Are the Mets and Astros Still Potential Trade Partners?

In their latest combined notes column, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic take a dive into the New York Mets and where they stand currently following the trade of IF/OF Jeff McNeil. What they had to say should be very interesting to Astros fans.

They mention the Mets are still looking for a right-handed hitter, and that player could be someone who plays 1B. The Mets have long been reported this offseason to be open to moving 1B/3B Mark Vientos, who is coming off a down season and showing himself to be a liability defensively. Earlier this offseason, Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns stated that “run prevention” was among his top priorities this offseason, and Vientos’ defensive challenges certainly don’t fit that mold.

The Astros, meanwhile, have not just one but two right-handed hitting 1B in Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes. They also have a starting pitcher in Kodai Senga that the team has been previously reported to wanting to move.

Could a Walker for Senga trade still be viable between these two teams?

Earlier in the offseason when the Mets signed Jorge Polanco, they stated he would play 1B and DH. However, a look at his defensive positioning and success at each position would indicate that Polanco’s best position right now appears to be DH.

Polanco, who turns 33 July 5, DHed in 89 of his 138 games last season for the Mariners. That equates to 65% of his games. He made 38 appearances at 2B, 5 at 3B, and is credited with 1 appearance at 1B although he played 0.0 innings at the position indicating he never actually took the field at 1B. Polanco was worth -2 defensive runs saved at 2B per Baseball Reference in 2025, and -2 defensive runs saved at 3B last season as well.

Now, it should be noted that Polanco ruptured his patellar tendon and had offseason knee surgery prior to the 2025 season. A case can be made that the Mariners were taking it easy on him in his first year back from patellar tendon surgery. A case can also be made that at age 31, the injury caused him to lose mobility and lateral movement, and he will not be as good a fielder as he once was (Polanco was worth -1 DRS in 2024 in 112 games at 2B in 2024, making him essentially a league average fielder at the position).

A decrease in defensive ability from “league average” certainly wouldn’t bode well, and would also indicate a potential move to 1B could be in the making. Polanco did represent himself well at the plate as a DH with a .780 OPS last season.

However, for a team focused on “run prevention” and one that doesn’t want the defensively challenged Vientos to play 1B, could the Mets ultimately be interested in 3x Gold Glove winner Christian Walker, whose 2nd half power surge and defensive reputation may be right on par with what the Mets are looking for? Could they be interested in the power/discipline profile for Isaac Paredes, who in 2024 showed himself to at least have the makings of a league average 1B defensively.

It’s important to note that Rosenthal and Sammon noted that the Mets are more likely to find their righthanded bat via trade than via free agency, as the Mets do not want to hand out a contract of over 3 years and both Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette (the best 2 righthanded hitting infielders) will certainly be commanding longer term deals than that.

The Mets could also be looking for a left fielder, as Rosenthal and Sammon note, but it certainly seems like the pathway for an Astros and Mets deal is still very much a possibility.