The biggest question for Mark Vientos’ NY Mets future isn’t whether he’ll be here or not

It now seems apparent that the New York Mets have gotten all they can out of Mark Vientos. He has never come close to repeating the success he had in 2024 and 2026 has been his worst year yet. Despite moving him from third to first base, his offensive and defensive numbers have remained below league average and his -1.0 fWAR is the third-lowest of any player this year with more than 250 plate appearances.

It would be unsurprising to see him non-tendered this offseason but in an ideal world, the Mets would be able to get something out of this failed experiment. Vientos could be a bargain bin option for teams in need of a corner infielder and even if the prospect return is small, something is better than nothing. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find someone willing to pay anything for his services.

Mark Vientos may have exhausted any remaining trade value with yet another disappointing season

It has gotten more difficult than ever to argue in favor of what Vientos can offer a big league club. Poor numbers across the board have forced him to fight tooth and nail for playing time but when given chances, he's failing to make the most. His 79 wRC+ is the worst among first basemen with more than 250 plate appearances and his on-base percentage of just .258 is fifth among all players with that amount of playing time.

When he does make contact, it's quite good and his expected slugging percentage of .452 is on par with the likes of Rafael Devers (.460) and Gabriel Moreno (.450). At the start of the season, it seemed like his quality of contact would be his saving grace but the other aspects of his approach, primarily poor swing decisions, have eclipsed any positive hitting traits.

In other words, there's not much of a hook for the Mets to market when they try to shop him as a trade asset this offseason. Other organizations will recognize that he's a clear liability on the roster and the front office will be starting from behind the 8-ball in any negotiations. When the Luis Robert Jr. deal was initially being discussed, the Mets were hoping that the White Sox would take Vientos off their hands before Chicago eventually settled on Luisangel Acuña as the return. After such a disappointing 2026, Vientos's stock can't get much lower.

If the team is ultimately forced to let him go for nothing, it will be an unceremonious end to the tenure of a player who was the organization's No. 4 prospect in 2022. After breaking out a few years later, he seemed like the solid part of what was shaping up to be an outstanding infield but none of it managed to pan out. It's not the fairy tale ending fans were hoping for but it's clear that his time as a positive contributor for the Mets and potentially any big league team has run out.

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