Day 1,520, Quasi-Quarantine: Mark Vientos Has A Role To Play In Salvaging Mets Offense -- But What Is It?

Seemingly every other day, the Mets are being no-hit for extended stretches. Without slugging catcher Francisco Alvarez, the lineup is way too top-heavy -- even with the top of the order hitting really poorly. Francisco Lindor (.205), Pete Alonso (.226), and Brandon Nimmo (.221) are also struggling mightily, but at least showing signs of life lately.

There are simply not enough viable offensive threats, especially in the bottom half of the lineup. In particular, third baseman Brett Baty, second baseman Jeff McNeill, and center fielder Harrison Bader have combined for 17 extra-base hits between them in 379 at-bats. The trio is hitting a collective .243 with 27 RBIs.

Compounding the problem, pinch-hitting for Baty as often as New York does puts utility guy Joey Wendle on the field entirely too often. He's hitting .222 with a single RBI on the campaign, and he's been surprisingly shaky in the field too boot.

While Tyrone Taylor (.272, 13 RBIs) has shown more than Bader with the bat, both he and Bader are fourth outfielders. Unfortunately, one has to play every day at this point for New York.

It says here that the Mets simply cannot progress through the season with half the infield comprising Baty at third and McNeill at second. It's high time that New York explores alternative options for how to handle third base and second base -- and potentially center field.

OPTION 1: Package infield prospect Mark Vientos and either Taylor or Bader to a team in need of outfield help due to injury (thinking the Giants here), and hope to get a viable second baseman or outfielder in return. New York could explore Thairo Estrada and a low-level prospect in this scenario.

Pros: The Mets would be dealing from a position of strength and depth. Right now, New York has four highly regarded prospects (Vientos, Baty, Ronnie Mauricio, and Luisangel Acuna) for two available positions -- and that doesn't include Jett Williams, a tremendous prospect who primarily plays shortstop.

Cons: While this would help clean up the infield logjam, does New York's value on Vientos match other teams' value for him? Would the Mets feel comfortable for what they might get in return? 

OPTION 2: Promote Vientos and have him platoon with Baty at third and spell Alonso at first on occasion.

Pros: This plays to the strengths of each player and creates a quasi-competition to see if either might be the franchise's third baseman of the future.

Cons: Platooning likely stymies the development of both Vientos and Baty at the same time. Also, how do the Mets feel about Vientos defensively at third?

OPTION 3: Promote Vientos and have him play the rest of the season at third.

Pros: It's arguably past time to give the 24-year-old Vientos a full-time role and 400 at-bats to determine exactly what he can do on the big-league level. 

Cons: What do you do with Baty in this scenario? You can send him back to AAA, but this would seemingly be viewed as the end of his status as a big-time prospect for the organization.

OPTION 4: Move McNeill back to left field, shift Nimmo back to center, and promote a minor-leaguer -- yes, probably Acuna -- to handle second base full time.

Pros: There is value in seeing what Acuna can do in the bigs. He brings speed and potential in bunches, and the team could use a dose of both.

Cons: This is likely the riskiest approach, as most indications are that Acuna's simply not ready. He's hitting .233 with a .287 OBP so far this year at AAA Syracuse. Also, can he play second well enough? He has spending some time playing center field in the minors.

OPTION 5: Trade cheaply for another utility player to replace Wendle and potentially platoon with McNeill. Wilmer Flores, anyone?

Pros: In limited action, Wendle has made a number of mistakes both in the field and at the plate -- and he's literally on the roster as a guy who doesn't do that. Bringing in another versatile player with a stronger bat feels cost-effective and doable.

Cons: I don't see many cons with this approach, though I guess the main one would have to be the limited impact this would have on the Mets' biggest problem -- production at the plate.

The bottom line is that New York is wasting shockingly good pitching game after game. Despite injuries to a number of top pitchers -- Kodai Senga, Brooks Raley, Drew Smith, Tylor Megill, David Peterson -- the staff has delivered consistently.

It's time for the Mets to do something to complement the outstanding mound performances and show they're invested in turning this season into something real.