Brother of MLB royalty has a sudden path to Mets roster as fan favorite gets dumped

If Pete Alonso left the New York Mets, Luisangel Acuña, brother of former MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., was almost certainly going to have a chance to earn a starting spot in the team's infield. Alonso re-signing, though, made it more likely that Acuña was going to begin the 2025 campaign in the Minor Leagues.

Fast forward to Wednesday, and all of a sudden, the 22-year-old has a very realistic shot to make the team's Opening Day roster once again. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns made it clear that the team has turned the page on 2024 fan favorite Jose Iglesias, with the team valuing flexibility and giving opportunities to younger players. Acuña could easily be one of those younger players.

Had Iglesias returned, he would have likely been the team's utility infielder with the ability to play second base, third base, and shortstop at a high level while providing solid bat-to-ball skills at the plate. Now, with him likely landing elsewhere, Acuña, alongside the likes of Nick Madrigal and Brett Baty, figures to compete for a spot on the team's Opening Day roster.

While Acuña is a fun player to watch, this is a decision that's difficult to get behind.

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Mets prioritizing flexibility and younger players gives Luisangel Acuña golden opportunity to make team's Opening Day roster

To be clear, I do understand where Stearns is coming from. In an ideal world, it'd be nice to have a roster with flexibility. Had the Mets re-signed Iglesias, the only player on their projected Opening Day roster who would have the ability to be optioned to the Minors without having to be passed through waivers would've been Francisco Alvarez, the team's starting catcher. That, obviously, is not ideal. I also understand wanting to give younger players reps at the MLB level, especially after seeing what Mark Vientos did once he finally got his shot to play last season.

However, it's really hard to get behind a strategy of essentially letting a proven veteran like Iglesias walk and replacing him with lottery tickets. Acuña played well in his brief MLB stint last season, but he had just 39 plate appearances, and he wasn't great at the Triple-A level prior to his big-league cameo. Baty has never done much of anything at the MLB level, and doesn't really have experience at any position other than third base. Madrigal was once an exciting player, but he has not had an OPS in a single season above .665 since 2021, has battled injuries throughout his career, and has not played an inning of shortstop at the MLB level. If he or Baty is the team's backup infielder, the Mets would not have a true backup shortstop.

So, yes, the Mets have more flexibility now, and might catch lightning in a bottle with a guy like Acuña, but it sure feels as if they're downgrading talent-wise by replacing Iglesias with their internal options. Not only was Iglesias a tremendous defender and leader, but his bat was crucial to the Mets' success in 2024. The 35-year-old slashed .337/.381/.448 with four home runs and 26 RBI in 85 games played. Yes, his .382 BABIP certainly aided that production, and he likely will not be nearly as successful at the dish in 2025, but he's still a career .283 hitter with a respectable .710 OPS. As a utility infielder, his bat is more than fine, especially paired with his still near-elite glove.

If anyone has earned the benefit of the doubt in Queens, it's Stearns, especially after this offseason. Hopefully, this is another one of his correctly pushed buttons and Acuña (or whoever takes Iglesias' spot) thrives.