NY Mets will earn a holding penalty for keeping this player around for another year

There's nothing like homegrown talent. This goes for any sport. There's something special about watching an athlete from your favorite team develop from a young man and a young prospect to a full-fledged member of a winning team. The New York Mets have plenty of homegrown talent they've fallen in love with over the years.

But that story doesn't always finish with a happy ending. Pete Alonso made this abundantly clear to all Mets fans this offseason. And in the case of Mark Vientos, the 26-year-old slugger who broke out in 2024 and then sat right back down in 2025, it might be time to turn the page.

We've seen Vientos develop. We've seen him grow. He's a good kid, and I am absolutely not going to dispute that he has a lot of talent. I would not be surprised if he goes on to lead a long and fulfilling MLB career.

But it isn't going to happen right now. And the Mets are a right now team. So don't be surprised in June when the front office kicks themselves for not capitalizing on his possible trade value this offseason.

There's no better time to move on than this offseason

In 2024, Mark Vientos showed the Queens faithful why he was a 2nd round pick out of high school in Florida in 2017. Sure, in 111 games, he batted .266 with a 134 OPS+ and 27 home runs. That's impressive for any rookie on its face. But you have to go further than his regular-season numbers to truly understand his impact.

The Mets made a magical run to the NLCS that season, ultimately falling to the new evil empire in Los Angeles, the Dodgers, in six games. But while it didn't result in a championship, that postseason run still contained plenty of heroes along the way.

One of those heroes was 22-year-old infielder Mark Vientos. In 55 at-bats, Vientos sent five balls out of the ballpark, drove home 14 runs, batted .327, with an OPS of .998 and a slugging percentage of .636. It wasn't a nice run; it was an outstanding run, especially for a kid playing in his first full season.

What this tells me is that he is not only good, but he isn't intimidated by the big stage. This will bold well for his future. But in his present, he's an odd-fitting piece of the Mets' current puzzle, and he is 16 months removed from that incredible playoff run.

In 2025, Vientos saw a severe drop in many places. His ISO dropped from .249 to .179. His walk percentage dropped from 7.3% to 6.5%. His OPS+ took a nose dive from that 134 I referenced earlier to 97. The list goes on and on. In almost every metric, Vientos was nowhere near where he was in 2024.

This tells me that he isn't himself, which makes sense. He'd likely have been more comfortable last season if he were playing at first base or full-time DH. And unfortunately, he isn't locked into either of those roles this season either.

His 2025 step-back doesn't erase everything he did prior. But it seems it's going to take some time for him to develop into the player he can become. This is fair; he is 26, not 32. But the Mets don't have time to be patient. The Mets need every roster spot they have. They can't play the "wait and see" game.

This offseason would have been the best time to make a move, and it still is. Teams likely still view him with rose-colored glasses, at least to some degree, thanks to his tantalizing talent and his 2024 postseason. This offseason, he still might demand some value.

But it appears the Mets are holding on to him. This could very easily change any day now, of course. But at the moment, it does seem like he'll be in blue and orange come spring training. And if he continues at the pace he was at last year, his value might plummet throughout the season.

Think about it, GMs still remember the 2024 Vientos. Last season can be chalked up to a sophomore slump or Vientos succumbing to a toxic clubhouse culture. But if he continues to perform at a lower level in 2026, his price drops lower and lower by the game.

David Stearns and the front office have to hope that they get the hitter they had two seasons ago. This will be tough, as Vientos isn't guaranteed an everyday spot, as I said. He'll get plenty of chances at DH and even first base, but not always consistently.

If he struggles in this role, good luck getting any kind of haul in return for his services. If that winds up the case, Stearns will wish he acted much – much sooner.