An interesting new trade rumor suggests the New York Mets have few issues with top prospect Carson Benge being their starting right fielder on Opening Day.
For the most part, the various positions on the NY Mets’ lineup are set for next season. Juan Soto and trade addition Luis Robert Jr. are locked into their spots in center and left field. Big free agent additions Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco are playing third and first.
Francisco Lindor will return to shortstop once he recovers from hand surgery, and Marcus Semien is the team’s new second baseman. Plus, former top prospect Francisco Alvarez is again expected to start at catcher. The only position that is up for grabs is right field.
One of the players competing to win the job is Carson Benge. If not for Nolan McLean’s late-season brilliance in the big leagues, 2024 first-round pick Carson Benge would have ended last year as the top prospect in the NY Mets minor league system. However, he is expected to compete with versatile infielder Brett Baty for the position. Or maybe not.
Pirates interested in trade for NY Mets infielder Brett Baty
On Friday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed during an appearance on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan that the Pirates are still looking to make trades to upgrade third base before Opening Day. And among the six options they are looking at, “The Mets guys are in play, that they have a lot of feelers on there.”
The NY Mets guys he is referring to are Mark Vientos and Baty. Various reports in recent months have suggested the latter has more value around the game because of his versatility and strong finish to the 2025 season. The fact that he is a real possibility for the Pirates is because the Mets are willing to hear offers, and they must be confident about Benge being their starting RF on Opening Day.
After being the club’s top pick in 2024, Benge became a full-time member of the organization this past year and blew through the first two levels of the farm system and finished the season in Triple-A.
