The New York Mets’ offseason carousel feels as if it might not be finished spinning just yet.
Early in the offseason, it was all about departures for this Mets squad, as Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Díaz, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil all went to new clubs. It’s been much more about arrivals since the new year began, but the Mets signing two-time All-Star Bo Bichette to play third base could signal that one more player is on the chopping block.
At this time last year, Mark Vientos was viewed as the future at third base for the Mets, as he was coming off a breakout 27-homer campaign in 2024. With Bichette and potentially Brett Baty ahead of him in the pecking order, could Vientos be on the trade block before the regular season begins?
On Monday, Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly pitched Vientos as a fit for the offense-needy Pittsburgh Pirates, who have a gaping hole at the hot corner, in a potential trade before the season.
“The Pittsburgh Pirates reportedly finished runner-up to the Cincinnati Reds for slugger Eugenio Suárez,” wrote Kelly. “Jared Triolo is currently their projected starting third baseman, and he has a .667 career OPS.
“Vientos would be an upgrade at third base in the short term, and Pittsburgh would be acquiring him knowing he can also play at first base or DH. He’s the type of player a team like the Pirates needs to take risks on because they aren’t going to typically spend on star players in free agency. So they need to try to acquire them with years of control left via trade.”
While it’s easy to envision Vientos being a trade candidate, one has to wonder what the Pirates have that the Mets would want in a return package. Would they simply go for the highest-ranked prospect, or might they swing for a big-leaguer like starting pitcher Mitch Keller?
Either way, the Pirates would be a fairly obvious fit, so Kelly doesn’t seem to be off-base by suggesting they could eventually land Vientos.
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