Brett Baty?

[ScotchMIrish]

https://www.mlb.com/player/brett-baty-6 ... &year=2025

Mets need a first baseman and are reportedly interested in Contreras.

[C-Unit]

It might be more likely they move Vientos

[Talkin' Baseball]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

[WaltsSuccessor]

https://www.mlb.com/player/brett-baty-6 ... &year=2025

Mets need a first baseman and are reportedly interested in Contreras.

They literally just officially signed Jorge Polanco to play 1B yesterday...

Brett Baty will be their 3B. And Vientos and McNeil are on the trading block.

So...they no longer have a spot for Contreras. They do, however, need an OF. But they're going to aim higher than anyone we have to offer.

[ScotchMIrish]

https://www.mlb.com/player/brett-baty-6 ... &year=2025

Mets need a first baseman and are reportedly interested in Contreras.

They literally just officially signed Jorge Polanco to play 1B yesterday...

Brett Baty will be their 3B. And Vientos and McNeil are on the trading block.

So...they no longer have a spot for Contreras. They do, however, need an OF. But they're going to aim higher than anyone we have to offer.

I wasn't aware of that. Move along. Nothing to see.

[CorneliusWolfe]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

Why would they want Burleson and how would that be going big? Big for us I guess if we got a solid relief pitcher for him.

[Talkin' Baseball]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

Why would they want Burleson and how would that be going big? Big for us I guess if we got a solid relief pitcher for him.

They would want Burleson to play either/or 1B or LF. Yes, they signed Polanco. He is not a good fielder at the positions he plays- he has played very little 1B. They could use him in LF to fill the hole trading Nimmo made. They would want him because he is a solid ML bat. I say going big as a relative term. The return for Contreras could be ok, but Benge could be very good. He has a hit tool similar to Wetherholt.

[WaltsSuccessor]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

Why would they want Burleson and how would that be going big? Big for us I guess if we got a solid relief pitcher for him.

They would want Burleson to play either/or 1B or LF. Yes, they signed Polanco. He is not a good fielder at the positions he plays- he has played very little 1B. They could use him in LF to fill the hole trading Nimmo made. They would want him because he is a solid ML bat. I say going big as a relative term. The return for Contreras could be ok, but Benge could be very good. He has a hit tool similar to Wetherholt.

Right now, they have Baty, McNeil, and Vientos to cover 3B and LF. Assuming no other moves, I’d peg Baty at 3b and McNeil in LF leaving Vientos the odd man out to trade.

However, I expect them to bring in a much better OF than McNeil (like Bellinger, maybe Tucker) then ultimately trade McNeil. Vientos and Polanco can share 1B/DH.

With adding Polanco and Siemens, I don’t see the fit for Contreras or Burleson any longer.

[CorneliusWolfe]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

Why would they want Burleson and how would that be going big? Big for us I guess if we got a solid relief pitcher for him.

They would want Burleson to play either/or 1B or LF. Yes, they signed Polanco. He is not a good fielder at the positions he plays- he has played very little 1B. They could use him in LF to fill the hole trading Nimmo made. They would want him because he is a solid ML bat. I say going big as a relative term. The return for Contreras could be ok, but Benge could be very good. He has a hit tool similar to Wetherholt.

Up until this point I’ve had a mostly neutral opinion on the worthiness of BTV, but if it says a 1-tool, slow, poor defender going into his arbitration years is equal to a Wetherholt-level prospect, then it is worthless.

[ICCFIM2]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

Why would they want Burleson and how would that be going big? Big for us I guess if we got a solid relief pitcher for him.

They would want Burleson to play either/or 1B or LF. Yes, they signed Polanco. He is not a good fielder at the positions he plays- he has played very little 1B. They could use him in LF to fill the hole trading Nimmo made. They would want him because he is a solid ML bat. I say going big as a relative term. The return for Contreras could be ok, but Benge could be very good. He has a hit tool similar to Wetherholt.

Up until this point I’ve had a mostly neutral opinion on the worthiness of BTV, but if it says a 1-tool, slow, poor defender going into his arbitration years is equal to a Wetherholt-level prospect, then it is worthless.

Benge has a BTV of 23.3. Wetherholdt 59.8 and Burleson 21.5. Benge has a BV of 55 compared to Wetherholdt at 60. The BV 55 player values range from around 10-25. So Benge is at the top of that range. I am not certain I would say BTV is worthless based on that. It is a tool that provides some objectivity to the discussions on here, while not always being spot on.

Burleson finished in the top 50 for OPS in 2025 and has shown steady improvement at the plate in each of his 3 ML seasons. I think he is underestimated on this board because he has went from being a slightly below average hitter his first year, to an average hitter last year to a very good hitter this year. His value is going to depend on how you project him going forward, continued slight improvement, or a reversion to the mean. If the projection is continued slight improvement, then his BTV is at least accurate. He is probably a better hitter than Donovan at this point and 2 years younger. His value is lower than Donovan's due to his fielding deficiencies.

[CorneliusWolfe]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

Why would they want Burleson and how would that be going big? Big for us I guess if we got a solid relief pitcher for him.

They would want Burleson to play either/or 1B or LF. Yes, they signed Polanco. He is not a good fielder at the positions he plays- he has played very little 1B. They could use him in LF to fill the hole trading Nimmo made. They would want him because he is a solid ML bat. I say going big as a relative term. The return for Contreras could be ok, but Benge could be very good. He has a hit tool similar to Wetherholt.

Up until this point I’ve had a mostly neutral opinion on the worthiness of BTV, but if it says a 1-tool, slow, poor defender going into his arbitration years is equal to a Wetherholt-level prospect, then it is worthless.

Benge has a BTV of 23.3. Wetherholdt 59.8 and Burleson 21.5. Benge has a BV of 55 compared to Wetherholdt at 60. The BV 55 player values range from around 10-25. So Benge is at the top of that range. I am not certain I would say BTV is worthless based on that. It is a tool that provides some objectivity to the discussions on here, while not always being spot on.

Burleson finished in the top 50 for OPS in 2025 and has shown steady improvement at the plate in each of his 3 ML seasons. I think he is underestimated on this board because he has went from being a slightly below average hitter his first year, to an average hitter last year to a very good hitter this year. His value is going to depend on how you project him going forward, continued slight improvement, or a reversion to the mean. If the projection is continued slight improvement, then his BTV is at least accurate. He is probably a better hitter than Donovan at this point and 2 years younger. His value is lower than Donovan's due to his fielding deficiencies.

I’ve had simultaneous debates with some touting Burleson as some great player and others saying he’s worthless. I just don’t get the extremism when it comes to this particular player.

He’s a nice LH complement at first and deserves his fair share of DH ABs against RHP. He’s a poor defender with poor RBI totals for the spots he typically hits in the order and will likely never reach 25 HRs, yet he’s touted as a power hitter.

Basically he’s a good bench/platoon guy. He is neither great nor worthless. He’s a JAG whose decent hitting is negated by poor defense and being very slow.

All things considered, if Benge could be had for Burleson, Bloom would’ve jumped all over that.

[Alex Reyes Cy Young]

https://www.mlb.com/player/brett-baty-6 ... &year=2025

Mets need a first baseman and are reportedly interested in Contreras.

They literally just officially signed Jorge Polanco to play 1B yesterday...

Brett Baty will be their 3B. And Vientos and McNeil are on the trading block.

So...they no longer have a spot for Contreras. They do, however, need an OF. But they're going to aim higher than anyone we have to offer.

Nootbaar?

[ICCFIM2]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

Why would they want Burleson and how would that be going big? Big for us I guess if we got a solid relief pitcher for him.

They would want Burleson to play either/or 1B or LF. Yes, they signed Polanco. He is not a good fielder at the positions he plays- he has played very little 1B. They could use him in LF to fill the hole trading Nimmo made. They would want him because he is a solid ML bat. I say going big as a relative term. The return for Contreras could be ok, but Benge could be very good. He has a hit tool similar to Wetherholt.

Up until this point I’ve had a mostly neutral opinion on the worthiness of BTV, but if it says a 1-tool, slow, poor defender going into his arbitration years is equal to a Wetherholt-level prospect, then it is worthless.

Benge has a BTV of 23.3. Wetherholdt 59.8 and Burleson 21.5. Benge has a BV of 55 compared to Wetherholdt at 60. The BV 55 player values range from around 10-25. So Benge is at the top of that range. I am not certain I would say BTV is worthless based on that. It is a tool that provides some objectivity to the discussions on here, while not always being spot on.

Burleson finished in the top 50 for OPS in 2025 and has shown steady improvement at the plate in each of his 3 ML seasons. I think he is underestimated on this board because he has went from being a slightly below average hitter his first year, to an average hitter last year to a very good hitter this year. His value is going to depend on how you project him going forward, continued slight improvement, or a reversion to the mean. If the projection is continued slight improvement, then his BTV is at least accurate. He is probably a better hitter than Donovan at this point and 2 years younger. His value is lower than Donovan's due to his fielding deficiencies.

I’ve had simultaneous debates with some touting Burleson as some great player and others saying he’s worthless. I just don’t get the extremism when it comes to this particular player.

He’s a nice LH complement at first and deserves his fair share of DH ABs against RHP. He’s a poor defender with poor RBI totals for the spots he typically hits in the order and will likely never reach 25 HRs, yet he’s touted as a power hitter.

Basically he’s a good bench/platoon guy. He is neither great nor worthless. He’s a JAG whose decent hitting is negated by poor defense and being very slow.

All things considered, if Benge could be had for Burleson, Bloom would’ve jumped all over that.

People tend to remember the past, which colors their vision of the current status. In the prior seasons, Burleson was horrible against LHP. In 2025, his OPS was 708 against LHP which is adequate and accounted for almost all of his OPS improvement in 2025 over the prior year. So the narrative that he is only a platoon hitter, he appears to have disproved in 2025, even though many still cling to it. Regarding his power, he is probably an 18-25 type HR hitter. So not really a power hitter, but a good hitter. On a WS caliber team he is a six hole hitter. There is nothing wrong with that. I don't view Burleson as a star, I don't view him as chump change either. I view him as a piece that can help a team win with the right personnel around him. In the Cardinals case, that means finding a position in the field Herrera can play. If he can't, then you have two no field guys on the team which is no good...

Perhaps Bloom would jump all over Benge for Burleson. But, Benge hit a huge speed bump for his short time up in AAA last year. Overall, he is likely to be a better player than Burleson. But, there is no certainty. Burleson is almost 2 full years younger than Donovan and has 1 additional year of control. That puts him probably in the next window to win, 2028, while Donovan is not. That is the likely reason to hang onto Burleson. There needs to be some veteran continuity. If Burleson is a good clubhouse guy, then that might be an intangible to keep him as the veteran.

[CorneliusWolfe]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

Why would they want Burleson and how would that be going big? Big for us I guess if we got a solid relief pitcher for him.

They would want Burleson to play either/or 1B or LF. Yes, they signed Polanco. He is not a good fielder at the positions he plays- he has played very little 1B. They could use him in LF to fill the hole trading Nimmo made. They would want him because he is a solid ML bat. I say going big as a relative term. The return for Contreras could be ok, but Benge could be very good. He has a hit tool similar to Wetherholt.

Up until this point I’ve had a mostly neutral opinion on the worthiness of BTV, but if it says a 1-tool, slow, poor defender going into his arbitration years is equal to a Wetherholt-level prospect, then it is worthless.

Benge has a BTV of 23.3. Wetherholdt 59.8 and Burleson 21.5. Benge has a BV of 55 compared to Wetherholdt at 60. The BV 55 player values range from around 10-25. So Benge is at the top of that range. I am not certain I would say BTV is worthless based on that. It is a tool that provides some objectivity to the discussions on here, while not always being spot on.

Burleson finished in the top 50 for OPS in 2025 and has shown steady improvement at the plate in each of his 3 ML seasons. I think he is underestimated on this board because he has went from being a slightly below average hitter his first year, to an average hitter last year to a very good hitter this year. His value is going to depend on how you project him going forward, continued slight improvement, or a reversion to the mean. If the projection is continued slight improvement, then his BTV is at least accurate. He is probably a better hitter than Donovan at this point and 2 years younger. His value is lower than Donovan's due to his fielding deficiencies.

I’ve had simultaneous debates with some touting Burleson as some great player and others saying he’s worthless. I just don’t get the extremism when it comes to this particular player.

He’s a nice LH complement at first and deserves his fair share of DH ABs against RHP. He’s a poor defender with poor RBI totals for the spots he typically hits in the order and will likely never reach 25 HRs, yet he’s touted as a power hitter.

Basically he’s a good bench/platoon guy. He is neither great nor worthless. He’s a JAG whose decent hitting is negated by poor defense and being very slow.

All things considered, if Benge could be had for Burleson, Bloom would’ve jumped all over that.

People tend to remember the past, which colors their vision of the current status. In the prior seasons, Burleson was horrible against LHP. In 2025, his OPS was 708 against LHP which is adequate and accounted for almost all of his OPS improvement in 2025 over the prior year. So the narrative that he is only a platoon hitter, he appears to have disproved in 2025, even though many still cling to it. Regarding his power, he is probably an 18-25 type HR hitter. So not really a power hitter, but a good hitter. On a WS caliber team he is a six hole hitter. There is nothing wrong with that. I don't view Burleson as a star, I don't view him as chump change either. I view him as a piece that can help a team win with the right personnel around him. In the Cardinals case, that means finding a position in the field Herrera can play. If he can't, then you have two no field guys on the team which is no good...

Perhaps Bloom would jump all over Benge for Burleson. But, Benge hit a huge speed bump for his short time up in AAA last year. Overall, he is likely to be a better player than Burleson. But, there is no certainty. Burleson is almost 2 full years younger than Donovan and has 1 additional year of control. That puts him probably in the next window to win, 2028, while Donovan is not. That is the likely reason to hang onto Burleson. There needs to be some veteran continuity. If Burleson is a good clubhouse guy, then that might be an intangible to keep him as the veteran.

A rare and fair assessment. And thanks for clarifying some of the BTV/BV 55 correlation. Good stuff.

[ICCFIM2]

I'm certainly not opposed to trading Contreras to the Mets if something gets worked out. My idea of going big with the Mets is trading them Alec Burleson instead. They need 1B and LF help also with the trade of Nimmo. Trade Burleson for Carson Benge, if you can. When Benge is ready he can either replace Scott in CF, or play LF.

Why would they want Burleson and how would that be going big? Big for us I guess if we got a solid relief pitcher for him.

They would want Burleson to play either/or 1B or LF. Yes, they signed Polanco. He is not a good fielder at the positions he plays- he has played very little 1B. They could use him in LF to fill the hole trading Nimmo made. They would want him because he is a solid ML bat. I say going big as a relative term. The return for Contreras could be ok, but Benge could be very good. He has a hit tool similar to Wetherholt.

Up until this point I’ve had a mostly neutral opinion on the worthiness of BTV, but if it says a 1-tool, slow, poor defender going into his arbitration years is equal to a Wetherholt-level prospect, then it is worthless.

Benge has a BTV of 23.3. Wetherholdt 59.8 and Burleson 21.5. Benge has a BV of 55 compared to Wetherholdt at 60. The BV 55 player values range from around 10-25. So Benge is at the top of that range. I am not certain I would say BTV is worthless based on that. It is a tool that provides some objectivity to the discussions on here, while not always being spot on.

Burleson finished in the top 50 for OPS in 2025 and has shown steady improvement at the plate in each of his 3 ML seasons. I think he is underestimated on this board because he has went from being a slightly below average hitter his first year, to an average hitter last year to a very good hitter this year. His value is going to depend on how you project him going forward, continued slight improvement, or a reversion to the mean. If the projection is continued slight improvement, then his BTV is at least accurate. He is probably a better hitter than Donovan at this point and 2 years younger. His value is lower than Donovan's due to his fielding deficiencies.

I’ve had simultaneous debates with some touting Burleson as some great player and others saying he’s worthless. I just don’t get the extremism when it comes to this particular player.

He’s a nice LH complement at first and deserves his fair share of DH ABs against RHP. He’s a poor defender with poor RBI totals for the spots he typically hits in the order and will likely never reach 25 HRs, yet he’s touted as a power hitter.

Basically he’s a good bench/platoon guy. He is neither great nor worthless. He’s a JAG whose decent hitting is negated by poor defense and being very slow.

All things considered, if Benge could be had for Burleson, Bloom would’ve jumped all over that.

People tend to remember the past, which colors their vision of the current status. In the prior seasons, Burleson was horrible against LHP. In 2025, his OPS was 708 against LHP which is adequate and accounted for almost all of his OPS improvement in 2025 over the prior year. So the narrative that he is only a platoon hitter, he appears to have disproved in 2025, even though many still cling to it. Regarding his power, he is probably an 18-25 type HR hitter. So not really a power hitter, but a good hitter. On a WS caliber team he is a six hole hitter. There is nothing wrong with that. I don't view Burleson as a star, I don't view him as chump change either. I view him as a piece that can help a team win with the right personnel around him. In the Cardinals case, that means finding a position in the field Herrera can play. If he can't, then you have two no field guys on the team which is no good...

Perhaps Bloom would jump all over Benge for Burleson. But, Benge hit a huge speed bump for his short time up in AAA last year. Overall, he is likely to be a better player than Burleson. But, there is no certainty. Burleson is almost 2 full years younger than Donovan and has 1 additional year of control. That puts him probably in the next window to win, 2028, while Donovan is not. That is the likely reason to hang onto Burleson. There needs to be some veteran continuity. If Burleson is a good clubhouse guy, then that might be an intangible to keep him as the veteran.

A rare and fair assessment. And thanks for clarifying some of the BTV/BV 55 correlation. Good stuff.

Thanks. I find this off season fascinating to see where all this goes.

[WaltsSuccessor]

https://www.mlb.com/player/brett-baty-6 ... &year=2025

Mets need a first baseman and are reportedly interested in Contreras.

They literally just officially signed Jorge Polanco to play 1B yesterday...

Brett Baty will be their 3B. And Vientos and McNeil are on the trading block.

So...they no longer have a spot for Contreras. They do, however, need an OF. But they're going to aim higher than anyone we have to offer.

Nootbaar?

If they had re-signed Alonso or lured away Schwarber, I could see the Nootbaar fit. But I think they need Bellinger or Tucker in OF to replace Alonso’s offense.

Right now, it’s Soto, Lindor…then Polanco…and question marks. They need another bonafide hitter.