If the Mets are going to keep Jared Young in the mix at first base, they still need a better partner for the other side of the platoon. Mark Vientos, based on what he gave them, doesn’t really solve that problem. The defense was rough, and the bat didn’t do enough against right-handed pitching while also coming up short against lefties.
That’s where Jake Burger starts to make sense as a trade target.
Burger isn’t a star-level fix, but he looks a lot more like the kind of player the Mets had in mind when they imagined a more complete version of Vientos. The Texas Rangers could be a fit as a trade partner, especially with Burger heading into his second year of arbitration eligibility next year. That pushes him closer to free agency and raises his salary, which could make him movable for a Rangers club that may want to shake things up.
For the Mets, the appeal is pretty straightforward. Burger can handle the right-handed half of a platoon role, punish lefties, and provide emergency insurance at third base. He’s a converted third baseman who shifted across the diamond, and while his days at third are probably behind him - he hasn’t played there since 2024 with the Marlins - he could still slide back there in a pinch.
The offensive profile is more useful than flashy. Burger hit .228/.302/.421 with 28 home runs and 90 RBIs.
His 1 OAA placed him in the 72nd percentile, which gives a better sense of how he fits defensively. At the plate, he was much more effective against lefties, posting a .892 OPS in those matchups.
Against righties, he had a .659 OPS. Both marks were better than Vientos, who finished with a .538 OPS versus right-handers and an .809 OPS against southpaws.
Burger’s path to this point has been a little more established than a typical trade flier. The Chicago White Sox took him 11th overall in 2017, and his breakout came in 2023 before Chicago dealt him to the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline.
Since then, he’s looked like a useful power bat who still comes with the usual slugger baggage: too many strikeouts and not enough walks. That changed some last season, though, when his walk rate jumped from 3.2 BB% in 2025 to 9% in 2026.
That doesn’t mean Burger would replace Young as the main first baseman against righties. The Mets wouldn’t be asking him to do that. They’d be looking for a cleaner fit in the short side of the platoon, someone who can handle lefties, survive righties if needed, and give them a little more stability than Vientos did.
There’s still the obvious counterpoint: maybe Vientos finds something again, the way he did in 2024. But the gap between the two comes down mostly to defense, and Burger was simply better there this past season.
The Mets may also prefer to solve the spot internally. Ryan Clifford struggled at Triple-A last year, Billy Amick strikes out a lot, and Jacob Reimer is more prospect reputation than production right now. With that in mind, a ready-made option like Burger has some appeal.
It probably wouldn’t take a major return to get him, either. For a player projected to fill the shorter half of a platoon, the price should stay manageable. But the Mets do need that role filled, and with a crowded Rule 5 Draft situation, they have enough decisions on their plate already.
In Other News...
Mets Just Sent A Strong Signal With An Unusual Infield Move
The Mets added another infield option this week, signing Christian Cairo to a one-year split contract after claiming him off waivers from the Phillies. Cairo spent most of the 2026 season at Triple-A with Philadelphia before ending the year at Syracuse, giving New York a player it has already seen up close in its own system and a bit more organizational depth in the middle of the diamond.
It also came as part of a broader roster shuffle, with the Mets outrighting several players from the 40-man roster, including Cristian Pache, Eric Wagaman, Philip Abner, and Cameron Weston. Moves like this often say as much about the clubs winter priorities as any splashier transaction, and New York is clearly continuing to sort through which pieces it wants to keep in the mix as the roster takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Prospects Are Sending Very Different Signals In Arizona
The Arizona Fall League has offered a mixed read on the Mets prospects this week, with Surprise cycling through a stretch of games that has produced both encouraging individual performances and some uneven team results. From Oct. 27 through Oct. 31, the box scores have given a little of everything, as Bruin Agbayani, Boston Baro, Cole Mathis, Irving Cota, Brendan Girton, Ryan Lambert, Peyton Prescott and Calvin Ziegler all turned in recent action worth tracking for a farm system trying to sort out who is trending up.
For the Mets, the bigger takeaway is not any single score but the range of signals coming from Arizona. Some players have added to solid cumulative numbers, while others are still working through the kind of up-and-down stretch that often defines fall ball, leaving the organization with a fuller picture but not a finished one. The results have been useful, if not always tidy, and they have kept several of these names in the conversation as the AFL schedule moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Add Another Pitching Wild Card To Their 40-Man Mix
The Mets added another arm to their 40-man mix by claiming right-hander Jack Anderson off waivers from the Twins, a move that fits the clubs recent habit of collecting pitchers who can cover multiple roles. Anderson has already seen big league time with Minnesota and Boston, and his brief major league sample last year came with a 2.19 ERA, enough to make him an intriguing depth piece as the roster takes shape.
Anderson also arrives with two minor league options remaining, which gives the Mets some flexibility if they want to shuttle him between New York and Syracuse as needed. For now, he looks like the kind of pitcher who could be deployed as an opener or a long reliever, a useful profile for a staff that always seems to need one more option ready to absorb innings when the schedule gets messy. [Read more 🡒]