SNY's Andy Martino raised eyebrows when he reported on Monday that the New York Mets may be "willing to move" third baseman and designated hitter Mark Vientos ahead of the upcoming MLB trade deadline, which arrives on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
Vientos offered quite a response to such chatter by crushing his first career grand slam in what became the Mets' 7-6 loss at the San Diego Padres on Monday evening. Before the defeat, Vientos spoke with Anthony DiComo of the MLB website about being the subject of trade rumors.
"I see it as it’s a good thing," Vientos explained. "It’s a good thing that I’m being talked about. You can see it as like, '[Expletive], it’s bad.' But I see it as, 'Man, I’m that important in the league that I’m being talked about in trade rumors.' Obviously, it sucks because I don’t want to get traded. But this is a business, at the end of the day. I feel like it is what it is. What can I do?"
Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated previously noted that Vientos set a new Mets postseason record with 14 RBI during the 2024 playoffs. Over 13 postseason games, the 25-year-old slashed .327/.362/.636 with a .998 OPS and five home runs. To compare, Vientos was responsible for a .230/.283/.372 slash line with a .654 OPS, seven homers and 31 RBI over his first 74 games of the ongoing season.
That said, the StatMuse website shows that Vientos hit .333 with a .902 OPS, the grand slam and seven RBI over his last seven appearances (through Monday night). Additionally, he was robbed of a home run at San Diego's Petco Park:
Fernando Tatis Jr. just went over the wall to rob Mark Vientos of what would have been go-ahead, two-run homer. pic.twitter.com/1rzKYskY2u
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 29, 2025
"Felt good at the plate today," Vientos added after Monday's loss, per Colin Martin of SNY. "Felt good at the plate. Got two pitches to hit in the location I was looking for and put a good swing on it. Felt better at the plate for sure. ...I said it last time, just doubling down on my approach and what I want at the plate and I'm staying convicted to it."
The Mets recently acquired lefty reliever Gregory Soto, but seemingly aren't done shopping ahead of Thursday afternoon. Martino suggested that the Amazins could trade Vientos to pick up additional bullpen help, a starting pitcher or a center fielder. Along with Vientos, fellow infielders Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio all played on Monday night.
Vientos insisted on Monday that he feels he is "swinging a lot better" than he was during his early season struggles. Whether or not such form will convince the Mets that he can help the club in its pursuit of a division title beyond July shall be seen.
First-place New York (62-45) ended Monday holding a 1.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies (60-46) in the National League East standings. The Mets continue their three-game series at the Padres (58-49) on Tuesday night.
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