Reese Kaplan -- More Thoughts on the 2027 Infield Shuffle

Open any online thread these days and there’s been nearly a quantum shift in fan attitude towards much beleaguered infielder Brett Baty.  To his credit he has shown defensive versatility playing in the outfield, 3rd base, 2nd base, 1st base and most recently at shortstop.  Yes, he did finish the 2026 season strongly wit the bat but the overall numbers are still rightly aligned wit the mediocrity he’s shown consistently since his first arrival to the major leagues in 2022.  The ending ledger gave him a .236 average with 11 HRs and 56 RBIs.  For the people advocating more Baty, note that with this mediocre .236 average his lifetime mark is just .233.

Some folks who live on the good ship Optimism feel that a platoon of Jared Young and Brett Baty at first base is the best path forward.  More realistic Mets aficionados would be quick to point out that there is no significant track record for Young who had what appears to be an outlier positive year in 2026 while Baty provided more of the same below average offense. 

Others point out the lackluster output the Mets received from one of many David Stearns mistakes in the acquisition of Marcus Semien and his $26 million salary.  For the season Semien provided just a .215 average along with 15 HRs and 55 RBIs while his once celebrated defensive skill seemed to decline significantly.  Still owed $46 million between the 2027 and 2028 seasons, you’re not likely going to be able to move him in trade except for an equally bad contract.  His release would mean a lot of Steven Cohen dollars flushed down the Stearns drain.

Thinking about Baty at 2B does not solve that problem.  In fact, making Semien into the world’s most expensive bench player accomplishes very little offensively.  However, Baty has one thing in his profile that many others do not.  He still possesses a minor league option and could theoretically start the season in Syracuse due to roster crunch and minor league infielder ongoing development.

On the flip side, a guy who is out of minor league options is younger but too often injured Ronny Mauricio.  In just 328 major league ABs Mauricio hit 11 HRs, drove in 27 and hit .232.  What he’s shown is more power and more speed than Baty has but he’s never been given the same playing opportunities.  Being a switch hitter he’s a bit more offensively versatile than is Baty and showcasing him early in the 2027 season lays the groundwork for a possible in-season trade.  His end of season three home runs in two days certainly caught everyone’s eyes.

Behind him in the minors (and one in the majors) are four additional second base options.  The minor league ones are the most exciting but in all cases there has not been a substantial amount of AAA experience for any of them.

At the top of the list is infielder Jefferson Rojas whose minor league stat sheet is fairly eye popping.  Split between three minor league stops and two organizations Rojas finished the year hitting .274 with 27 HRs, 93 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.   His 6 game tenure in Syracuse did not seem to intimidate him but it isn’t enough time to draw definitive conclusions.  Starting him in AAA allows the Mets to see how he handles the advanced competition while the 2B issue plays itself out for the big club.

Second in this group is newcomer Emilien Pitre who while with the Mets hit a robust .375, finishing his combined 2026 season north of .300.  He doesn’t have a lot of power with just 15 HRs over 949 minor league ABs but that was accompanied by 56 stolen bases.  The lefty hitting infielder is a few years older than Rojas and played his final 26 games in Syracuse so he might be ready to make the jump sooner.

A little further down this middle infielder hierarchy is speedster Mitch Voit.  He swiped 45 bases between A and AA this past season while hitting .273 with 13 HRs and driving in 59.  He would seem well suited to continue his minor league progression with an eye towards a possible major league debut in 2028. 

Finally there is still the question surrounding A.J. Ewing who also has logged significant minor league playing time at 2B.  If the Mets were to insert another outfielder to accompany Juan Soto and Carson Benge then they would need to find a place for Ewing to play.  Second base could be it.