How the NY Mets should view Jared Young to give them the best roster possible in 2027

Jared Young remains one of the most pleasant New York Mets surprises of the 2026 season. He dominated in Triple-A last season while sprinkling in a few big bops in the limited time he spent in the majors. It’s becoming clear he deserves some sort of a role in the major leagues next year even if the outcome unfairly reduces his playing time.

It’s a bit complicated with Young who’d have the longer half of a platoon situation. Lefties always get the benefit because of the number of right-handed pitchers there are out there as opposed to left-handed ones. The Mets would need some sort of a plan at first base whenever they do go against a southpaw. Is that letting Mark Vientos linger for those opportunities or a free agent like Paul Goldschmidt for a year?

Whatever it is the Mets choose, they need to think of Young in one particular way to get the most out of him.

Jared Young is both a first base candidate and important corner outfield depth

The Mets have essentially locked Young in at first base with no interest in seeing what he can do defensively in the corner outfield. Juan Soto and Mark Vientos on the IL at the same time with no obvious first base alternatives aided in this approach. The Mets had much different thoughts in 2025. He played 26 games at first base and 31 in left field while in Triple-A.

It is to Young’s benefit to play one position and stick there. First base happens to be the openly available one with the corners blocked. The post-trade deadline Mets went into audition mode. In the case of Young, his tryout continued and feels more cemented than ever.

Although the corner outfield hasn’t included Young there for a while now, the Mets may need to think of him as an option there. He has played left field regularly in his professional career. To make up for some clunkiness on the rest of the roster, it could be a requirement to view him as more than a first baseman.

We all have to assume Jorge Polanco is back and if so, we can’t really count on him to play much defense. The Mets’ tendency to put Francisco Alvarez in as a DH makes Polanco’s existence tougher when all he’ll be available to do is DH. Quickly, we’re getting a lot of limited players on the roster.

Most teams will have two backup outfielders on the roster. It’s almost easy to forget but when they began 2026, Young was one of the two alongside Tyrone Taylor. He has now evolved into more of a first baseman. Comically, that’s the spot where Brett Baty was listed by MLB.com. He remains a utility player the team won’t quit giving reps to in the outfield.

Because the Mets will need some sort of a right-handed hitting first base option next year not named Jorge Polanco, Young’s ability to play the corner outfield becomes more crucial. Rosters with two first basemen who can’t do anything else have a tightness to them. Even if Young never sees left field other than a day when Soto might end up as the DH, there’s a value there. And from what we’ve seen in limited chances, he’s a better defender than Dominic Smith.

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