Who is the Mets second baseman of the future?

And a look at some winter league highlights while recapping a busy weekend full of rumors

What’s up with the Mets? 🍎

• Luisangel Acuña crushed his third home run in the Venezuela Winter League (Watch)

• New Mets outfielder José Siri gave a preview of what Mets fans can expect with this crazy steal of third and then home in the Dominican Winter League (Watch)

---

---

Who is the second baseman of the future? ✍️

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Tis the season for holiday shopping frenzies, frustratingly stringing lights up only to realize half of the bulbs don’t work, and stuffing presents under Christmas trees.

And in the baseball world, it’s the time of the year for never-ending rumors.

The Mets have understandably been linked in some capacity to basically every big-name free agent available, and every impact player potentially able to be had on the trade market.

And in stark contrast to their stance on the issue last summer at the trade deadline, the Mets seem more willing to include some of their top prospects if a hypothetical deal makes sense.

Which brings me to the team’s second base situation.

Jeff McNeil is under contract in New York for two more guaranteed seasons, but the veteran is a potential trade candidate in his own right, and his ability to play so many positions could ultimately land him as a super utility-type player.

If/when we reach a point where he is no longer playing second base on a daily basis, I see three candidates to take over at position number four:

Luisangel Acuña, Jett Williams, or Ronny Mauricio.

Getty Images

Acuña likely probably has a slight edge on the other two if a decision had to be made today. The 22-year-old was New York’s prized return from Texas in the Max Scherzer trade at the ‘23 deadline, and his blend of extra-base hit power and speed captivated scouts. His last name certainly helps either, as his older brother, as we all know, is Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. The younger Acuña slashed .280/.351/.401 with 198 stolen bases in 505 career minor league games. He reached New York late last season and made an immediate impact down the stretch, homering three times in only 39 at-bats in place of the injured Francisco Lindor. He was included on the Mets postseason roster and was often used as a sure-handed defensive replacement.

Then there’s Williams, who is the consensus number one-ranked prospect in the Mets system. The Dallas, TX native was New York’s first-round pick in 2022, and is a terrific defender at short, second base, and even center field. Injuries unfortunately cost him nearly all of 2024, which sets his arrival back a bit, but the season he was able to put together in ‘23 highlights just what he can do offensively. In 121 games that year, he slashed .263/.425/.451 with 13 homers, 55 RBI, 22 doubles, eight triples, an eye-opening 104 walks and 45 stolen bases in 534 plate appearances as a 19-year-old at three different minor league levels. Williams is energetic and spunky, and profiles as a unanimous fan favorite in the very near future.

Mauricio, like Williams, could tell you all about injuries derailing the 2024 season. The switch-hitter suffered a torn ACL last winter that cost him all of last year, which was a real bummer for both him and the team. Mauricio, like the other two players listed above, possesses a skillset that includes both power and speed, and had just turned in three straight minor league seasons with 20+ home runs—including back-to-back years with 50+ extra-base hits. He reached the Major Leagues late in ‘23, and showed flashes, and to add to his value, he does have positional versatility all over the infield. But his recovery has been slow from that ACL tear and he has only now finally begun some light baseball activities.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

When projecting the Mets roster out even just a couple of seasons, you realize most positions are accounted for for a long time. Lindor is going to be manning shortstop for at least seven more years. Mark Vientos will hold a corner infield position for the foreseeable future as he’s still yet to reach arbitration. The Mets are going to sign another corner infielder this winter—hopefully Pete Alonso—to a long-term agreement. Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto are firmly entrenched in the corner outfield positions with long-term deals (Nimmo has the sixth best fWAR and Soto has the second best fWAR of any qualified outfielder in baseball since 2021, by the way). Francisco Álvarez is the Mets catcher.

So that leaves second base and center field for the team to figure out an extended plan for. I do believe the Mets think very highly of Drew Gilbert, the outfielder they got from Houston when they sent Justin Verlander back to the Astros, and in my opinion, he’ll end up taking over as the Mets center fielder at some point this summer.

So, back to second base.

I don’t think an avenue exists for the Mets to carry all three players I just wrote about on their roster into the future. Their skill sets are simply redundant, and there are options that make more sense at some of these guys’ secondary positions.

To me, it would behoove the club’s front office to make eventually a decision on which guy they’d like to go with and try to trade the other two for help in other areas while their value is still high. But for now, their situation at that position will likely remain fluid, perhaps well into the season, especially if they can’t find a taker or choose not to trade McNeil at all this winter.

To be fair, the flip side of that is that I’m sure the team would in fact like to utilize at least a part of this season to help determine that answer.

---

Around the League 🚩

• The Mariners signed veteran lefty Drew Pomeranz to a minor league contract (Just Baseball)

• Philadelphia is considering a workload reduction for catcher J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• The Braves added outfielder Bryan De La Cruz on a two way contract (Official)