Aug 26, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) reacts after hitting a RBI single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

Insider reveals why Mets didn't trade Mark Vientos at deadline

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Heading into the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the New York Mets' front office made it apparent that they were not willing to part ways with any of their top five prospects at the time. This included Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, Carson Benge, and Jett Williams.

While this decision is working out (given that McLean, Tong, and Sproat are arguably the Mets' three best starters right now and have been a key reason why they're still in the postseason hunt), the pieces New York did acquire (specifically Cedric Mullins and Ryan Helsley) have been abysmal.

It has been reported that the Minnesota Twins were interested in Jonah Tong, which would have meant that David Stearns likely would have needed to trade him to land Jhoan Duran. Since Stearns didn't, Duran went to the Phillies and is doing everything for them that Helsley was supposed to be doing for the Mets.

Alas, such is the nature of trades. But because those top prospects were off the table, many Mets fans felt like guys who were more established in the big leagues at that point but were still enough to be intriguing trade pieces — such as Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos — could be on the block.

Vientos especially seemed to make sense, if only because the Mets could salvage his diminished trade value (owed to a mediocre 2025 season to that point) by pointing to the elite postseason Vientos produced last year.

Insider Explains Why Mark Vientos Wasn't Traded

Of course, Vientos wasn't traded, and there's no current reporting on whether any teams were overly interested in acquiring him. But what we do know is why the Mets ultimately decided to hang on to Vientos, which Will Sammon of The Athletic revealed in a September 23 article.

Sammon explained that the Mets weren't willing to part with Vientos if it was going to be for a rental player that would be leaving in free agency once this 2025 season ends.

How should the Mets evaluate their meltdown? Mailbag by @TimBritton for @TheAthletic: Plus, will Pete Alonso want to stay in Queens? Is... <$> https://t.co/C69RVnqNpt
— New York BBWAA (@NYBBWAA) September 23, 2025

This doesn't come as a surprise. And it also worked out well for New York, because Vientos was one of the Mets' best hitters through August and for much of September before cooling off recently.

It will be interesting to see how New York's front office handles Baty, Vientos, and Mauricio this offseason, and whether they'd consider trading one of them in exchange for a full season with someone else.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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