Mets Monday Morning GM: How does the Starling Marte tenure end?

Option Three: Moving Starling Marte to the bench isn’t an optimal solution

Marte has hit extremely well against left-handed pitchers this season. He’s now batting .321/.397/.482 against them with a home run and 4 doubles in 63 plate appearances. But Marte isn’t making platoon player money let alone being the right-handed half of one which means less playing time altogether.

With expectations of Drew Gilbert entering the majors next season, a platoon situation seems palpable. Gilbert swings from the left side and we’d have to expect some struggles against left-handed pitching. However, his splits were strong versus southpaws last season, slashing .306/.381/.506 against them in 98 plate appearances. Major league lefties will be far tougher to master.

Marte to the bench goes against the kind of team David Stearns tried to build this year. Good defensive players are what he intended behind the starters—at least those he got to choose. Tyrone Taylor is a far more perfect bench player with his defensive gifts. Marte, on the other hand, really only seems to offer some good speed as a pinch runner. This is something the Mets can get for far cheaper and from a guy who can play defense well.

Handing Marte the DH spot isn’t satisfying either. At all turns, Marte just doesn’t seem to match what the Mets need or what they should plan. Call it a gut feeling, but it feels like we’re going to have to root for him at least for a few months into 2025.