3 Jeff McNeil trade destinations we’re predicting for the NY Mets to explore

We recently released our New York Mets offseason predictions for the upcoming winter. Among the writers who submitted their predictions, the Mets trading Jeff McNeil was one that came up multiple times. The second baseman/outfielder batted .243/.335/.411 line, and 111 wRC+ over 462 plate appearances. McNeil embraced his pull-side power, with a dozen home runs and a .168 isolated slugging percentage. He struck out only 11.9% of the time and walked at a career-best 10.9% rate. However, McNeil's worrying underlying numbers, a poor September, age, and contract may mean the Mets want to ship him out, and this is where we see him going.

Houston Astros

The Astros were a team that I, alongside fellow staff writer Josh Mayer, predicted the Mets would trade McNeil to. There are many reasons why I predicted this. The first reason is that the Astros need a second base/utility guy. Jose Altuve's decline is setting in, and recent Gold Glove recipient Mauricio Dubon's lackluster hitting took a step back in 2025. Ramon Urias and Isacc Paredes are capable of playing second base, but the former is a potential non-tender candidate, and the latter is better suited for an infield corner.

Another reason is that left field was a mess for the Astros last season. They combined to hit just .222/.300/.345 with an 81 wRC+ and a fWAR of -0.6. They were among the bottom five of the league in batting average, slugging percentage, wOBA, wRC+, and fWAR. It was a consistent carousel in left field for Houston, as 11 different players saw playing time there for the Astros. The Jose Altuve experiment in left field failed miserably, and the Astros are likely going to want to keep Yordan Alvarez out of the field as much as possible. Deadline acquisition, Jesus Sanchez also greatly struggled. Aside from second base, McNeil has the second most experience at left field. 

A third reason is that the Astros already showed interest in McNeil. During the trade deadline, the Mets were reportedly interested in trading from their infield depth. Joel Sherman reported the Astros apparently "at least inquired" about the availability of a handful of the Mets' infielders, including Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and McNeil. Since the connection has already been made, the Astros' more aggressive pursuit of McNeil is not out of the question. Given that McNeil is a shorter term option at both second base and left field, he should not block Brice Matthews or Jacob Melton.