Will Jeff McNeil be the odd man out?
Made His Case on Monday to Stay on Every Day… or Is He Punching His Ticket Out of Town?
Let me preface this by saying: I’m a huge Jeff McNeil fan. As a lifelong Mets fan, I tend to gravitate not to the super-duper-stars, but rather to the blue collar hard working types. Those who you know what you’re going to get out of ‘em. Edgardo Alfonzo is one of my favorite Mets of all time, despite him never being the best player on his teams. I often said that McNeil has an “Alfonzo-like quality” that I truly look for in my favorite players.
That said, McNeil seems to be the odd man out in this team right now. Before his showing on Monday in DC, he was seen to have maybe Wally Pipped himself out of a job.
Not so fast, said McNeil. His “comeback” for lack of a better term may have been overshadowed by Brandon Nimmo’s 9-RBI explosion (providing nearly 50% of the 19-run offense himself). McNeil was no slouch: going 2-for-5 with 3-RBI, with a triple and a home run.
McNeil has certainly more than paid his dues to not settle for a “platoon.” Yet with Luisangel Acuña being groomed for potentially 2B and/or CF, and maybe with Brett Baty showing signs of promise, it bears the question of: where will McNeil go?
Additionally, much has been said about McNeil’s temper. In fact, over at the Mets subreddit, many of the participants were afraid his tantrums might have a negative impact on this “good vibes” Mets team.
Yet, with the type of performance he had today, McNeil did remind us all of the type of player he can be: getting on base, hitting…a lot (a former batting champion will do that), and just being a team player they can rely on (attitude adjustments be damned).
Yet, as a fan of the team, and someone who is realistic about baseball, perhaps all good things do eventually come to an end. And if McNeil performs the way the two-time All-Star has, using him as trade bait absolutely should be an option on the table. Certainly David Stearns knows this as well.
For the first time in a very long time (and maybe for the first time ever for most of Mets360’s readers), this front office is not afraid to take risks, but also do what is the right thing to help the team win. That’s refreshing. To part ways with McNeil would be a shame, but likely necessary should the Mets keep going long on futures.
Objectively, more games like today will increase Jeff McNeil’s trade value, and he can be a valuable component elsewhere.
There's a school of thought that any sports headline that asks a yes or no question should always be answered, "No."
My opinion is that the idea the Mets are going to phase out McNeil in 2025 is way off base.
McNeil deserves extra time to prove whether he can be a contributor whether that is as a starter or as a backup. As a backup he is very talented to fill in at 2B or the outfield. It would not have been a strange question to ask why he was not in the lineup after a good day at the plate, and the same could have been asked about Nimmo sitting after nine RBI.
Acuna's star is rising and with him hitting .300 and leading the team with seven steals and fielding his position better than McNeil could. Despite Tyrone Taylor's day yesterday, I see McNeil getting playing time in CF so that Acuna stays in the lineup. Now, all bets are off as we get to the trade deadline as to who stays or who goes, but at this point, not sure what the team would need to fill in. Sandy Alcantara could be a huge addition to the rotation and Luis Robert Jr. would be an improvement in CF. In the meantime, Let's keep winning. Jealous you live close enough to see lots of games. Just bought 7/23 tix against the Angels.