3 members of the Mets roster playing their way out of next year’s plans

2) Brett Baty

Sent to the minors in two consecutive seasons because of his performance, it’s easy to see the Mets moving on from Brett Baty in the offseason. At the very least he won’t be the starting third baseman. They’ve tried this long enough and barring some kind of a major turnaround, it’s a lame bet to believe he’ll figure things out in time for the 2025 season.

We shouldn’t completely give up on Baty. There’s a reason why he was such a highly rated prospect not long ago. His improvements on defense are noteworthy. Surprisingly, it has been his lack of production at the plate that has kept him off the MLB roster.

Mark Vientos has grabbed the third base gig for now, but lingering doubts of whether he is truly a major league third baseman remain present. Vientos could be a natural DH or first baseman for the Mets next year if there’s no Pete Alonso. The ability to play both corner infield positions would allow the club a bit more flexibility and maybe work Baty back into the picture at some point—if he’s not somewhere else.

Baty will have a minor league option left next season so the urgency isn’t there like it is with Vientos. His final option was already used when the Mets sent him to the minors before the season began.

At the very least, the Mets will have to add some more serious third base competition. Baty had practically no one fighting against him in camp. Vientos was written off quickly and incorrectly as an option. Joey Wendle offered the Mets nothing. Only the return of Ronny Mauricio can offer the club some sort of an internal candidate. He remains as big of a mystery as anyone.