The New York Mets dropped two of their three games in Toronto against the Blue Jays, with the same issues plaguing interim manager Andy Green that went after former skipper Carlos Mendoza. Starting pitching was strong until it wasn't on Wednesday, with Freddy Peralta getting tagged for five runs, and an outfield miscue between Juan Soto and AJ Ewing in left-center field was just the latest defensive hiccup by the Mets. The Mets ended their series in Toronto with an offensive snooze-fest while the pitching and defense struggled yet again, leaving New York with just one win to their name in their time north of the border. It was the fifth-straight lost series for New York, and Green is now off to just a 2- 4 start as the Mets’ skipper. With a week now under his belt at the helm of the Mets, it is clear that Green doesn’t have a magic touch that some had hoped he would when Mendoza was relieved of his duties. As the Mets prepare for 2027, this tough series loss provided them with a few answers for key questions. Three Mets takeaways after Toronto: Their issues go deeper than just the manager3. The Mets need to completely overhaul their defensive strategies this winterAfter an embarrassing six-error performance against the Cubs last week, the Mets made the move to fire manager Carlos Mendoza. Shortly after moving on from the manager, the Mets outfield turned a simple single into a little league homer for George Spring in Toronto. It has been an awful stretch of defense for the Mets, to say the least. Another day, same Mets. Juan Soto and A.J. Ewing just turned this routine George Springer base hit into a Little League home run. pic.twitter.com/pOO7L0YvHl— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 29, 2026After talking all winter about "run prevention", the Mets' defense has been viral on social media for gaffes routinely this season. The latest mistake from Soto and Ewing was icing on the cake for bad Mets defense this year, and it shows that the Mets need to overhaul their run prevention model this winter. They can't take another year of defense this bad if they hope to contend in 2027. 2. Don't give up on Francisco Álvarez just yetIt has not been an easy first few years for the Mets' catcher since he took over the reins in 2023, but Francisco Álvarez has given plenty of reason lately to keep confidence in him. He launched his ninth homer of the season on Tuesday night, which got his OPS mark up and over .750 on the year at the time. Since coming back from the injured list on June 9 and through the end of the month, he connected on five homers and owned an OPS of .821.While the other names commonly associated with the "Baby Mets" have not panned out, there are still plenty of reasons to keep faith in Álvarez. If his power continues to rebound, he can become the top-flight right-handed power threat that the Mets have been hoping he becomes. He is finally seeing more time at DH in the everyday lineup, which can help keep him off the injured list. Don't give up on the former top prospect in baseball just yet. 1. The Mets have their rotation's foundation for 2027Sean Manaea and Nolan McLean turned in strong performances on back-to-back nights north of the border, following a solid return from the injured list for Christian Scott. These three are the Mets' best starters under contract for 2027, and the trio is pitching like a set of arms the Mets can depend on. Manaea's revival has been a lifeline for the Mets given his salary of $22 million next year, and he can be part of a solid back-end of the Mets' rotation going forward. His ERA as a starter is just a shade over 4.00, but that is hurt in part by brutal Mets' defense behind him. Scott and McLean are two solid front-three starters, and the Mets can find a third this winter, while Manaea can be dependable in the back end. All might be lost on this year's team, but there are solid signs for a good Mets starting staff as soon as next season. This gives the Mets a better chance at landing a top-flight starter this winter. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow