If NY Mets history repeats itself, here’s how Mark Vientos’ time in Flushing ends

Break out your crystal balls, it's time for some good old-fashioned speculation. If there's one flaw with the New York Mets' current roster, it's that there are too many cooks in the kitchen in the infield, specifically at the corners. This isn't a news flash; opposing teams have been sniffing around Brett Baty and Mark Vientos since the start of the offseason, with interest peaking once the club signed Bo Bichette.

One of these things is not like the other, though. Baty has proven that he has defensive versatility, showing up as passable or better at third base, first base, second base, and even in the outfield. Vientos, on the other hand, doesn't even play acceptable defense at his natural position at the hot corner.

We're just three games into the season, but Vientos's inflexibility is starting to prove to be a detriment. In the opening series against Pittsburgh, he's managed just one at-bat. At a certain point, the Mets will find that there are better uses for that roster spot, and likely will circle back to the suitors who pursued the 26-year-old over the winter.

How might a trade for Vientos look? Well, if we go back through recent history, New York has a potential comp for Vientos in J.D. Davis, and fans aren't going to like it if history repeats itself.

Mets fans will be sorely disappointed if a Mark Vientos trade resembles the return for J.D. Davis

Vientos arc in New York is reminiscent of how things played out for Davis once he arrived in Queens. Both players seemingly broke out in their third season of MLB action, with Davis posting a 137 wRC+ in 2019 and Vientos managing a 132 mark in 2024. For both players, it was power that was at the forefront of their offensive attacks.

Both players also struggled defensively, sapping much of their overall value. Still, for a while at least, there was optimism. After the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, there was optimism that Davis would continue to grow as a player. He was a touch more productive than Vientos following his breakout, but as his strikeout rate crossed the 30% threshold and his power dropped off some, the cracks began to show.

The first half of 2022 saw the bottom fall out for Davis. The former Houston Astro slashed just .238/.324/.359, good for a 99 wRC+. Comparatively, Vientos hit a strikingly similar .233/.289/.413 97 wRC+ last season.

At the 2022 deadline, Davis was dealt alongside three minor league arms in exchange for then-36-year-old Darin Ruf in one of the franchise's worst deadline trades in recent memory. Ruf was a first baseman/outfielder type brought in to mash lefties, but hit a shockingly bad .152/.216/.197, subtracting a whopping 0.9 fWAR once he arrived in Flushing. After just 74 plate appearances down the stretch, his Mets tenure was over.

If the Mets were to trade Vientos for another journeyman platoon bat, it might be seen as an even bigger flub than the Davis deal. Even going back to last trade deadline, there was substantial interest in the young power bat, but the Mets decided to hold on to him.

It's too early to tell what they'd get for him if they moved him at this year's deadline, but the groundwork has been laid for a disappointing, Davis-like return if he continues to struggle with the bat and is relegated to part-time duty. If that's the case, the Mets will have squandered a potential asset and missed an ideal chance to rebalance the roster in a more favorable manner.