In what could be his final week as a Met, Mark Vientos may have given David Stearns more to think about. He also may have upped his trade value.
Vientos broke a 1-1 tie with an opposite-field grand slam Monday off Padres starter and fellow trade rumor subject Dylan Cease. The Mets failed to hold the lead, however, suffering a 7-6 walk-off loss when Elias Díaz singled in the winning run off Gregory Soto.
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The first regular season grand slam of Vientos’ career came after the Padres intentionally walked Jeff McNeil. Vientos also hit a grand slam in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series last year after the Dodgers intentionally walked Francisco Lindor.
“I’m happy I get put in those situations,” Vientos told reporters. “I like those situations because I tend to lock in more. I don’t know why, but I’m happy to be in that situation and just come through for the team.”
It’s been a disappointing season for Vientos, who started the year with the third base job after a breakout 2024 (27 home runs, .837 OPS). He is slashing .230/.283/.372 with seven homers and found himself battling for playing time. Lately, though, he’s made the most of his at-bats. He’s gone 8-for-24 on a seven-game hitting streak just as the trade rumors have intensified. The deadline for teams to deal is Thursday.
“I see it as it’s a good thing,” Vientos told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com before the game. “It’s a good thing that I’m being talked about. You can see it as like, ‘Damn, it’s bad.’ But I see it as, ‘Man, I’m that important in the league that I’m being talked about in trade rumors.’ Obviously, it sucks because I don’t want to get traded. But this is a business, at the end of the day. I feel like it is what it is. What can I do?”
Manager Carlos Mendoza addressed how Vientos is handling it all.
“I will say not happy, but also understanding that he’s got an opportunity that when he’s in the lineup he can help us win baseball games,” he said pre-game. “But he continues to work, he continues to grind, continue to make adjustments. And he’s a really good player and we’re gonna need him.”
