It’s been a quiet offseason thus far. With Winter Meetings around the corner in Dallas starting December 9, things look to heat up soon. The Mets, however, have still made some depth moves, the most notable acquisitions this offseason via a trade with the Rays for outfielder Jose Siri in exchange for relief pitcher Eric Orze and signing RHP Frankie Montas.
No question the Mets’ roster will begin to take shape once Juan Soto signs. Everything the Mets do this offseason hinges on him: how they approach first base, the infield, etc. However, as things stand now, the bench is a platoon of Tyrone Taylor/Jose Siri and Luis Torrens. While he excelled in his short stint with New York in September, Luisangel Acuña isn’t guaranteed a spot on the roster, and Brett Baty certainly isn’t guaranteed one as well based on his offensive statistics. Then, of course, there’s free agent Jose Iglesias, who flourished during his time with the Mets. It could be argued he deserves a full-time role with a team rather than a bench role.
That said, there are two or three spots up for grabs. Given the Mets’ desire to remain competitive and make the playoffs, here are a few major league bench players the Mets could sign to bolster their team in 2025.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Kiké Hernández
Utility player Kiké Hernández has always been a streaky hitter, holding a career of .238/.308/.405/.713 line. However, he possesses two qualities David Stearns deems valuable: defensive versatility and postseason experience. In his 11-year career, Hernández played all three outfield positions and every infield position except catcher. He logged at least 100+ innings at third, shortstop and second, and 100+ innings in left field and center. He’s a lifetime .278/.353/.522/.874 hitter in 86 playoff games.
The Mets struggled to hit the sinker in 2024, a pitch Hernández hit .365 against and slugged .527 against in 81 plate appearances. In comparison, Brett Baty and Tyrone Taylor led the Mets in pitch run value against the sinker, hitting .435 and .327 against the pitch in 28 and 58 plate appearances. Hernández posted a positive one outs above average (OAA) in 2024. While he posted a career-worst -13 OAA in 2023, he returned to certain positions for the first time since 2020. He quickly fixed those kinks in 2024. The Mets only had two players post positive OAAs in 2024 — Harrison Bader (10) and Tyrone Taylor (five).
Hernández will enter his age-34 season in 2025. A notorious “Met-killer,” adding Hernández as a bench piece gives the 2025 roster a veteran presence who provides versatility and experience.
Jon Berti
The Mets have known Jon Berti since his time with the Miami Marlins. A career .259/.337/.336/.703 hitter, Berti’s main threat is his speed. He led MLB in stolen bases in 2022 with 41 and ranked in the 91st percentile in sprint speed in 2024 (20 ft per sec). While this was the lowest sprint speed of Berti’s career, it still was in the top nine percent in the league. Like Hernández, he provides defensive versatility, having played all three outfield positions and third, second, and shortstop. He debuted at first base with the Yankees in the 2024 Wild Card series.
A gap player for most of his career, his strikeout rate has decreased the past couple of years, but his walk rate has as well. While he didn’t have enough at-bats to qualify in 2024, his 17.5% chase and 17.7% whiff percentage would have put him in the top percentiles. A fastball-first hitter, Berti hit .300 off the pitch type in 2024 and slugged .360 in 50 at-bats.
Berti’s biggest give to the 2025 Mets will be his speed as a pinch runner and defensive replacement late in games.
Photo by Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports
Gio Urshela
2025 will bring Gio Urshela to his fifth team in four years. A victim of the prospect surge, Urshela has been able to pick right up where he left off with ease. In nine years, he’s hit .273/.316/.413/.729 with a career 8.3 fWAR. His best year came with the Yankees in 2019, but he almost replicated that in 2022 with the Twins. A third baseman by trade, he’s dabbled in a handful of games at shortstop and first base. Urshela ranked in the 85th percentile in strikeout percentage in 2024 (15.6%) but just the 10th percentile in walk percentage (five percent). A free swinger, his 36.8% chase percentage ranked in the eighth percentile in 2024.
While this may not bode well with the Mets’ philosophy, Urshela ranked in the 86th percentile in OAA (four). Mark Vientos ranked in the sixth percentile in OAA (negative seven), and Brett Baty ranked in the 78th percentile (two) but hasn’t proven he can hit at the big league level yet.
The Mets will answer their first base question mark soon. If Vientos shifts there, Urshela can platoon at third with Jeff McNeil or Brett Baty. Either way, he proves to be a defensive upgrade off the bench.
