As we enter the stretch run of the MLB season, the New York Mets are in desperation mode. New York has won just three of its last twelve games, with a recent two-game win streak doing very little to paper over the mounting flaws of this roster. GM David Stearns has a lot of holes to plug, from the rotation through the lineup, but few positions of weakness stand out more than third base.
It has been a struggle all season for New York to find stability at the hot corner. The sudden regression of Mark Vientos, paired with the stalled development of Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, leaves the Mets without a clear solution to their greatest positional quandry. Luisangel Acuña has not taken a leap. Jett Williams, their No. 2 prospect, is still a year or two away from his MLB moment.
The best bet for Stearns and the front office at this point is probably holding out hope for an advantageous waiver wire pickup. As teams around the league bow out of the postseason hunt, GMs will start to cut payroll to line ownership's pockets. One potential candidate who should be prominently on the Mets' radar: Los Angeles Angels veteran Yoán Moncada.
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Mets can target Yoán Moncada as solution to 3B problems
Moncada, 30, inked a one-year, $5 million contract with the Angels last winter. He has spent a significant portion of this season on the IL, but when he has played, the results are generally positive. He has a .238 average and .776 OPS with eight home runs and a 116 wRC+ in 168 at-bats. He would immediately stimulate a Mets offense that has been sluggish of late.
While there is downside to Moncada — his -9 outs above average ranks among the worst in MLB defensively — the Mets need a big bopper to perk up this lineup. Juan Soto and Pete Alonso are enjoying more or less excellent seasons at the plate, and Francisco Lindor is on a torrid stretch, but the Mets are still struggling to fulfill the promise of such a talented (and expensive) group of players.
Moncada has his shortcomings, to be clear, but after so many years in a Chicago White Sox jersey, one has to assume he would relish the chance to play meaningful baseball games this late in the season. It's a new opportunity for him — and a hypothetical solution to New York's ongoing woes at third base.
Yoán Moncada would force Mets to make hard cuts ahead of playoffs
While the Mets should absolutely take the plunge on Moncada, even despite his defensive limitations, his arrival would bring about a few hard questions — none more difficult than "who does he replace?"
Baty, Vientos and Mauricio are all 25 or younger, all considered important long-term pieces. Vientos was a huge performer in the postseason a year ago; can the Mets rule out another late surge in 2025? In a perfect world, the Mets could get to a place where at least Baty and Vientos are everyday locks. That just has not happened yet.
The Mets most likely insert Moncada at third and leave Vientos in the DH slot, or vice versa, demoting Baty to the bench crew. Mauricio probably keeps his roster spot, while excess fat is trimmed from the outfield depth chart (Tyrone Taylor). That is the best short-term solution for a team with immediate World Series expectations. Long term? Well, it's safe to say Moncada is probably a rental, and Stearns will go back to the drawing board next winter.