The New York Mets may have answered a lot of questions with their signing of Bo Bichette in the MLB offseason. However, the move has also brought up a bunch of other situations the Orange and Blue must now handle. Chief among them, what will the future of Brett Baty look like?
Bichette is expected to shift to third base immediately upon arriving in Queens for the 2026 MLB season. While that position appears settled, it opens up a range of scenarios for Baty, who manned the hot corner at Citi Field over the past few years and excelled in that role. The most reasonable solution may be deploying Baty in a different capacity.
According to reports, the Mets are already planning field changes following Bichette’s arrival, including helping Baty evolve into a Swiss Army knife–type player at MLB level. Still, trade buzz surrounding Baty is only expected to grow louder, and New York may be willing to entertain offers as they come in.
“[David] Stearns is reportedly reluctant to trade Baty, given the potential versatility and the high upside he showed throughout the second half of last season. But teams have called about him, and the Mets still have an abundance of holes to fill within the roster,” AMNY reported.
How likely is a Baty trade out of New York?
As things stand, it seems highly improbable. At the very least, the Mets will give Baty the benefit of the doubt as to whether he can produce strong numbers without having an established position in the field. However, no one knows what could happen once the 2026 campaign gets underway. Once the first pitch is thrown, plenty could change for the Mets.
Perhaps another club comes along with an offer too good for New York to pass up. Considering the Orange and Blue still have several elephants in the room to address, it can’t be ruled out that a blockbuster trade could materialize midway through the season.
For now, Baty’s place in Queens appears safe, but in MLB there are only a handful of players who are truly untouchable—and the 26-year-old, who once committed to the University of Texas at Austin but never suited up for the Longhorns, is not quite one of them.