Story by
Who should Mets' second baseman be in 2027? Breaking down the options
- Story by
- Who should Mets' second baseman be in 2027? Breaking down the options
After the Mets traded Brandon Nimmofor Marcus Semienlast offseason, it was immediately apparent that a big reason why the deal was made was because it allowed New York to extricate itself from the final two years of Nimmo's contract .
Nimmo's deal runs through 2030, with Semien's ending after the 2028 season.
Advertisement
While Nimmo was still an above average offensive player at the time of the trade, his defense had regressed in a big way. It continued to trend down in 2026, with Nimmo in the 12th percentile in OAA, via Baseball Savant .
Meanwhile, trading Nimmo allowed the Mets to shift Juan Sototo left field, use Carson Bengein right field, and promote prospect A.J. Ewingfrom Triple-A on May 12 -- with Ewing quickly becoming the regular center fielder and key contributor on both sides of the ball.
The hope with Semien, who had just won a Gold Glove award at second base for the Rangers in 2025, was that he would provide stellar up-the-middle defense while possibly rebounding at the plate.
Neither of those things happened, and the Mets are now facing an early crossroads with Semien, who is owed $26 million in 2027 and $20 million in 2028 (with a payroll hit of $24 million annually for luxury tax purposes).
Advertisement
Given the developing situation with Semien, who should New York's second baseman be in 2027? Let's break down the likely options...
Marcus Semien
Semien's offensive struggles worsened in 2026, as he went from being a bit below average (93 OPS+ in 2025) to one of the least productive everyday players in the sport (74 OPS+).
His last average or better season with the bat came in 2024, when he had 23 homers and a 103 OPS+ in his age-33 season.
More alarming than Semien's offensive futility were his difficulties defensively.
Jul 29, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) attempts to turn a double play after forcing out Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (1) during the fifth inning at second base at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
A hip issue he played through early in the season might have impacted things, but the overall numbers were ugly, with Semien in the fifth percentile in OAA (worth -9).
Advertisement
Given Semien's prowess as an elite defensive second baseman from 2021 through 2025, there should be at least some hope he can recapture that form. But even if he does, the offensive issues could do him in.
Asked during his end-of-season news conference at Citi Field whether he was ready to declare Semien the Mets' starting second baseman in 2027, president of baseball operations David Stearns was non-committal , potentially foreshadowing a quick changing of the guard.
Brett Baty
In the same news conference where he addressed Semien's shaky hold on the position, Stearns talked up Baty.
"I think Brett showed us for the last four-to-six weeks of the season what his ceiling looks like," Stearns noted. "And as I said, we need him to get to that ceiling more consistently."
Advertisement
About that hot finish Stearns was referencing: Baty slashed .352/.427/.592 (1.018 OPS) in 82 plate appearances over his final 30 games of the season. Overall in 2026, Baty hit just .236/.309/.371 (.681 OPS) in 143 games, which was a step back from the career-best .748 OPS he put up in 2025.
While Baty has upside with the bat and provides versatility defensively, he has a career .671 OPS (.91 OPS+) in parts of five big league seasons. So the time to find consistency would be now.
If Baty can't turn the corner offensively as a starter, his best fit could be as a super utility player who can handle third base, second base, first base, and both corner outfield spots.
Jefferson Rojas
The Mets were able to pry Rojas from the Cubs in the trade deadline deal that sent Clay Holmesand Tyrone Taylorto Chicago, and the 21-year-old shot straight to the top of SNY's top 30 Mets prospects list .
Advertisement
After joining the Mets organization, Rojas caught fire, smacking nine homers and posting a .929 OPS in 29 games for Double-A Binghamton before a late-season promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. In 29 plate appearances over six games with Syracuse, Rojas hit .308/.345/.692 -- homering in his first three games at the level.
/ Knoxville Smokies infielder Jefferson Rojas (2) scores a run during a Minor League baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and Birmingham Barons at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 2, 2026.
Rojas can play third base in addition to second base, so he could be an answer for the Mets at the hot corner in the unlikely event Bo Bichettedoesn't opt in to his contract for 2027, which would pay him $42 million.
If Bichette opts in as expected, Rojas should be in pole position to take over as the starting second baseman sooner rather than later.
Advertisement
Mitch Voit
Rojas isn't the only top Mets infield prospect who is getting close to the majors.
Voit, who put up a very respectable .745 OPS in 76 games for A-level Brooklyn while playing his home games in a really tough environment for hitters, erupted after being promoted to Binghamton, hitting .347/.430/.517 in 29 games.
Entering his age-22 season in 2027, Voit will likely start the year back with the Rumble Ponies. But he should be knocking on the door soon enough.
Along with Rojas and Voit, Émilien Pitre-- whom the Mets acquired from the Rays in the Freddy Peraltatrade -- could be another second base option in the near future.
Advertisement
The 24-year-old Pitre doesn't hit for much power, but he has gotten on base at a prolific rate in three minor league seasons, with a .389 OBP. Pitre's OBP across three levels for the Rays and Mets in 2026 (he finished the season with Syracuse) was .420.
***
Using spring training (whenever that is, given the uncertainty surrounding the CBA) to see how Semien looks makes sense. And it wouldn't be illogical to give Semien a shot when the bell rings to show his 2026 was an aberration.
But if Semien looks similar to the player he was this past season, the Mets should be quickly prepared to turn to Rojas as the starter at second base. And given Stearns' comments about the situation at the end of the season, that seems to be a likely scenario.
