MLB 2026: What we’ve learned so far about Dodgers, Mets

los angeles dodgers And New York Mets Their combined salaries are worth more than $1 billion – but only one of them is still getting their money’s worth.

Dodgers complete three-game sweep Most expensive series ever On Wednesday night, they improved their record to an MLB-best 14–4 and the Mets suffered their eighth consecutive loss. The Mets fell to 7-12 and are in last place in the National League East.

it’s early. But what did we learn about these two teams this week – and what have we learned so far this season? ESPN MLB writers Alden Gonzalez and Jorge Castillo break down the Dodgers and Mets, respectively.

Three things we learned about the Dodgers

1. They have a lineup deep.

Yes, everyone basically knew that going in, but maybe not to this extent. Consider: mookie bets Is out due to oblique injury kyle tucker Has been one of their worst batsmen, shohei ohtani This started only recently… and yet the Dodgers top the majors in almost every major offensive category.

Most of the production is coming from the bottom of the lineup. Their Nos. 7, 8 and 9 hitters have combined to produce a .935 OPS. He not only leads the chiefs; This is 130 points more than second place atlanta braves. That’s only 10 points behind Juan Soto’s OPS from 2023 to 2025. It wouldn’t last long, but neither would the struggles and absence of their top three hitters. And andy pagesWho usually bats at number eight when everyone is healthy can change the dynamics.

Paige struggled so badly last season that he missed the playoffs, but he’s a 25-year-old with 30/30 potential, and he’s made significant strides in his second full season. It’s not just his .409 batting average and 20 RBI. This is his perspective. Paige is seeing more pitches and striking out less often, and he has made mechanical changes to his batting stance — leaning a little more, keeping his bat path shorter and limiting his head movement — that is helping him put up elite hard-hit rates.

2. Ohtani and yoshinobu yamamoto Will push each other.

Dodgers pitching coach Mark Pryor talked about it in spring training, recalling how sharing the rotation with Kerry Wood in the early 2000s improved his game. Then he saw how zack greinke, hyun jin ryu And walker buehler Made better by becoming teammates clayton kershaw. And he believes it still will, because Ohtani and Yamamoto are both chasing something: a Cy Young Award, which no Japanese pitcher has ever won.

Yamamoto has pitched at least six innings and allowed no more than two runs in all four of his starts this season. Ohtani has been charged with just one earned run in 18 innings, allowing only 14 baserunners and striking out 18.

The Dodgers are playing slow on the return of Blake Snell, who is recovering from shoulder fatigue. In any given week, they don’t know what to expect roki sasaki. But his starting-pitching depth remains the envy of baseball tyler glasnow A capable frontline starter, Justin Wrobleski And Emmett Sheehan There have been encouraging signs recently, and Ryan River is waiting in the wings. However, at the top are Ohtani and Yamamoto. And they may spend the entire year trying to outdo each other.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “Iron sharpens iron.” “I wouldn’t say it’s a competition, but I think they both make each other better.”

3. The Dodgers won the World Series last year despite a disastrous bullpen. This year it is better.

It’s not just because the Dodgers splurged on star closer Edwin Diaz — it’s because tanner scott He may be getting back to his dominant form in 2023 and 2024. Roberts has used Scott in a variety of roles already this season — low leverage, in the middle of jams and, most recently, as a setup man — and Scott has responded by allowing just one run and zero walks in 8⅔ innings.

“Everything went wrong last year,” Scott said. “It was a very bad year for me. I just wanted to get back to what I was good at in ’23 and ’24.”

The 31-year-old Scott has been better at coordinating his lower half and keeping himself from flying wide open with his delivery (he checks in with assistant pitching coach Connor McGuinness after each outing to make sure). After a year in which he believes he threw “too many” strikes, Scott has also been better at throwing the strikes he considers fair – throwing on the edges when he is ahead in the count.

“Just putting it better,” Scott said. “Just ordering it. I was throwing strikes last year, but sometimes the strikes aren’t good.”

The Dodgers are still waiting to get three key right-handed relievers back from the injured list in Brusder Graterol, evan phillips And Brock Stewart. But it appears as if they dodged a bullet with their best right-hander, Diaz, who displayed low velocity last Friday and has not thrown the ball since. Diaz felt tenderness in his surgically repaired right knee, but he said he felt good throwing a bullpen session on Tuesday and was getting ready to throw a ninth inning on Wednesday before the Dodgers blew the game in the bottom of the eighth.

“I’m ready to go,” Diaz said. “I’m feeling good.”

Three things we learned about the Mets

1. The Mets aren’t on the Dodgers’ level yet.

Steve Cohen’s goal when purchasing the Mets in November 2020 was to create the East Coast Dodgers. It requires specific organizational depth, which is why they hired David Stearns milwaukee brewers To run baseball operations after the 2023 season. For now, the organizations are miles apart.

Garland juan soto There was a brutal break for a few weeks. But the Mets’ roster, after a transformative offseason that included rebuilding the position player core, is too expensive on offense to crater without a player — even if that player has a salary of $61.875 million this season.

Look at the Dodgers. Bates, their starting shortstop and future Hall of Famer, also went on the injured list early in the season and he remained humming. Yes, they hire Ohtani, freddy freeman, Will Smith And other stars. But Paige, a 25-year-old homegrown center fielder, has been one of the top hitters in baseball.

The Dodgers spend money and develop talent at the highest level. That difference was on display this week.

2. The Mets need Soto back as soon as possible.

louis robert jr. And francisco alvarez There have been bright spots for crime. that’s about it. New York ranks 27th in runs scored per game, 29th in wRC+ and 27th in extra-base hits.

francisco lindor (71 wRC+), bo bichet (65 wRC+) and marcus semien (53 wRC+), who will make a combined $102.1 million this season, have been off to a rough start. mark vientosHe’s 0 for 23 with eight strikeouts in his last seven games batted in his third Monday against the Dodgers. George Polanco Batted third Tuesday and may be on the injured list due to left Achilles bursitis. bret battyWho batted third in Wednesday’s series finale, has a 30 wRC+.

The Mets scored only three runs with 12 hits and 27 strikeouts in three games against the Dodgers.

it’s early. Lindor, a notoriously slow starter, and Bichette, one of the best contact hitters in the game, should bounce back. The Mets believe the 35-year-old Semien has more in the tank, although his last two seasons do not suggest a return to the All-Star level. But the offense lacks a consistent presence without Pop and Soto. The Mets need him back and healthy.

3. nolan mclean The real deal.

The 24-year-old right-hander has picked up where he left off last season with a 2.28 ERA through four starts. His fourth outing against the Dodgers on Tuesday was his best: seven innings of one-ball ball with eight strikeouts.

Nobody swings a baseball like McLean. His sweeper moves 21 inches forward toward his glove, the second-highest horizontal break in the majors. His curveball travels 17.5 inches toward his glove and has the highest spin rate in baseball. Oh, and his 95 mph sinker travels 17.6 inches on his arm side and has been one of the best pitches in the game with four run value.

He is the third pitcher since 1900 to collect at least 80 strikeouts and give up 20 or fewer runs in his first 12 career appearances, joining Matt Harvey and. Paul Skenes. His 2.13 ERA through 12 starts ranks second in franchise history.

Mets acquired freddy peraltaA two-time All-Star at his peak in the offseason, McLean is the club’s top player. The only question is whether McLean can handle the workload of a full major league season in 2025 after logging 113⅔ innings in the minors and 48 innings in the majors.