No NY Mets player may be having a worse week than Mark Vientos

For a guy who technically still has three positions on his Baseball-Reference page, Mark Vientos is running out of actual chairs with the New York Mets.

Start with the DH spot. The Mets’ reported interest in Kyle Schwarber before he re-upped with the Phillies wasn’t just a fun little rumor to pass the time at the Winter Meetings — it was a neon billboard. You don’t chase a bat like Schwarber if you feel great about your in-house DH options. Even with Schwarber off the board, the message landed: David Stearns clearly wants a more established thumper in that role, not another year of “let’s see if Vientos figures it out.”

Mets roster shuffle leaves Mark Vientos with nowhere to stand

First base isn’t exactly a soft landing, either. Pete Alonso might be in every rumor from here to Mars, but the Mets keeping those conversations open is another bad sign for Vientos.

Then came the real gut punch: Carlos Mendoza flat-out saying Brett Baty will get the majority of the reps at third base. Baty took that step forward in 2025, cleaned up the defense, and showed enough growth at the plate that the Mets are ready to commit. That’s great news for run prevention and infield stability. For Vientos, it basically slams the last “natural” position door shut.

He didn’t do much in 2025 to force their hand. Vientos finished with a -0.2 WAR and a .233/.289/.431 slash line, hitting 17 home runs with 61 RBI and a 97 OPS+. That’s just enough power to tease you, and just enough on-base issues to drive a front office a little nuts. If you’re not a plus defender and you’re barely a league-average bat, it’s tough to be the solution anywhere.

So what’s left? Maybe he becomes the secondary DH if the Mets miss on their bigger swings, or the right-handed bench bat who punishes lefties a couple times a week. Maybe he’s part of a trade package to a team that’s willing to hand him 500 plate appearances and live with the growing pains.

But right now, as the Mets reshape the roster and talk openly about upgrades at DH, first, and third, nobody on this roster feels more boxed out than Vientos. For all the noise in Mets land this week, his silence might be the loudest.