5 NY Mets players in Carlos Mendoza’s doghouse set to hit the trade market

Carlos Mendoza will have a tight leash to begin the season, but also a little more control of things. He never got to handpick his coaching staff. The coaches he and David Stearns inherited are largely gone with the New York Mets headed in a new direction. Is it the right one?

We won’t know for sure where the Mets are going. What we can surmise is how certain players who went unused or received irregular playing time could be off the roster. These five players experienced a reduction in playing time this past year. In the proverbial doghouse, it’s reasonable to project a trade for all five of them.

1) Mark Vientos

Mark Vientos played plenty in September but with a .184 batting average in the final month and fewer games at third base, it’s easy to see where the Mets believe he belongs. It’s not impossible for the Mets to keep him. The DH spot will be more open. With at least some ability to play both corner infield spots, Vientos is a tad more valuable than some other DH-only options the club could have on the roster.

Vientos played 70 games at third base last season and another 44 as the club’s DH. The latter would have been more if Starling Marte wasn’t healthy for most of the year. Even in the late stages of 2025, the Mets chose to sit Marte a little more regularly in favor of Vientos. This bodes well for him slightly, but it doesn’t mean he’s getting any belly rubs in the doghouse.

Vientos trade speculation has gone on for years. The original case was how he didn’t fit in and was passed on the depth chart by Brett Baty as the team’s best third base option going forward. After a monstrous 2024 season at the plate, we circle back to those same reasons.