The one position the NY Mets should have left open for a competition
Everything the New York Mets did this offseason had a trickle-down impact. It began with the Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien swap. By doing this, the Mets opened up a nook outfield spot and clogged up second base. It was at that second when the Mets started to take a route with extra lane closures than they might’ve imagined.
Early outcomes from this commerce have not been nice. Nimmo is .300 and Semien is means down at .208. More shocking is how Semien has been a below-average fielding second baseman. The naked minimal the Mets required of him hasn’t been met.
It’s not a exhausting argument to debate this was a dangerous commerce which hasn’t gone effectively via the first month-plus. Adding to the dialogue is how the Mets might have simplified issues by maintaining second base open as the one spot on the area the place they might really have a competition. It would not have been good, however this resolution has made it extra of a free-for-all in any respect different spots.
The downside with Marcus Semien at second base goes past his personal efficiency
Semien at second base means barely any Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and even AJ Ewing at the position this season. While Ewing is actually a heart area candidate and could be prone to deal with that position with the means issues have shaken out with the Mets, the group already has Carson Benge and even Nick Morabito employed for such a job. If Ewing’s solely competition was to go up towards Baty and Mauricio, he’d have a higher shot at coming as much as the majors prior to later.
The Mets went in a utterly completely different course than leaving the second base job up for grabs. They’ve put an costly and declining participant. They valued second baseman in a unusual means, opting to commerce away longtime second baseman Jeff McNeil who price a lot much less and will contribute in so many extra methods.
We will not play the second-guessing sport with the McNeil commerce. He pale in the last weeks of 2025. Whether his relationship with Francisco Lindor was a issue or not, he was somebody who made sense to maneuver on from.
The downside is the Mets did not have an escape route with their substitute. Their complete plan of buying and selling Nimmo for Semien with the function of saving cash after three seasons is flawed as a result of it feels prefer it’s costing the ball membership now. They’re paying for it now with Semien barely hitting above his weight and owning at -1 OAA (tied with McNeil). He hasn’t made an official error but, however there have been a number of misplays and miscues.
Furthering the mayhem, Semien at second base gave the group nowhere to realistically transfer Bo Bichette in a situation the place he turns into a butcher at third base. One of the few nice surprises this 12 months has been his third base protection. That’s now on maintain with Lindor out of motion. However, the movability of Bichette to a different position didn’t exist exterior of harm.
It was gamble after gamble for the Mets this offseason. Not a single one has been worthy of bragging rights. Stearns made opportunistic strikes, first by getting out from the latter a part of Nimmo’s contract and following it up with a very inexpensive commerce for Luis Robert Jr.
Second base is now occupied via the 2028 season whereas the fringe main league Mets battle at different spots, Baty wherever he is wanted with combined outcomes and offensive questions and Maurico a bit extra buried on the depth chart when wholesome.
You’re proper in considering the Mets are no higher at second base with a Baty/Mauricio/anybody else trifecta. At least that unknown is not locked in for a number of seasons. There are a lot of various instructions the Mets might have gone at the position. They positively really feel off observe with the one they went on.
