According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets have been discussing Mark Vientos in recent trade talks, and rival executives believe the team is willing to part with the 25-year-old.
Following his 27-home run breakout in 2024, Vientos has struggled this season, hitting .226/.280/.358. Vientos has also lost his grip on the role of everyday third baseman in light of offensive improvement from Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, both of whom provide far better defensive value at the hot corner.
Martino mentioned
that the Mets were targeting relievers, starting pitchers, and a center fielder—all of which are consistent with previous reports—including Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen. The 29-year-old has has a 5.60 ERA in the final year of his contract, but the Mets could look to help Gallen find the form that saw him finish in the top five in Cy Young voting in 2022 and 2023.
Earlier Monday morning, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the Mets are interested in Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe. The left-handed hitter currently has a 137 OPS+ against right-handed pitchers, which would rank fourth-best on the Mets behind Juan Soto, Ronny Mauricio, and Pete Alonso. Lowe’s numbers are even more impressive considering his slow start to the season, as from May 20 through July 6, he put up a .629 SLG which ranked fourth in MLB behind Cal Raleigh, Aaron Judge, and Michael Busch. But Lowe has since seen his stellar season disrupted by injury issues, missing time before the All-Star Break with left oblique tightness and landing on the I.L. once again Tuesday with left ankle tendinitis. The Rays are hopeful their 31-year-old slugger will return from the injured list when eligible this Wednesday.
The Mets’ interest in Lowe aligns with their willingness to part with Vientos, as the team would need to open a roster spot in an already crowded infield. Assuming Lowe stays healthy, adding him would certainly represent an offensive boost to the middle of the Mets’ lineup, but the move would provide only short-term value since Lowe is set to be a free agent this offseason. The Mets have previously been linked to starters Dylan Cease, Sandy Alcantara, Merrill Kelly, and Joe Ryan, as well as outfielder Luis Robert Jr.
The Mets’ approach at the deadline will presumably be defined by their decision of whether to part with any of their young infielders—especially Vientos, Baty, and Mauricio, all of whom are under team control for several more years—to acquire an impact player. While the organization could continue trading minor league depth, as they did when acquiring reliever Gregory Soto from the Orioles on Friday, the Mets presumably wouldn’t deal controllable, major league talent unless it were in favor of a pitcher with comparable years of control such as Joe Ryan or Mitch Keller. Even if the Mets are open to moving Vientos, it just doesn’t seem like Stearns’ style to sacrifice long-term value for a two-month rental such as Lowe.
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