It's Time for the Mets to Consider a Mark Vientos Trade

It has been a good run for Vientos, but the time to move on has come

May 10, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Mets first baseman Mark Vientos against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After a 27-homer campaign over 111 games in 2024, then third baseman Mark Vientos felt like one of the true breakout stars of the game and a future cornerstone of the Mets' lineup.

In the 169 games since, Vientos has managed just 23 homers, has a slugging percentage of just .405, and is closer to being an DFA candidate than he is a central piece for the Mets. He was handed the reins to first base six weeks ago after Jorge Polanco's injury, and he has done almost nothing with the opportunity.

On the season, Vientos owns a .653 OPS with just six homers, both marks that fall incredibly short of what fans hoped he would be able to produce in a full-time role for the first time since 2024. Polanco has been on the IL retroactive to April 15, and Vientos has been effectively the Mets' only first baseman in the time since.

With the best opportunity of his career since his 2024 breakout in front of him, the Mets surely hoped that he would be able to bring back his power threat from 2024, but the results have been nothing close. In 33 games since Polanco went down, Vientos owns a .673 OPS with five homers, five walks, and 25 strikeouts. The stat line comes out to a depressing .230/.271/.402.

The Mets had high hopes for their 2017 second-round draft selection, and even higher hopes after he came up in the clutch time and time again in the 2024 postseason. In the years since, the floor has seemingly bottomed out on their slugger, and it could be bringing his time with the Mets to a close much sooner than anyone had thought.

The Mets must consider trading Mark Vientos after another slow start

Vientos has been the Mets' regular first baseman for over six weeks now and done nothing to secure his spot with the team long-term. With lefty Ryan Clifford on the cusp of a promotion in Triple-A Syracuse and Polanco on a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton, Vientos' time might be running out with the Mets.

Vientos' body of success and club control is too valuable to simply release or DFA, making the Mets best suited to trade their righty slugger.

The Mets could go a few different ways with a trade of Vientos, but a swap of players who are young with proven track records make the most sense. The Mets are in clear need of a younger option at second base, especially with Marcus Semien playing every day but struggling mightily. Semien has been the worst full-time second baseman in the sport by FanGraph's fWAR, but is barely ahead of Matt McLain of the Cincinnati Reds.

The former first-round selection has not been able to get anywhere close to his 2024 production, which resulted in a .864 OPS.

A trade between the two that swaps Vientos and McLain would make a ton of sense for both teams, as the Mets take on a high-upside second base piece, and the Reds bring in a perfect fit for their ballpark that would allow 22-year-old Sal Stewart to play second daily, keeps Gold Glove caliber defender Ke'Bryan Hayes in the lineup (once he is back healthy), and set up a platoon at first with Vientos and Nathaniel Lowe.

It does not have to exactly be this deal, but the Mets are going to need to find a way to get fair value for a struggling young hitter with a good season under his belt and a ton of club control remaining. The only way for them to do this would be to take on a new reclamation project of their own, but one that better fits their current roster construction.