Longtime NY Mets player is working his way out of the team's future plans

Every team has that one player who quietly shifts from cornerstone to question mark, and for the New York Mets, Jeff McNeil is starting to look like the case study. Once the ultimate glue guy — a batting champ who could slide anywhere on the diamond — he now feels less like a necessity and more like a figure clinging to relevance. The spark that once defined him hasn’t disappeared, but it no longer guarantees tomorrow.

His season hasn’t been a disaster, yet it hasn’t been the kind of campaign that silences doubts either. With time, circumstance, and competition beginning to stack against him, the future doesn’t look nearly as secure as the past once did. The whispers aren’t just about his numbers anymore, but whether he still fits into the bigger picture of where the Mets are headed.

It’s getting harder to see Jeff McNeil fitting into the Mets future

McNeil has been a fixture in the Mets’ lineup for eight seasons, a versatile presence whose value once lay in his sure contact and uncanny ability to get on base. But the numbers that once demanded attention have softened; four of the last five seasons have seen his batting average hover around .250, with an OBP around .325 — respectable, but far from the league-leading production that earned him a memorable .326 batting title in 2022. Entering next season, the final year of his four-year deal, with a $15.75 million team option looming for 2027, the question of his long-term role is unavoidable.

The context around McNeil is also shifting. The Mets’ farm system, ranked number one in MLB, is brimming with talent ready to stake a claim in 2026. Prospects like Jett Williams and Carson Benge could step into the very positions McNeil has occupied, creating natural competition. Suddenly, versatility alone isn’t enough to guarantee a spot — performance and timing matter just as much as experience.

And then there’s Brett Baty. Over the past two months, he’s shown he can handle second base while offering a bat that promises more pop than McNeil’s tepid, unspectacular production. In a lineup that prizes both consistency and upside, he's finding himself measured not just against his own past but against a future that looks increasingly crowded, signaling that his place in the Mets’ plans may be less secure than it once seemed.

McNeil has been a steady hand for the Amazins, but steady can feel small when the team’s stars are rising. With prospects knocking, Baty breaking through, and production looking average at best, even a longtime contributor can feel like yesterday’s news. Baseball moves fast, and sometimes the player you know best is the one the future quietly passes by.