Mets’ In-House Options Amidst Baty’s Struggles

The Mets have a Brett Baty–Mark Vientos decision awaiting them.

Initially, New York designated Joey Wendle for assignment to, in part, shake up the offense and essentially give Vientos his at-bats during a stretch that included a bevy of left-handed pitching. But since that occurred, we’ve also seen Vientos play against right-handed pitching — and do pretty well — in favor of the embattled Baty. With New York’s offense struggling at home, scoring just 3.3 runs per game at Citi Field as compared to 5.2 on the road, it would certainly behoove the Mets to keep Vientos and his .357/.419/.714 slash line (222 wRC+) around.

Keeping Vientos around, though, means the Mets need to find someone who can play the middle infield at some point. Having Baty do so, who isn’t a natural shortstop or second baseman by trade, is just asking for trouble. Granted, Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor are going to play every day. But in an emergency, the Mets can’t afford to have a player out of position defensively with so little margin for error these days.

So, with Wendle and Zack Short no longer in the organization and David Stearns stating that perhaps Luisangel Acuña isn’t quite ready for an MLB call-up, Jose Iglesias, Rylan Bannon, Luke Ritter and Mike Brosseau are the primary in-house options.

While it’s uncertain whether or not the Mets will make a roster move, it’s certainly worth looking at New York’s choices if it opts to add a middle infielder.

Regarding Iglesias, he has the most major league experience and is the best defensive option of the group. That’s especially important because Short and Wendle’s tenures were cut short in part because they offered the Mets little defensively besides their shared versatility. Iglesias remains incredibly slick with his glove, and while his bat leaves a lot to be desired, he should be able to contribute more at the plate than, say, Short or Wendle, for that matter.

When Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez recently spoke about New York’s options moving forward as it relates to roster decisions, the latter of the SNY broadcast duo opined that he thought Iglesias should’ve made the team out of spring training.

In 39 at-bats (15 games played) during the spring, Iglesias slashed 282/.317/.436 with a home run, three RBIs and an OPS of .753. His 11 hits were fourth on the Mets behind Short, so that should point to New York’s thinking there as Short was more adept with the bat despite the fact that Iglesias made some nifty plays in the field. Since being sent to Triple-A Syracuse, Iglesias is slashing. .290/.327/.476 with seven home runs, 26 RBIs, an .803 OPS and a wRC+ of 103.

Iglesias last played in the majors in 2022 with the Colorado Rockies. Over 467 plate appearances (118 games played) that season, he hit .292/.328/.380 with three home runs, 47 RBIs and an OPS of .708. His 91 OPS+ left a lot to be desired, and his Baseball Savant page is not much prettier. Iglesias shined with his plate discipline and sprint speed, but everything else showed him to be a marginal major leaguer at best, especially because he graded out as an average fielder and below-average hitter.

While Iglesias would perhaps present the Mets with the best defensive option, Bannon, Brosseau and Ritter are more intriguing due to the upside they bring on the offensive end.

Bannon, a natural third baseman, has spent the past two seasons splitting time between the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros organizations. The 28-year-old can play left field and shortstop in addition to the hot corner and is currently hitting .256 with a .408 OBP at Syracuse, which is well above his career average. He’s also smashed eight home runs and drove in 27 runs while maintaining a .905 OPS and a 136 wRC+.

The former Orioles infield prospect only has 20 career major league at-bats to his name, but he seems to have something to prove. And while his bat wouldn’t wake up a struggling offense completely, his numbers at Triple-A are nothing to sneeze at and certainly worthy of consideration considering that New York is in need of run production and defensive versatility.

Perhaps the most intriguing option of them all, however, is Ritter, who launched his eighth home run of the season for Syracuse on Thursday. It marked his 35th home run since the beginning of 2023, which leads all prospects in the Mets’ farm system. His OPS is now up to .855 while his wRC+ sits at 121.

Luke Ritter homered for Triple-A Syracuse tonight.

His OPS is up to .863 on the season.

His 35 home runs since the beginning of 2023 leads the #Mets system. pic.twitter.com/LZT7ipi68o

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) May 23, 2024

Having been with the organization since 2019 and now at the age of 27, Ritter has more than paid his dues in the minor leagues. His talent and experience warrant serious consideration for a call-up, especially if the Mets prioritize offensive firepower.

This season alone, Ritter has played first base, second base, third base and left field. He’s seen a majority of playing time at first, but notably has not committed an error in the infield despite having one in the outfield. Though, in a scenario where the Mets would want Ritter and McNeil in the lineup simultaneously, McNeil can always be pushed to the outfield if New York is worried about the 27-year-old’s aptness defensively.

Brosseau, who has hit .307/.434/.565 with a 159 wRC+ across 19 games and 76 plate appearances with Syracuse since signing a minor league deal with the Mets in late April, cannot be discounted within this discussion either. The 30-year-old has spent time at both first base and left field in New York’s system so far this season, though the fact that he’s logged nearly 800 innings at third base during his five-year major league career certainly makes him a tenable candidate there as well.

Brosseau’s career wRC+ of 105 and slash line of .242/.313/428 likely makes him the “surest thing” of any of the four players mentioned in terms of production at the plate against major league pitching, and his defensive versatility certainly doesn’t hurt his case.

The Mets have a tough decision to make. Do they place a premium on defense with Iglesias’ experience, gamble on the upside of Bannon and Ritter at the plate or go somewhere in the middle with Brosseau? With their offense struggling, the latter options might be more appealing. Regardless of who they choose, the Mets need a spark; perhaps a move of this caliber could provide it.

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