The Mets are willing to trade from their major league infield as they look for help elsewhere on the roster, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Obviously, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso aren’t going anywhere. Nor are they likely to trade Jeff McNeil, who is having a strong season as a multi-positional contributor. If a trade comes together, it’d involve one of their four younger big league infielders: Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos or Luisangel Acuña.
Those players have found themselves in trade rumors at least dating back to last offseason. The 25-year-old Baty has long seemed the likeliest to move, as the former top prospect has not become the offensive player that many evaluators envisioned. The lefty hitter owns a .236/.292/.419 batting line across 251 plate appearances this season. While those are the best numbers of his career, they’re essentially league average. Baty has gotten there in rather streaky fashion. He had a terrible April that led the Mets to briefly demote him back to Triple-A once McNeil returned from a season-opening injured list stint. Baty hit well upon being recalled in May, tanked in June, and is back to swinging the bat well of late.
A natural third baseman, Baty has added second base to his defensive repertoire this season. He has graded as a league average second baseman with slightly above-average marks at the hot corner in a small sample. Baty has been a useful player overall, but he still hasn’t established himself as a first-division regular. He won’t reach arbitration eligibility for another year after this one and is under club control through the 2029 season.
Vientos, also 25, seemed to establish himself as a core piece last season. He connected on 27 homers with an excellent .266/.322/.516 slash line in the regular season. Vientos hit .327 and added five more longballs in 13 playoff games. He hasn’t gotten going offensively at any point this year. The righty hitter has slumped to a .221/.275/.352 showing in 265 plate appearances. Vientos’ average exit velocity and hard contact rate aren’t much different than they were last season, but his bat speed is down a tick and his actual power production has plummeted.
That’s particularly concerning for a player who doesn’t have much in his game to fall back upon. Vientos isn’t a great athlete and he’s a well below-average defensive third baseman. He should ideally be at first base, but Alonso’s presence means that won’t happen for at least the rest of this season (and potentially beyond if the Mets re-sign Alonso in free agency again). He’s working primarily as a designated hitter while Jesse Winker is battling back problems. Vientos is controllable for another four seasons, so trading him now would be a sell-low move, but he’s out of minor league options and not providing much value at the moment.
Mauricio, a toolsy switch-hitter with a very aggressive approach, is in his first season back from an ACL tear. He’s hitting .218/.288/.376 with four homers in 31 big league contests. The 6’4″ infielder is working as the primary third baseman with Baty mostly at the keystone. The 24-year-old Mauricio would exhaust his final option year if he spends another three days in Triple-A this season. He’s controllable for at least four more seasons.
Acuña, 23, has been a light-hitting utility player. He’s hitting .240/.293/.286 without a home run in 169 trips to the plate. His .260/.303/.356 slash line in 640 career Triple-A plate appearances isn’t much better. He’s the best defender of this group who has only moved off shortstop in deference to Lindor. Maybe another team feels there’s enough defensive ability that Acuña could be a low-end regular at shortstop. He has an option remaining but — similar to Mauricio — would exhaust it if he spends another two days in Triple-A this year. That probably played into the team’s decision to recall him just before the All-Star Break. He’s only really getting opportunities against left-handed pitching, so his current usage doesn’t give him much opportunity to improve at the plate.
With the possible exception of Baty, each of these players probably has less trade value than they would have had over the winter. There’d nevertheless still be teams interested in all of them, but they’re not likely to headline a deal for an impact player. Sammon writes that the Mets are generally prioritizing bullpen upgrades, and it’d hardly be a surprise if someone from this group intrigued a team like the Pirates (David Bednar, Dennis Santana) or Rockies (Jake Bird) that is shopping relief pitching and in need of short-term offensive help.
Brett Baty to the Marlins for Ronny Henríquez and Anthony Bender. Who says no?
The Marlins say no
Every non-Mets fan says no.
@Old Man – Two no’s from the Marlins.
I do. I don’t think the Marlins give up both for Baty, whose value has dropped during the season, as the article states. If they’d take Baty for Bender straight up, the Mets should jump on it.
Batys stock hasn’t dropped during this season. Its actually gone up a lot especially if you have watched him.
From minimal value to little value I guess is an increase in value…
Ignorance first, then aggressiveness ignorance. Congratulations Dew.
Baty has 1.7 bWAR/1.2 fWAR in only 251 PAs this year. His pace is around 4 WAR for a full season, and that includes his atrocious first ten games of the season (.259 OPS; .769 in 68 games since). His stock is as high as it’s been over the last few years.
@rct… I understand what you’re getting at, but the methodology is incorrect, and his WAR is more likely to be 3, not 4: extrapolating the raw number does not work accurately here because Baty is being protected from facing lefties, against whom he has a terrible .0458 OPS. As such, he would not get that full season of ABs. Or if he did play against them, his WAR would drop, not go up.
@geofft: Ah, yes. Good point. But he must have been reading this as he smashed a HR against a lefty tonight!
And let’s not forget the major strides he’s made defensively this year. Now looks like an average or maybe a slightly above average fielding 3B who’s proven he can handle 2B. Only has increased his value
I refer to the following trade made in 2022: Blue Jays receive: RHP Zach Pop & RHP Anthony Bass and the Marlins receive: SS Jordan Groshans. Where two relievers were swapped for a mid-ranked prospect.
Both Henríquez and Bender are having solid seasons, have several years of control, and come cheap. That’s why asking Baty doesn’t seem like an overpay (at least to me, but hey, that’s why I don’t work for any Baseball team)
There was only one top 100 prospect traded at the trade deadline last year. Teams are getting smarter with their prospects.
The Mets are in win-now mode and won’t have time to wait for any of the 4 to fully develop. Vientos has a small advantage over the other three to stay in NY.
Why Baty to the Marlins? (I’m a Marlins fan) I think Vientos will have a longer leash since last year he showed what he’s capable of. The Fish won’t be interested in Acuna, and between Baty and Mauricio, the former is having a better season, plus has a higher prospect pedigree, although the latter is younger.
If you check the comments from neutral accounts, it actually feels like an overpay from the Marlins. I do think it is more or less fair, as Henríquez is having a wonderful rookie season, while Bender is a solid mid-reliever with several years of team control. Two ready-to-go arms for the meh-Mets bullpen.
Even though Baty was a former top-100 prospect, there simply are not enough ABs for both him and Mauricio, so you have to make a decision. The Marlins (guessing they think like I do) would prefer Baty. The Mets could solve the roster spot by simply moving McNeil back to 2B and calling Gilbert up.
The Marlins could definitely be interested in Mauricio, though the price would probably be Bender plus a low-ranked prospect OR straight-up Henríquez. His K-rate is too high while is BB-rate is below average. From Miami’s perspective, both players are young, controllable, and can play 3B, which is a position of weakness in the current roster (Norby is having a subpar season, while Wagaman is not the answer).
To me, a trade makes sense, although it is highly improbable it will happen given the intra-division trading unwritten rule
I don’t agree it’s an overpay. Yes I’m a Mets fan but like yourself I take a more calculated approach and on SNY I’m constantly shooting down fans trying to get the world for the Mets scrap heap, and I’m usually told my trade suggestions are overpays on the Mets side by other Mets fans which means they are probably closer to realistic. I think a lot of the league still sees that great potential in Baty, he’s still got a beautiful left handed swing and has shown he can do it this year he just needs to find the consistency now which a lot of that could do with not knowing if he’s going to be penciled in the lineup everyday and learning a new position during the season basically. Stearns loves underlying metrics and analytics and they say Bender isn’t as good as his ERA, he’s not missing many bats and his walk rate has climbed. His FIP is 3.87 plus there’s supposed to be a lot of higher leverage arms available which fits the Mets need more as Butto is back in middle relief and Garrett/Brazoban/Stanek would be pushed down to middle relief if a top notch reliever was acquired. Plus both of Henriquez & Bender are right handed when the Mets desperately need a Lefty and is probably the reason they are willing to trade one of these guys for the relievers they covet highly. Henriquez is more interesting but not straight up for a former top 50 prospect who looks like he’s finding his way. I dont think Mets would offer any of the 4 for those 2 relievers and if they did it would be Acuna. I don’t think they trade Vientos at all unless someone makes an offer that’s closer to his value last year then this year(unlikely), Stearns isn’t the type of guy to sell low on a young player who was huge to the teams success in a deep playoff run the year prior. I think most the league would also think they can maximize the raw talent in Mauricio if they could get their hands on him so I think Stearns will hold him in high regard too, Acuna however seems to be the most expendable. Hes got elite speed, a great glove and he showed more hitting chops in his call up last year and to begin this year when he was getting consistent playing time. Hes never gonna be an impact bat but if he can have that sneaky pop like he did last year to go with his other tools he’s definitely worthy of being a glove first starting SS. Remember it’s relievers, none who are established late inning studs. I don’t think Mets even entertain adding a Bender type unless all goes wrong in their search.
Also in addition to my first response I disagree there isn’t enough at bats, there definitely is as it currently stands. Between Mauricio & Baty both playing good 2B/3B and McNeil spending a lot of time in CF they have both been pretty much regulars, especially because with them on the roster Vientos and his horrendous 3B defense has been regulated to DH with Winker out. The Mets would have to add a CF/3B to really jam up playing time for them which I think is unlikely unless it’s a minor CF upgrade, I think Stearns is placing his chips on Mauricio, Vientos, Baty & Alvarez upping their offensive production the rest of the season.
You’re right in many statements: Both relievers are “overperforming” when comparing ERA and FIP, the Mets need more LHP, and there are better high-leverage arms available in the trade market.
But saying that those two relievers are maybe worth Acuna? He is a glove-first super utility bench player who might be able to hit 10 HR in a season..
Also, not established late inning relievers? Between them have 29 holds this season, plus 8/14 save opps.
Good luck selling Luisangel!
Luisangel Acuna = Bud Harrelson
-Light-hitting singles hitter
-Speed
-Good glove
-No power
Future bench coach
that’s a bad bet. Mets need to add a bat or two and a pair of lefty relievers. I like Baty as much as you do but he isn’t the answer this season nor is Mauricio.
Ramon Laureano would bolster the Met’s offense. Laureano is hitting .280/.343/.511 and has over 2500 MLB at bats. He is a far better option than Mauricio. Luis Robert is a better option too.
Vientos back at third allows for the Mets to seek a second bat at the DH. Should be able to find one that moves Baty to a reserve role.
I think it’s a misconception that they need to add a bat or two. They just need their guys to get going. Alonso and Lindor need to heat up again, and they will. More concerning is Vientos and Alvarez. If one of the two gets going, the Mets offense will be fine. Anyway, they don’t necessarily need a trade as much as internal options to do better.
That was a great trade. One guys wife became internet famous for an airline issue. Another guy today waiting for the DFA call and a third enjoying time in AA baseball these days. This is what impacted a playoff chase. Hope we get more in the next 9 days.
Mets. Not a chance.
Usually when a fanbase keeps wanting to trade a young player, they aren’t actually any good a la Clint Frazier
Skenes for Frazier and Andujar… who says no?!?!?!
“Legendary bat speed.”
Can’t forget Rob Refsynder too.
No one. Get out of fantasy land.
I’ll do you one better. Jesus Montero.
Idk that’s a lot of value being given up in Frazier. He’s the next judge.
Let’s not forget Spencer jones and Jason Dominguez
usUally when the moronic uneducated ignorant part of a fanbase…
There. Completely fixed for you.
Baty is close, Id say that would be a trade that gets done. They might prefer Acuna but Id say Henriquez is a Met if they headline a trade with either Baty or Acuna.
Baty plus a top pitching prospect LIKE McNeil for BendeR ALONE. CLOSER WITH CONTROL WOULD PROBABLY COST MORE AT DEADLINE THAN THAT.
All 4 have some pretty bad numbers this year. Plus running out of options.
I think Vientos from this year is closer to his median production than the Vientos from last year.
Vientos for Josh Naylor.
Vientos and Megill for Naylor and Kelly.
Winker for AAAA relief pitching scrub.
Or use Vientos in a Keller trade.
Or keep the guy who hit 30 homers last year and raked in the playoffs.
Why not trade Vientos for Cal Raleigh and ask Seattle to pay half of Raleigh’s contract. And then swap Baty for Eugenio Suarez and ask Arizona to eat all of his contract?
Vientos doesn’t get you Naylor.
I think this is probably fair value since Vientos is a poor defender but the Mets don’t need, and won’t want, another LH bat.
Lmao
SEA is not trading Raleigh to begin with, let alone paying half of salary. ARI isn’t going to eat the entirety of Suarez’s contract. They have plenty of suitors for him.
The lack of awareness for sarcasm here is insane if we’re being honest
That’s his only tool. Very limited player.
Tigers3232 response is painful.
@ Simm
Running out of options is the main issue with these players. Thats why the article concludes that they are players that will provide short term value. No rebuilding team values players that have little control. If they slump, and get sent down, they only get one more opportunity. Colorado and Pittsburgh are not looking short term. They would be nothing more than a throw in for those GMs. They want prospects with several options and a full six years of control.
Yes, but Colorado and Pittsburgh also have the ability to keep and play those guys. those guys rather than sending them down.
And while those players lack options, they are still controllable by the clubs for several years.
I don’t deny that administrative factors play a role in these decision. But it usually comes down more to whether the acquiring club thinks it can do with regards to fixing the player and getting him to play more to his upside.
Lastly, the player might not be the headliner in a deal for someone useful, he could be the throw-in that makes the deal come together.
Yes, a rebuilding team can give them a longer leash, but glad you agree that they would basically be a throw in.
As a Mets fan, I hope they don’t move Baty. Not sure he’s going to pan out, but he’s shown flashes of getting base hits, hitting with power and making plays in the field. The upside is tremendous.
“As a Mets fan.
Not sure..pan out”…I’m also not sure Baty will pat out either, but his improvement is fairly noticeable. It’s very hard to establish yourself on a team that’s a pennant race contender. There’s literally no rope given.
Last year he looked overmatched, but this year, even the above article called him “league average”, which is quite an improvement in my book. If they trade him now, they may watch him develop into a good player somewhere else.
As a Sox fan, Baty and Vientos reminds me of Chavis and Dalbec. Hopefully I’m wrong…
Dalbec? What a coincidence; I was at the “Olive Garden” last night and Bobby Dalbec was my waiter.
Hope you left him a good tip.
His tip was “working on hitting the breaking ball…” *rimshot
@NMK 2 Baty is now coming into his own. I’d still be tempted to trade him for the right player. Baty for Felix Baustista I’d do in a heartbeat since Bautista has 3 years of control left. I wouldn’t do Baty for Helsly since he’d only be signed till the end of the year
I like what Baty has shown this year but there is a 0% chance the Orioles would trade Felix Bautista for Baty. That’s insane.
It’s officially “Give us your all-star for our box of spare parts” season
Not even the whole box evidently. Just one spare part, with limited control.
And the floor is adequate especially with some versatility. Keep Brett.
As a non met fan I’d lean towards keeping baty and mauricio. Baty isn’t a perfect player but he’s shown a lot of improvement and has the pedigree to back that improvement up. Mauricio has encouraging numbers vs rhp, fantastic upside, and he’s apparently caught the eye of Soto who is working with him on pitch selection, which if he gets to even average, he could put up major numbers. Vientos might be a stud bat again at some point but if he doesn’t he’s useless. Acuna i could see maxing out as a high end super utility player.
I know everyone trades on analytics these days, not emotions, but I wonder if Atlanta would be extra motivated on Acuña, and what the Mets could get in return from their bullpen?
I bet you could get Pierce Johnson and Aaron Bummer, maybe a lottery ticket?
Do you think they would make that trade being rivals? It’s a pretty reasonable trade proposal.
@Mets Era: I’ll tell you the same thing that I told you when you were claiming Acuna was going to be the ROY. The Braves already have a whole system full of all glove, no hit middle infielders. They have zero interest in acquiring another one. They’ll need a more interesting return for Johnson and Bummer than Acuna.
Acuña unfortunately, doesn’t have much value at this time. Besides, the Mets would be selling low, so I don’t think Stearns would pull the trigger especially to a team on a rival team in your own division.
I’m not the one that brought it up. I don’t know what you think you are getting for two relievers but Acuña would be about max from anyone out there. Don’t know why you are still acting like the Braves talent levels are off the charts.
You’re academy incorrect. The rp market is notably thin and the price is expected to be high (orioles just traded their fifth best rp for the 37th pick in the draft). Acuna has very little value and would be unlikely to get either of the proposed relievers on his own.
@Mark Met do you think the Braves would consider trading Michael Harris for Acuna, plus they take on some of that awful contract?
@LFG: Not in a million years. What an awful homer proposal.
Harris is one of the worst players in the league that the whole league knows will swing at anything. You are stuck with that albatross of a contract.
Acuña looks like he might just be a utility player/bench piece. He would not net much of a return.
Yea, the mlb trade simulator website is so crazy on how they value. It’s just straight analytics and contract. No value on chemistry for the player or historical value. Alek Thomas’s value is twice Geno. Absolutely insane.
I’m sorry but the Rockies and Pirates should absolutely be all over this especially Colorado trade Bird and McMahon for Baty, Acuna and Ronny. Solidify your whole infield for 4 years.
Why would the Mets do that? McMahon is worse then all three of them.
Local TV station saying today that the Pirates are in conversation with the Yankees, who are interested in Keller, Bednar, Hayes and Santana. Maybe they’ll throw in Reynolds, too
Point is, I don’t know about the Rockies but the Pirates need to burn it all down and start again. No one here should be untouchable, with the exception of Skenes perhaps. Perhaps
Problem is a GM who rarely gets value in return and the worst player development program in MLB
Actually they should consider trading skenes. He would bring back a mega ton and pirates aren’t likely to win in the next couple of years. Waiting until his last year or two his value will only go down.
You know, it’s a shame but I tend to agree with you. He’s all they have
If someone tried to run a franchise into the ground, they couldn’t have done a better job
Trading Skenes would probably be bad from a business standpoint. MLB is a business before anything else. Skenes draws fans which is good business. He might be the only reason to go to Pirate home games currently.. Any prospect haul might pay off in two to four years, but attendance would suffer until then. Also, from the PR standpoint, it would be a disaster. Trading him basically says we’re not winning or even trying to win. Finally, many yinzers would see it as another reason to hate Bob Nutting.
It may be logical to trade him from a narrow baseball standpoint, but not from business and PR standpoints it probably isn’t.
Given the PR train wreck they’ve had this year with Bucco Bricks, the dismantling of the Clemente sign and the two bobblehead disasters——and that’s aside from the pathetic product they’re putting out on the field—yeah, I can understand that.
But I’d wonder just what kind of attendance they’re going to get after this past weekend That’s aside from fireworks nights, which are automatic draws here
Good crowds and lethargic play that all members of media are now assailing
Look, they’re at least a couple years away from being a .500 team. The question becomes, can they build a team around a guy who starts every 5 days and pitches for 5-6 innings or do they try to load up with legitimate prospects and go from there?
I don’t have the answers here.
All I know is they need to burn it all down, with or without Skenes
The bigger question is do they have any hope of extending him. Prob not.
Skenes has insane value right now. Trading him to go along with what is a pretty highly ranked farm system now. Would give the pirates a bright future if done correctly. Keeping him feels like kicking the can down the road for a couple more years or so and being stuck in the mud. You want fans and good PR, fielding a winning team does that more so than once every 10 days on avg which is how often fans get to watch him pitch at home.
Your post is right on target, and the words “if done correctly” resonate with Pirates fans
I’m not sure how the Pirates farm is highly ranked unless it’s all predicated on producing arms. We have a GM whose farm has yet to produce an impact position player
That’s almost unbelievable.
Whether or not they have any hope of extending him is not the bigger question, it isn’t even a question. They don’t and can’t.
The question from a business standpoint is how do you keep from alienating the remaining fans. Once, you alienate your fan base/consumer base, they do not automatically flock back when you put a winning team on the field. Alienated fans move on to other forms of entertainment. It takes time to rebuild that trust and given the boom-bust cycle for most small market teams, it is much tougher.
Well stated
And I truly believe they alienated their older fan base, those who have a modicum of baseball knowledge and appreciation of good play…and who are no longer enamored with the beautiful confines of PNC Park and don’t have little ones they’re trotting out
I wish I had answers. As stated previously, this is how you run a franchise or corporation into the ground. Poor product, treating fans poorly and gaslighting them about “being close”
Maybe Nutting’s plan all along was to turn the fan base off so incredibly that moving the franchise to Nashville would actually be applauded. I mean, there must be an explanation for all of this
Yes, they have the starting pitching to contend now. Need to trade from that depth for bats, and then cobble a bullpen together after trading Santana and Bednar. Trade Keller, value will never be higher and Chandler is ready.
I like Reynolds but the yanks have no at bats to give to any OF/1B/DH players unless they subtract. The have 7 guys for 5 spots every night.
For the yanks I’d figure they’d be most interested in keller and bednar, keller is a reliable innings eater with some upside, bednar could potentially fill the fireman role (pitch out of a jam) now that cruz and to a lesser extent cousins are out.
I’m not sure hayes is enough of an upgrade to justify taking on his contract.
@washedup the pirates have been burning it down for 10 years. “Need to burn it down and start again”, same thing is said about the White Sox, Marlins, and Tigers. Is the starting over ever “over”?
Yep, agreed
The problem begins and ends with Nutting, of course, but they seemed to embrace doing things with the TB model in mind this time. Pity none of the position players they brought in via draft, signings and trade ever panned out
Because that’s the thing about rebuilds. If you don’t have people who can develop young talent, it’s like building a house in the swamp.
Perpetual rebuild.
@washedup Hitting has always been the weakest part in the Pirates development. Pirates have had major success with developing pitching and utility guys. But any legitimate positional player with a bat, near non-existent for 40+ years. The Giles, Bays, Kings, Bonds, Bells, McCutchens, and a few others, have been few and far between since 1993. Jose Bautista and Aramis Ramirez are two that come to mind that could not develop under Pirates Developmental Team. Only when traded, did they finally break out into feared hitters. It’s been like this since the Bucs went Bankrupt in the mid 90s
Yeah and to add to your comment, Giles and Bay weren’t developed here. Bonds was a generational player coming out of college. Not sure I’d put King in the conversation at all.
So your point is well taken
But you’re discounting the not too distant past, of course. Cutch, Marte and Walker all came up through the farm
I would have loved to see Polanco’s progression under a good development program
Still, how does a farm system fail to produce even one impact player in the past five years?
I would trade 1 of them for Bird ? McMahon has been just as bad as our guys so NO thanks to him.
And if Baty, or Acuna slump, they only have days left on their minor league options. Their options are essentially gone and they get to DFA status quickly. It’s why the Mets are considering moving them. No POBO wants the bench players clogging up the roster, because they can’t be sent down.
FYI, the same can be said of Mauricio (2 days remaining before option sticks). Baty’s remaining days (nine) has become less irrelevant. He has shown a lot of improvement and is playing well enough to stick the rest of the season and be carried next year, be it as a regular or a role player.
But please stop overstating this. The Mets can likely afford to carry one or two of these players, plus Baty, just not all four.
And its not as if remaining options are all that matters. Nor are they an immovable obstacle to a trade.
I simply said they would have less value to rebuilding clubs. Vientos illustrates the viability of young players.
“Has not become the offensive player that many evaluators..best numbers of career..essentially league average”…
Just to speak in Baty’s defense, when your production is questioned and analyzed every 5 at-bats and you’re in and out of the lineup frequently, it’s very difficult to establish yourself.
For me, with sporadic “pennant race” development, pressure and playing time, “league average” with decent defense is actually pretty good.
With these young players, either put them in the lineup or take them out, but don’t question their roster spot everytime they go 0-4 or have a bad game.
mlb fan… What are you talking about??? “questioned and analyzd every five at bats”?? “In and out of the lineup”?? Baty’s had 250 PAs and played in 85 of the team’s 100 games, despite being in the minors for eleven days.
His .482 OPS against lefties – with noo extra base hits more than justifies sitting him against them. He hit them weakly in AAa in 2023, and even more poorly last year.
As for “questioned and analyzed every 5 at bats”, or “question their lineup spot every time they go o-for-4”, fans have the right to question and analyze anything they want to. But that should have no bearing on his performance. And it does not mean the team is treating him that way.
He was given plenty of opportunity to claim a regular role in both ’23 and ’24, and he flopped badly both times. We have every right to ask that he earn that playing time now.
Jett Williams seems like the best of them if you add him to the group.
He’s an untouchable. Mets have stated they aren’t trading Williams, Tong, Benge, Sproat and McLean.
So they aren’t trading anything good.
Probably not. The Mets want to be good every year and not unload their farm for minimal chance in one year. They will trade for some relievers and that’s about it.
Yes. Those 5 stay.
Sproat maybe.
Yes, the hope is always that teams like the Pirates or Rockies will just give their few players away for deadwood
It wasn’t all that long ago that “Brett Baty was untouchable.”
I’m sure all five of them won’t be superstars. The point is having young controllable talent that supplements your high end superstars. Can’t pay everyone 30-50 million a year.
Vientos was an untouchable this past winter. It’s interesting how quickly things can change in baseball.
He should still be now. (unless it’s for an ace). People have no patience,
EL- sucking can do that.
I have no patience for a one tool player. Please make a note of it.
269 PA in 2025.
80 OPS+
I haven’t seen anything saying Sproat is untouchable, more that it would take a serious impact player to pry him from the Mets which..duh. He was maybe the fastest rising prospect in the league the first half of last year. If there are any marquee players available that fit the Mets need then potential offers will be built around Sproat, the other 4 are untouchable though if you squint really hard I could see them trading McLean if they are really as worried about his ability to get major league lefties out as that report said last week.
Of the grouo Baty is the least likely to go IMO, and Mauricio the most likely. But a lot depends on who they are chasing bc Baty also has the most value.
Would the Mets consider Baty for Grisham. Mets need a CF and Yankees a 3B?
Ew.
Baty for Grisham and a pitcher at least. But I think the Mets need another right handed bat in that lineup between Soto, Alonso, Nimmo, McNeil.
Luis Robert (CWS) may be a good option along with some pitching help (Burke, Gilbert). Mets can also throw in Tidwell and Taylor.
Grisham is easily the more valuable player at the moment but he’s a rental while baty has years of control. Also if the yanks have WS aspirations, which they do, I’d lean towards keeping grisham for his defense alone. It’s worth more than whatever we’d get in return
“Depth”.
I see Acuña being traded. He has no where to play going forward with Williams making him more expendable.
I’d rather see them keep Acuna, as he is a low-cost option as a natural SS and Lindor backup. Jett can play every day in Syracuse while they figure things out.
Mauricio swings from his heels, runs poorly, makes mentals mistakes on the basepaths and in the field. Could be great, but is clearly not ready. Also gives off bad body language, like Lastings Milledge.
Acuna is going to be a high caliber glove that can play anywhere. I very useful MLB bench player. I think Baty has more upside. I agree on Mauricio. He will have the most power of the three but is a lot like O’Neil Cruz. Flashes of awe but not enough to be considered good. No way would I give up on Vientos right now. He was to good last year in critical moments.
I totally agree,
Nobody wants Acuna.
If the Pirates trade Bednar, they are looking for a longer term offensive solution and not one that is short term. So major league ready and not three years away or total crap.
For a reliever?
Wyatt Langford would be the perfect trade target for the Mets. He can play CF and has played it well in his limited time there. I’d do a package of Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Mauricio, and Dom Hamel for him. I’d give any prospect for him. Hes going to be one of the best players in the game one day
Wyatt Langford who was ranked the second best prospect in baseball last year behind Paul Skenes???? Why would the Rangers trade him? If anything he is a piece they are going to build their next team around.
lol you probably have a better shot at trading for Skenes or Mason Miller than Langford and that isn’t happening either.
I say this as a die hard Mets fan. If you want to think big, impact player that they could potentially trade for next week think Cade Smith. That’s more realistic.
Jett Williams for Emmanuel Clase?
A top prospect INF for a declining reliever? Never.
BTV has that offer well short and requires either Tong or McLean on top of your offer at a minimum.
The Rangers probably still don’t care even if you do add them.
This trade deadline market is t very good outside of relievers. It will be really bad if the dbacks don’t sell.
They’re CRAZY if they think about moving Vientos. I trust David Sterns knows not to do that. It’s hard to find guys who have the stones to hit in the playoffs.
I don’t think they’d trade Vientos. His value is low right now. They also have to consider the fact that they may need him for first base next season.
I read online a proposed trade of Vientos for Jasson Dominguez from NYY. That would be a trade I’d make involving Vientos.
pretty sure Yanks say no.
Mets shouldn’t trade any of these guys for a relief pitcher unless it’s Emmanuel Clase or Mason Miller, etc.
Baty to the Yanks for Grisham.
assuming the pirates trade IKF or move on from Hayes in other moves Baty would be an awesome addition but I doubt a reliever move alone would be able to bring him in.
As an Angels fan I’d give up Dana(#2) and Rada(#6) without any hesitation for Mauricio. That solidifies the INF for years to come for a guy kid with a lot of potential. He just needs consistent ABs a la Jo Adell.
A middle-of-rotation starting prospect about ready to hit the majors and a young centerfielder showing he can play in Double-A for Mauricio? Yeah, I probably do that if I’m David Stearns.
Mauricio for Jose Soriano please!
With all of these criticisms about proposed trades and sniping about the value of the Mets players, I’d like to offer a lesson from the last decade.
New York was trading their stud ace – “Really Awesome” Dickey. Yes, the 2012 Cy Young winner. But when he was made available for a trade that winter, word came the Toronto Blue Jays were hammering out a deal.
During that time, fans on the old MLB forums went back and forth. I read countless posts by Blue Jays fans expecting to acquire him for peanuts. One poster aggressively campaigned they would get him for now-washed up outfield prospect Anthony Gose. When the real return was announced (including stud catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud and elite pitching prospect Noah Sybdergaard), all of those homer fans abruptly disappeared.
Moral of the story – don’t oversell your team and be humble. Anyone talking smack about the Mets players just because it’s trendy is likely to eat crow.
Depth? They have 5 guys who can’t lock down two positions.
This shades Baty unnecessarily. Brett led all major leaguers……all….in SLG and OPS in spring training. He is undeniably streaky, but he was jerked around the first two weeks of the season, starting at 2nd for the first time in his career, in and out of games, and benched against lefties with little evidence of a weakness in his minor league record (in fact, hit a HR off a lefty tonight) The next 24 games he went .314/.360/.643/1.003. Sitting here on July 21, Baty is .311/.377 /.475/.852 for the last 24 games, not including tonight when he had a 2 run HR. He has sparkled at third, tied for 3rd place in OAA among 41 major league 3rd basemen. The truly appalling Vientos is 41st, and still getting starts over Baty.
Baty is showing Gold Glove upside, and 30 HR power (12 HRs in 235 abs this year). Mauricio was described here with a great word “toolsy” and I’d hate to trade him. Vientos is not a major league fielder except maybe first, and Acuna the Lesser will not produce enough offense to be a major league starter. You can’t steal first base from the bench.
I have no problem with them trading Acuna or Vientos or Jett Williams if they need a piece. Baty should be starting at third every day and batting 6th. Mauricio should be given a shot to start at second, let him and McNeil battle it out.
If Stearns finds an upgrade at CF he feels is worth the cost, then Jeff slides back to second. Baty-Lindor-McNeil-Alonso works just fine.
Let Baty cement his hold on third- we don’t want another Crow-Armstrong.
This exalts Baty unnecessarily. Numbers don’t mean anything without context to go with them. Spring training numbers are meaningless. The sample size is so small that an aberrant week can skew the numbers to a level that might not be sustained over a long haul.. In Baty’s case, as in the previous two springs, he accumulated most of his offense in the first two weeks – when minor leaguers were still taking the mound a significant percentage of the time. He then cratered in week 3 when the major leaguers were getting more time after cuts were made. The only difference this year was he suddenly had two big games back-to-back in an otherwise ordinary 4th week.
He has 10 HRs, not 12, and all against RHers.
His .561 OPS against lefties in AAA last year, and .618 in 2023 provides suitable evidence of his weakness against them. A weakness that is confirmed by his .482 OPS and zero EBH’s against them in the majors this year.
I’m not trashing Baty. But I’m sick of his apologists acting like he’; some golden child. He’s a nice enough talent, but one who has been given ample opportunity to play regularly multiple times in his young career and flopped each time until now. There’s nothing wrong with having a young player earn his playing time, rather than just handing it to him. Especially on a team that is contending. Thats all the Mets have done this year, and its been fully warranted.
Okay, he has 11 HRs, and hit one off a lefty Tyler Anderson tonight. I don’t know where you are seeing those minor league splits. If you are citing .618 OPS in 2023, that looks like BBR’s splits, and while you go in through a minor league click thru, at the bottom there is a note that says splits are combined, minor and major. Looking at 2023 quickly, if you back out Baty’s major league numbers, that leaves him batting something like .357 against lefties inAAA in 2023.
Correct me if I’m wrong.
And this narrative about him being an AAA guy is BS. The Mets have not handled him well. He was first called up after only 6 games in AAA. Even now, he has only played 97 games at AAA, like less than half Vientos, even far less than Acuna. In 2024, he was batting .316 for the Mets in late April when the while team was batting lime .190. Then he pulled his hammy. He should have ILed, but he was the only guy hitting, and played through it, or rather didn’t. Up came Vientos wirh the hot bat and won 3rd. Baty went down to AAA, healed and had an .854 OPS before he got a busted finger or something.
And the spring training stuff blah blah blah. Like 600 players all saw a mix of pitchers, and they were all trying, and Baty had the best OPS and SLG. And there is a metric where they rate the pitchers you face based on their level of play, and he was one of the toughest ranked on the team.
This year all of a sudden Acuna is everybody’s darling, so Baty gets sat and platooned and moved to 3rd base. It’s no wonder he has had those two slumps. And, by the way, Lindor is 0 for 27….slumps happen. Between spring training, the 24 game stretch in May,and the current 24 game stretch, Baty has shown he can be an elite power bat, plus a well above average if not elite 3rd baseman. I can accept someone saying Mauricio is in his class, if they have to battle for a job. But sitting Baty to give Acuna or Vientos starts at 3rd, is like Gregg Jeffereies — are we trying?
Yeah, your numbers are whack. Baseball Savant has correct minor league splits. This was Baty in 2023 against lefties in AAA:
.357/.455/.607/1.062
In 2024 his OPS was .750 against lefties, in 2022 it was .801
No scout or any report ever in his history projected him as a platoon player.
Dodgers can trade the Mets Trivino. Just a thought.
Okay. One Rico Garcia heading your way.
Rico, Suave?
“The Mets are not willing to trade Alonso or Lindor or guys that are playing well but they are willing to trade their players who aren’t good at baseball” is basically how I read that first paragraph.
Pretty much. None of those players hit or get on base, so who is itching to trade for them?
If they traded Brett and Ronny, it would be a Baty and switch.
Buy high, sell low! Thats the Mets way.
Those 4 aren’t really that great. Mets don’t really have OF depth. I’d stay away from trading with the Mets for any of their sub-par players.
Brett Baty for Luis Robert Jr. might work for both sides. Robert Jr. gives you the CF defense and stolen bases that Tyrone Taylor gives you, but with a chance to pay off in a big way offensively.
Would love to see Raisel Iglesias for Luisangel Acuna, but I don’t think Iglesias has any trade value, even for a change of scenery. Still, the thought of the Acuna brothers playing together in the ATL is nice.
trade Maruccio (sp?) for Santana (pitts)
Baty & Marte to Boston for Duran.
Brewers might listen on Baty. Caleb Durbin destroys left-handed pitching but is a good field, no hit kind of player against righties. Baty could get in the lineup 2 or 3 games a week for the Brewers. Maybe a few games at 2nd (slide Turang to SS and get Ortiz’ weak bat out of there).
Vientos is not a third baseman, he lacks the arm and defense. He is a DH with ability to spot start at first base.