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The Mets have spent the last few years trying to sort out a number of homegrown, or close enough to it, infielders. Mark Vientos broke out in 2024 before slipping a bit in ’25. Brett Baty executed the reverse play, posting a three-win season last year and even showing some ability to play second base as well as third. Ronnie Mauricio returned from a year lost to a knee injury to play reasonably well in a bench role without a path to a regular one. Across two seasons, Luisangel Acuña’s numbers are similar to Mauricio’s and he was 16-for-17 stealing bases last year. It was hardly difficult to see the Mets going into 2026 with some combination of these players around Francisco Lindor on the dirt.
Instead, Stearns has gone out and blocked those guys as if they stole his girl. The Mets traded Nimmo for Marcus Semien, a player who in most years plays 99% of his team’s innings at second base. The Mets signed Jorge Polanco, who has spent his entire career, save a wretched 200 innings at third base, at shortstop and second. Now they’ve added Bichette, who given the presence of Semien and Lindor has no place to play but third base. The Mets, strong in the infield and weak in the outfield, have traded 1400 innings of outfielder and added none, while adding 3000 innings of infielder while dealing 575. Their two free-agent signings, paid $62 million in 2026, are redundant.
