The Los Angeles Angels have a hole at third base, and they’re scuffling to fill it. The Angels have been able to add some potential reclamation projects to their pitching staff via trade and free agency, and the trade for Vaughn Grissom gave them a viable middle-infield addition.
But free-agent third basemen aren’t exactly blowing up GM Perry Minasian’s phone to request a meeting, so it’s time to get creative. The New York Mets announced this week that they’re making several young infielders available now that they’ve completed their infield rebuild, and third baseman Mark Vientos would be a good fit if Minasian can execute a trade for him.
There is risk here, though. Vientos was a stud for the Mets back in 2024, and his 27 home runs to go with 71 RBIs and a .266 average made it look like he’s be a staple of the Mets lineup for a long time.
But Vientos collapsed this season, and so did the Mets. Those two things were inextricably linked, to the point where the Mets didn’t even want Vientos on the field. He became persona non grata in New York, and while Vientos has been mentioned in some trade rumors, he’s basically become the Mets version of the invisible man.
He is an ideal “change of scenery” candidate, though, which is why the Angels should make a strong bid to acquire him. Even with his struggles this year, Vientos still hit 17 homers to go with 61 RBIs, although that .233/.289/.438 slash line speaks volumes about why the Mets didn’t want him around.
The big question in this scenario is what they Mets would want. The short answer is prospects, but Mets GM David Stearns is going to try and make it hurt to acquire Vientos, especially since Vientos is still under team control for at least two more years.
The Mets have been stockpiling defensive outfielders after trading outfielder to the Texas Rangers, so they might be interested in Angels centerfielder Bryce Teodosio, who’s certainly not off limits, but the interest level on both sides is unclear.
New York might also try to unload second baseman Jeff McNeil given McNeil’s contract, but getting the Angels to take on money feels especially problematic right now. The Angels haven’t spent any money in free agency at all to date, and the damages that owner Arte Moreno might be facing as the Tyler Skaggs civil suit trial grinds to a close represents yet another elephant in the corner of the room to go with the contract settlement of former third baseman Anthony Rendon.
Still, it’s worth a conversation. There’s been talk that the Angels might move second baseman Christian Moore over to third, or Grissom could be given a shot there as well. But neither of those options makes sense, and a trade for Vientos would.