📰 NEWS FLASH: Pirates Trade Smoke Is Thick—and One Mets Player Looks Increasingly Easy to Move ⚡.DD

As spring training approaches, Mets trade rumors involving the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to gain traction rather than fade quietly away.

Jun 28, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) enters the dugout to play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Two names dominate the conversation, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, despite their very different paths and current roster value.

Awesome Pirates reporter Jason Mackey said he thinks the following 3 players will be on the Pirates Opening Day roster:

-Mark Vientos
-Jose Quintana
-Andrew McCutchen.

Very very interesting.

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) February 5, 2026

While both share positional overlap, their defensive profiles and recent performances have created a clear internal contrast.

Vientos enjoyed a strong 2024 season, but followed it with a noticeable step back in 2025.

Baty, meanwhile, offers more defensive flexibility and appears more immediately useful to the Mets this season.

That versatility matters, especially with uncertainty surrounding the left-field situation entering Opening Day.

If Carson Benge is not ready, Baty could easily slide into a regular role.

Vientos does not have the same luxury, largely limited to first base and designated hitter duties.

That positional bottleneck makes his future feel more fragile.

Pirates reporter Jason Mackey added fuel to the speculation by suggesting Vientos will be on Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster.

The confidence of that prediction turned quiet interest into something closer to expectation.

Mackey floated potential return pieces without committing to a specific package.

Names like Joey Bart and Termarr Johnson were mentioned, though neither appears particularly useful to the Mets.

Bart is blocked and out of options, while Johnson overlaps with an already crowded infield picture.

A low-level pitching prospect alone would not justify moving a controllable bat.

At this stage, any deal would likely require a young starting pitcher to make sense.

The Pirates have rotation depth, even after missing on multiple free agents this offseason.

That desperation may be the only reason these talks still feel plausible.

For the Mets, trading Vientos is difficult but far less disruptive than moving Baty.

As rumors persist, the logic increasingly points toward one outcome feeling more realistic than the other.