2 Mets Opening Day DH candidates already on the roster, 3 they could sign in free agency

Who’ll be the New York Mets designated hitter when the 2025 season begins? A sentence fans as recently as 2019 would have vomited over reading (our grandkids will never believe pitchers used to hit), the reality is the DH has become a necessity for all National League ball clubs.

The Mets went with J.D. Martinez in 2024. Strictly a designated hitter at this stage of his career, this was always the biggest complaint about him coming to the Mets in the first place. It’s limiting when he isn’t effective. For the last few weeks of the season, he offered very little.

Whoever the Mets name as their Opening Day DH could change. Someone with a little more flexibility to defend—even if not too well—should be the primary selection. Two are already on the roster. Three others are free agents.

1) DH already on the roster: Mark Vientos

Mark Vientos remains a natural DH, maybe more so than even before his breakout 2024 campaign. At least now we can feel confident in his ability to actually hit at the major league level. His defensive shortcomings this past season can’t be ignored. While he wasn’t an incredible butcher with only 5 errors and some positive defensive metrics, we could all tell by watching him enough that there is a cap on how well he can play third base.

The Mets have a lot of directions they can go with Vientos. A move over to first base in case Pete Alonso leaves in free agency is one of the most discussed. Because they do have some internal candidates for third base, handing him some regular appearances as the DH could make sense, too. 

Vientos won’t toss his glove into the trash and strictly hit for the Mets. Rotating him at third base, DH, and maybe even at first base regardless of what happens with Alonso seems destined. Along with plenty of DH opportunities for him, a teammate of his might be more apt to receive even more.

2) DH already on the roster: Starling Marte

Starling Marte won a Gold Glove back in the day with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Today, he’s much less of a reliable outfielder for the Mets. He calls right field home which is a bit strange because when the Mets first signed him ahead of the 2022 season there was plenty of discussion about him playing center field over Brandon Nimmo. Those were good times.

Marte’s defensive decline has mirrored his health. He finished the season with a -8 Outs Above Average, a statistic which has become a must to view to measure every defensive player. His range is fading quickly. Despite still having good speed on the bases, he looks lost as an outfielder far too often.

Marte remains a player many Mets fans would like to see the team dump. It’s just not realistic. He’s an overpaid singles hitter they’ll try to milk one final season out of. For sure an unsatisfying selection to be the primary DH for the Mets in 2025, it does at least save the Mets from having to run him out into right field.

Could less time on his feet actually help Marte stay healthy and produce more at the plate? We can already scratch him from a couple of games in 2025. The Mets handled him carefully when they could this past season with playing time. With an open DH spot, they’ll have another way to utilize him in the final year of his contract.

1) DH the Mets could sign: Jesse Winker

Something close to yet not exactly mimicking a DH platoon between Marte and Jesse Winker is one direction the Mets could go. When Marte first returned from the IL, the two were sharing right field duties regularly. Then came Martinez’s September slump and both began to play a whole lot more. Winker did begin to sit a little bit more as he was also struggling through September.

Any fan whose adrenaline has yet to run out is ready to see Winker run into a wall for this ball club. He no doubt brought the kind of fun energy all fans come to adore. The downside is his defense wasn’t great. Combined with his Washington Nationals totals, he had an Outs Above Average of -11. Only six players had a worse number.

Winker belongs as a DH and only out of necessity did the Mets plug him into the corner outfield often. A better or at least more familiar left fielder, the trouble the Mets ran into was a declining outfielder playing somewhere he hadn’t often enough.

Sharing a roster with Marte made sense as the options for the Mets were limited at the trade deadline. Bringing him back means one of the two will always be out in right field. It’s okay if defense isn’t a priority. In fact, it might just help get the most out of both.

2) DH the Mets could sign: Anthony Santander

Statistically, Anthony Santander had a better defensive season than all of the guys on this list. He had a -2 Outs Above Average. Nevertheless, he deserves a mention on this list. Would he actually be the DH instead of someone like Marte? Eh, maybe not. He is still someone for the Mets to look into as some sort of lineup upgrade.

A power explosion at the plate by Santander is difficult to ignore. He had been a quality power hitter for several seasons now. However, in 2024, he decided to hit 44 home runs. Mostly a right fielder with some experience in left field and first base, he’d add some versatility to the Mets roster they didn’t have with Martinez even if a large number of his plate appearances comes as a DH.

One quality to appreciate about Santander are the splits versus lefties and righties. Santander swings from both sides and has very similar numbers. A .243/.302/.470 slash line against righties and .253/.320/.467 trio against lefties clearly states how playable he is against pitchers throwing with either arm.

Santander would be a good pivot for the Mets if they lost Alonso in free agency regardless of where he ends up spending the majority of his time. An average of 34 doubles and 34 home runs per 162 games in his career, this is a guy who has somewhat quietly been at the center of the Baltimore Orioles’ success for several years. The big downside is he did receive a qualifying offer which means the Mets will be penalized if they were to add him. This probably eliminates him from coming to Queens despite being such a nice match.