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The clean-up hitter for the New York Mets is going to have an important job this season. They will be tasked with driving in Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, who figure to bat first and second in the new-look batting order. Right now, the fourth spot is up for grabs, and there are a lot of options to look at.
There are some internal ones, too. Assuming Mark Vientos slides into the third spot, then other hitters could move up. However, the spend-happy Mets are likely not done yet and could add someone to fill that hole.
Who the Mets can tab for the clean-up spot
#5) Nico Hoerner
The Chicago Cubs are very active in the trade market. They added Kyle Tucker and gave away Cody Bellinger. For the right price, they could move on from second baseman Nico Hoerner. If so, the Mets should be all over that.
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Hoerner is a good hitter who could slide into the clean-up spot, and he plays the one position that's truly lacking in New York. Jeff McNeil is fine, but Hoerner would be a huge upgrade.
#4) Anthony Santander
Anthony Santander hit 44 home runs last year. That is the ideal type of hitter to move into the clean-up spot in New York. He'd have so many RBI chances with Soto and Lindor hitting ahead of him, so this is a signing the Mets should absolutely make.
In this scenario, the Mets would move Brandon Nimmo back to center field and put Santander in left field (or Soto in left and Santander in right). Santander can also be the DH, so there's some flexibility.
#3) Jurickson Profar
The same logic and positional shuffle applies to Jurickson Profar. Nimmo would go back to center field and the corners would be played by Soto and Profar. Profar doesn't have the bat of Anthony Santander, but he's a good hitter.
His stats were slightly park-inflated, and the Mets have a pitcher-friendly park. Still, this is a position they can shore up and Profar is a player they can sign for relatively cheap to fill the middle of the order.
#2) Alex Bregman
Alex Bregman would be an excellent addition to the Mets' lineup. In this scenario, Mark Vientos would move to first base and Bregman would play third. He would also bat right behind Vientos in the clean-up spot.
Bregman batted in a variety of different spots at the top and in the middle of the Houston Astros' lineup. He's a good enough hitter that he can produce a lot with runners on, which is ideal for the Mets.
#1) Pete Alonso
Pete Alonso returning to the Mets is almost a foregone conclusion at this point. Very few teams need a first baseman anymore, and the Mets do. They know Alonso and like him, as does their fanbase. It's a perfect fit.
Alonso would then return to his usual post. In this scenario, the clean-up spot is never vacated because Alonso never left. It might just be as simple as that to fix this issue for the Mets.
