Mark Vientos in a familiar spot who has to prove his Mets worth again

Mark Vientos has been here before. In fact, he’s quite used to it.

And while he and the Mets would obviously prefer the exception — to have a breakout season like last year and look like a key part of the club’s future — Vientos is embracing a sense of familiarity in an uncertain offseason after a tough year in Queens.

“It feels like last year was very different from all the other years, I think [this year] looks a lot like any other year I had to come back and prove myself again,” Vientos said Friday after distributing turkeys to hundreds of people in need at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, part of a citywide effort through the Amazin’ Mets Foundation ahead of Thanksgiving.

“But I’m excited. I like to prove myself. I like to just get better and try to improve. I feel like I learned a lot about myself this season, and I’m excited about it.”

After hitting .266 with 27 home runs and an .837 OPS in 111 games in 2024, Vientos regressed in 2025, hitting .233 with 17 home runs and a .702 OPS in 121 games.

He also remained a problem defensively at third base, although the Mets could have lived with that a bit more if his bat had held up the end of the deal.

Vientos’ step back was one of the many reasons why the Mets fell short of expectations and ultimately crashed out of a playoff spot altogether. But it has now also clouded his future as the club heads into the offseason, raising questions about where he fits into their plans and whether he could be shipped off in a trade.

“I’m going back to the drawing board,” Vientos said. “Finding out what went wrong last season and what I can do better for the team. Offensively and defensively, I can improve. I’m excited to just get back.”

For now, Vientos said he is working at both third base and first base, as he has done in recent offseasons, to keep his options open for where the Mets might need him. That loomed large during the last offseason, when the Mets didn’t re-sign Pete Alonso until February, leaving Vientos looking like a potential first base replacement.

Now Alonso is a free agent again, with the Mets’ biggest winter questions centering on whether they will bring back him and closer Edwin Díaz.

“[Alonso] He deserves everything that’s coming to him,” Vientos said. “He’s a great player and a great person, so I’m excited about what’s in store for him.”

President of baseball operations David Stearns has hinted that the Mets will need to improve their run prevention next season, which could mean moving Vientos from third base in favor of Brett Baty or an outside addition. Alonso’s future will determine whether Vientos can be an option at first base (where he has gotten limited game reps over the past three years), and while he started 39 games as a DH this year, that could be less desirable if his bat doesn’t return to his 2024 peak form.

All of that leaves Vientos up in the air this season, but he has an idea of ​​what he needs to work on heading into 2026.

“I think I’m just focusing on the routine,” Vientos said. “The routine is the most important thing over a long season. It’s just having that routine that you trust and that will take you all the way to where we want to go: the World Series. I feel like it was inconsistent for me. I have a better idea of ​​what I want my routine to be next season.”