With so much uncertainty, a young Mets player has now become critical for 2026
Meanwhile, Ronny Mauricio is only playing third base in winter ball
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
It was unclear to the Mets if Willson Contreras would’ve been willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Mets (Athletic)
Ronny Mauricio has played exclusively third base in the Dominican Winter League (ESPN)
Rumor Mill 💨
Japanese third baseman Kazuma Okamoto has traveled to the US for in person meetings as he nears the finish line in his posting window (Yahoo)
Former big leaguers Mitch White and Guillermo Heredia are staying in the KBO with the SSG Landers (MyKBO)
The Red Sox are still casting a wide net for improvements (Boston Globe)
Seattle is hesitant to deal from its Major League roster (Seattle Times)
What I’m Reading 📰
It’s time for David Stearns to break his silence (NY Post)
Francisco Lindor recently purchased a $21.2 million penthouse on Manhattan’s upper east side (NY Post)
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
This week on the podcast, Rich and Andrew dove into your questions about the Mets and had some healthy and candid discussions about the club heading into the new year.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Brett Baty has quietly become one of the Mets most important pieces ✍️
With so much focus right now on players that are no longer with the Mets, let’s talk about somebody that is.
And someone who, all of a sudden, with the way things are currently constructed, is going to have to play an enormous role in 2026 if this Mets team is going to have any success.
That someone is third baseman Brett Baty.
When New York selected the 26-year-old with the 12th overall pick in 2019, the idea was that he would ultimately develop into the franchise’s first long-term answer at the hot corner since David Wright.
It’s admittedly been a winding road, but that still just may come to fruition.
After middling through the parts of three Major League seasons and ultimately losing his third base job to Mark Vientos, who looked like a budding star in 2024, Baty entered last season at an apparent career crossroads. People both internally and externally were skeptical about Baty’s big league ability, although he was still routinely tearing up the minor leagues after numerous failed opportunities at this level.
New York began getting him reps at second base to increase his versatility after it seemed as though they were ready to commit to Mark Vientos after his breakout 2024 season at third base. He had a wonderful spring training again for the Mets a year ago, made the big league club (it was inevitable about midway through), and out of the gate, it was the same old, same old for Baty until around midyear when things started to click for him. In the end, even while having to learn second base, Baty still managed to deliver a career year offensively and was ultimately a plus-defender when he was re-installed at third base.
In 130 games, he slashed .254/.313/.435 with 18 home runs, 50 RBI, 13 doubles, and even a pair of triples.
He easily reclaimed the third base job from Vientos, who struggled through the majority of the campaign, and for the first time in his career will enter camp as the unanimous starter at his primary position.
All of that is good news for Baty, but with so many prominent Mets stalwarts not here, this lineup is looking exceedingly underwhelming.
As Michael detailed yesterday, the Mets lost 8.7 WAR when Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil all departed. That’s a substantial amount of value to replace, and while external additions still may be coming, the guys that are already here are still going to have to step up dramatically.
Which pushes Baty to the forefront of the conversation.
The 2.3 fWAR he delivered a season ago was more than McNeil, but will also have to be significantly higher if the Mets are going to surprise some people. It also remains to be seen if this is at all sustainable - remember, this is merely a good four months out of three-plus seasons for Baty.
Baty has always been able to display tremendous power to all fields, but was often overmatched with velocity and was perpetually searching for consistency.
He started to find that in 2025, but it’s also fair to point out that with so much star power in the top part of the Mets lineup, he was able to thrive in a lower-pressure role. That won’t be the case in ‘26, as right now I simply don’t see an avenue for the Mets to be good that doesn’t include Baty blossoming into a 30+ home run, 100+ RBI type of bat.
That is a lot to ask.
Of course, I’m bullish on that possibility, but like anything, hope is not a strategy, and we have to see it before we can count on that becoming reality.
Around the League 🚩
Veteran righty Joe Kelly has retired (WEEI)
I'm a Baty fan. Wish you wouldn't jinx him with talk of 30 hr and 100 rbis. Reminds me of last spring when some people were talking that way about Alvarez. I'll just be happy if Alvarez manages to stay on the field long enough to crack 400 at bats. Returning to the bigger picture, unless Stearns signs a major FA or two or makes a major trade, it's accurate to describe what he's done as a teardown to start a rebuild. In which case, getting Semien makes no sense. Same for Polanco. If you're doing a rebuild might as well play 4 kids every day (Acuna, Benge, Williams, Mauricio) and see what shakes out. What's the difference if you finish 5 games under .500 or 10? Wish I knew what Stearns's strategy/plan is...surely there is one.
One thing I don’t want to see is another platoon with Baty. Put the kid there and stick with him. Give him the season as it sure looks like Stearns is attempting to create a new core with Benge coming by mid-season if he doesn’t break camp with the team. Jett is a trade piece I feel. I also feel the bullpen is going to be filled with kids who are going to be starters in the future but breaking in with the pen along with Ross and some other names According to Ernie Dove. I think Ernie is right with his synopsis on how the Mets are going to be constructed going forward.