Mets' Mark Vientos connecting with coaches about possible move to first base and improving defense in 2026

Mark Vientos is well aware of the deficiencies in his defense, but with  Pete Alonso’s future with the Mets in flux,  the young third baseman has tapped one of the team’s newest hires to ease any potential transition across the diamond.

Vientos, who’s been mentioned as a possibility at first base if Alonso signs elsewhere, has been working on his defense “every day,” he said at the Mets’ turkey giveaway at Queensborough Community College on Friday.

He’s also been in close contact with   new bench coach Kai Correa,  whom the Mets brought in specifically for his acumen in coaching defense.

The new coaching staff “has been texting me and helping me out so early before the season even starts,” Vientos said. “Kai is the biggest one, especially on the defensive side. We related really quickly because my girlfriend is from Hawaii . . . I’m excited also that I’ve heard so much good stuff [about] his knowledge of the game and how much he knows.”

It should be a pivotal offseason for Vientos, who excelled in 2024 before this past down year in which he had a .233/.289/.413 slash line, 17 homers and 61 RBIs and struggled at third base.

By season’s end, Brett Baty had more or less earned the everyday third baseman role, with Vientos slotting in more as a DH — hardly ideal with his waning offensive production. In the months since the end of the season, his name has been mentioned   in trade talks.

President of baseball operations David Stearns said during the general managers’ meetings earlier this month that Vientos’ “playing time will go how his bat goes . . . [but] he works very hard at his defense.”

Stearns, like Vientos, indicated that this is where Correa comes in.

“Kai comes to us as really one of the best defensive coaching minds in the game,” Stearns said. “[He’s] someone who has established a reputation from people he’s worked with, players he’s coached, as innovative, [a coach] who can really move teams and organizations forward on that side of the ball.”

Of Vientos, he added: “I think Mark had a disappointing year last year. I think he’s very motivated to prove that last year was the outlier and [that] he’s much closer to the player that we saw in ’24 . . . What we’re encouraging Mark to do is put himself in a spot where he comes to spring training ready to perform regardless of what our offseason looks like.”

Vientos said last year’s failures make him “excited” for the challenge to come.

“There’s so much to get better with and so much to look forward to in the following year,” he said. “I’ve just been working on defense, offense, just trying to find a routine that I’m just going to stay consistent to and bring toward the season.”

He added that he felt “pretty good” at both third and first and sees himself “playing multiple positions.”

When asked about Stearns’ comments, he said he is working to increase his range.

“When it comes to the metrics, range is where I’m deficient in,” he said. “I’m trying to work on my lateral movement, I’m trying to make it as challenging as possible when I work this offseason and trying to get the best out of me. Whether I could become an average defender or above-average defender, we’ll see, but I’m working to maximize my potential.”

Notes & quotes: The Mets agreed to a one-year contract with Tyrone Taylor. They did not tender contracts to relievers Jose Castillo, Max Kranick and Danny Young.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.