2 NY Mets trade chips they'll regret holding onto, 1 they’ll be thankful they did

The Mets should be happy to hold on to Jeff McNeil

Jeff McNeil has been one of the most popular trade candidates for the Mets since the offseason began. Once a fixture for the Amazins', the 2022 batting champ has seen a steady decline in performance over the past two seasons as he enters his age-33 season.

The veteran hit just .238/.308/.384 last season en route to a wRC+ of 97, his worst mark since the 2021 season's 91 wRC+. His ability to rebound with a career-best season in 2022 following that career-worst performance in 2021 should give some hope that he can still provide some value at the dish in 2025. If you're an optimist, his .923 second-half OPS is further reason to believe in a return to productivity for the long-time Met.

He'll face some stiff competition for the starting second base job. Luisangel Acuna has been tearing the cover off the ball in the Venezuelan Winter League after a very impressive performance in his September call-up and should be McNeil's chief rival for the position. If he survives the offseason, Ronny Mauricio may get some looks there as well.

Even without a marked improvement in 2025, there are two main reasons why McNeil holds more value to the Mets than whatever he can fetch in a trade. First, a recent free-agent signing affirmed the value of McNeil relative to his contract.

Former Yankees' second baseman just inked a one-year $15 million deal with the Detroit Tigers after his own rollercoaster season that was ultimately underwhelming. Torres posted an fWAR of 1.7 in 154 games and 665 plate appearances last season. McNeil was worth 1.3 fWAR but produced that number in just 129 games and 472 plate appearances. Given the same playing time, McNeil was worth just as much as Torres while making $15.75 million in 2025.

Sure, Torres is roughly four-a-half years younger and is on a one-year deal versus McNeil's contract is on the books through 2026 before the Mets' club option for 2027, but McNeil is also a better defensive player who brings another skill of value to the table which leads into the next reason the Mets should be glad to keep him around.

Even if McNeil loses the competition for opening-day second baseman, his versatility is of value to the Mets. Capable of playing second, third, right field, and left field at an average or better level, he can easily slide into a super-utility role that could see him still earn playing time roughly equal to that of an everyday player. If he can do that while hitting at a roughly league-average level, as he has done in the past two seasons, he can still provide significant value.

For a team with World Series aspirations, having quality depth is extremely important. A player like McNeil can move around the field to keep various players fresh while sliding into a starting role and giving acceptable production to help the team weather an injury storm.

Furthermore, if we take the Torres contract as an indication of what an average-level starting second baseman is worth, McNeil's deal doesn't seem so bad in comparison.

Surely there will be teams that inquire about his services, but the multitude of pathways for him to positively impact the Mets in their 2025 pursuits means they should hold on to him, and if they do, he'll certainly be able to make them glad that they did.