It does not look like the New York Mets will hear the end of the Yankees’ ‘Little Brother’ remarks anytime soon. Not at least after the Mets continued the trend of signing ex-New York Yankees players this offseason, too.

The Mets went through some major roster changes this offseason, like letting Pete Alonso go and bringing in Bo Bichette. Continuing their ritual to bring in ex-Yankees, the Mets signed pitchers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver from their cross-town rivals. As the ‘little brother’ accusations got reignited following this, Carlos Mendoza gave an honest insight into the deals made.

“It definitely helps, but it’s not something that we’re looking for, or we’re fishing,” said Mendoza at WFAN Sports Radio, breaking his silence for the first time since he took over as the Mets’ manager in 2023.

Two New York City teams – one with 27 World Series rings (the Yankees) and another with only 2 (the Mets). The ‘little brother’ label has chased the Mets since their initial years in the 1960s, fueled by the Yankees’ historical dominance. Fans have continued the narrative after the Yankees defeated them in the 2000 Subway Series.

The label gained even more traction after the Mets picked up multiple entities who previously played for the Yankees.

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“Is there a value to kind of having some players, some role players, some different guys who’ve been here and played with the Yankees? ‘Cause there’s a lot of them on your roster,” the host at WFAN Sports Radio observed.

Mendoza explained, “If it makes sense and it fits our roster, then it’s just, I don’t know, it’s weird, but once you get them on board, it probably helps a little bit.”

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to go out and play baseball. When we’re making decisions, we’re not looking for players that have previous experience in New York. We’re looking for baseball players that are going to help us win baseball games here and that we will continue to.”

Both Williams and Weaver are coming off their seasons with the Yankees. Williams agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal, while Weaver is on a two-year, $22 million contract. Plus, there is another interesting factor.

Mendoza himself is an ex-Yankee. He started with the Yankees, moved up the ranks, and crossed the town later to become the Mets manager.

While all of it brings back the Yankees ‘little brother’ accusations that the Mets keep battling, under Steve Cohen’s leadership, the Mets have pushed against the tag through aggressive free-agent pursuits and record-breaking payrolls.

Ex-Yankee Juan Soto signed a 15-year contract worth a whopping $765 million with the Mets in December 2024. After that, the Yankees ‘little brother’ tag now appears to be shifting. Soto won his sixth Silver Slugger award after posting a .263 average with 43 home runs, 105 RBIs, and 120 runs scored in 160 games in 2025. And that’s just the beginning of his 14 more seasons ahead.

Another ex-Yankee on the Mets’ ship

Veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman agreed to a minor league deal with the Mets, reported MLB.com.

Tauchman was part of the Yankees from 2019 to 2021.

He is coming off a season with the White Sox, where he primarily played as a right fielder, along with being a designated hitter. In the 93 games he played in 2025, Tauchman recorded an average of .263 with a .756 OPS. At 35, his career WAR stands at 8.5.

In the Mets camp, he will join Carson Benge, Tyrone Taylor, and Brett Batty as an option to make it to the right-field.

Tauchman has the potential to become an obstacle for the Mets’ No. 2 prospect, Benge, making it to the team.

Mike Tauchman had his best year with the Yankees in 2019 when he slashed .277/.361/.504 and saved 19 defensive runs in the outfield. Now, as he is back in New York, he will probably get his chance to produce another career-best season if he makes it to the big leagues for the Mets.