Two big options for the Mets to reconstruct their lineup
The Mets are reportedly interested in an unnatural fit which would boost their offense in a big way
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What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
Following Jeff McNeil’s departure, the Mets fully intend to add a bat in the outfield; they may also end up waiting out the pitching market for a deal that suits their current comfort level (MLB.com)
The Mets are interested in right-handed OF Austin Hays (New York Post)
The team reportedly signed RHPs Ofreidy Gómez and Tyler Burch to minor league deals (MMO | MLB.com)
Rumor Mill 💨
The Mariners are interested in bringing back Eugenio Suárez (MLB.com)
The Cardinals are also in the market for a right-handed outfielder (MLB.com)
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Where will the Mets find their next ‘big’ bat? ✍️
On Tuesday, Jeff McNeil hosted his introductory press conference as the newest member of the Athletics. The 101-win Mets core from 2022 is officially officially no more.
Naturally, with yet another key departure from this Mets lineup, questions abound (loudly) about where the team needs to go next, or whether or not they’ll do it at all.
Let’s take a look at some of the viable (or not) options for the Mets to consider as they attempt to move forward in the external markets with six weeks to go before Spring Training starts.
Ketel Marte
I am sure some of you have seen the following tweet:
The appeal of Marte is obvious: he’s the best second baseman in baseball. In 126 games last season, Marte hit .283/.376/.517 with 28 homers and a 145 wRC+. He also put up one of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios of his career alongside excellent batted ball data, including the highest hard-hit and barrel rates of his career — it’s not all that shocking he reached a max exit velo of ~120 mph in 2025. Factoring in his plus-grade defense, he’s the definition of an all-around player. I’m sure I don’t need to bury you in stats to sell the benefits of adding Ketel Marte to this Mets lineup.
Beyond his on-field value, what makes Marte uniquely interesting is his contract.
This past April, he signed a six-year, $116.5 million extension with the Diamondbacks that locks him up until 2031 on a fairly team-friendly deal. Due to make $16 million in 2026 and just $12 million in 2027 (covering his ages 32-33 seasons), Marte’s contract could very easily pay for itself in these next few years. Granted, he’s owed $64 million over the final three years (ages 34-36), but even at a little over $20 million a year, I can’t see that contract aging all that poorly considering his talent baseline.
To get a deal like this done, the Diamondbacks, who are reportedly looking for young pitching talent. The Mets are a match on paper for this, and Arizona would assuredly ask for the likes of Jonah Tong or Brandon Sproat as part of the deal.
Looking at Arizona’s prospect rankings, it looks like they have a potential stud second baseman waiting in the minors (Tommy Troy, ARI #5 prospect who hit .295 with an .810 OPS at Triple A), so I don’t think they’d necessarily need to trade for any infield help. That certainly doesn’t help our current logjam.
To that point: bringing in Marte would inherently fog up the road ahead for guys like Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña, and Jett Williams. I suppose the Mets could hold onto Williams and see how he fares in the outfield, but I think enough minor league experimentation has proved that’s not the most desirable route.
Still, let’s say the Mets trade all of them away — you’re now looking at an infield committee of Marte, Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, and Brett Baty. Semien seems to be set for primary second base duty, as I don’t know where else he’d slot in if Marte were to take it; given that Marte hasn’t played first base, that means he’s either primarily DH’ing and occasionally playing the outfield (not ideal), or he’s platooning with Baty over at third?
Or, he puts Baty on the outside looking in entirely.
For what it’s worth, the Mets have been reportedly open to dealing Baty this winter, presumably trying to sell on the upside he displayed in the second half of the 2025 season.
Having said that, Marte has played three games at third in his big league career. He has not seen even semi-regular time in the outfield since 2023.
So, how exactly Marte fits isn’t clear. But there’s a decent enough argument to be made that Marte’s bat is so good that they find a way to make him fit. On the flip side, if they brought Marte in, balancing the distribution of playing time might be a bit challenging. Plus, considering the clear desire to make sure the rookies get reps and the aversion to longer-term deals, I question how realistic it is to expect David Stearns to suddenly trade for a guy who’s locked down through the end of this decade.
It’s a really interesting question, and if they pulled it off, I’d obviously celebrate as loudly as anyone — but my cautious mind doesn’t see this one happening.
Pivot!
Yandy Díaz
Let’s say the Mets do indeed forego a Ketel Marte trade, either because they want to bank on their pitching talent and hold onto their top-tier guys, or they don’t want to commit to the length of his deal, despite the relatively reasonable dollars attached.
If a right-handed hitter on a short-term deal who can cover first base is what the Mets are after, I’m not sure there’s a better fit on the trade market than Yandy Díaz.
Since he entered the league in 2017, Díaz has been one of the league’s most reliable hitters from the right side. Over nine MLB seasons, he’s hit .290 with an .813 OPS, good for a career 128 OPS+. In 150 games last season, Díaz slashed .300/.366/.482 with 25 homers and 83 RBIs, reinforcing his profile as a stable lineup presence that regularly produces disciplined, productive at-bats…sounds ideal for this Mets lineup!
Positionally, Díaz has spent most of his time at first base and DH, but he’s also played quite a bit of third base as well; his excellent numbers against lefties would pair perfectly there in an occasional platoon situation with Baty. He didn’t grade out particularly well defensively at either position, but that’s not really a concern if reps are properly limited, which they would be in this lineup.
Contractually, Díaz is entering his age-34 season on a one-year deal with a conditional club option for 2027 — that’s the preferred deal of this franchise right now.
In addition to a lower contractual commitment, acquiring Díaz would assuredly come at a cheaper talent cost to the Mets than Marte. Like Arizona, Tampa Bay is hurting for pitching, of which the Mets have a prospect surplus, but with respect to Díaz, he’s not going to garner a Tong-type return. If reports are true that the Mets have repeatedly balked at an expensive trade market, I could see them shipping off someone like Jonathan Pintaro or Douglas Orellana to make a move like this.
Ultimately, of the two trade scenarios here, I think a trade for Díaz falls much more neatly in line with the picture the Mets’ front office seems to be painting this winter: high-performance in an area of immediate need, presumably available for reasonable cost for a reasonable commitment.
Safe. Predictable. In a very specific way, that sounds kind of nice these days.
There’s also the legitimate possibility that the Mets pursue a reunion in the form of Starling Marte and/or Harrison Bader, both of whom I’ve spoken very fondly of in the past. In addition to continued contributions on the field, Marte’s clubhouse influence is well-known, as both Juan Soto and Jorge Polanco have expressed his importance in making them feel comfortable coming to the team. As for Bader, he similarly had a successful season between Minnesota and Philadelphia, helping lead the Phillies to a playoff berth before missing the entire postseason due to injury.
Even in his age-36 season, Marte remained a reliable lineup presence in a less-is-more role. In 98 games, he hit .270 with 9 homers, 34 RBIs, and a .745 OPS over 329 plate appearances, perfectly serviceable production in an intentionally reduced role. Granted, he offers very little (if any) defensive value at this stage in his career, but he settled into a mostly-DH role fairly naturally, and he handled pitching from both sides of the rubber just fine.
Bader’s 2025 campaign, meanwhile, was easily the best of his career. After getting off to a solid start in Minnesota, Bader was traded to the Phillies and got even better, hitting .305 with a 122 wRC+ over 50 games and helping lead the charge to another playoff berth. Though the marked improvements he made at the plate will likely level off next season, it’s still plenty reasonable to go spend a little bit of money on a guy who’s coming off career highs in homers, doubles, runs scored, RBI, batting average, OBP, OPS, walk rate, hard-hit rate, and wRC+, all while also providing +5 FRV and +7 OAA in the field.
No, neither of these moves would be anywhere near as flashy as a Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger signing. Still, both Marte and Bader would at least give the Mets a right-handed bat that can cover a position of need, and they’d each be available for a short-term contract the likes of which the team would find appealing. Sure, Bader clearly provides more all-around value than Marte does at this stage in their respective careers, but given Marte’s intangible locker room value, I can also see why the Mets would make room for both of them on this roster, especially if it didn’t lock them into too significant an investment on either end.
Regardless of the direction they head, the Mets just need to pick one. There’s plenty of offseason left, and realistically, if they’re truly not in the ‘Big Splash’ market, then there’s probably no real reason for them to rush…but I’d love to wake up to another Passan notification in the next day or two. There’s so much work to do and some big gaps to cover just so they can field a major league team.
All I want for Christmas is a longer lineup.
Around the League 🚩
The Pirates signed 1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn to a two-year, $29 million deal (MLB.com)
The White Sox signed LHP Sean Newcomb to a one-year, $4.5 million deal (MLB.com)
The Cubs signed RHP Jacob Webb to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with a club option for 2027 (MLB.com)
Bryce Harper announced that he’ll be playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic (The Athletic)
Any talk of Marte coming after Semien was brought in seems ridiculous. Plus the length of that contract? Stearns won’t go this route. Diaz seems most likely. The Bader/Marte also seems possible with Marte having a leg up with his Soto relationship. I think Baty has earned the third base job and I’d like to see what he can do with the position knowing the job is his from the jump in spring training. I think the Mets and us will be happy with him. He hit lefties last year when given the chance so the narrative he should be in a platoon should be swept aside. Bellinger I think is the only player who fits now.
Anything other than getting Tucker or Bellinger will be a sideways move. Ketel Marte is a great player that simply doesn't fit. Let's not sweep under the rug that 125 rbis took the train to Baltimore. Let's not forget how God-awful the starters were last year in the second half. If nothing dramatic is done between now and April we're looking at a sub .500 team.