The departure of Pete Alonso left a crater in the middle of the New York Mets‘ lineup that no single player could realistically fill. Alonso’s consistent 40-homer threat is a rarity in modern baseball, and rather than chasing a direct one-for-one replacement in a thin free-agent market, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has opted for a strategy that feels very much like a “Moneyball” pivot: replacing the Polar Bear in the aggregate.
The result is a fascinating, if risky, two-man platoon system at first base for the 2026 season featuring the newly acquired Jorge Polanco and the high-upside incumbent Mark Vientos.
Jorge Polanco: The Veteran Stabilizer
The headline move of this strategy was the acquisition of Jorge Polanco on a two-year, $40 million contract. While Polanco has spent the majority of his career as a middle infielder—primarily at second base and shortstop—the Mets view his bat as a profile that can play anywhere.
Polanco is coming off a resurgent 2025 campaign with the Seattle Mariners, where he slashed .265/.326/.495 and launched 26 home runs. His 132 wRC+ indicates he was 32% better than the league average hitter, a significant offensive upgrade that Stearns believes can anchor the middle of the order. The plan is for Polanco to serve as the primary designated hitter but to rotate frequently into first base against right-handed pitching, maximizing his effectiveness as a switch-hitter.
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Mark Vientos: The Cost-Controlled Wild Card
On the other side of the equation is Mark Vientos, who remains under team control and represents the “X-factor” of this tandem. Vientos is coming off a down year in 2025 where he struggled to find consistency, slashing .233/.289/.413 with 17 home runs and a 97 wRC+. However, the Mets haven’t forgotten the tantalizing power he displayed during his breakout in 2024, and the organization still views him as a legitimate 30-homer threat if he can refine his approach.
The beauty of this arrangement is that it allows the Mets to shield Vientos from unfavorable matchups while giving him ample runway to rediscover his stroke. If he can handle the defensive transition to first base—a position he has played sparingly—he offers the kind of cheap, elite power that championship rosters need to balance out their payroll.
The Defensive Gamble for Offensive Upside
The obvious question mark in this “two-man plan” is defense. Neither Polanco nor Vientos is a natural first baseman. Polanco has virtually no professional experience at the position, and Vientos has graded out poorly in the infield during his young career.
However, the Mets are clearly wagering that the offensive ceiling of this duo outweighs the potential defensive growing pains. By rotating them between first base and DH, manager Carlos Mendoza can keep both bats fresh and play the matchups, theoretically getting “Alonso-level” production—or better—out of the first base slot by combining Polanco’s on-base skills with Vientos’ raw slugging. It is a bold reimagining of the position, but one that could pay massive dividends if the pieces fit.
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