With Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty playing well over the past few weeks, the New York Mets haven’t been using Mark Vientos much. Heading into 2025, fans expected Vientos to build off his 2024 breakout season. In 111 regular-season games, the 25-year-old tallied 27 home runs and posted a .837 OPS. He emerged as a fan favorite after the postseason, where he recorded five clutch homers, a .327 batting average, and a .998 OPS.
One season later, Vientos has become a non-factor in the Mets lineup. This season, he’s hitting .226 with a .638 OPS. He hasn’t hit a home run since May. Carlos Mendoza hasn’t been penciling him into the lineup much with his massive regression. New York is running out of options with Vientos. They can’t send him down to the minors and they don’t trust his bat in the everyday lineup. Trading him could work, but they’d be selling extremely low.
A trade could make sense with the current logjam they have with Vientos, Baty, and Mauricio. Rumors are already heating up, with SNY’s Andy Martino reporting the Mets are listening to offers for Vientos. Moving Vientos would be a risk, so the Mets would need to get a good return at the very least. That said, here are three moves that could be worth trading the 25-year-old star for.
Chicago White Sox CF, Luis Robert Jr.
A straight-up swap between the Mets and the Chicago White Sox could work. Luis Robert Jr. is in a similar situation right now in Chicago. He had a breakout season in 2023, hitting 38 homers and finishing twelfth in American League MVP voting. Since then, he’s hit .216 with a .647 OPS.
The White Sox could use young talent, especially one like Vientos, who proved to have a ton of potential. New York needs a center fielder, and Robert Jr. still has a ton of upside. Mendoza has been using Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor in center. Taylor is great defensively, but isn’t a threat at the plate. McNeil has hit well this season, but he never played center consistently until this season. Robert Jr. is a superior defender in centerfield to McNeil.
By trading for the former All-Star, the Mets could benefit. It’s a low-risk move that could pay off. Robert Jr. playing with a new team could be exactly what he needs to break out. With the Mets, he’d be in a much better lineup. If he were to break out, it would give the Mets five high-end bats with himself, Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo.
Arizona Diamondbacks SP, Merrill Kelly
The Mets could use another starter. Even though Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea are healthy again, they could still use another front-line arm. Those two and David Peterson are three guys fans would trust starting a playoff game. Frankie Montas had had some good starts, but also a few bad ones. It remains to be seen if they’d trust him to start in the postseason. Clay Holmes has pitched well, but he doesn’t go deep into ballgames. Additionally, trading for another starter could give the Mets another reliable reliever, as they could move Holmes into the bullpen.
Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks has been floated around in trade rumors the past few weeks, and he’d be a great fit in Mendoza’s rotation. The 36-year-old has pitched to a 9-6 record with a 3.22 ERA. He’ll be a free agent after the season, and Arizona would be foolish to let him go for nothing. They would likely love to have a young player with Vientos’ potential, and the Mets would love to add an arm like Kelly to go all in for this season.
Arizona Diamondbacks SP, Zac Gallen
The Diamondbacks have a ton of expiring contracts. Not only is Kelly an arm they could move at the deadline, but they could also sell Zac Gallen. Gallen isn’t having the season he’s envisioned, as he’s recorded a 7-12 record with a 5.60 ERA.
New York has proven to help pitchers regain their form with their pitching lab. Luis Severino last season is a prime example of such. If they believe they can help Gallen regain his form, they’d have a phenomenal rotation.
These low-risk moves could help the Mets, but they can also haunt them if they trade Vientos for someone like Gallen. Losing a young player who was a crucial piece in their magical 2024 season for a player who would be with them for a few months could bite them in the long run. It remains to be seen if Vientos will be moved at the deadline, but it’s starting to make more and more sense the closer it comes.