One of the story lines coming out of this visit by the Chicago Cubs is the performance of former Mets prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong. Everyone knew about his defensive acumen but no one knew how well his bat would play as he continued to develop his skills. Right now PCA is hitting a respectable .265 with 9 HRs, 27 RBIs and 13 SBs. By comparison superstar Francisco Lindor is hitting .296 with 8 HRs, 25 RBIs and 6 SBs. Somehow the numbers suggest that the Cubs got one over on the Mets in a big way.
As a result, there are going to be a number of fans and media types who now will run scared when it comes to dealing away significant prospects in proposed baseball trades to improve the roster. Timing is perfect for this conflict between fear and selling high based upon Saturday night’s 2 HR and 5 RBI game by former star minor leaguer Brett Baty. For awhile during the game on Saturday night you’d think this was not a contest taking place at Citifield but rather one in a Spring Training game in Port St. Lucie when Baty was absolutely on fire.
Going into the 2025 season, Baty had pretty much cemented his reputation as a failed top level prospect. He’d never done anything consistent in the majors and even last year while the power numbers were good after being returned to Syracuse, his batting average wasn’t terrific and people wondered whether or not he was still in the team’s plans.
Fast foward to the February through late March period in Florida and the forgotten man (particularly after Mark Vientos’ breakout 2024 effort) was seen as at best filler material. Going into the regular season it appeared as if Baty would again be slated for Syracuse until Nick Madrigal suffered his shoulder injury wiping out the 2025 season. While not a shortstop, it still opened up a roster spot for a spare infielder and Baty certainly rose to the challenge offensively.
Fast forward one more time to May of 2025 and you find that in half as many ABs Baty now has matched Vientos’ run production. The batting averages are both unimpressive under .230 but both have been on a rise lately. With the loss of Jose Siri and now left handed hitting Jesse Winker, it would seem that the need is there for a replacement hitter. In an ideal world you would insert Baty into the 3rd base position and convert the defensively inconsistent Mark Vientos into a DH, but he hits from the right side as does Starling Marte.
So the question going forward to consider is what do you do with Brett Baty? Does he become a regular part of the offense, a spare part off the bench or does he return to Syracuse? None of these options are ideal but all are available.
Another possibility (which brings us back to Pete Crow-Armstrong) is what has Baty done to his value and attractiveness as trade bait? Would another team in need of help at 3rd base or DH consider the appeal of the very reasonably priced lefty swinging Baty as fair value for someone on their roster who could help the Mets in the outfield, in the pen or elsewhere?
Many naysayers will be reaching for antacids right now seeing in their minds a repeated of the Billy Eppler trade (while ignoring the offense provided by Javier Baez and the pitching output of Trevor Williams). Is selling high the right way to go, or do you instead swallow hard, keep Brett Baty at 3rd base and sell low on Mark Vientos?
Decisions, decisions...
21 comments:
Can't sell Vientos. He's woken up, and is only 17 points behind mighty Juan Soto. I think Mark is another warm weather-thirsty guy. 80 degrees yesterday and he was 2-4 with a HR.
Funny on Soto - he is hot and then goes 0=9 with no walks and 4 Ks the last 2 days - who does he think he is, Jose Siri?
Last 15 games, Vientos and Baty combined are 19 for 60 with 6 HRs. Trade no one. This line up will create thunder and make pitchers tremble..
I consider Vientos as the Mets starting third baseman for years to come
I have no problem he and Baty rotating 3B and DH for as long as Baty stays hot. Let's face it. There really is no other DH candidates on this team that can match their power
I don't break up bands no matter who wants to come back
As for PCA, I just wish everyone would put this trade aside. It seemed like a necessary trade at the time to get to the playoffs. It wasn't. In addition, Crow was years away and could have either flopped or had career ending injury. He didn't. We need to move on here. The Mets are now one of the top 5 teams in this league... without PCA.
I can live with this
For most of his time, Vientos has started slow. Maybe not quite this slow.
Although Alonso has started hot, I would rather pitch to him than Soto. Maybe that is part of the reason Alonso has started hot?
Agree. Too early to trade. Baty knows this is his last chance here. Has to make the most of it. Vientos will warm with the weather. Soto will be more Soto (but I believe that he will more resemble first year Beltran in the end). They will offset Alonso's trend more to his norm. Alvarez good average but not the power everyone wants. Taylor and Acuna will more than adequate. Nimmo? O'Neill?
More to the point of today's article. The bullpen is being stretched out due to innings and injuries. How will the Mets get those pitchers? If not from the farm, trades? Trade who?
The PCA trade was a Zach Scott/Sandy Alderson concoction, not Billy Eppler's. With his ability to play third and second and a cheap left-handed bat with power, Baty is very valuable to the Mets. Plus every female Mets fan I know thinks Baty is "cute," which is important in keeping those turnstiles clicking.
Now if Miami comes knocking with an offer of Alacantra for Baty then you have to listen. Otherwise, Baty's a Met for a long time.
Today's speculation is trading Canning when Manaea comes back
Love that trade but Miami would have to accept throwing.in Marte to jeep the commish off their ass re: minimum team salary requirements
In my mind Canning is a keeper. Megilll is the guy with an option and has struggled lately
In hindsight, was it a mistake to trade PCA for Baez? of course...but he had also only played about 6 very low level games in the Mets organization at the time...so it's not exactly Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi level of "they should have seen this one as a colossal mistake".
back to the Baty/Vientos/Acuna/McNeil/Mauricio "dilemma". It's not like we have a long term DH/CF stallion that is established at the moment...give them a chance to see what they can provide with their bats/speed and see where they eventually fit in the defensive jigsaw puzzle...Vientos could stay at 3B, or eventually move to DH/1B or possibly LF...Baty could transform himself into Mike Schmidt at 3B, be a DH, or eventually spend a decent amount of time at 2B/1B/LF (maybe Nimmo eventually gets moved to 1B due to his knees/feet)...Acuna/Mauricio provide spark with their speed and offensive potential, could either one play center field or own 2B?...McNeil? His days of being the every day 2B looks like they may be on borrowed time; but he could make a solid utility guy, DH/PH or a trade chip...IMO, don't rush things, see how they play out with the kids; we currently have plenty of pitching with more guys potentially on the way in the next few months to the next couple years in the prospect pipeline; and Taylor is holding down the fort as the every day CF for now
Trade no one right now. Ok, you can trade Marte if someone comes calling which they won't. But it is a great thing that Baty has finally started hitting at the ML level. Vientos is starting to heat up and I agree with Mack, use them for 3B/DH to keep them in the lineup.
If as expected, Alonso declines his player option, the Mets may have their 1B in Vientos and 3B in Baty.
Marte is no longer a trade piece
What he is is a matching bad contract for another team's problems
Ya know... like the US China tariff deal
Anybody have any feel for what the floor and ceiling is for both Vientos and Baty?
My sense is that we have seen Vientos ceiling - 2024. My sense is that we have seen Baty's floor - 2024. I believe Baty has a higher ceiling than Vientos as a complete player - offense and defense. I like what Baty has done over a couple games, and his good swings look really nice. Perhaps he has turned that proverbial corner and will continue to climb.
I think Vientos can be a .240 to .250 ish hitter with 30 hr, 80 rbi at his best which anyone would sign up for. Baty, haven't seen enough of him yet but I think he'll hit for a higher average and produce similar production, with more defensive versatility, if he can continue to develop. At their best, Vientos and Baty could be pillars on this team for a decade
From the beginning, I thought Baty was the best here... ten he flopped repeated times
I rgink we will see more from Vientos in the future, but I still think Baty's celing is higher... if he gets his head screwed on correctly
Again, I apologize for the typos. Typing from bed and not checking causes this.
I think that there are some great points mentioned here. However, the CF we desperately need for the playoff run is presently playing somewhere else. Let me raise the possibility of a trade that makes sense (at least to me).
With Blackburn (?), Montes and Manaea approaching rejoining the team in June and Stanton joining the Yankees around the same time, what about a crosstown deal? There will be excesses in the Mets starting pitching and excesses in the Yankees OF/DH combo. Accordingly, what about a Griffin Canning trade to the Yankees for OF Trent Grisham, straight-up? That seems fair, no?
That does seem fair taking Canning's career into consideration, but Canning is pitching lights out and I want them to ride that wave as long as possible
He could turn into the biggest pitching signing in a long time
Canning is uncanny
Ewing would tell Vientos and Baty what I have been essentially telling them in articles since around December: JUST SCREW IT. SWING. SWING MORE.
Understood that Canning is pitching lights out. However, who is Mendy going drop from the rotation when Manaea & Montas return? Somebody gotz to go! Rather than diminish the rotation by moving the present SPs into the already crowded bullpen, Canning probably the best chip to acquire a CF. And the Yankees have a logjam at CF. Grisham would be the perfect chip in a return trade. Incidentally, both Canning and Grisham are having career years (to this point). So why not fortify the CF position with an excellent defensive CF who is showing career-worthy pop. In lieu of the above, this trade should not be considered until after Memorial Day (at the precipice of activating Manaea).
We're missing a CF and DH to fortify our lineup. Could Vientos be the DH with Baty manning 3B? Possibly. But Mauricio is a few weeks from arriving at Flushing and would be an ideal DH as a switch hitter. CF is another issue and there is nobody on the horizon in this organization who can compete as an everyday starter. Therefore, the primary rationale for acquiring Grisham {and he's a LH hitter - who could platoon in CF (if necessary) with Taylor}. BTW, McNeil is NOT an everyday CF!
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