How Mets' Brett Baty could impact Pete Alonso, Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Brett Baty won't begin the upcoming season as the New York Mets starting third baseman, barring an injury, after Mark Vientos cemented himself at the position via his breakout 2024 campaign. 

Thus, Baty is competing to earn a spot on the big league roster as a utility man who could play multiple positions as needed. 

For a mailbag published on Wednesday, The Athletic's Tim Britton noted that Baty becoming a revelation at the highest level later this year could impact where Vientos, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. play in 2026. 

"If he plays well," Britton said about Baty, "he could work himself back into the Mets’ long-term plans at third base (with Vientos shifting across the diamond) as soon as next season. If he doesn’t, it’s probably time to move on, and Baty would not have much trade value."

The perception exists that Baty is little more than a "Quadruple-A" player — one unable to consistently repeat impressive Triple-A performances for an MLB team — but he is just 25 years old and has played in a total of only 168 games for the big league Mets since the start of the 2022 season. 

Meanwhile, SNY's Danny Abriano mentioned on Thursday that Baty could be the Mets starting second baseman on Opening Day now that it's known that Jeff McNeil will be out of action for three to four weeks because of a low-grade oblique strain.

Numerous reporters and analysts suggested long before the club signed Alonso to a two-year contract that included a player opt-out after this season that the Mets could eventually move Vientos to first base. In a world where Baty is a legitimate big league third baseman and Vientos is at first, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns could feel he has no reason to pursue Guerrero assuming the 25-year-old becomes a free agent shortly after the 2025 World Series concludes. 

Going back to last offseason, Mets reporters have repeatedly pointed out that Stearns has a well-known history of not locking first basemen down via lucrative long-term contracts. On Tuesday, reports revealed that Guerrero could want up to "$500M in present value" attached to his next deal.

Of course, none of this speculation will matter much if Baty remains stuck in "Quadruple-A" territory to the point that the Mets find themselves looking for lineup help in November. For now, he should receive opportunities to show Stearns and Mets owner Steve Cohen that signing Guerrero later this year would be an expense the club can afford to avoid.