The Mets hosted their annual Kids Holiday Party at Citi Field on Thursday, with Clay Holmes, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong all in attendance.
And while the focus of the day was to spread some holiday cheer to some local children, it also provided a chance for the players to weigh in on the offseason, particularly as it relates to trade rumors.
Advertisement
While McLean is widely considered untouchable in any trade talks, both Sproat and Tong have had their names floated around in many a trade rumor, but the pair of top prospects both said they aren’t focused on any of the outside noise.
“I really don’t look at it, if I’m being honest,” said Sproat, who made four starts at the big-league level last season while pitching to a 4.79 ERA.
“I love being a Met. It’s truly one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Tong told SNY. “I also understand that it’s a business, so honestly [I] don’t look at anything, and my focus is to get down to spring training every season, and I’m really excited for next year.”
While Tong’s minor league numbers in 2025 were staggering (1.43 ERA with 179 strikeouts in 113.2 innings), his brief appearance in the majors was largely uneven. The right-hander pitched to a 7.71 ERA and averaged less than 4.0 innings per start.
Advertisement
And despite being mentioned in just about every theoretical Mets trade, the 22-year-old is locked in on continuing his improvement as a player.
“Same focus: one foot in front of the other. I’m not too worried about results, and just more worried about the process,” Tong said. “When I’ve done that in the past, everything else has taken care of itself, and honestly, I’ve had a lot of fun doing it. So, I think doing that with the group of guys that we have is going to be really exciting.”
New York Mets starting pitcher Brandon Sproat (40) prepares to pitch in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park / Katie Stratman – Imagn Images
Sproat is taking a similar approach to his offseason as well, learning from his time in the majors as he heads into the 2026 season with a legitimate chance to break camp in the major league rotation.
Advertisement
“Obviously, I was super blessed to be able to debut last year. It’s been my lifelong dream,” Sproat said. “Just going out there and soaking it all in, and then just taking cues away from it and going into the offseason and working on those. There’s always something that you can work on, whether it’s the mental side or the physicality, pitches. I think there’s always something that you can take away from it.”
McLean, Tong, and Sproat are Joe DeMayo’s first, fourth, and fifth-ranked prospects in the Mets’ system, respectively, so it’s easy to see why they’re so coveted by other teams.
But if the Mets decide to hold on to the talented trio, they could become the foundation of the rotation for years to come.
“Even though we’re young,” Sproat said, “I think we bring a lot to the table.”
