As long as Steve Cohen owns the Mets, they will more often than not be thrown into the never-ending free-agent rumor mill, and that did not change on Thursday.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic began speculating about the upcoming winter for Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman, who will be a free agent at season’s end. The 30-year-old is helping resurrect his team’s postseason hopes after a miserable start to the 2024 campaign, playing a major role in their rise from the bottom of the American League to the top spot in the West.
Over his last 65 games, Bregman has looked much more like himself, batting .302 with an .894 OPS, 15 home runs, and 38 RBI. A mega-deal is on the horizon for him and there are a few teams already milling about, per Rosenthal, including the Yankees across town:
Besides the Astros and [San Francisco] Giants, the teams with obvious needs include the [Seattle] Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees, presuming they move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second as a replacement for Gleyber Torres. The Mets also could be a possibility, if they don’t view Mark Vientos as a long-term answer.
Vientos likely is not the long-term answer at third base just because of the defensive metrics, even though his glove has improved with the consistent playing time there this season. His range (outs above average, or OAA) ranks in the 10th percentile of Major League Baseball, per Baseball Savant.
There is no denying that his offense has made him a mainstay in the majors after practically living on the shuttle between Queens and Triple-A Syracuse in the previous two seasons. In 72 games, he is batting .272 with an .869 OPS, 17 home runs, and 45 RBI.
Depending on veteran designated hitter JD Martinez’s future with the team — he signed a one-year contract shortly before the 2024 season began — Vientos becomes the logical top choice at DH. First base, however, also looms as a potential home for him depending on what the organization decides to do with Pete Alonso.
A tense winter awaits as the slugging first baseman and his agent, Scott Boras, hope to reset the market for players at his position, which means a $200 million-plus contract. Alonso’s production this season has not warranted such a deal, yet, and an unwillingness to move from either side of the table could spell his end in Queens.
Regardless, Bregman to the Mets does not seem like something that would be toward the top of the team’s list of priorities, at least at this point.
President of baseball operations David Stearns is committed to giving his top prospects an opportunity to prove their mettle in the majors and the organization has a few that should be in the equation at third base in 2025.
Brett Baty could very well get another chance at spring training as he continues to produce at the Triple-A level. He has 14 home runs and 39 RBI with an .857 OPS in 52 games with Syracuse this season. The issue is that the offensive production has not translated to the MLB level.
Ronny Mauricio will be ready for spring training and will factor into the third-base competition after tearing his ACL while playing in the Dominican Winter League. The 23-year-old impressed in his 26-game MLB debut last season with an average exit velocity of 90.7 mph.
Luisangel Acuna, acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Max Scherer trade, could also be considered for the hot corner. The versatile infielder currently has roadblocks at his more regular positions of shortstop (Francisco Lindor) and second base — a notion that is strengthening with Jeff McNeil’s reemergence at the plate.
If the speedster is ready for the majors come 2025, a utility role where he gets time at third base and the outfield could be carved out for him.
Granted, bringing on a player of Bregman’s pedigree bolsters the position for at least the next half-decade. He is a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series winner who would immediately slot into the middle of the Mets’ lineup.
Yet a big-time deal for him would potentially take resources away from other pursuits, which includes potentially re-signing Alonso. There is also the idea of mounting a pursuit for Yankees superstar right fielder Juan Soto in free agency, too.
The 25-year-old is having a career year in the Bronx and is trending toward a $500 million contract, at least. The Yankees have to do everything in their power to retain him, but owner Hal Steinbrenner let it all slip away.
“I’m gonna be honest, payrolls at the levels we’re at right now are simply not sustainable for us financially,” he said back in May. “It wouldn’t be sustainable for the vast majority of ownership, given the luxury tax we have to pay.”
That certainly does not sound like a team that is willing to break the bank for Soto. But the Mets, as we know, have the financial backing necessary to do that for a generational talent that would reshape the fortunes of the franchise almost instantly.
That would make potentially flashing another $200 million for Bregman seem almost impossible.
