Earlier this month the New York Mets sent shockwaves through baseball when they signed Juan Soto to a record 15-year contract worth $765 million. The Mets won 89 games and went to the NLCS this past season (their 65-38 record after June 2 was baseball’s best) and now they’ve added one of the best hitters in the world. All signs point to 2024 being the start of an extended run of contention for Steve Cohen’s team.
Not everything went according to plan for the 2024 Mets though. Brett Baty, New York’s erstwhile top prospect, played his way back to Triple-A after opening the season as the everyday third baseman. The good news is that opened the door for Mark Vientos, who ran with the opportunity and is now entrenched in the middle of the order. Baty, 25, was a consensus top-30 prospect in baseball as recently as 2023. Here is a snippet of Baseball America’s scouting report at the time:
Baty hit all batting benchmarks in 2022. He hit the ball hard with regularity–near 92 mph average exit velocity with a 90th percentile reading of 107 mph–he didn’t chase out of the zone often and he made contact when he swung at pitches in the zone. Baty takes his walks and should be a high on-base hitter with above-average power. Baty has improved his defensive play at third base, where his plus arm plays but his range and release grade as more capable than outstanding.
That scouting report has yet to translate into big-league production. In 602 plate appearances across the last three seasons, Baty has hit .215/.282/.325 with only 15 home runs and an elevated 26.4% strikeout rate with the Mets. He has been plagued by a high ground ball rate, as more than half his balls in play have been on the ground in the big leagues. That won’t work for a power hitter.
Given the emergence of Vientos, it was no surprise when the New York Post reported earlier this month that the Mets are getting calls about Baty. They’re not actively shopping him, but they are listening. POBO David Stearns wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t at least listen. At this point, it’s unlikely Baty’s future will be with the Mets. He’s a prime change-of-scenery candidate. A player this young and with this much talent deserves another chance, though maybe not with his current team.
Which teams should pursue Baty and see whether he can live up to the prospect hype in their uniform? Here are five teams that should try to pry Baty loose, plus one bonus team. You will not be surprised to see these are mostly rebuilding teams.
1. Chicago White Sox
Current third baseman: Miguel Vargas
A 121-loss team has no business being picky. The White Sox need talent up and down the roster and should be all over a post-hype prospect like Baty. Vargas is a shaky defender at the hot corner and might ultimately wind up at first base or in left field. Creating room on the roster and in the lineup for Baty will be a non-issue. The real question is what could the White Sox send the Mets in return? They have been picked pretty clean. Point is, the White Sox need talent and Baty is talented. They are well-positioned to give him a nice long runway to figure things out.
2. Miami Marlins
Current third baseman: Connor Norby
Similar to the White Sox, the Marlins need talent all over the roster, and buying low on talented 20-somethings like Baty is never a bad move when your roster is this thin. Norby had a nice run after coming over from the Orioles at the trade deadline, and he did so while playing a good amount of second base. Play Baty at third, Norby at second, and there you go. Miami would have no issue making all the pieces fit together. I’m not sure what the Marlins could send the Mets in a Baty trade. It’s worth giving them a call and seeing what it’ll take to get it done though.
3. (Sacramento) Athletics
Current third baseman: Darell Hernaiz
The A’s have spent money to add pitching this offseason (Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs), mostly to keep the MLBPA off their back about how they use their revenue sharing money, and it’s possible they’ll spend more money at third base. Maybe Alec Bohm? He could be a fit. Anyway, the A’s have an interesting roster — I don’t know if it’s a good roster, but it is interesting — and Baty would make it a little more interesting just based on the fact that he’s a former top prospect. Hernaiz is an interesting young player himself, and he’s versatile enough to play other infield positions. Giving Hernaiz and Baty the playing time they need won’t be difficult.
4. Los Angeles Angels
Current third baseman: Anthony Rendon
In the last four seasons, Rendon has played 58, 47, 43, and 57 games, respectively. It’s a near certainly that he is going to miss time with injury, so much so that the Halos are said to be in the market for a third baseman. The Angels have made a few win-now moves this winter (Yusei Kikuchi, Jorge Soler, etc.) and giving Baty the chance to sink or swim at the MLB level doesn’t jibe with that, but they are coming off a franchise-record 99 losses. Adding a young player with upside isn’t a bad idea.
5. Milwaukee Brewers
Current third baseman: Oliver Dunn and friends
As expected, the Brewers lost Willy Adames to free agency, and they are expected to slide Joey Ortiz over to shortstop to replace him. That leaves third base to some combination of Dunn, Tyler Black, Andruw Monasterio, and the recently acquired Caleb Durbin. Milwaukee has a thing for hitters with high ground ball rates too, though Baty lacks the foot speed to make it work the way Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Brice Turang, et al do. Also, the Brewers are the two-time defending NL Central champs and they are expected to contend in 2025. They have only so much latitude to let a young hitter work through growing pains.
Bonus team: New York Mets
Current third baseman: Mark Vientos
You can make the case the Mets should keep Baty and give him another opportunity in 2025. Pete Alonso is a free agent and the Mets could easily slide Vientos over to first base, plug Baty in at third base, and let him go. That’s risky because the Mets are a win-now team and need production (you don’t give Soto $765 million only to slowly build toward the future) though their deep lineup gives them some leeway. The Mets could run it back with Baty next year and see what happens. The downside is it doesn’t work, it costs them a few games in the standings, and Baty’s trade value goes in the tank. But, if it does work, then suddenly the Mets are that much more formidable. Development is not linear. Sometimes you just have to wait out the hiccups.
