New York eyes Gold Glove outfielder Brenton Doyle. Can his elite defense fill a critical outfield gap after key trades?
The glaring hole on the New York Mets roster comes in the form of starting pitching and at first base after Pete Alonso signed with the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. Still, the Mets have other areas on their roster to address, such as in the outfield.
After trading away outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for infielder Marcus Semien, New York’s outfield is looking fairly thin. Outside of Juan Soto, the Mets don’t have another reliable player in the outfield.
Tyrone Taylor had a solid last couple of months of 2025, but it certainly wasn’t enough to instill confidence if he winds up as the club’s second-best outfielder next season. His slash line in 2025 reads .223/.279/.319 with an OPS of .598. His poor season numbers and injury struggles at the end of last season won’t cut it for a Mets team looking to have a bounce-back year in 2026 after their late-season collapse.
That’s why it comes as no surprise that New York is interested in trading for Colorado Rockies outfielder Brenton Doyle. MLB insider Ari Alexander reported Wednesday morning that the Mets are one of the teams interested in making a deal for the 27-year-old, with the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Yankees among the other teams interested.
Doyle had a down year at the plate for the Rockies in his third season in the majors. He finished the season with a .651 OPS across 502 at-bats. It was a noticeable step back from his 2024 campaign, in which he hit 23 home runs and had an above-league-average OPS at .764. There’s no reason to believe that Doyle can’t reach those numbers at the plate again, but even if not, he would provide value to the Mets in other ways.
Doyle immediately cemented himself as one of baseball's most talented defenders when he entered the majors, winning a Gold Glove award in each of his first two seasons. Although he didn’t finish the three-peat in 2025, Doyle was still one of baseball’s best on the field.
In a New York outfield that lacks defensive playmakers, Doyle can be just that. He provides tremendous value with his arm, ranking in the 97th percentile in arm strength and in the 99th percentile in arm value. His athleticism also allows him to make all sorts of plays out in center field, as evidenced by his six outs above average.
Doyle, in a Mets uniform, would also provide the club with a threat on the base paths. With his 96th percentile sprint speed, Doyle stole 18 bases on 20 attempts last season. In 2024, he stole 30.
If the Mets were to make a trade to land Doyle, they wouldn’t be getting the power bat the lineup is lacking, but they’d get one of baseball’s best defensive outfielders and baserunners. With the lack of depth in New York’s outfield, adding a piece like Doyle is only positive.