Sometimes when you have a plethora of choices it opens up an interesting debate about who belongs in the starting lineup, who belongs on the bench, who should get demoted to the minors and perhaps finding that none of them constitute suitable quality for regular playing time. In no particular order, let’s have a look:
While native Met promotion Jeff McNeil was a long term feel good story seeing a guy work his way up the ladder an into an All Star level of performance. For his big league career McNeil has a very nice batting average of .284 but most of that productivity has been in the past. Since posting a .326 league leading batting average in 2022 it’s been pretty much downhill. For the next three years the average has dipped to .253 and the power eroded to 11.5 HRs per season. He’s getting paid a lot of money for declining production and it’s his positional versatility that’s kept him a part of the club. However, he’s slated to earn $15.75 million in 2026 and has an option for 2027 with the same rate or a $2 million buyout. It doesn’t appear he’s earning that paycheck.
Appearing on opposite trajectories, Brett Baty has risen a bit this past season finishing with a 3.4 WAR accompanying his days at 3rd and 2nd with a .254 batting average, 18 HRs and 60 RBIs. He played about 2/3 of a full season so that would project to 24 HRs and 75 RBIs on a full time basis. He earns under $1 million, so it would seem he’s more productive than McNeil.
After his stellar 2024 season Vientos looked lost for much of 2025. For the year he finished with a drop in batting average of 33 points which was accompanied by 17 HRs and 61 RBIs. Where he truly struggled was in the field where his -0.2 WAR is a lot less about his bat than his glove. Ironically his offensive numbers for his major league career exceed those of Brett Baty but he’s very much shown he is a DH at best or a 1st baseman if Alonso departs. Baty is the stronger glove by far.
Once uber prospect Mauricio has never really put it together in his limited major league exposure after losing a full year to injury. For his career he’s a .234 hitter with 8 HRs and 19 RBIs to go along with 11 SBs. That aggregate is in the equivalent of about half-time duty. The metrics don’t suggest he’s a sure thing to succeed.
One of the many youngsters acquired during the big July selloff in 2023, Acuna has shined in the minors but never replicated that level of success in the majors. In 214 big league at bats he’s hitting .248 with 3 HRs and 14 RBIs along with 16 SBs. His calling cards are defense and speed, but if the bat never approximates the .282 level he produced in the minors along with stellar baserunning speed then he’ll likely be a backup or a starter on a non-contender.
Finally, waiting in the wings is top five prospect Jett Williams whose minor league career shows great on base abilities, terrific stolen base success and moderate power. He’s got a minor league career .388 OBP along with as many as 45 SBs in a season to go along with 10+ HR power. Turning 22 this coming season he’s had only minor exposure to AAA, so it’s likely he’ll begin the season there to see how he adjusts to that level of pitching. In addition, they need to decide where he would play. He’s done 2B, SS and CF in the minors though it is possible he could compete at 3B as well.
Outside the Organization
Without wild trade speculations, for now let’s simply look at the free agent possibilities. Alex Bregman heads the list but considering he’s opting out of a $40 million deal he hasn’t posted the aggregate numbers in a classic hitter’s park to suggest he’s worth that magnitude of salary. Eugenio Suarez had a terrific 2025 by delivering 49 HRs and 119 RBIs split between Arizona and Seattle. However, he hit just .228 which is nearly 20 points below his modest career average. At age 34 he’s coming off a contract paying him $15 million. For reference, Jeff McNeil earned $500K more than that. He’s a good short term option particularly if Alonso leaves.
The big unknown here is young slugger Munetaka Murakami who will play 2026 as a 26 year old. In Japan he’s already slugged 265 HRs with his best season being 2022 when he clubbed 56 and drove in 134. A career .270 hitter, he’s going to get a mighty big payday from the Dodgers, Mariners or whomever else will put up with his substandard defense to get the run production. If the Mets are serious about run prevention then Murakami might be a dicey fit into that scheme. Still, if Alonso leaves then all bets are off as they need to replace his production.
Assuming the Mets do not decide to spend for Murakami or he is lured into Tokyo East at Chavez Ravine, there's another foreign ballplayer available who could be of interest to David Stearns who once recruited and signed Marcus Thames for the Brewers. His name is Lewin Diaz and after twisting around the Miami Marlins minor leagues he made his way across the Pacific after a short term in the Mexican league. In 2024 he combined to hit 26 HRs and drive in 95 while batting .348. This past year he was a full time player for Samsung in the Korean league, hitting .314 with 50 HRs and driving in 158. At age 29 he's a little older than Murakami but younger than Alonso. He also would be far less expensive than either of them (though he is known more for 1B and OF than 3B).
8 comments:
Brett Baty hit .338 in August and .271 in September. Add those two together and project them over a season and he would be ranked in the top 10 hitters in the National League, when it came to BA
He also hit 7 home runs and drove in 37 runs in 141-AB. Project that ocer a season and you are in the range of 20-25 HRs and 110-RBI
For Tom... he hit .299 at home with 12 of his 18 home runs
Defensively, at third, he had an OAA of 2 with 251 attempts and a success rate of 70%
He improved on both his defense and his hitter in the last three months of the season
He's my third baseman going forward
Remember his production was from the eighth or ninth slot.
Baty eclipsed the former batting champ, .254 to .253. He is the guy at 3rd base. And he hit much better vs. lefties in 2025, although still not as good at 3B. I’d still sit him a dozen times against tough lefties, and give him 150 starts if he can stay healthy.
Suarez? If I were him, I’d want to stay with Cal.
Lewin Diaz? Great season in Korea, but is that AA-equivalent pitching there? I do like that his K rate was low, because most likely, it would jump in the majors quite a bit from “low”. Stearns would have to believe he won’t come back and have his .315 with 50 HRs turn into .214 with 15 HRs in Queens, but actually hit like a MLB starter.
Ditto on Murekama. Yes, he has power. But he has hit slightly under .260 in Japan over the past 3 years. How far down would that drop in the big leagues?
I could see him hit just .225 with a HR every 15-18 times up. Not enough?
Remember Kai Matsui? He dropped about 60 points, and a lot of his Tokyo power didn’t follow him to Queens.
I would stay away from Murekama for the same reasons Tom just mentioned. Plus poor defense, long term commitment, large contract. Sounds like another Vientos to me.
Baty needs to be given a full year at 3B to see what we have moving forward.
Pound for pound and Dollar for Dollar, Baty is the way to go. Give him the job this winter and let him relax knowing he is our guy.
Spend the money on pitching and if possible do a complete reset of the salary cap. This is the year it can be done, if any?
I agree with the majority here. Baty over Murakami.
What about Baty over Kazuma Okamotoi? Or would he be a better Pete Alonso replacement with Baty remaining at 3B?
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