Wagner, who notched 300th save with Mets, going into the Hall

NEW YORK — Billy Wagner may have been an Astro and a Phillie at least as much as he was a Met, but that doesn’t erase the fact that he was, indeed, a Met. Wagner was an important one, too, spending three-plus years as the closer in Queens following stints in Houston and Philadelphia.

So make no mistake: Wagner’s election into the Hall of Fame on Tuesday marked a victory for the franchise.

“Congratulations to Billy Wagner on baseball’s highest honor,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “He was a two-time All-Star during his four seasons in Queens and earned his 300th career save in a Mets uniform. Billy was one of the game’s [most dominant] closers and will now be forever enshrined in the Hall of Fame.”

Wagner wasn’t the only Met to achieve some measure of success on Tuesday’s ballot reveal. Carlos Beltrán crept closer to the Hall in his third year on the ballot, while David Wright garnered enough support to stay on it. Here’s a deeper look at the cases of those three and others:

Wagner

Considering Wagner fell just five votes shy of induction in his ninth year on the ballot last January, his election this time around seemed mostly assured … to perhaps everyone other than Wagner himself, who has taken nothing for granted during this process. Multiple times, Wagner has said he’s never regretted retiring after an age-38 season that saw him produce a 1.43 ERA, even while acknowledging that a few more saves, a few more strikeouts, might have made him a shoo-in Hall of Famer.

He seemed at peace with the idea of missing out.

He seemed at peace with the idea of missing out.

But he didn’t, thanks to the voting bump that typically accompanies a player’s final year on the ballot. Needing five more votes, Wagner gained 41 of them to become the eighth player to earn induction in his final year of eligibility, and he responded with a genuine show of emotion.

It’s happened three times over the last decade, with Tim Raines, Edgar Martínez and Larry Walker all earning induction in Year 10

Beltrán

If not for his role in the 2017 Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, Beltrán probably would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His numbers suggest he is one. On paper, there’s not much of a counterargument.

And while no modern precedent exists for this situation, polling trends suggest Beltrán will almost certainly enter the Hall next year. He received 70.3 percent of the vote this time around, up from 46.5 percent in 2023 and 57.1 percent last year. There will always be a block of voters unwilling to support him because of the sign-stealing affair, but it doesn’t appear that that’s ultimately going to keep him out of Cooperstown.

Wright

When Wright first became eligible for the ballot last year, he was at risk of being a one-and-done candidate. Players need to receive 5 percent of the vote to stay on, and Wright — due in part to a crowded ballot, and in part to the back, neck and shoulder injuries that ended his career — cleared that bar by only four votes.

One year later, his case is gaining some slight momentum, thanks largely to an analytical argument that focuses on his peak — specifically a three-year run from 2006-08 that saw him hit 89 homers, steal 69 bases, produce a .933 OPS, accumulate 19.3 WAR, make three All-Star teams, win two Gold Gloves and a pair of Silver Sluggers, and finish in the Top 10 in National League MVP voting all three of those seasons. Over that stretch, plus at various points throughout a wider window from 2004-13, Wright was clearly one of the game’s best players.

That he appeared in merely 1,585 career games is a problem, though not an insurmountable one; a handful of Hall of Fame hitters have fewer. Going forward, Wright’s case will hinge upon whether voters reward him for his peak and ignore his lack of longevity — something the BBWAA electorate never did for another notable New York star, Don Mattingly. Wright remains a long shot to make the Hall, but lines of thinking have changed in the decade since Mattingly fell off the ballot. For Wright, there is at least a glimmer of hope.

Others

Bobby Abreu, who finished his 18-year career with the Mets, continued receiving modest but consistent support in his sixth year on the ballot, earning 19.5 percent of the vote. … Francisco Rodríguez, the former Mets closer, earned 10.2 percent of votes to remain on the ballot. … Off the ballot, however, is Curtis Granderson, who garnered just three total votes in his first year of eligibility.

Related Posts

🚨REPORT: Rumor sparks as Randal Grichuk could be heading to the Yankees—could this be the move New York fans have been waiting for? With the team’s needs growing, Grichuk might be the perfect addition to their lineup. Will this trade go through? Only time will tell..ll 👇👇👇

🚨 NEW YORK YANKEES EYEING RONALD GRICHUK: Could the Former Blue Jays Outfielder Add Depth to Their Roster? 👇 As the New York Yankees continue to refine…

🚨REPORT: Rumor sparks as Randal Grichuk could be heading to the Yankees—could this be the move New York fans have been waiting for? With the team’s needs growing, Grichuk might be the perfect addition to their lineup. Will this trade go through? Only time will tell..ll 👇👇👇

🚨 NEW YORK YANKEES EYEING RONALD GRICHUK: Could the Former Blue Jays Outfielder Add Depth to Their Roster? 👇 As the New York Yankees continue to refine…

🚨EXCLUSIVE: Down memory lane—Trump shares incredible letter praising him from legendary Yankees owner, 37 years ago! As the unexpected document resurfaces, it raises eyebrows and sparks a whirlwind of questions. Why bring this up now, and what does it mean for his legacy? Only time will tell..ll 👇👇👇

🚨 TRUMP SHARES HISTORIC LETTER FROM YANKEES LEGEND GEORGE STEINBRENNER ENCOURAGING HIM TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT 👇 In a surprising move, President Donald Trump shared a 37-year-old…

💥HOT NEWS: The Braves are quietly signaling belief in upside by elevating Bryse Wilson into their starting plans for the upcoming season. The move may be subtle, but the message is clear: Atlanta still believes development isn’t linear. Once a highly regarded arm, Wilson has battled setbacks, shifting roles, and time out of the spotlight. Now, the Braves are betting that his growth, maturity, and refined approach can finally translate into real rotation value. This isn’t hype-driven—it’s a calculated internal belief meeting opportunity at the right moment. For Wilson, it’s a chance at urgency and redemption. For the Braves, it’s a risk that could quietly reshape their pitching outlook as the season approaches.

The move didn’t need a press conference, a carefully timed leak, or a bold headline to matter. Sometimes, the most meaningful decisions in baseball are the quiet…

🚨EXCLUSIVE: Yankees’ Brian Cashman makes bold admission about Cody Bellinger, and fans are in shock! With major decisions looming, Cashman’s comments could signal a shift in New York’s pursuit of talent. Is Bellinger the key to the Yankees’ next championship run? Only time will tell..ll 👇👇👇

🚨 CODY BELLINGER RETURNS TO THE YANKEES: Why This Deal is Crucial for New York’s World Series Hopes 👇 After much anticipation and speculation, Cody Bellinger has…

Breaking: Ronald Acuña Jr. stunned fans in 2023 when he quietly married Maria Laborde, revealing a side of himself the world had rarely seen. Once fiercely private, the Braves superstar has since embraced life as a devoted family man. His once-hidden Venezuelan home life—now playfully dubbed a “secret dynasty”—has become a source of unmistakable dad strength, with Acuña proudly sharing moments with his sons, Ronald Daniel and Jamal Mitchell.

Atlanta / La Guaira, January 30, 2026 — Ronald Acuña Jr. and Maria Laborde: The Quiet Love Behind Baseball’s Loudest Star Ronald Acuña Jr. lives his professional…