Mets enter offseason with first base open after patchwork 2026

Young hit .266 with 9 homers in 103 games

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated 2h1 min read

What happened: New York used Jared Young for 74 starts at first base and Mark Vientos for 58 after Jorge Polanco's ankle injury required season-ending surgery. Brett Baty added 16 starts while Eric Wagaman, Christopher Morel, Gabriel Arias and Luis Torrens covered spot time.

Why it matters: Young slashed .266/.330/.429 with a 113 OPS+ in his age-30 season but posted a .606 OPS against left-handers. Baty's .500 OPS against lefties in 2026 leaves a left-handed logjam without enough power for a contending infield.

By the numbers: Young: 103 games, 342 plate appearances, 9 homers, 17 doubles, 3 triples. Vientos: 58 starts at first; Baty: 16 starts; Polanco: .431 OPS in 135 at-bats. Young exited Sept. 17 at Citi Field on a concussion in a collision with Nolan Mclean.

What to watch: The front office weighs a full-time external addition against a lower-cost right-handed platoon partner for Young. Free agency and the trade market will set the 2027 plan.

Sources

Yahoo MLB 2026-10-20T16:15:55.799802+00:00

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