This spring is pivotal for Mets slugger Mark Vientos as he strives to bounce back from last season and compete for playing time.
PORT ST. LUCIE — This spring will have a different feel for Mark Vientos at Mets camp.
Last February, Vientos was fresh off his impressive first full season in a Mets uniform, a 27-homer campaign that ended with a memorable surge in the playoffs.
Vientos looked like a potential fixture in the middle of the Mets’ lineup for years to come if he could maintain that level of production and continue to develop.
Now, Vientos’ future with the Mets is uncertain.
If he struggles this spring and can’t swing his way back into the spotlight, he could end up outside of the playing time picture.
At that point, would the Mets be better off shopping Vientos on the trade market if he’s at the bottom of the depth chart on the bench? He doesn’t have any minor-league options, so he’d need to break camp on the MLB roster.
Vientos hit .233 with a .702 OPS over 121 games in 2025. That’s a significant dip from his .266 average and .837 OPS over 111 contests in 2024. The hard-contact metrics were still encouraging this past season, but Vientos didn’t make any improvements when it comes to his swing-and-miss tendencies, his strikeout rate and his defense at the corner infield spots.
“It was just inconsistency overall,” Vientos told Mike Puma of the New York Post. “I think it starts with the routine and stuff before the game starts. I was inconsistent in that part and then that just kind of showed in my season. I didn’t feel good for most of the year. I didn’t have a routine to fall back on, that could keep me steady.”
The good news for Vientos is that even after the Mets imported several infielders this past winter — Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien — he’ll still have an opportunity to carve out a consistent role this year.
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Depending on Brett Baty’s fit as he embarks on a new chapter with the Mets in a utility role, Vientos could start routinely at designated hitter. Prospect Carson Benge is a key factor here as well. If Benge doesn’t start the season with the Mets and goes to Triple-A for more seasoning, Baty could spend the majority of his time in left field. That would keep the DH spot open.
First base seems to be available on a part-time basis as well. Polanco is expected to be the Mets’ primary first baseman, but he has very little experience at the position, so the Mets could sprinkle in some designated hitter days. Baty, MJ Melendez and more are also options at first.
Bottom line, the ceiling of the Mets’ lineup will raise dramatically if Vientos — along with Francisco Alvarez and Luis Robert Jr. — can step up and help fill Pete Alonso’s powerful presence in the middle of the order.
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Category: General Sports
