Mets Send Brett Baty to Red Sox in Intriguing Hypothetical Trade Proposal

Should the New York Mets consider this hypothetical trade proposal with the Red Sox?

Sep 17, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) throws the ball to first base for an out during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With the New York Mets getting set for the start of spring training, the team still has a couple of looming questions to answer before the start of the season.

Despite a slow start to the winter, the Mets were able to make some big splashes recently to completely change the team’s outlook heading into 2026. It wasn’t too long ago that there was understandably some panic about what the team was doing this offseason.

Trading for Freddy Peralta and Luis Robert Jr. addressed significant needs in the bullpen and in the field, and the signing of Bo Bichette provided them with a star slugger to fortify the lineup. However, with the signing of Bichette, it does create a bit of a logjam in the infield.

Players like Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos and Brett Baty are now scrambling for playing time, and Baty in particular is being replaced at third base by Bichette despite a breakout 2025.

As such, David Schoenfield of ESPN recently wrote about a hypothetical swap between the Mets and the Boston Red Sox. This trade would send Baty to Boston in exchange for outfielder Wilyer Abreu.

Proposed Deal Makes Sense

Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

This proposed deal could be something both teams look to explore because the Mets have a surplus of infielders and the Red Sox have plenty of outfielders. Following the addition of Marcus Semien at second base and Bichette at third base, there isn’t an obvious position for Baty to play every day. With talks of him playing multiple positions in order to get into the lineup, that could be a major challenge for a young player who finally had his breakout year. 

Read More: Ex-Mets Slugger Named as Potential Option for Red Sox

While a lot of the talk has been about moving him to help solidify the rotation, trading him to the Red Sox for a talented outfielder in Abreu also makes sense. Like Baty, Abreu is under team control for the next few years but is part of a positional logjam; he has to battle with Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela for a starting outfield spot in Boston.

From an offensive standpoint, the 26-year-old slashed .247/.317/.469 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI last year for the Red Sox. Defensively, Abreu has won a Gold Glove in each of his first two major league seasons, aligning perfectly with the Mets' greater focus on better fielding. Finally, with two strong campaigns under his belt, Abreu might be a bit more proven compared to Baty, who didn't put everything together until last season.

This would certainly be an interesting swap of two young players that each would fill current needs for the respective teams. With some time before the start of the campaign, it will be interesting to see what the plan will be with Baty going forward for New York. 

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