Should the Mets trade their utility man?

However, McNeil will be 34 next April, and is clearly not the same player that claimed the batting title in 2022. His defensive versatility was key at points, especially in helping fill the massive need in center field when the team lost Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor to injury and whiffed on the Cedric Mullins trade.

But the Mets have an overwhelming core of young infielders with Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio all looking for valuable playing time. Also expected to enter the fold soon are top prospects Carson Benge (center field) and Jett Williams (second baseman/center field), who can hopefully be the long-term answer at both of McNeil's positions.

Even if Pete Alonso walks in free agency, the Mets will have just two open infield positions with McNeil in the picture. Now insert a potential Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette signing, and it becomes nearly impossible to get their promising young infielders into the lineup. They could opt to slide McNeil over to first base to replace Alonso, but this would only solve the vacancy short-term; the club would be better suited transitioning someone like Vientos, who has struggled defensively at third, to be the future first baseman.

It's difficult to forecast exactly what the Mets infield will look like going into 2026, as potential big moves for starting pitchers like Tarik Skubal, Joe Ryan, Sandy Alcantara, or Hunter Brown could shake up the farm as well as potentially breaking up the Baty/Vientos/Mauricio trio. But looking forward just one season, it's hard to imagine that McNeil will still be the best option for New York at second base. Factoring in his large cap hit for the next two seasons, Stearns could be better off moving McNeil to stop blocking the development of his young talent, even if it yields a limited return.