Mets Should Trade Mark Vientos to Clear Space for Top Prospect

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It’s time to turn the page on Mark Vientos. The Mets’ 26-year-old first baseman hasn’t lived up to offensive or defensive expectations this season, slashing .219/.254/.380 with seven home runs, 26 RBIs, a minus-0.3 defensive WAR and three errors across 53 games, with 409 innings played at first base.

Even if New York isn’t exactly a playoff contender, that’s a performance worth moving on from.

With the Aug. 3 trade deadline quickly approaching, the Mets should be able to find some opportunities to trade Vientos, whether he’s the centerpiece of a deal or an add-on to get rid of him. If they can find another team to take the struggling 1B off their hands, it’d allow the Mets to finally give one top prospect a chance to prove that he belongs in manager Carlos Mendoza’s lineup.

Mets can create room for Ryan Clifford by trading Mark Vientos

With the Pete Alonso era firmly in the rearview, the Mets have struggled to find a consistent first baseman this season.

Jorge Polanco was supposed to be the answer (and he still could be), but fans and the team haven’t seen much from him, as a trip to the injured list has limited him to 14 appearances this season. There was hope that Polanco would return to the Mets this weekend; however, the New York Post‘s Mike Puma has revealed on Friday that the rehab stint isn’t over just yet.

The Mets have had Jared Young swapping in and out of 1B/designated hitter roles, and while he’s done a great job so far, that shouldn’t stop the club from promoting Ryan Clifford from Triple-A Syracuse.

The franchise’s No. 3 prospect on MLB Pipeline, Clifford has looked at home with Syracuse. While his .224 batting average isn’t anything to write home about, he boasts a .463 slugging percentage while cranking out 13 home runs and 35 RBIs in 59 games (214 at-bats). He’s also drawn 26 walks as opposing batters realize it might be better to walk him rather than give him a chance to beat the leather off another ball.

While the potential is there, Clifford will need to start picking up steam if the Mets want to get him into the lineup over Vientos. The Raleigh, NC native is an uninspiring 2-for-13 with a .421 OPS through his first four games in June. He did go 6-for-17 (.353) with three home runs, three RBIs and a trio of walks in his final four May appearances, though, sparking hope that he can break out of his current slump to get back on track toward a potential MLB promotion.

Clifford will need time and patience to reach his potential, which the Mets should have plenty of with the playoffs seemingly a pipe dream at this point. The rest of the season should be about seeing what New York’s young guns have to offer. Sink-or-swim tests will help the coaching staff and front office figure out who’s a good fit to be part of their plans for the 2027 campaign.

Vientos has proven that he’s more of a problem than an answer to the Mets’ woes at first base. It’s time to remove him from the equation so Clifford has a chance to see what he can do. Whether it’s a case of iron sharpening iron with Young, or simply giving the lineup support until reinforcements arrive from the injured list, Clifford deserves the opportunity to show why he’s one of the Mets’ top prospects in the first place.

That all starts with a Vientos trade.

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