.

So then obviously you have guys like Jonathan and Jonathan Santucci knocking the doors as well.

I definitely like the upside with these guys, no doubt.

And I can see at least one of them, if not both of them, positively impacting the rotation next year.

But I want one of either Clay Holmes reunion or a Michael Caine if he does, in fact, opt out.

I think that that would be the most ideal scenario for the Mets because you have this beautiful blend of veteran leadership of guys who have been in big games as soon as this year's postseason run.

and blend with the young movement that you have in the McLeans and the idea of, again, Scooble working with Zach Thornton, maybe working with a Jonathan Santucci and a guy like Michael Caine working on his game with Noah McLean, two guys who have been known for some nasty horizontal movement with their pitches.

There's a lot of excitement there, and the commonality as to why Michael Caine and Clay Holmes make sense is because of that big marketability of guys who have played in New York pitched in New York, arrived in New York, and enjoyed their time here.

It's just a guy that I feel really comfortable with for the twenty twenty-seven rotation, and I think he's got a couple more good years left after this.

And you also always have in your back pocket, if for whatever reason it doesn't work out a-a-and at, at some point in time you can't just continue to give Clay Holmes starts because maybe your young, you know, starters kinda take over, right? If Jonah Tong or Jonathan Santucci end up being viable big league starters and Thornton and Scott and McLain all stay healthy and you get to a point where you have this homegrown rotation where, you know, maybe Holmes isn't needed in twenty twenty-eight, you still have that, you know, i-in your back pocket of knowing that this is a guy that has thrived as a high leverage reliever in the past.

So I, I just think o-on so many different levels this works and I, I think this would be one of my top priorities in free agency because I think you also have to acknowledge not only what, which players can help you, but also which players will want to join you.

And, you know, last year the Mets put a lot of effort into a pursuit of Kyle Tucker.

You can flip Scott and Thornton if you want to, but I think that's generally where they're at.

They have Jack Weninger, Jonathan Santucci, and Gary Gilhill that all finished the season in the triple-A rotation.

And for Weninger and Gary Gilhill, they should probably both be added to the 40-man roster this off season.

So that right there is eight.

I think if the Mets can go out and get the best possible starting pitcher that they can, i.e. a Tarik Skubal or even if it's Clay Holmes or Michael King, they get one of those guys that can slot into either the ace role or the number two spot behind McClain.

You have Thornton and you have Scott in the three, four spots, and then you have Sean Manaea competing with Jonah Tang and Jack Weininger and Jonathan Santucci and Gary Gilhill, amongst others that the Mets will have for depth.

Not even mentioning Tyler McGill coming off Tommy John surgery.

All of a sudden you got depth a- a- and you really are in a good position to make it through the marathon of 162.