NY Mets spread holiday cheer at club’s giving event at Citi Field
Clay Holmes played Santa Claus, with Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat in elf roles in the Mets’ Holiday Party Dec. 18, 2025, at Citi Field.
Another longtime Met appears to be leaving the organization.
According to multiple reports, the Mets are trading Jeff McNeil to the Oakland Athletics for pitching prospect Yordan Rodriguez. Jeff Passan of ESPN was the first to report the full details of the transaction.
McNeil, 33, spent all eight of his seasons with the Mets after being drafted by the club in the 12th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. During his career, he earned a pair of All-Star selections and won the National League batting title in 2022 when he hit .326 and won a Silver Slugger.
The veteran infielder is due $10 million in the final year of his four-year, $50 million contract. He has a $15.75 million club option for the 2027 season. McNeil’s future became hazy after the club dealt another career Met in Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for Marcus Semien in a trade last month.
“I want to thank Jeff for his time and contributions to the organization,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said in a statement. “He was drafted by the team and grew up in our system. I wish Jeff and his family success and good luck going forward. We are excited to bring Yordan into our system. He is a young right-hander with a promising future.”
McNeil’s departure is the latest in a seismic Mets offseason after they won 83 games and missed the playoffs despite holding MLB’s second-highest payroll last season. In addition to McNeil and Nimmo, Pete Alonso left on a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles and Edwin Diaz signed with the Dodgers on a three-year, $69 million pact.
The Mets are reportedly sending $5.75 million to the Athletics in the deal but will save money in the short term following the trade.
Since winning the batting title, McNeil’s average has wavered over the last three seasons. Last campaign, McNeil slashed .243/.335/.411 with 12 home runs, 54 RBI and 42 runs. He missed the first month of the season with an oblique strain, clearing a pathway for Brett Baty to see his first time at second base where he acclimated well.
A major hole persists in left field following Nimmo’s exit. McNeil remained as a versatile option for the corner outfield before Monday’s deal. The Mets front office could make a move to fill that spot and potentially fortify center field or lean on top positional prospect Carson Benge in that spot.
The Mets have a glut of young infielders, with Baty heading into spring training as the expected third baseman. Mark Vientos could also see time there and as a right-handed designated-hitting option. Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña each could log time anywhere on the diamond other than first base.
In Rodriguez, the Mets are taking a low-risk hack on a young pitching prospect.
The 17-year-old right-hander signed a minor-league contract with the A’s out of Cuba last January. He pitched in eight games for the Athletics’ Dominican Summer League team last season, striking out 20 batters in 15⅓ innings and posting a 2.93 ERA.