Sifting Through Center Field Options for the Mets

We know center field will be a key area for the Mets to address this offseason. Their output from the position last year was poor.

Tyrone Taylor was great on defense but was one of the worst hitters in baseball for five of the season’s six months, José Siri was out basically all year and didn’t play well when he did, and Cedric Mullins, who was meant to shore up the position at the deadline, didn’t play either side of the ball well. It got so bad, Jeff McNeil played a couple dozen games in center (and somewhat competently).

Let’s run through a couple of options to fix this positional issue on the trade market, in free agency, and internally. (All this is being done assuming the Mets still tender a contract to Taylor to be their fourth or fifth outfielder.)

Free Agency

• Cody Bellinger: The most expensive option on the free agent market, Bellinger is a better corner outfielder (on defense) than he is a center fielder, but he could man most of the games there while providing a ton at the plate. He’s regained consistency at the plate the last three years after his extremely poor two Dodgers seasons, and he’ll command serious money (likely nine figures) at age 30.
• Trent Grisham: Grisham was traded from the Padres to the Yankees with Juan Soto, and could they reunite with the Mets? Grisham had the best season at the plate of his career last year, with 34 homers and an .811 OPS. He, like Bellinger, wasn’t amazing defensively in center, but the bat was there. However, the poor defense wouldn’t be tolerated without a great bat. Can Grisham be consistent there? He might, but a long-term deal, which he’s likely seeking, is risky.
• Harrison Bader: The former Met could be a free agent unless Bader and the Phillies mutually agree to a $10 million option for 2026. Bader posted the best season of his career in 2025 with nearly an .800 OPS over 500 plate appearances, along with his usually solid defense in center. He knows (and loves) New York, and the Bader/Taylor pairing worked in 2024.
• Mike Yastrzemski: A great platoon bat from the left side, Yaz—the grandson of THAT Yaz—is playable in center and could compliment Taylor. At 35, he probably won’t command anything long-term, and he’s worth 15-20 homers a year while being just above average at the plate.

Trade Market

If we’re being honest, there aren’t a lot of options here—at least reported options. Well-rounded center fielders don’t grow on trees, and ones worth giving up capital for are fewer and further between. Here a couple of shots in the dark:

• Jarren Duran: Duran was seemingly on the trade market all of last season, but the team performed too well to make a big move like that. He’s a streaky player, both at the plate and on defense, and he’s had plenty of reasonable questions about his maturity. But when it all clicks, he’s All-Star-worthy.
• Byron Buxton: He reiterated he wanted to be part of the Twins organization, but if they told him they were doing a full tear down, could a Buxton/Joe Ryan package be interesting to a team (read: the Mets)? He’d be the best everyday center fielder for the Mets since Carlos Beltrán.
• Jo Adell: His bat finally came around after 1,000 career plate appearances, but the defense was so poor in center. He’s much better as a corner outfielder.
• Jake Mangum: I KNOW. It would make sense, though. He’d be like a lefty version of the good version of Tyrone Taylor. Great defense and a bat that borders on average.
• Myles Straw: This is probably untoward, because his team is in the middle of a World Series run right now, but he’s a solid defender in center and a fine end-of-the-order bat. He’s got a couple of inexpensive club options the next two years of his contract. It’s an option that’d make sense.

Luis Robert Jr. could be a free agent or a trade candidate, but I wouldn’t expect the Mets to show interest if they’re looking for any sort of consistency from the position. The upside is there, but the results haven’t for two full seasons now.

Internal Options

And here lies the toughest category: the Mets don’t have a true center fielder who is Opening Day-ready in the organization right now. Here are the options:

• Carson Benge: He logged most of defensive innings in center in the minors last year, but unless he has an insane spring, he probably won’t be ready to both hit and play center in the majors just yet. You also can’t bank on that, given how he ended the 2025 season at the plate.
• Jett Williams: Like Benge, you can’t count on Williams to be MLB-ready at the plate to start next year, let alone in center. He might be an option down the road—not Opening Day. He’s also more likely to be an infielder.
• A.J. Ewing & Nick Morabito: Both fast and athletic center fielders, neither are developed enough to have an impact in 2026. (Morabito is more likely than Ewing, if we’re talking depth chart.)

So, What Do They Do?

Thankfully, that’s up to David Stearns and not myself.

Ideally, you find a good plug for the next year or two until you see what talent you have in the minors can be an everyday center fielder in the majors. The trade market  right now just isn’t clear, and a short-term solution also allows the trade market to open up down the road.

With that in mind, hopefully Bader re-enters the market and the Mets can right their wrong of not bringing him back for 2025. A two-year deal should be all it takes, but Bader will certainly be looking to cash in a bit after his season last year. Mike Yastrzemski would also be a great move for a team probably not looking to commit any sort of long-term money in the outfield with Nimmo and Soto locked up for years to come.