The Mets still have a first-base problem, and it’s the kind that can’t be papered over with a short-term patch. After Pete Alonso left for the Baltimore Orioles on a five-year, $155 million deal last offseason, David Stearns tried to fill the void by signing Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million contract and moving him to first. That experiment didn’t hold up.
Polanco played only 20 innings at first base in 2026, appeared in just 37 games, and spent most of his time at DH. The 33-year-old finished with -1.4 bWAR and had season-ending ankle surgery in August, leaving the Mets with a major question mark at the position heading into 2027.
One possible answer is Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson.
The right-handed bat brings the kind of power the Mets could use, especially if they platoon him with lefty hitter Jared Young at first. Torkelson has two years of control left, has hit 57 home runs over the past two seasons, and has reached at least 25 homers in three of the last four years. He was first tied to the Mets during the 2024-2025 offseason, when Alonso’s return to Queens was in doubt after the ’24 season, and a league source again identified him earlier this week as a possible trade target.
But Torkelson comes with real baggage. The former No. 1 overall pick in 2020 has not become the superstar Detroit hoped for.
He struck out 194 times in 2026, carrying a 31.7 percent strikeout rate and a 32.4 percent whiff rate. Defensively, he was the worst first baseman in baseball last season at -12 Outs Above Average.
His best work in the field came in 2024, when he posted one OAA and two defensive runs saved.
That profile is why a deal might not require a massive haul. The Mets could potentially get something done by sending first baseman Ryan Clifford and pitcher Will Watson to Detroit. That would mean parting with two of their top 20 prospects for Torkelson’s two remaining years.
Clifford, ranked No. 14 in the Mets’ system, had a rough 2026 season, hitting .180 and striking out 174 times. Still, the power is there: he hit 29 home runs and posted an .826 OPS in the minors in 2025.
Watson, the Mets’ No. 19 prospect, also took a step back, going 0-7 with a 7.05 ERA in 13 minor league starts while missing significant time because of injury. Even so, he showed a better version of himself in 2025, when he logged a 2.60 ERA in 28 appearances, including 23 starts.
Both are 23 years old and still carry some upside.
If the Mets don’t go the trade route, the free-agent market at first base looks thin. Ty France is the only other right-handed option mentioned as a fit, and Jake Bauers was also labeled a fit by a rival National League scout before the Brewers gave him the qualifying offer. With Bauers likely out of reach and France standing as the other main possibility, a trade for Torkelson starts to make sense.
It wouldn’t solve everything. The Mets would still have to clean up the defense. But it would give them the power production they’ve been missing since Alonso left, and the price could be manageable if Detroit is willing to move on from a player whose stock has cooled.
In Other News...
Mets Suddenly Have A Real Carson Benge Lineup Dilemma
Carson Benges 2026 season gave the Mets something they did not necessarily expect to be debating this soon: where he belongs in the lineup. After a slow start, Benge settled in and showed real growth in both batting average and power, enough to make him a legitimate option near the top of the order rather than just another young bat trying to find his footing. For a club that spent much of the year leaning on Francisco Lindor in the leadoff spot, that kind of emergence changes the conversation in a meaningful way.
Lindors profile only adds to the intrigue. He has primarily hit first, but his power production has looked more like a cleanup hitters than a classic table-setters, which opens the door to a reshuffled 2027 alignment. If the Mets decide Benge is ready to lead off and Lindor is better suited driving in runs behind him, it would be a notable shift in how they build their offense. For now, it is the kind of lineup dilemma teams welcome, even if it leaves one obvious question hanging over the winter. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Just Added Another Hitting Voice To A Staff Already Crowded
The Mets are adding another familiar name to the hitting side, hiring Johnny Washington as a co-hitting coach on Andy Greens staff. Washington comes over after serving as the Braves minor league hitting coordinator, and he brings previous big-league experience from the Angels and Padres, giving New York another voice with a broad background in player development and major league instruction.
It is a crowded setup for a department that already includes two hitting coaches and recently saw Mariano Duncan promoted to the major league staff. For a club trying to get more consistency at the plate, the move suggests the organization wants as many perspectives as possible in the room, even if it leaves open how all those voices will be sorted out once the season gets moving. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Bullpen Could Get A Surprise Lefty Stearns Usually Avoids
The Mets are still sorting through bullpen options, and Adrian Morejon has emerged as an intriguing name on the open market for the first time in his career. The left-handed reliever brings a track record that should make him appealing to a club looking for late-inning help, along with the kind of playoff experience that can matter when October pressure arrives.
What makes the fit interesting is that this is the sort of free agent the Mets have often been reluctant to chase, especially when a qualifying offer is attached and the financial cost rises with it. Still, with the bullpen always under the microscope and left-handed relief never easy to find, Morejon gives the Mets a chance to consider a move they usually prefer to avoid. [Read more 🡒]