It’s beginning to feel like NY Mets trade candidate Jeff McNeil is Plan-C for teams

One of the worst-kept secrets in baseball is the New York Mets' desire to trade Jeff McNeil and move the final year of his $15.75 million salary off of the 2026 books. With the Winter Meetings now upon us, things begin to heat up.

But with McNeil that might not be the case. The versatile utility man could be in play for a number of teams at second base. For others, he could serve in a prime bench role where his experience at second and in the outfield truly shines. Even others could view him as a left field solution.

The problem is, all of these teams have other names circled atop their lists before you get down to McNeil as a legitimate option for them.

All of the Mets' potential Jeff McNeil trade partners have other targets higher on their lists

Two potential McNeil suitors are the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Seattle Mariners, both of whom have major league talent they could swap for McNeil in a way both sides could take advantage of surpluses and help each other fill holes.

While those two clubs seem like his top suitors at this point, there is a problem. Both clubs have eyes on bigger names who could solve their problems. For one, the Mariners and Pirates have both been linked to Arizona Diamondbacks superstar Ketel Marte.

Marte's days roaming center field might be over, but as a second baseman, the 32-year-old switch-hitter does everything McNeil does and more. Both players are more-or-less average defenders at the keystone at this point, but while McNeil excels at putting the ball in play, striking out just 11.9% of the time in 2025, Marte does it better, even if his still-excellent 14.9% K-rate is a touch higher.

McNeil batted just .243 with 12 home runs, while Marte hit .283 with 28 dingers. If you want a low strikeout rate from your second baseman, either will do the trick, but with a wRC+ disparity of 111 for McNeil versus 145 for Marte, there truly is no contest.

The Mariners, as well as the Pirates, the Kansas City Royals, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Houston Astros, have all shown interest in St. Louis Cardinals second baseman and left fielder Brendan Donovan. The Royals, Guardians, and Astros are all other potential McNeil destinations as well.

Entering his age-29 season, the lefty-swinging Donovan is basically the younger version of McNeil. At his peak, McNeil was the better player, but now Donovan is the better defender, contact hitter, and overall better value, with a projected arbitration number that will be only about a third of what McNeil will make in 2026.

Outside of Donovan having a higher price tag in terms of the prospect package that it would take to land him, why would any of these clubs choose McNeil over him?

Lastly, there are the free agents hanging around that complicate matters. Bo Bichette is the high-end option who could be moved to second base, though most of the teams we're talking about here have budgetary constraints that might not make him a realistic option.

Then there's Jorge Polanco. A resurgent offensive season that featured 26 homers and a 132 wRC+ put him back on the map, though he's better suited for DH duty over regular second base reps these days. Still, as a mid-tier free agent, he is an appealing alternative for a team willing to overlook the defensive concerns.

All of this means McNeil is likely the Plan C for these clubs, and as a result, no one will make a move on him until the dust settles on everyone else in the mix. That could resolve itself by the end of the Winter Meetings, or it might mean that McNeil languishes in purgatory until Spring Training, when injuries and poor performances could reignite his market. For now, don't expect anything to happen quickly on the McNeil front.