2 Teams Listed As Trade Destination for NY Mets' Former Batting Champ

After their monumental collapse down the stretch this past season, the New York Mets have begun the shakeup this winter, and it started with the shocking trade of longtime Met Brandon Nimmo for second baseman Marcus Semien. And that move, says insider Jon Heyman, makes Jeff McNeil look like an “ex-Met walking”.

So with McNeil, another longtime Met, and often second baseman, almost certainly on his way out of town, where will he be headed? Heyman names two teams that could be McNeil destinations:

Jon Heyman lists the Mariners and Pirates as potential landing spots for Jeff McNeill via trade. #LGM pic.twitter.com/veotcQlL7m
— Subway Sports Network (@SubwaySportsNet) November 28, 2025

“While the New York Mets can’t discount an outside possibility that they may not find a workable deal for Jeff McNeil, the Mariners and Pirates are among potential landing spots,” wrote Heyman.

The Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates are both in the market for upgrades at second base. McNeil, with a career .284 average, and a batting crown from 2022 in which he hit .326, could fit on either team. He hasn't found the same success since that All-Star campaign in '22, and hit just .243 this past year with 12 homers, but with an OPS of 111 (11% better than the average hitter).

The 33-year-old brings added versatility as well, able to play third base as well as left and right field.

In Seattle, McNeil would bring some good on-base skills to a power-packed lineup featuring Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and Josh Naylor.

The Pirates could really use a contact hitter like him in their lineup as well, as their top two hitters, Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz, bring a ton of swing and miss to their game. McNeil would fit well here.

He is entering the final guaranteed year of his four-year contract, and any acquiring team would only be responsible for the $15.75M on the books for 2026, with a team option for 2027 at the same amount, if they so choose.