Reese Kaplan -- So the Question Remains "Who's In Left?"

Get ready to see baseball again as two days from now Spring Training officially begins for pitchers and catchers in Port St. Lucie.  Obviously people are anxious to see what Freddy Peralta looks like from the mound, if Kodai Senga is pitching like he did back in 2023 and how the retooled bullpen appears when put into pressure situations to shut down opposing batters and not allow more runs to score.  Folks will also be excited to see Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert, Jr. as they don Mets uniforms shortly thereafter. 

What is still fully unresolved is how the Mets are planning to handle current roster vacancies.  It’s already well known that the corner infielders are going to embrace positions they have never before played as regulars in the major leagues.  That much is already known.  However, there are greater issues to resolve.

As it stands right now the Mets have newcomer Robert and superstar Juan Soto starting in the outfield.  Robert provides Gold Glove level defense and has offensive attributes including home run power and base running speed.  Soto’s defense is not ever going to win awards but his offensive profile is the envy of pretty much every major leaguer this side of Shohei Ohtani. 

What is still missing is a professional left fielder.  Yes, Tyrone Taylor is a superb outfielder but has amply demonstrated he does not have the offensive staying power to be a regular in anyone’s lineup.  After that it’s a black hole.

Many folks have advocated Brett Baty and his one inning of major league experience will somehow morph into the new left fielder to keep his moderate bat in the lineup despite whatever his glove and legs do patrolling left field.  For a reference his career major league batting average is .232 which is surpassed by Tyrone Taylor at .238 and Mark Vientos at .239. 

Now it’s entirely possible an 11th hour deal can be made to sign a free agent still out there to play left field or a trade can be engineered perhaps sending one of Baty or Vientos away in exchange for a real outfielder, but time is certainly running out to make these types of changes before games begin being played in Florida. 

There are other options, of course.  Carson Benge is being hyped as an outfielder and bat of the future based upon his success in the minors after converting from two-way player into strictly an offensive one.  Thus far he’s shown a good batting average, moderate power which should increase with more experience and decent speed but his experience overall in pro ball is fairly limited.  In the minors over two seasons he’s had roughly one full time aggregate of ABs and produced a line of .280 with 17 HRs, 81 RBIs and 25 SBs.  It’s clear he has talent and will someday fit into a role in the majors.  The question is whether having had under 100 AAA ABs whether or not he’s ready to get promoted now out of necessity.

We’re all excited whenever any season begins and with so many new faces appearing on the roster for 2026 it’s going to be a very important get-to-know-you type of Spring Training.  However, until the outfield issue is fully resolved the uncertainty coupled with other question marks is going to detract from what should be a most exciting preseason.