Could Mets be a fit for All-Star 3B who vetoed trade to Houston?

Since signing Juan Soto on December 8, the eve of the Winter Meetings, the Mets have shown patience.

However, a corner infielder is still needed, and it has been reported that New York is considering first basemen Christian Walker and Pete Alonso or third baseman Alex Bregman. Third baseman Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals is another corner infielder up for trade; according to rumors, he reportedly vetoed a deal to the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

Is the eight-time All-Star a good match for the Mets? Reports state that they are not on his no-trade list.

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Houston was prepared to pay $59 million of the $74 million Arenado owes over the next three seasons, leaving St. Louis responsible for the remaining $15 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

If the Cardinals eat money (and perhaps take on even more, say $30 million), Arenado would be a less expensive choice than Bregman, Walker, or Alonso if New York is interested in the 10-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman. With this deal, the Mets would greatly improve their infield defense in exchange for paying roughly $45 million over three years.

Additionally, New York can offer to trade Brett Baty, a natural third baseman who improved his versatility, to St. Louis. Baty can also play outfield and second base. In 64 games with Triple-A Syracuse, he slashed.252/.349/.504 with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs. He hasn’t, however, duplicated that performance in the major leagues.

Mark Vientos, who matched Giants third baseman Matt Chapman’s 27 home runs in 43 fewer games the previous season, would be able to move to first base, which is a less demanding position for him, thanks to this deal.

With the highest fielding percentage (.980) of any third baseman (minimum 850 innings), Vientos made the plays he needed to in 2024. His -6 defensive runs saved and above-average outs put him in the bottom two of MLB, but he was by no means a playmaker.

After Chapman and Joey Ortiz of the Brewers, Arenado is ranked as the third-best third baseman by FanGraphs. In baseball, he recorded the second-highest number of outs above average (nine) and the fifth-highest number of defensive runs saved (six).

Arenado has played in at least 155 games over seven seasons, including 152 last season, demonstrating his durability.

Arenado is available, though, for two reasons: he is 33 years old, and his hitting has declined sharply over the past two seasons. Arenado used to consistently smash 30 home runs and 100 RBI runs, but he hasn’t done either in the past two seasons.

His lowest offensive season to date was last year. His 16 home runs and 71 RBIs both mark his lowest totals in a 162-game season since 2015, and his.394 slugging percentage was a career low.

Alonso, Walker, and Bregman didn’t have those low numbers the previous season.

You can contact Manny G. Mez at [email protected].

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