A trade that feels inevitable for the Mets
Also - Edwin Díaz discussed his future with the Mets at the MLB Awards Show in Las Vegas on Thursday
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
RHP Edwin Díaz won the 2025 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year award (press release)
OF Juan Soto’s stellar 40/30 season earned him third place in the MVP balloting, and both SS Francisco Lindor and 1B Pete Alonso also received MVP votes - Lindor finished in 11th place, Alonso in 12th (press release)
Soto and Díaz made the All-MLB Team for 2025 (press release)
Lee Mazzilli, Bobby Valentine, and Carlos Beltrán will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2026 (MLB.com)
Rumor Mill 🔎
Teams have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring Jeff McNeil (Athletic)
Edwin Díaz believes there’s a 50/50 chance he returns to the Mets (Newsday)
Injury Updates 🏥
INF Jeff McNeil underwent a procedure to treat thoracic outlet syndrome after the season (NY Post)
Has Jeff McNeil played his last game with the Mets? ✍🏻
INF Jeff McNeil was in the news for two reasons on Thursday: that he underwent a procedure for thoracic outlet syndrome and that teams were interested in acquiring him from the Mets.
So not great news, and good news? That depends on your perspective on the trade interest, I suppose.
Thoracic outlet syndrome might be the reason why McNeil struggled mightily down the stretch last season. He hit just .187/.274/.240 in the month of September without any home runs in 84 plate appearances. While he is expected to be ready for spring training, the question remains: will he be reporting to camp with the Mets?
After winning the batting title in 2022, the utilityman has not come close to replicating the highs from that season. In 2023, he hit .270/.333/.378 and slugged just 10 home runs in 156 games, and in 2024, he hit .238/.308/.384 with 12 home runs in 129 games. He had been enjoying a bounce-back season in 2025 before his disastrous September, but even with those numbers factored in, he had a 111 wRC+ for the year. He also did cut down on his strikeout percentage from his career high of 14.4% in 2024, which he lowered to 11.9% in 2025.
The problem with McNeil is that since he is not a power hitter, he has to provide value in other ways, and he is going to turn 34 during the 2026 season while also coming off thoracic outlet syndrome. It’s not clear right now which kind of TOS he had, as there are three types: arterial, venous, and neurogenic, the latter of which is most common and is something that afflicts a lot of athletes with overhead motions, such as throwing. It’s difficult for pitchers to return from, which is why it was so difficult or impossible for both Stephen Strasburg and Matt Harvey to recover from it. But it might be less taxing for a position player, which is why he is expected to be ready for camp in three months.
Even so, given those factors, if David Stearns is approached with a trade for the infielder, he should probably take the deal.
The reality is, at this point in his career, McNeil is creating a roster clog for the Mets. It’s not even the money - his deal isn’t a big burden on the Mets payroll, although he is owed a combined $17.5 million (guaranteed, although he has a $15.75 million club option for 2027) over the next two years. But his presence created a willfully bad situation with three players at third base on the roster, one or two of whom (Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio) could’ve been able to try and demonstrate value at second base and another - Luisangel Acuña - the most capable of adapting to second base if he had been given a bigger opportunity. Of course, the issue wasn’t helped by the fact Mark Vientos was out of options - he very well might’ve been in the minors in June if that wasn’t the case.
Without McNeil, that leaves Baty, Mauricio, and Acuña as internal options to be the team’s second baseman with top prospect Jett Williams not too far behind, although he can play center field, where there’s another hole. Baty is probably best utilized as a third baseman, and while Acuña is the superior defender, neither he nor Mauricio has hit enough at the major league level to be given the starting job, although again, their opportunities were generally limited because of the way the roster was constructed.
Then of course there is the free agent market, where names like Alex Bregman, Gleyber Torres, Bo Bichette, and Luis Arraez are available. Torres and Bichette do have the qualifying offer attached to them and also large price tags. Stearns has other key areas to fill, including a closer and first baseman, whether or not Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso fill those holes.
Yes, McNeil has been a great Met since his arrival in 2018. He’s won a batting title, has a 117 OPS+ since he came up over eight years, and has generally performed to his contract since he signed it before the 2023 season. But, he is a shell of the player he once was. It happens, and there comes a point where every team and player reaches this crossroad. His versatility might make him an everyday player here, but I am no longer certain McNeil can start on every team, which probably means he shouldn’t start here anymore. He will be 34 next year, and he might be evolving into a “less is more” player.
They could of course opt to keep McNeil one more year and cut him loose after 2026, or take what they can now and clear the roster spot. They’d presumably sign someone in free agency who will likely cost more than what McNeil is making, but that will also allow them to get more production out of that roster spot even if it costs them some versatility in the process.
It is not an easy decision for Stearns to make as he navigates this crucial offseason, but moving on from McNeil feels inevitable over the next couple of months as he endeavors to fix what was broken on this roster for 2026.
Around the League 🚩
Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani took home the 2025 MVP honors (MLB.com)
Jacob deGrom and Ronald Acuña Jr. were named as Comeback Player of the Year (MLB.com)
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was arrested and taken into custody and later pleaded not guilty in court to charges he took bribes to help gamblers win bets on his pitches (ESPN)
The family of the late Peter Seidler is exploring a potential sale of the San Diego Padres two years after the owner passed away (press release)
Stats whiz Sarah Langs was honored with the Iron Horse Award at ALS United Greater New York’s annual Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala (MLB.com)
I heard Soto was advocating for Marte to come back. He was speaking about his clubhouse fit being a leader and all that. I hope he won’t be influencing Stearns with that talk. He was also advocating for Pete too which I hope doesn’t fall on deaf ears. How much should we read into the 50/50 Diaz talk? Are the Mets waiting for others to make offers first and then decide? Are they getting that luxury? Losing him would be a big ass hole to fill and now that he just won closer of the year? What else does the guy have to do to prove his worth? Give him the fifth year. There’s not a FA on the market that can match him plus he has proven he can pitch in NY which we all know is something not every guy can do.
The Squirrel was a more than useful utility guy through much of last season, but if he's getting limited outfield reps going forward, that starts to really clog things up. He's not going to be a late-inning defensive replacement at second or third, that's for sure. 😆
Where else does he play? If he starts over Acuña at second, we lose a lot of glove. Same if he starts in center no matter who pencils in there. He's not starting at third over anybody, either.
It's probably a wash defensively if he starts in left over Nimmo or in right over Soto, but we lose a lot of stick, so why play McNeil at all?
It's tough to see what his role is on the roster other than left-handed DH.