2) Jesus Baez
Infielder Jesus Baez can be viewed as a potential third baseman down the road for the Mets. How many times have we heard this before about a prospect? It’s a position they still haven’t solved even with an infield surplus. The Mets also have Jacob Reimer in the minors as a potential option, making the more highly ranked Baez a trade chip to shop around.
At 20, Baez has yet to put together a monstrous minor league season which is perfectly fine. Many of the best prospects don’t. In Brooklyn this season, he’s slashing .254/.347/.415 with 9 home runs. It’s satisfactory yet doesn’t do anything to suggest he is untouchable.
Something he has done well is make contact. His 31 walks versus 42 strikeouts is pretty attractive and a sign of some good plate discipline with solid bat-to-ball skills. Growing into a bit more power at the minor league level will be important for him to ever be a capable offensive player. He doesn’t steal bases, leaving us with his bat to depend on most.
Even though it feels like he just got here, Baez is Rule 5 eligible in December of 2026. The Mets could run into a situation like they did with Luisangel Acuna, Ronny Mauricio, and Alex Ramirez where he has to get placed on the 40-man roster and see one of those minor league options burned. It’s a minor part as to why he should be traded, but one down the road to consider. A good prospect right now, the Mets have enough others on the infield.