After signing infielder Bo Bichette to play third base, infielder Brett Baty seems to have been thrown by the wayside.
The New York Mets have rebuilt nearly half the roster it feels like after revamping the infield, outfield and pitching staff this offseason.
The Mets have made several splash moves, including the signing of infielder Bo Bichette to play third base. Bichette isn’t known for his defense, but New York needed a big-time bat, and he was the consolation prize for missing out on outfielder Kyle Tucker.
Bichette is a fantastic consolation prize and he’s one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. However, the Mets already have two third basemen who saw the field a lot last season: Mark Vientos and Brett Baty.
Vientos is rumored to split playing time with infielder Jorge Polanco at first base and designated hitter, while Baty is rumored to be on his way out. Both players are the same age and have had similar careers, but it appears that the Mets are choosing to keep Vientos over Baty.
Baty has valued a bit higher than Vientos, plays much better defense and plays anywhere in the infield. Vientos has Baty beat in the power department and hit 27 home runs with 71 RBI in 2024, which could be the reason why New York prefers him rather than Baty.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield boldly predicts that the Mets will trade Baty to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and right-handed reliever Matt Brash.
“With the Bichette signing, Baty has been pushed off third base in New York,” Schoenfield wrote Friday. “Cijntje is the hard-throwing switch-pitcher the Mariners drafted in the first round in 2024. He needs more seasoning but is a potential power arm for the rotation. Brash provides some needed bullpen depth.”
Schoenfield mentions that while the Mariners have been in trade conversations regarding St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan, Baty is a better fit for the M’s.
“Baty is still pre-arb, so is a perfect payroll fit, and comes with four years of team control while coming off a 3.1-WAR season that saw much improved defense. Baty allows top prospect Colt Emerson more time in the minors before replacing J.P. Crawford at shortstop in 2027.”
If Cijntje and Brash is the return for Baty, that would be an absolute win for the Mets. Adding a young fireballer who doesn’t need to join the rotation yet and a solid middle reliever would elevate New York’s pitching staff tremendously, fitting the “run prevention” offseason goal that President of Baseball Operations David Stearns set out to accomplish.
Cijntje is Seattle’s No. 7 prospect in a deep pool of talented players and has a 3.99 ERA over 108.1 minor league innings. Brash has spent three seasons with the Mariners and posted a 2.47 ERA in 53 appearances for the club in 2025.