Nolan

McLean

McLean was brilliant in the first, striking out Jakob Marsee, Jon Berti and Vinnie Pasquantino on 11 pitches, but he gave up homers to Kyle Teel and Sam Antonacci in the three-run second. McLean, who dealt with an illness earlier this month, threw 55 pitches in the contest and averaged 97.1 mph with his fastball. That’s 1.3 mph better than his 2025 average.

Electrifying Mets rookie Nolan McLean takes the ball as Team USA looks to remain unbeaten in pool play, and clinch a spot in the quarterfinals, following a thrilling victory over Mexico on Monday night. Judge has served as Team USA’s primary offensive catalyst, hitting .333 (4-for-12) with two homers and five RBI through three contests during the international showcase. Here’s the full lineup: Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Gunnar Henderson (3B), Judge (RF), Kyle Schwarber (DH), Will Smith (C), Roman Anthony (LF), Paul Goldschmidt (1B), Ernie Clement (2B) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF).

He’s still on pace to make his WBC start against Italy. McLean was apparently suffering vertigo-like symptoms, but appears to have shaken his illness. He remains a fine target in the bottom half of the top-100 picks this season.

McLean is scheduled to start against Italy on Monday, but the right-hander will obviously need to get healthy for that to take place. The good news for fantasy managers is that there’s no reason to think McLean won’t be ready for the start of the regular season.

Webb will be followed by Tigers ace Tarik Skubal against Great Britain before Pirates stalwart Paul Skenes toes the rubber against Mexico with Mets rookie sensation Nolan McLean rounding out the pool play rotation against Italy. The international showcase kicks off later this week with the quarterfinals set to begin on Friday, March 13.

He topped out at 97.9 miles per hour on the gun (a tick up from last year) and retired 12 of 14 batters faced, allowing just a single to Jeremy Peña in the first inning. McLean struck out 6 and threw 56 pitches. The upside is sky high here as his ADP continues to climb into the top 100 players. His next start should come in the World Baseball Classic.

Clay Holmes, too. While it’s exciting news, we don’t really love this idea for McLean, since it could add to the injury risk. Primarily a position player at Oklahoma State, McLean has seen his innings count jump from 33 in 2023 (the year he was drafted) to 110 in 2024 and to 162 last season. There haven’t been any red flags yet, but having the 24-year-old fully amped and facing, say, a loaded Dominican Republic lineup in March might not be the best thing.

Rosenthal, Lin and Sammon add the Padres have expressed interest in the Mets’ trio of elite pitching prospects — Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat — while noting that franchise cornerstones Francisco Lindor and Fernando Tatis Jr. have not surfaced in trade discussions. Any deal involving those prospects would qualify as a blockbuster, though McLean’s inclusion would be especially surprising given that he’s been viewed as virtually untouchable since making his major-league debut late last season. New York remains in the market for an established front-line starter and an additional high-leverage reliever to pair with newly acquired stopper Devin Williams following Edwin Díaz’s departure to Los Angeles. While The Athletic notes that nothing appears imminent, this is a situation worth monitoring closely from a fantasy standpoint.

If Skubal hits the trade market, every general manager with a pulse should already be calling Detroit. Sammon’s addition to the offseason rumor mix comes just days after Jon Heyman of The New York Post noted that the Tigers and Skubal remain nearly $250 million apart in long-term extension talks. The 28-year-old ace is set to hit free agency next offseason, making it increasingly plausible Detroit could explore trade offers if that massive gap proves unbridgeable. Barring major offseason moves, New York will open next season with one of the most intriguing young cores in baseball, featuring top pitching prospects Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat. What they lack is a proven frontline starter — making Skubal a near-perfect fit. It’s conceivable that McLean or Tong could headline a prospect package in a potential blockbuster.

McLean gave up five hits, walked two and struck out 11. The 24-year-old right-hander allowed more than two runs for the first time in his eight-start career Thursday. McLean posted a career-high 11 strikeouts. He finishes with a 2.06 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 48 innings. McLean is lined up to pitch in the first game of a potential Wild Card playoff series should the Mets make it that far.