Rangers not alone facing crucial decisions with key prospects, young NHL players

3 days ago

Watching the New York Mets late Monday night, my mind drifted towards the New York Rangers. And, no, not because of how the Mets blew a four-run lead nor lost on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning, frustrations straight out of the Rangers playbook from last season.
Instead, my focus was on the kids. Specifically, the time a team invests in its prospects and young pros, which opportunities are given to which players, and the ultimate decision if/when to cut bait.
It's a relevant topic for the Mets right now because they have four young Major League infielders on their roster vying for playing time. Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuna each is dealing with ups and downs, while trying to establish himself as an MLB regular. Each has been a top prospect in the Mets organization, viewed as an important piece in the present and hopefully the future. But none has really separated himself from the pack.
They range in age from 23 (Acuna) to 25 (Baty and Vientos). Their development is crucial, though the Mets are in win-now mode. It's a thin tightrope to walk.
With the MLB trade deadline looming and the Mets a legit playoff/World Series contender, the front office faces massive decisions on each of these players. Which one has the biggest value on the trade market? Which one — if any — is seen as a cornerstone player moving forward by the Mets? Who fits the Mets' needs best moving forward? Who has the greatest upside?
Related:
Rangers made many crucial decisions on young players in past year
Chris Drury and the Rangers can definitely relate.
In the past year alone the Rangers made massive decisions on four players between the ages of 23-25. They traded forwards Filip Chytil (25) and Kaapo Kakko (24), and defenseman K'Andre Miller (25). They signed forward Alexis Lafreniere (23) to a significant seven-year, $52.15 million contract.
You can include Will Cuylle (23) in that group, too. Though the decision to offer a bit more on his RFA bridge deal this offseason (two years, $7.8 million) should be filed in the 'no-brainer' category.
Because the NHL and MLB operate differently, you can't quite make a direct comparison between the decisions made by the Rangers regarding their key young players and what the Mets may do, or should do, with theirs.
For example, the Rangers had seven years to evaluate Chytil at the NHL level before they traded him to the Vancouver Canucks. It was six years for Kakko, five for Miller and four for Lafreniere.
The Mets developed and evaluated Vientos, Baty, Mauricio and Acuna (after acquiring him in the 2023 Max Scherzer trade with the Texas Rangers) mostly in the minor leagues. Vientos has the most MLB experience of the group (266 games). But it's only been the past two seasons when he's primarily stuck in the bigs. Baty has been yo-yoed between Triple-A and the Majors (254 games) for the past four seasons. Mauricio's played 62 games with the Mets over parts of two seasons and missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL. Acuna's been a bit player over 91 MLB games to date.
Not exactly apples to apples. But the bottom line is still the same. You start getting to that age 25 or 26 season and it's time to make a serious evaluation about your kids.
Related:
Rangers face important decisions in coming years with Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard, others
That holds true with the next wave of Rangers youngsters. Braden Schneider turns 24 this coming season, his fifth in the NHL. Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard will be 23, each still trying to establish himself as an NHL regular. Time is on Gabe Perreault's side. The 2023 first-round pick is 20 years old and entering his first full professional season.
Before you know it, the Rangers must make major decisions on each of these players, though.
It's part of the cycle in pro sports. Young players are needed to establish themselves as regulars, to keep the lineup fresh and balance out the team's salary-cap situation. But evaluations and decisions must be made in relatively quick fashion. And management best be right more often than not.
For the Mets, that next step is making the right call on who stays, who goes among their four young infielders.
For the Rangers, it's finding out if they made the right calls, say, on committing to Lafreniere and trading away Miller. And then continuing the cycle with the likes of Schneider, Cuylle, Othmann and Berard.
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