Are the Mets serious about moving Mark Vientos to first base?

Plus, the framework of a potential deal for Dylan Cease

What’s up with the Mets? 🍎

• An examination of what a potential Mets trade for San Diego’s Dylan Cease could look like (SI)

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Rumor Mill 💨

• San Diego would also still like to add at least a bat and an arm before opening day (MLB)

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The Mets sure don’t sound serious about moving Mark Vientos to first base… ✍️

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Dating back to pretty much the time the World Series ended, the general narrative around the Mets regarding Pete Alonso’s free agency was that if the Polar Bear returned, Mark Vientos would stay at third base, and if he left, Vientos would slide across the diamond and take over position number three on your scorecard.

I’m here to put the pin back in the grenade on that theory.

In Vientos, the Mets have a rising star on the offensive side of the ball. At just 25 years old, he just slashed .266/.322/.516 with 27 homers and 22 doubles in only 111 games, and put on a show in the postseason that put him on the map nationally.

It was exactly the breakthrough at the sport’s highest level the Mets had been waiting to see from Vientos, who consistently had raked in the minors but found difficulty translating that success.

He was also, in many ways, able to shed his reputation as a defensive liability, as thanks to a tireless amount of work at third base, he was able to mold himself into a more than serviceable defender at the hot corner. He committed only five errors in 245 defensive chances, and while he was not a Gold Glover by any stretch of the imagination, he established himself as a dependable, competent everyday player at an important position.

Heading into his first season as a solidified big league regular, I always thought it would be counterproductive to ask him to change positions, and it feels like the Mets think the same thing.

In a deviation from what has become the norm under Steve Cohen’s leadership, the Mets’ ongoing saga with Alonso seems to be playing out in the media more than any other recent contract negotiation.

There have been a plethora of different and often conflicting reports regarding the status of the cat-and-mouse game, much of which just feels like posturing from both sides.

It was reported more than a week ago that the Mets did tell Vientos—and Brett Baty, for the record—to take groundballs at first base. But even that felt a little forced at the time.

For starters, why is Baty being mentioned as an option at first base?

In a post-Alonso world, there was an assumption he’d reclaim third base with Vientos at first. The first thing I thought when reading that was that the Mets don’t really want to move Vientos off the hot corner.

It is also noteworthy that if the Mets were to move Vientos to first base, his defensive value would diminish significantly, primarily due to the fact that his most valuable defensive asset, his throwing arm, would be positioned on the opposite side of the field.

A theory that was fortified with all of the recent reports of the Mets at least inquiring about several veteran first basemen like Spencer Torkelson, Ryan Mountcastle, and Yandy Diaz.

What all of this tells me is that the Mets ideally want to bring Alonso back—something we all still believe will happen eventually. But that right now, plan B is to acquire a veteran that can step in and play first base right away. All the while leaving Vientos alone to continue to grow on both sides of the ball as New York’s starting third baseman.

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Around the League 🚩

• Former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent passed away (MLB)

• RHP Jack Flaherty agreed to terms on a free-agent pact with Detroit (ESPN)

• Veteran infielder Nicky Lopez signed a minor league deal with the Cubs (NY Post)

• Hall of Famer Barry Larkin joined the Orlando Dreamers, a group that is attempting to bring an MLB franchise to Orlando, as the organization’s MLB ambassador (Orlando Sentinel)