September has a way of sharpening the conversation around players who have already burned through a lot of runway, and Brett Baty is there now with the Mets. After another uneven season, the question isn’t whether he has talent. It’s whether he has enough time left to convince the organization that his future still fits here.
That’s a tougher sell now than it looked after the 2024 season, when Baty, Mark Vientos, and Francisco Alvarez all seemed poised to take a step forward. Since then, that promise has mostly stalled. Vientos appears to be nearing his final days as a Met, and Alvarez still hasn’t come close to matching the upside that once surrounded him.
Baty’s situation is murkier than ever. He has had flashes, but they’ve been buried under long stretches where he simply hasn’t done enough. Heading into Friday’s action, he was hitting just .223/.293/.340 with eight home runs, 43 RBIs, and a .634 OPS.
There have been moments that remind you why the Mets kept believing. One of them came Wednesday night against the Rays, when Baty delivered a bases-clearing double. But those bursts have been too sporadic, and too often he has been a non-factor.
Chelsea Jane of SNY reported in her latest mailbag that Baty is likely to get another year with the Mets because of his versatility and the flashes he has shown this season. The reporting may hold, but there’s a real argument that the versatility itself has worked against him. With no fixed position and constant movement in and out of the lineup, his offense has taken a hit.
Baty looked far more comfortable when he was playing every day at third base in 2025. That was his best season, and it showed up in the numbers: 18 homers, 50 RBIs, and a .254/.313/.435/.748 line.
But even that version of Baty may not solve the long-term problem. With Bo Bichette likely to opt in next year, there doesn’t appear to be a clear full-time opening for Baty in 2027, either.
The Mets’ roster picture also makes his flexibility less valuable than it once seemed. Carson Benge, A.J.
Ewing, and Nick Morabito have emerged in the outfield, and Jared Young is there at first base. In that kind of setup, Baty doesn’t need to be the movable piece as much as he once did.
And yet there is still a case for keeping him around, at least for now. Over his last 11 games, Baty has hit .375 with a .965 OPS and five RBIs.
The problem is that this is familiar territory. He has shown he can catch fire for a short stretch, then disappear for long stretches right after.
That’s why the Mets are left with a pretty blunt evaluation. Baty may still have some value as a bench player, but in a super-utility role, he has not shown enough to feel like a dependable answer. If the Mets want better defense and more consistent offense, they could probably find it elsewhere.
So unless Baty puts together a strong finish, the offseason could get uncomfortable fast. For a player who entered this stretch needing to prove his worth, September may be the last real chance.
In Other News...
Mets Face An Offseason Debate Fans Have Been Dreading
The Mets are heading into the offseason with the kind of roster questions that tend to linger well past the first winter meetings rumor. Chelsea Janes of SNY said the front office may not be inclined to make sweeping changes, even as fan frustration grows over a group that still feels incomplete. Instead, the conversation appears likely to center on a handful of young players and whether the club sees enough reason to keep everyone in the fold.
Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio were mentioned as possible non-tender candidates, while Brett Baty could get another year to sort things out. At the same time, moving veterans with bigger contracts is never simple, which leaves the Mets looking at a market that may require creativity more than splash. For a team trying to get better without tearing everything down, that can make for a tricky winter and an even trickier set of decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Just Drew A Clear Line Around Lindor And One Teammate
David Stearns made one thing plain this week: Francisco Lindor is staying right where the Mets want him. The team president said there is no question Lindor will be the everyday shortstop next season, a statement that cuts off any trade speculation and underscores how central Lindor remains to the clubs plans.
Jorge Polanco, by contrast, was left in a far less certain spot. Stearns did not lock in a defensive role for Polanco, calling that part of his status to be determined, which leaves open a real question about how the Mets will use him after an injury-hampered 2026 season that limited both his time in the field and his offensive impact. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Are Letting Young Players Struggle For One Important Reason
A.J. Ewings brief benching looked like a simple breather on the surface, but the Mets framed it as something more deliberate, a 48-hour reset for a young player working through an offensive slump. The approach fits the broader tone around the club right now, with interim manager Andy Green making clear the organization is trying to keep development front and center even as the big-league results stay uneven.
That means the Mets are resisting the quick trigger that often comes with young players who are scuffling, choosing instead to let Ewing, Zac Thornton and Jonah Tong absorb the bumps that come with learning at this level. Ewings recent two-run homer offered a reminder of why the patience exists, and Green also said he feels good about Tong staying in place after his improvement in Triple-A, another sign the team is trying to build through growth instead of panic. [Read more 🡒]