Starling Marte's arrival in Queens for the 2022 season wasn't quite a seismic moment for the Mets, but the impact on that year's team was enormous.
In 118 games that season, Marte slashed .292/.347/.468 with 16 homers, 24 doubles, five triples, and 18 stolen bases. In the outfield, while Marte's range wasn't what it once was, he provided serious value with his arm.
For his efforts, Marte earned an All-Star nod and received down-ballot MVP support after the season.
And his absence for the last three-plus weeks of the regular season arguably had as much to do with the Mets surrendering first place to the Braves as anything else.
Before Marte was forced out of the lineup on Sept. 7 after getting hit in the hand by a 96 mph fastball from Mitch Keller the day before, the Mets were 85-51.
And while they didn't totally wilt down the stretch before eventually losing the division on a tiebreaker, the offense wasn't the same without Marte — something that was most apparent when they suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the Braves in the second-to-last series of the season as New York mustered just seven runs.
Marte returned for the playoffs, but he wasn't himself as the Mets went down to the Padres in three games in the Wild Card Series in front of a Citi Field crowd that spent most of the series shellshocked by how the regular season ended. Just like that, a year where the Mets had legitimate World Series hopes ended before the NLDS.
Marte hasn't come close to replicating his 2022 season over the last three years, with injuries playing a big part. But he had a bounce back of sorts in 2025 and has been a key part of the clubhouse during his tenure.
With Marte set for free agency, should the Mets bring him back?
WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO LET MARTE GO
Since playing 118 games in 2022, Marte has played 86, 94, and 98 games, respectively, over the last three seasons.
A lot of that has to do with the double groin surgery Marte had after the 2023 season — the groin issues impacted him in 2023 and lingered throughout 2024 while seriously impacting his availability and production.
Over the last year-plus, Marte's ability to play the outfield on a regular basis also went away.
After starting 85 games in right field in 2024 (and serving as the designated hitter nine times), Marte became mainly a DH option in 2025 as he served in that capacity 77 times and started in the outfield just eight times (six in left field, two in right field).
Entering his age-37 season in 2026, it's fair to believe that Marte will be in a DH only role or in a hybrid role where he isn't relied on to play the outfield much.
If he returns to the Mets, the club would in effect be giving up any kind of defensive versatility with that roster spot. And it's hard to make an argument for doing so since Marte isn't a classic DH.
While Marte has some pop, he slugged just .410 while hitting only nine homers in 2025. That's not going to cut it.
In a world where New York's regular DH for 2026 is someone who was on the roster in 2025, the guess here is that it's Mark Vientos — though his Mets future is also up in the air.
WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO RE-SIGN MARTE
Despite his limitations, Marte was still an above average offensive performer in 2025 — posting an OPS+ of .111.
He was also largely healthy, with his only issue being a bone bruise in his knee that kept him out of action for two weeks in July.
It's also likely that Marte will be a relatively inexpensive, one-year option.
That's kind of where the argument ends, though.
While Marte was above average at the plate in 2025, he doesn't mash lefties, which means he isn't really a fit for the short end of a DH platoon.
Meanwhile, his advanced offensive metrics this past season — except for his bat speed — all graded out as below average.
VERDICT
Marte has been an important Met during his four years in New York, but the writing seems to be on the wall here.
With Marte not a strong fit at DH, no longer able to provide much value in the outfield, and with the Mets looking to become a more defensive-oriented team, it's time for the two sides to part ways.
