Mark Vientos has been here before. In fact, he is quite used to it.
And while he and the Mets would obviously prefer the exception — to be coming off a breakout season like he was at this time last year, looking like a key part of the club’s future — Vientos is embracing a familiar feeling in an uncertain offseason following a rough year in Queens.
“It feels like last year was a lot different from every other year, so I think [this year] is a lot similar to every other year that I had to come back and prove myself again,” Vientos said Friday after handing out turkeys to hundreds of people in need at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, part of a city-wide effort through the Amazin’ Mets Foundation ahead of Thanksgiving.
“But I’m excited. I love proving myself. I love just getting better and trying to improve. I feel like this season I learned a lot about myself, and I’m excited for it.”
After hitting .266 with 27 home runs and an .837 OPS in 111 games in 2024, Vientos regressed in 2025, batting .233 with 17 home runs and a .702 OPS in 121 games.
He also continued to be a liability defensively at third base, though the Mets could have lived with some of that more if his bat were holding up its end of the deal.
Mark Vientos regressed last season. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Vientos’ step back was one of the many reasons why the Mets fell short of expectations and ultimately crashed out of a playoff spot altogether. But it has also now clouded his future with the club entering the offseason, creating questions about where he fits in their plans and whether he could be on the move in a trade.
“Just getting back to the drawing board,” Vientos said. “Figuring out what went wrong this past season and what can I do better for the team. Offensively and defensively, I can improve. Excited just to get back.”
For now, Vientos said he is working at both third base and first base, as he has done in past offseasons, to keep his options open for where the Mets might need him. That loomed in particular over last offseason, when the Mets did not re-sign Pete Alonso until February, before which Vientos looked like a potential first base replacement.
Mark Vientos hands out turkeys at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation on Nov. 21, 2025. Greg Joyce
Now, Alonso is a free agent again, with the Mets’ biggest winter questions revolving around whether they bring back him and closer Edwin Díaz.
“[Alonso] deserves everything coming for him,” Vientos said. “He’s a great player and a great person, so I’m excited for what’s in store for him.”
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President of baseball operations David Stearns has harped on the Mets needing to improve their run prevention next season, which could mean taking Vientos off third base in favor of Brett Baty or an external addition. Alonso’s future will determine whether Vientos could be an option at first base (where he has received limited game reps over the past three years), and while he started 39 games as DH this year, that may be less desirable if his bat does not return to its peak 2024 form.
All of that leaves plenty up in the air for Vientos this offseason, but he has an idea of what he needs to work on heading into 2026.
“I think just focusing on the routine,” Vientos said. “The routine is the most important thing throughout a long season, is just having that routine that you trust and is going to take you all the way to where we want to go, the World Series. I feel like it was inconsistent for me. I have a greater idea of what I want my routine to be this upcoming season.”