Mets roster clash: Should Jeff McNeil stay or go?

There’s an offseason tradition for New York Mets fans when it comes to Jeff McNeil. It began after the 2021 season when he was one of several position players who put together a lackluster year at the plate. Even after winning the 2022 NL Batting Title, McNeil was viewed by some as a “sell high” candidate on the trade market. 

The Mets never did trade him, but instead signed him to a seemingly team-friendly contract extension. The deal hasn’t been so favorable for the ball club. McNeil has been a shell of his best self over the last two years.

We enter yet another offseason where trade speculation about whether or not McNeil should return to the roster.

Should Jeff McNeil stay with the Mets or should he go?

Any case to keep McNeil is pretty easy. He has been too good, too many seasons to simply hand him off to another ball club. It was a given he’d hit .300 in the first half of his career. Lately, it seems impossible to predict which version will show up.

A strong second half before his injury changed the narrative slightly. However, the Mets have a whole lot of middle infielders coming up through the system. He’s replaceable at second base with multiple options. But just because someone can fill the seat doesn’t mean the Mets need to or should.

Barring an insane trade offer, there is zero reason why the Mets need to eliminate McNeil from the roster quickly in the offseason. While a trade candidate, they lack the need to move him. He’s a guy you build into the starting lineup until an upgrade—not necessarily even at second base—becomes available.

The Mets don’t need to add any new second basemen to the roster with maybe the only exception being a return for Jose Iglesias. This wouldn’t bump McNeil off of second base duties, though. What it could do is shift his exact role.

The Mets can conceivably head into the 2025 season with McNeil as the starting second baseman and also their fifth outfielder. His defensive versatility and competence with the glove at multiple positions makes him difficult to part with.

Seeing how the offseason plays out will allow the Mets to get a better idea of where and if McNeil is necessary to keep around. No one is going to blow the doors off the hinges to acquire him via trade. Until any of the youngsters prove they are big league ready at second base for the long haul of a 162-game season, he stays.