Inside The Mets

Insider Reveals Mets 'Fallback Alternative' for Corner Infield

The New York Mets have several appealing options when addressing their corner infield vacancy.

Grant Young

Oct 9, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) reacts after an error allowed a run to score against the Philadelphia Phillies in game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Oct 9, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) reacts after an error allowed a run to score against the Philadelphia Phillies in game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets have already addressed most of their main priorities during this offseason.

They signed Juan Soto, added multiple starting pitchers, and made a couple of other signings that could make a positive impact on the Mets' chances of winning a World Series in 2025.

However, they also must reckon with longtime first baseman Pete Alonso entering free agency. While there still seems to be a good chance the Mets will re-sign Alonso to a lucrative deal this offseason, they have also been linked to former Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman.

But the Mets don't necessarily need to look outside their organization to fill their corner infield vacancy, which the New York Post's Jon Heyman alluded to in a December 26 article.

"The Mets are considering other options at first base (and also third base to a degree), and one fallback alternative could be moving Mark Vientos to 1B and giving Brett Baty/Ronny Mauricio/kids a shot at 3B," Heyman wrote.

Brett Baty received 153 at-bats for the Mets in 2024, but the .633 OPS he produced doesn't inspire a ton of confidence for next season. Heyman listing Mauricio (the Mets No. 6 prospect, according to MLB.com) is also an intriguing option.

Some of the "kids" Heyman mentioned could be No. 2 prospect Jett Williams, who is typically a shortstop but would probably have to change positions anyway due to Francisco Lindor manning shortstop for the foreseeable future.

The next few weeks should give a good indication of which direction the Mets want to go when it comes to their corner infield.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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