Mark Vientos has gone from one of the Mets’ bright spots to the odd man out, and the timing could make him a trade candidate before the Aug. 3 deadline.
What once looked like a crowded roster issue for New York now has Vientos squeezed from multiple angles. He has already lost his first-base job to Jared Young, and now Jorge Polanco has taken away his DH chances. For a Mets club that appears headed toward selling, that kind of overlap is less a headache than a chance to move a player who no longer has a clear path to regular at-bats.
The drop-off has been stark after Vientos’ breakout stretch. He was a key part of the Mets’ NLCS run in 2024, finishing the regular season with 27 home runs and a .266 batting average. He kept it rolling in October, batting .327 in 13 playoff games with five home runs.
This year has looked nothing like that version of him. Through 72 games, Vientos is hitting .211 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs, with a .641 OPS and 61 strikeouts.
His glove has only made the situation tougher. He owns a -8 defensive run value, which is the 10th worst mark among all qualified fielders and the worst among all qualified first basemen.
There is still some appeal here for another team. Vientos has handled left-handed pitching well, posting an .855 OPS with a .281 average and six home runs. And because he is under team control through 2029, he would not just be a short-term fix.
That is where the Pirates come in as an early fit. Pittsburgh has hovered in an in-between place all season, with enough talent to stay in the conversation but not quite enough to fully charge ahead.
Paul Skenes is the anchor on the mound, while rookie Konnor Griffin and offseason addition Brandon Lowe have helped lead the offense. Lowe has 21 home runs and 64 RBIs through his first 85 games.
The problem for Pittsburgh is the lack of right-handed thump. Griffin and Nick Gonzales are the clearest righty options in the lineup, and that issue gets sharper with Griffin reportedly out 8-10 weeks because of a torn finger tendon.
Vientos would give the Pirates another bat with some real fit. He could work as a DH and potentially share time with Spencer Horwitz once Horwitz returns from the injured list.
There is also a possible trade path already on the table. On June 19, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Pirates are open to moving their competitive-balance round pick in the upcoming MLB draft, where they hold the No. 34 overall selection. The club is also willing to deal prospects from its minor-league system.
That matters because the No. 34 pick would cost $2.9 million, and owner Bob Nutting likely would rather spend on major-league-ready help than on a draft pick. Vientos, with three more years of control, fits that kind of move.
For the Mets, the cleanest version of the deal would be a one-for-one swap sending Vientos to Pittsburgh for the No. 34 pick, with the possibility of adding a mid-tier prospect or a major-league reliever to balance things out.
In Other News...
Why Would The Mets Even Consider This NL East Trade Rumor
The National League East has a way of turning even routine roster chatter into something more urgent, and this latest bit of speculation fits that pattern. A CBS Sports writer floated a scenario in which the Mets would consider moving a pitcher who has been sidelined after taking a 110-plus mph line drive off his leg, a reminder that health and timing can reshape how front offices view a player almost overnight.
The wrinkle here is the business side as much as the injury. With a $12 million player option after the season in the mix, the Mets have to weigh whether holding on makes sense if the return could be limited, especially in a division where every edge matters. Nothing has been confirmed, but the rumor underscores how quickly a contender can be pushed to think about value, risk and what happens if it waits too long. [Read more 🡒]
One Forgotten Mets Deadline Move Looks Worse With The Dodgers
The Mets spent the 2024 trade deadline trying to fortify a roster that eventually pushed deep into October, and most of the attention naturally went to the bigger swings that helped shape that run against the Dodgers. But tucked inside the deadline shuffle was a smaller move that has aged a lot more awkwardly, especially now that Los Angeles is getting some useful innings from a pitcher New York once had in its system.
Paul Gervase has given the Dodgers a bullpen option they can keep leaning on, even if the results have come with the usual rookie volatility. He has shown enough swing-and-miss to matter, but also enough control trouble to keep the story from feeling finished, which is exactly the kind of detail that makes a modest deadline deal look different in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Fans May Finally Embrace This Tyrone Taylor Trade Idea
If the Mets do decide Tyrone Taylor is movable, the return may not need to be flashy to make sense. Seattle has been sorting through its own outfield picture, and that kind of roster crunch can create openings for a deal built around depth and upside rather than a headline name. For New York, the appeal is obvious: Taylor is the sort of piece a contender can part with if it helps address another part of the roster, especially when the front office is looking for ways to keep the margins working in its favor.
The more interesting part is whether the Mets would use that kind of swap to bring in a pitcher who is close enough to matter soon, but still has some development left in the tank. With A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley no longer in the mix, there is at least a path for a left-handed arm to get a look, and Seattles system has one that has been moving through the upper levels with strong strikeout numbers and steady run prevention. The wrinkle is timing, because a pitcher in that spot can be useful to a club now, while also carrying enough roster pressure that the other side has to decide whether to hold on or make a move before the offseason changes the calculus. [Read more 🡒]