Reese Kaplan -- The Mets Infield Dominoes Yet to Fall

So the surprising addition of Jorge Polanco was revealed over the weekend and like many other roster construction and deconstruction movesit caught many off guard.  Don’t get me wrong.  Polanco is a decent hitter with a career .263 batting average while averaging 23 HRs and 85 RBIs per season while playing every position on the field but pitcher and catcher.  As a switch hitter he’s readily available every day of the week no matter whether a lefty or righty is on the mound.  At $20 million per year for the veteran player he delivers more offense than many but not as much as you have lost between Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo.

What is more interesting, however, are the stories that have evolved regarding how the team plans to deploy Polanco to best advantage.  The initial narrative was that he was going to be the new first baseman following perhaps the unusual move the Cardinals made with catcher Willson Contreras.  In his career the 34 year old Polanco has just a single game appearance at first base, so it doesn’t necessarily seem to be the best way to take advantage of his experience.

The following story was that he was here to be a DH.  Now that one is somewhat interesting in that the club has always had a black hole at that position.  A switch hitter with decent home run power is not a bad thing, though you’re openly giving up the positional versatility he provides all over the field.  It is also possible he could go to third base as an upgrade over Brett Baty which could open him up as a trade candidate, but that narrative hasn’t evolved yet. 

So while we all cautiously applaud David Stearns for this positive but not stunning acquisition, you do have to wonder what it will do to the other members of the current roster.  Take Jeff McNeil as Out The Door (OTD) candidate number one.  He cannot play 2nd base with Marcus Semien now there.  He’s not likely displacing Brett Baty.  That leaves left field for him where the Mets have currently two outfield vacancies.  If he somehow returned to his .280+ hitting after several years of not achieving anywhere near it, he’d still be a slow footed hitter with very little power.  Consider him gone.

OTD candidate number two is likely Mark Vientos.  If Polanco unusually goes to first base the only thing left for Vientos is DH, but he has not reinforced his 2024 season with anything he did in 2025. If Polanco is the new DH then first base remains open but Vientos does not fit the run prevention type of pitching and defense David Stearns has reiterated he wants to build.  It's possible that Vientos can turn things around but right now he is more of a trade candidate than a prospective member of the lineup.

OTD candidate number three is Luisangel Acuna. Given his struggles at the plate he hasn’t been ableto insert himself into the starting lineup.  He has played 2nd, shortstop and 3rd as well as a handful of gams in the outfield.  For his brief trial in the majors he is a .248 hitter with 16 SBs in an aggregate of a half season’s worth of playing time.  Between his positional versatility, speedand defense he would be someone other teams might be interested in acquiring.

Then there is OTD candidate number four in Ronny Mauricio.  Given the full year he missed due to injury he’s a little behind where they expected him to be.  He has power and speed as demonstrated in the minors but it hasn’t translated in his limited playing time in New York.  He is hitting .230 with 8 HRs and 19 RBIs along with 11 SBs.  These numbers pale against what he did in AA and AAA.  As a switch hitter he’s got some desirable attributes as a trade candidate as well.

Brett Baty won a great many fans last season when he hit .254 with 18 HRs and 50 RBIs in 393 ABs.  He played decent defense and despite never equaling what Vientos did in 2024, he’s got the upper edge right now.  The only way you might see him moved is if the club surprisingly inked one of the two Japanese corner infield sluggers, overpaid for Alex Bregman or found a new trade candidate to acquire. 

Behind them you do have Jett Williams as a future solution, too.  He hasn’t had a full year at AAA and needs to demonstrate he’s mastered that level. For now he’s less a major league roster issue than a prospective trade candidate as the rebuild slowly continues.