MJ Melendez, the New York Mets bench guy, wrapped up his 2026 season by electing free agency in October, a fitting end to a year that saw him go from a “shining beacon” in April to spending the back half in Syracuse. His entire Mets run was basically a blueprint for David Stearns’ 2026 offseason, which leaned way too hard on “win on the margins” moves that just didn’t pan out.
That Wild April and The Offseason Bet
Signing Melendez was definitely an “interesting idea” on paper. The guy was 27 heading into the season, a former Top 100 prospect by all the big publications. He had a couple of league-average offensive years back in 2022 and 2023 with the Royals, but then hit a rough patch in 2024 and completely bottomed out in a “disastrous” 2025. The Royals cut him loose, and the Mets scooped him up. And for a hot minute in April, it actually looked like a brilliant move. Due to a ton of injuries, the Mets threw Melendez into action a lot that month, and to his credit, he delivered! He put up a ridiculous 191 wRC+ in April. The catch? The rest of the team was absolutely abysmal, notching a league-low 77 wRC+. He literally had no help, which makes his April even crazier.
The Cliff Dive and The Mets’ Vibe
That April burst was, unfortunately, a total fluke. Melendez fell off a cliff harder than a rogue base runner at second. He posted a 54 wRC+ in May, a 71 wRC+ in June, and after that, it was off to Syracuse for the rest of the year. Overall, his .191 batting average screams out for all the wrong reasons, but credit where it’s due: he still managed a .315 OBP and slugged .350. His 91 WRC+ on the year was obviously not starting-caliber stuff, but it was just enough as a bench guy to keep his career afloat. Melendez’s whole weird season, from the surprising peak to the rapid descent, perfectly captured the 2026 Mets. His hot streak was “poorly timed,” a mirror image of the team itself “deciding to look like a pretty decent professional baseball club well after the season was over.”
Melendez will likely snag a minor league deal somewhere for 2027, proving he still has something to offer as a bench piece for someone. But his 2026 with the Mets? Man, it was a perfectly weird ride, mirroring a whole season of questionable bets and too-little, too-late flashes that left a lot of questions unanswered in Queens.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Amazin’ Avenue.
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