The Mets Will Never Be The Same...

The Mets will never be the same. Mark Vientos, one time a promising future star for the Mets, is now likely on his way out of the blue and orange this upcoming offseason. And the question is pretty much the same for Brett Beatty after a disappointing 2026 campaign. What's his future like? And Jared Young, the veteran Misfit toy, is playing himself into a steady day, everyday role moving forward. What's going on guys? I'm Josh Byrne. You're tuned into Mets Digest. Guys, thanks so much for all the recent support and engagement. It does not go unnoticed and 67% of viewers are not currently subscribed. So if you're enjoying the daily updates here at Mets Digest, it is greatly appreciated if you hit that subscribe button. Now, David Stearns did speak to the media today and he said a number of things pertaining to Jorge Polanco, the search for the if the Mets do want to go down the general manager route, who that would be. And he also spoke about basically what went wrong this season and was very reflective in doing so. But right now, we're going to hone in on a report that came out before these David Stearns statements, which I will get into in more detail tomorrow. And we're going to start off with what Chelsea Jaynes tweeted just a couple days ago. And it was an update that quote, Mark Vientos is a non-tender candidate this winter as the Mets could look to cut ties with him. And frankly, this is a sad reality for a guy and Mark Vientos that I was a huge fan of as recently as 2024. You look at what he did during that season and he was nothing short of remarkable. 27 home runs, 71 runs batted in. He accrued an 833 OPS and not only did he put up those numbers that were really impressive, but he also had an exceptional post-season. And you think back to it, if you were to tell me that two years later, Mark Vientos would be a non-tender candidate and wouldn't have a likely role for the Mets moving forward, I frankly would not have believed you. But that's the stage we're in because when you look at what Vientos has done this year, it's been ugly, guys. We all know it's been ugly. He has negative 1.1 win above replacement, according to baseball reference. 12 home runs, that's not bad for the 243 at-bats he has, but he also has a .258 on-base percentage and some really, really brutal defense that he's played at first base. And another guy who's in a pretty similar situation, but not completely the same is Brett Beatty. What are the Mets going to do about Brett Beatty, guys? You tell me. Now, I am a little higher on Brett Beatty moving forward than I am for Mark Vientos, at least in terms of the likelihood that he is going to stay as a Metropolitan, but it's not necessarily based on merit. You look at what he's done this year, and while the numbers aren't as horrific as Mark Vientos, they've certainly been mediocre at best. He has 0.5 b-war, an underwhelming 223 batting average, 293 on-base, 634 OPS. Guys, his OPS plus is 78, so he's been 22% worse than the league average hitter. This is a guy that was hyped up in 21 and 22 as being the Mets' third baseman of the future because he was taken in the first round. And I remember watching him in his Major League debut hit that home run over that big brick right field wall in Atlanta and thinking, this is the beginning of something special. Unfortunately, it's really been a disappointment. But the reason I'm a little higher on Brett Beatty's future here for New York is because unlike Mark Vientos, who cannot play any positions adequately at the Major League level, Brett Beatty, on the other hand, unlike Mark Vientos, is not only able to play capable defense, but he's able to do so across a variety of positions. We've seen him out in left field. Has he been a gold glover out there? Has he been Andrew Jones in the outfield? No, not really. Has he been Brooks Robinson at third? No, but he's been at least an average to slightly above average defender at third base. At first base, we've seen him there here and there, not really utilized as much as I expected earlier in the season, especially when the Jorge Polanco injury news was breaking. I certainly thought we'd see more of Beatty at first, but nonetheless, he has played a role there. And given what he has done in the outfield, what he's done in second base where he's looked decent, there is reason to believe he can play first as well. And I know it's very easy to pick on Brett Beatty, and it is a fact that he has been a disappointing player given where he was drafted and what was expected of him. But the flexibility he brings to the table is not something that can be said of many other players. And that is some value that Mark Vientos cannot even dream of providing. I do wish the best for Mark Vientos, but whether he's non-tendered or the Mets do tender him and eventually trade him, I do believe one way or another, he is not on the New York Mets this season. And this Chelsea Janes update all but confirms that. Now on a brighter topic, Jared Young has been a real surprise for Mets fans this year because due to the fallout of the Jorge Polanco ankle situation, the Mets needed a guy to take more of the reps at first base. I mean, even when Polanco was healthy, the guy wasn't fully 100%, so he couldn't play the field. And now we know he's out for the rest of the year. Based on what David Stern said today, I don't even know if he's going to be ready for the start of next season. But I digress. We saw Mark Vientos start at first base. He was so bad. He also got hurt. He effectively lost his job there. Andy Green's been non-committal about the usage of Vientos now that he is back. And for good reason, because Jared Young has completely taken over the position with the opportunity that he has been afforded here. The numbers aren't going to put him into the Hall of Fame this year, but 1.4 BWAR, eight home runs, a 758 OPS, these are not necessarily the level of contributions we expected to see from a guy like Jared Young. And full disclosure, when I saw that Jared Young was on the Mets' opening day roster to begin the season, I felt a little annoyed because I didn't foresee him as a capable major leaguer that would provide benefits to this team. And I was wrong. Now, does that mean that he should be the everyday first baseman for the Mets next season and moving forward? No, I don't believe that. But I think it's fair to say at the same time that he is more than deserving of having a role, at least as a bench spot, at least as a guy who can be an option to either play for a space where, by the way, not only has he been hitting the ball decently, but he's been very impressive defensively, but he can also be a DH candidate against right-handed pitching. You look at the splits this year for Jared Young, and he has a 799 OPS versus right-handed pitching. That's very good, guys. Now, the problem is he's not played much against left-handers, and when he has played, he's failed to hit any home runs in 51 at-bats, and he's put up just a 580 OPS. Again, I'm not comfortable with Jared Young being the everyday first baseman next year, but I am comfortable with him being a contributor on this team. He's not making a lot of money, and he seems to me like a winning player who can complement a strong starting first baseman. Who that strong first baseman is for the Mets next year, that is something that is going to need to be determined in the offseason, but what I do know is there's not enough room for Mark Vientos, and part of the reason there's not enough room for Mark Vientos isn't just because of his poor play, but it's because of what is coming out of the minor leagues. Let's start off with Jefferson Rojas, the Mets' number one prospect, who is currently at Double-A. Since being traded to the Mets organization from the Cubs, he's put up an 881 OPS, significantly better than what he was doing for the Knoxville Double-A Cubs affiliate. If you thought that was good, then we have Emilian Petrie. Okay, Emilian Petrie, the Mets acquired in the Freddy Peralta deal, and unlike Jefferson Rojas, he's already been promoted to Triple-A, the last step before the major leagues, and in 18 games, I'm sorry, in 10 games, he hasn't absolutely taken over in Syracuse, but he's put up pretty solid numbers, a 349 OBP, rounding out a very solid 2026 campaign this year. This is a guy in Petrie that is known for his ability to get on base and also strike out at a very low rate. That combination excites me. This is a guy who, if things work out the way that they're projected to be, which we know doesn't always happen, but he's a guy who can come up and his walks will be very similar in totality to his strikeouts, and that's simply a hitting profile that you don't see a lot in today's major league baseball. And lastly, and this is just one of the prospects because there's more that I could talk about, but we don't have all day here, Billy Emick. Billy Emick, the Mets got for A.J. Minter, and you think back to all the pushback that David Stearns got in those trades and what he got in return for the veterans the Mets gave up, and I'm not throwing a parade here and concluding that these were wins for the Mets, but Billy Emick is just another guy that the Mets got at the trade deadline that is flourishing, and he's been promoted to AAA, and unlike Petrie, who's had more of a modest start to his Syracuse Mets career, Billy Emick can't stop hitting home runs. Yeah, the OBP is low, but in just 12 games, he has five home runs and 852 OPS, a guy who can play first and third base. So the Mets have infield options moving forward, and David Stearns has some significant decisions to make. Vientos, I don't see a way in which he's on this team next year. Beaty, I'd have to say it's more likely yes than no he's on the team, but it's not based on anything he's done this year outside of the fact that he can play multiple positions, and is that enough for the Mets to commit to him for another 300 plus at-bats this year? I'm not sure, but what I do know is the Mets have a lot of prospects in the upper minor leagues who are climbing, who can play first base and third base in the middle infield, and a lot of things will be sorted out through the vacuum of what happens at the upper minor leagues. But let me know what you guys think. Mark Vientos, Brett Beaty, Jared Young playing his way onto next year's team, and what else do you think the Mets should do in order to improve what has been a disastrous 2026 campaign? Comment below, let me know, and as always guys, let's go Mets.