5 offseason predictions for the Mets

5) The Mets will trade Mark Vientos in a package for a relief pitcher

The end of wondering where Mark Vientos fits into the plan will come this offseason. He doesn’t fit into the plan. The Mets will trade him in a package for a relief pitcher. It won’t be one with the most impressive resumes. Someone in his mid or late 20s with talent but not so much the numbers to back it up.

Vientos has done very little at the major league level. Outside of hitting for some power late in 2023, his bat has suffered when moved beyond Triple-A. His lack of position feeds into the idea of trading him even more. He’s not good enough to be the full-time DH. First base is locked up. His glove is too weak to play anywhere else. What else can the Mets do other than trade him?

A team with more patience or at least an opening at first base could look to buy Vientos at a minimal cost. Meanwhile, the Mets should be looking to sell him before all value is lost. Because he is a right-handed hitter, he’d only ever become the lesser half of a platoon who can mash lefties.

We’ve been there and done that before. Let Vientos figure it out somewhere else. The Mets have little need for a player with no position.