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Did Mets Miss Window To Cash In On Former Top Prospects?
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- Did Mets Miss Window To Cash In On Former Top Prospects?
The New York Mets entered this year's trade deadline well below .500 and out of the postseason race, meaning their best course of action was to sell off pieces as they look ahead to 2027. Players like Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta, Huascar Brazoban, and more were dealt by New York, but were there other players they should have cashed in on?
Given the apparent declines of infielder Mark Vientos and infield/outfielder Brett Baty, the Mets appear to have missed their chance to cash in on some of their former top prospects before their values took a sharp downturn.
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Even coming into the 2026 campaign, there were rumors about Baty and Vientos' involvement in trades, but they survived the rumors and remained a part of the club's major league roster. Unfortunately, both of them have taken big steps back from their 2025 seasons.
Vientos' value already took a hit after finishing with a negative bWAR in 2025, but things have gotten much worse this year. His OPS has dropped 22 percent below league average this season across 237 at-bats.
Making the majority of his appearances at first base, that type of offensive production from a first baseman is not a recipe for success. Though he's playing more than New York probably anticipated after signing Jorge Polanco to play first during the offseason, Vientos has now proven he can't quite provide that production even as a backup.
His bWAR has dove even further into the negatives, currently sitting at -1.2 in just 73 games this year. As a former second-round selection by the Mets, it was always going to be hard to move on from him, but that desperate hope has hurt their chances of getting anything in return in a potential trade.
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They missed their chance during the offseason to get value in return for Vientos and again kept him past this year's deadline. That may be because there are already no interested teams, or it may be that the Mets still have their belief, but now they are stuck with Vientos' negative production and now-broken hand.
Baty has managed to stay just above the replacement-level line, holding a 0.1 bWAR in 110 games this season, but it has still been a different story from his career year in 2025. His OPS last season was 10 percent above league average, but a drop down to .613 in 2026 has resulted in Baty being 28 percent worse than the average hitter.
His value to the Mets this year has come from his positional versatility, playing first base, third base, second base, and right field this year. While he isn't a particularly amazing fielder, that versatility is a value.
Still, the Mets may have missed their chance to get a solid return on Baty in a trade. The former first-round selection will turn 27 shortly after the season's end, and his five years in Queens have generated just 2.5 bWAR.
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Like Vientos, it would be hard to end the chapter with one of their former top prospects, but the Mets can't let emotions dictate their future. If there are still suitors for either Baty or Vientos this offseason, it would be a shame if the Mets didn't jump on the opportunity. Even then, their stepbacks in 2026 won't yield much value in return – the Mets look to have missed their chance.
