One thing that Jeff McNeil has been known for ever since he came up to the Mets was his versatility. Once described as “strictly a second baseman,” McNeil has provided value at second, third, and in both outfield corners.

With Robinson Cano suspended, the Mets have some more flexibility on what they want to do with McNeil. Obviously they acquired star shortstop Francisco Lindor, and first base will likely be shared by Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith, but the second and third base slots are still very loose and open.

Looking at McNeil’s defensive stats, he’s been surprisingly solid at all four positions he’s played. While he’s likely not going to play nearly as much outfield as he will infield this season, he’s more than serviceable out there, as he’s accumulated 4 DRS and a 2.6 UZR in his major league career there.

The position he’s played the most of is his original position of second. In 774 innings, he’s accumulated an adequate but unspectacular 1 DRS and 0.5 UZR. That’s fine, but it obviously doesn’t jump off the page.

At third base, however, in 245.1 innings, McNeil has posted 5 DRS and a 2.7 UZR. An argument could certainly be made at this point, especially considering the growing sample size, that McNeil is a better defender at third and should stick there going forward.

So if we imagine a scenario where McNeil is the regular third baseman for the 2021 Mets, that leaves only the second base hole open. While the Mets do have defensive whiz Luis Guillorme on the squad, they may then want to go after a free agent like Tommy La Stella.

La Stella is a below average defender, but if you have McNeil and Lindor on the left side and Smith manning first, it’s a small detriment you could handle. Even if the Mets go with a mediocre fielder at second, Lindor’s presence will undoubtedly enhance the defense up the middle, especially when you consider that he’s replacing Amed Rosario.

Offensively, La Stella has hit for a 120 wRC+ or better in three of the last four seasons; 106 for his career. While he might be the weak link of the infield compared to the star power of those around him, he would be a perfectly fine stopgap to fill that hole with decent production.

And if the Mets ever needed a defensive boost late in games, they could always call on Guillorme. Imagine a Lindor-Guillorme combo up the middle. The batter would have to hit the skin off the ball to get it through the hole.

Especially with super-utility man Enrique Hernandez signing with the Red Sox on Friday, this would probably be the best course of action for the Mets at this point, in terms of how they want to handle their infield. Losing Cano was a bummer in some ways, but also a breath of fresh air as it allows them some more freedom in how they want to line things up.