The last couple of seasons have not been kind to Mark Vientos.
The young Mets slugger, after a breakout 2024 — especially in the postseason — was primed to become a building block for the team’s future. But after a down 2025 and a miserable 2026 filled with injuries and poor performance, Vientos’ future in Queens may not be so clear-cut.
“Do I want to be a New York Met? Of course I want to be a New York Met,” Vientos told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo this week. “This is the team that I got drafted by and I have so many great memories with. But it’s whatever life has in store for me.”
The Mets have a decision to make this offseason. Vientos is arbitration-eligible for the first time, but he’s also a non-tender candidate. As DiComo notes, Vientos will receive a significant raise in salary if the Mets tender him a contract through the arbitration process. If they non-tender him, Vientos’ time with the Mets will be up.
New York could also tender a contract and try to trade Vientos, or tender him and cut him in spring training, which he will be just 27 by then.
All of this seemed impossible just a couple of years ago when Vientos, 22 years old at the time, batted .266 with 27 home runs before hitting .327 with five more homers in the Mets’ magical 2024 postseason run. However, he slashed .233/.289/.413 (.702 OPS) with just 17 home runs in 121 games the following season when he was given the keys to an everyday job.
This season has been more of the same. In 82 games, Vientos is slashing .218/.267/.405 (.672 OPS) with 13 home runs.
“After ’24, I had expectations,” Vientos said. “When those expectations don’t come, you start to wonder, ‘What do I need to do?’ … I believe what I did in ’24, that’s me.
“I feel like these past two years were just learning experiences that I really appreciated. And I think it’s going to help me for sure.”
Vientos landed on the IL with a hand fracture in July and returned Aug. 31, but did not see immediate playing time.
Interim manager Andy Green was upfront with Vientos when he went on his rehab assignment that he would have to earn playing time.
“I was very forthright with him when he started the rehab assignment that a lot of that will be dictated by how others perform and also by how he performs,” Green said at the time. “Still think there’s a very bright future for him out there if he wants to grab a hold of it. That’s on him.”
Vientos told DiComo that he doesn’t know what his future will hold, but will “go with the flow.” In the meantime, he’s content with the playing time and Green has applauded Vientos’ approach to this situation and being a good teammate when he’s not in the lineup.
Vientos was in Friday’s lineup as the DH and went 1-for-3 with a walk. With the season-ending injury to Jared Young, Vientos could see more playing time as the DH and at first base.
He will try to use the final eight games to show what he’s capable of, and let the chips fall where they may this offseason.
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