Every offseason starts with a checklist, and for the New York Mets, it usually feels like the pen runs out of ink before the list runs out of needs. This winter is no different. They want Pete Alonso back. They need more pitching. They could use another bat. And if David Stearns really wants to reshape this roster around a true contender’s spine, third base might end up being one of the trickier decisions on the board.
Brett Baty finally showed the version of himself the Mets hoped for. But Alex Bregman is sitting on the market with a résumé that looks tailor-made for October. The question is whether the Mets stay committed to their homegrown breakout or push the chips in for a proven postseason killer.
Baty’s breakout is real, but it comes with a ceiling question
For a franchise that’s struggled to develop position players over the last decade, Baty’s 2025 season felt like a relief as much as a breakout. He hit .254/.313/.435 with 18 homers and 50 RBIs. Solid contact. Solid power. Solid defense at one of the toughest positions on the field.
He looked comfortable. More importantly, he looked like he belonged.
The Mets love where he’s trending, and they should. There’s real everyday-starter upside in a 26-year-old left-handed bat who flashes both growth and stability. But the question that hangs over Baty isn’t whether he’s good. It’s whether he’s the kind of hitter who scares elite pitching in high-stress games.
You can get through June and July with a good third baseman. You win in October with a great one.
Bregman brings something the Mets don’t have
The Mets don’t lack talent in their lineup. What they lack is someone who tilts the moment.
That’s where Alex Bregman changes the conversation. The 31-year-old posted a .273/.360/.462 line last season with the Astros, adding 18 homers and 60 RBIs. It wasn’t even one of his peak seasons, but you could still see the same heartbeat that helped Houston win big games for years and the Red Sox this past season.
Few hitters identify a mistake faster. Few hitters control an at-bat better. And few hitters — even now — have a more reliable October presence. There’s a reason pitchers hate seeing him in the on-deck circle when the stakes rise.
He’s no longer in his mid-20s, but the skills that make him dangerous age well: discipline, plate vision and baseball IQ. That’s usually the last stuff to go.
The contract hurdle isn’t small, but the Mets can stomach it
A five-year, $135 million price tag is steep for a player entering his age-31 season. It’s a commitment to his past consistency as much as his future value. Most teams would hesitate.
The Mets aren’t most teams.
They have the money, the urgency and the window to justify a $27 million-per-year deal, especially if they’re already planning to invest heavily across the roster. If they land Alonso, then add pitching, then still want one more stabilizing force in the lineup, Bregman fits. And he fits cleanly.
You wouldn’t be blocking Baty either. You’d be elevating the standard of the position while letting Baty slide into a flexible role, ready to take over full-time when the moment eventually calls for it. They could always stick him at second base to maximize his bat as well.
A choice between youth and certainty
The Mets are trying to build a roster that doesn’t just reach October, but survives in October. Players like Bregman don’t flinch in those games. They bend them.
Baty might grow into that version of himself one day — but Bregman already is that version.
So if the Mets really do plan on spending big this winter, maybe the better question isn’t whether they should pursue Bregman. It’s whether they’re ready to prioritize certainty over patience while their window begins to open again.