Time is of the essence with Opening Day less than a week away and apparently the song and dance about giving in-house options the opportunity to prove themselves kind of flew out the window with Thursday evening's news that the Mets reached out to bring the big bat of J.D. Martinez to New York to play as their Designated Hitter.
The flip side, of course, is what about Brett Baty and Mark Vientos specifically? Baty has cranked up his defense this Spring and recently clubbed his third home run. All of the sudden the balsa wood bat and paper quality glove from 2023 are starting to fade a little bit into bad memories. The glove is the thing that cements him in at 3rd base. The bat is still suspect despite a recent surge.
Of course, these folks are not the only ones likely to be impacted by the arrival of the All Star slugger. The Mets have room on the roster to add Martinez without having to kick anyone off immediately, but when push comes to shove on the 26-man roster it would likely be difficult to carry both Martinez and Vientos. D.J. Stewart showed absolutely nothing this Spring, but does have a hot streak in 2023 and a left handed bat in his favor. Fringe players not on the roster like Ji Man Choi and Luke Voit had some moments but not enough to warrant carrying a third DH type. Trayce Thompson has already been farmed out.
So the question now is whether or not there will be some unexpected demotions of folks like Vientos or Stewart, are there more minor moves to be made to bring in a more athletic outfielder as a spare part, or could there actually be a thought about a pre-2024 season trade of Pete Alonso? The likelihood of that third option is probably slimmer than a blade of grass, but you do have to consider all of the alternatives. After all, trading Alonso now or mid-season brings back a relative haul as compared to a draft pick in refused QO compensation.
17 comments:
I will say this about Mark Vientos, after being a little hard on him yesterday….last September and this spring, 138 at bats, 11 HRs, .230. Sounds a bit like Pete Alonso, huh?
I am thrilled to get JD Martinez. So is Pete Alonso. One year, only $4.5 million this year, with $7.5 million deferred several seasons? What a great deal.
Voit, Choi, Stewart, and even Marte have not hit. Martinez replaces big question marks with big hitting quality.
Lindor: “He’s been one of the best hitters for a very long time, So I’m super happy to have him.”
My brother Steve is super thrilled and super happy. He’s wanted JD Martinez All spring and he’s gotten the play he wanted.
I think the best Vientos can hope for in the approximately 10-14 days Martinez will be in extended Spring Training are steady ABs as he had planned as a DH or platoon days when lefties start taking Baty's place at 3B. After that comes his Uber ride to Syracuse.
Martinez played just 400 games the past 3 years, and just 113 last year. My guess is at least one day off a week. I think Mark sticks with the Mets this time around. I also think Baty will sit vs. lefties for Vientos. I just keep thinking about those 11 homers in his past 138 at bats. He has well above average power, which I think will keep him in NY.
That same rationale could extend to above average power for one DJ Stewart but it hasn't done much for his career.
Tom, I don’t see how you can keep Vientos. You already have Wendell, Narvaez, and Taylor. You need a multi-position guy and Vientos is barely that. I would say Inglesias or Short is a better fit, with Short being able to play the outfield.
I don’t think you can get a haul for Alonso at mid-season. He will have only two months left and if the Mets are in a pennant race, how do you extract him?
Gus, you could be right. Those 3 will be here. Martinez makes 4. I think they get around the “position flexibility” issue with McNeil. But, if they want to burn what I think is Mark’s last option, they lose all flexibility with him thereafter. Not sure if your 50:50 goal is 2025 that you want to use Iglesias or Short and not develop Vientos against real pitching.
I hate the 13 offensive player “rule”. Guys like Iglesias, who deserve to be on a club, are often not.
Reese, I hear you, but DJ Stewart seems AAAA. Vientos still has that real possibility of being a major league slugger.
I'm also thrilled they waited for his price to drop before striking a great move and more motivation for Vientos. All young players should be looking over their shoulders and either they pass or fail which is the natural order of things and just shows that we FINALLY have depth in our organization HOORAY! I just wonder if DS waiting for Montgomery's price to come down as that would be quite an add as a solid #2 and for multiple years and put us in a much stronger position for a PS run. SC's money rules! Luxury tax be dammed!
It certainly was a bargain to get Martinez for that low of a 2024 salary hit. Hard to pass up, but also creates hard choices. I feel bad for Vientos, but he should not see this as a reflection on him but rather part of the business of baseball. He needs to take this as motivation and not demoralization, but to me it would be hard. I guess we get to find out what type of competitor he is, because the most competitive people would use this as rocket fuel.
As far as Pete goes how does going after Soto fit into next years plan? Even if we reset the team payroll after this season it's going to take what $700 million to sign both right? How does that work exactly or is the thought just Soto based on age? We should check in on the Dodgers and see how they finagled the Ohtani deal as the Baseball Oscar surely goes to them.
This was purely a baseball move to strengthen the 2024 team. To me, Vientos is the mirror image of Stewart - one a lefty, the other a righty. Neither is a complete major league player. Call them AAAA, or accomplished AAA player, but without playing good defense or having any speed, their MLB credentials are not there.
I can see no way that Vientos and Martinez are on the Mets roster at the same time. Unfortunately, like the Mets front office, I think it is time to give up the hope that Mark Vientos will be the next Mets big slugger.
As much as I like Vientos, and want him to get a shot, with JD here it would be best for him to go upstate, play every day (in the field, not just DH), and be in a much better place for 2025. If JD isn't re-signed, a solid AAA season puts Mark in a good spot.
If, if, if, Vientos goes to Syracuse, I’d like to see him play 3B, RF, and 1B, only. No DH. I want him to be the insurance for Marte, Alonso, and Baty. By June, something will give.
Gus, as long as you realize that is Vientos’ final option to burn. Keep in mind someone in the offensive starting 9 almost always gets hurt. I can still see Vientos getting 80-100 starts this year if he is not optioned out.
Burn it Tom. I could understand if it was in August and he had not gone down yet, but, you can’t worry about that before the season even starts. I know he was disappointed and I realize fans want to fly planes that say “Save Mark”, but come on. If it makes him focus harder, then good. It’s past due. For example, I read something earlier that noted that should have tried harder to lessen his strikeouts, and I agree.
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