Unclear NY Mets rumors vaguely hint at a domino effect situation for the roster

We’re into February and it seems like players are starting to panic. Those without contracts are starting to settle. None of the recent signings have felt too crazy. The New York Mets finished those up in mid-January.

One of the latest Mets rumors has to do with a position we figured was set. Ty France’s name came up again, linking him to the Mets. It’s not new information and perhaps this is merely a reminder and not so much an update that the wolfpack has circled the unsigned prey yet again.

France is a fascinating first baseman who won a Gold Glove while playing for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays last year. He hasn’t been a defensive stalwart throughout his career, putting together decent offensive results, but ones well short of what you’d want from a typical first baseman. If the Mets continue to have interest, a domino effect for the rest of the roster if he ends up coming here.

Ty France on the Mets roster eliminates Mark Vientos

It would be a final twist and a guarantee of an additional trade if the Mets did sign France. He’d be a theoretically better fit in a lot of ways. Experienced at first base and coming off of a strong defensive season which could be the new trend for him, France can play first base regularly (at least finish games there) while supplying the Mets with right-handed offense off the bench. It’s essentially swapping what he can do well for the loss of Mark Vientos, a then unneeded player.

Trade rumors about Vientos barely got off the ground this offseason. The Mets were busier subtracting their older players on the downswing or at least approaching it. Vientos is inexpensive and showed a lot of promise in 2024. His current role on the Mets seems to have him slotted in as the most regularly used player at DH. The problems there are obvious.

What if Jorge Polanco isn’t a success at first base defensively? It seems to be a risk the Mets are willing to take. Brett Baty is a backup plan just about everywhere on the field. However, even he hasn’t played first base. This leaves the Mets with no insurance policy.

The worst thing that can happen is they just have a butcher at first base. In the eyes of many, that’s precisely what they had with Pete Alonso anyway.

Carrying a first baseman on your roster mostly for defensive purposes doesn’t exactly allow for a whole lot of flexibility. France has close to even splits in his career and had slight reverse ones last season. He’s a curious player with the kind of offensive output you’d want from a second baseman. Hey, that’s where he began his career.

The Mets getting a mention here seems more like a recap than an update. The lineup has far more upside with Vientos at DH and France in another team’s uniform. Under the guise of run prevention, he’s a match. The Mets need to score runs and as helpful as France can be, Vientos has monster abilities. Give him one final shot. If the Mets can find a trade partner for Luisangel Acuna, they can always do so with Vientos.