Unfazed by trade talk, Vientos delivers his first grand slam

SAN DIEGO -- Before taking the field Monday night at Petco Park, Mark Vientos acknowledged the realities facing him in a fitful follow-up to last year’s breakout season.

“I feel like I’m swinging a lot better and I’m playing a lot less now,” Vientos said. “It is what it is. What can I do? The only thing I can control is keep getting better, and whenever I get the opportunity, try to help the team.”

That is precisely what Vientos accomplished against the Padres, hitting a go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning to vindicate his presence in the lineup. He just didn’t have much chance to celebrate, as the Padres plated five runs in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead and, ultimately, score a 7-6 walk-off victory to snap the Mets’ seven-game winning streak.

“Both teams battled,” Vientos said. “You’re talking about two playoff teams. I thought it was a great game.”

It was still a tie game when the Mets began rallying in the fifth, putting two men on base before the Padres intentionally walked Jeff McNeil to get to Vientos. One inning earlier, Vientos had hit an apparent home run to right, only to watch Fernando Tatis Jr. sky over the fence to corral it. This time, Vientos left no doubt, drilling his first career grand slam 385 feet and well over Tatis’ head.

In a game that saw Juan Soto explode with anger at a called third strike, Carlos Mendoza get ejected in defense of him, Huascar Brazobán commit a costly mental mistake en route to a five-run Padres rally, and, eventually, Elias Díaz hit a walk-off single against Gregory Soto, it was Vientos who gave the Mets at least a little something to cheer for.

“It was really good to see Mark Vientos have the type of game he had today,” Mendoza said.

That Vientos was even in the starting lineup was no guarantee, given the way the Mets have recently used him. With Brett Baty emerging as a legitimate everyday option at third base, Ronny Mauricio increasingly showing flashes of excellence -- he hit a game-tying homer in the ninth against Padres closer Robert Suárez -- and Starling Marte enjoying a resurgent season at DH, Vientos has seen his playing time diminish.

A breakout star who hit 27 homers last season at age 24, Vientos is now a part-time contributor.

“People tend to forget real quick,” he said.

There are, of course, other reasons why the Mets haven’t played Vientos daily. Entering Monday’s play, his OPS was just .638. His defensive metrics had likewise fallen far enough for the team to start using him almost exclusively at DH.

With that as his backdrop, Vientos was unsurprised to see an SNY report Monday stating that the Mets have dangled his name in trade talks ahead of the Trade Deadline on Thursday.

“I see it as it’s a good thing,” Vientos said. “It’s a good thing that I’m being talked about. You can see it as like, ‘Damn, it’s bad.’ But I see it as, ‘Man, I’m that important in the league that I’m being talked about in trade rumors.’

“Obviously, it sucks because I don’t want to get traded. But this is a business, at the end of the day. I feel like it is what it is. What can I do?”

Trading Vientos would be one way for the Mets to land a roster-changing player at the Deadline -- think a Sandy Alcantara or Luis Robert type -- without stripping their farm system bare. As a former top prospect himself, he could headline a deal.

One league source opined that Vientos still carries significantly more trade value than Baty, despite the latter’s higher production levels on both sides of the ball. Only one of those players has a 27-homer season on the back of his baseball card.

In New York, however, such potential hasn’t bought Vientos regular playing time. He called the act of improving as a part-time player “extremely difficult.” Asked if he’s expressed such concerns to Mets management, Vientos replied: “No, because there’s really no point. Nobody cares. Nobody really cares, to be honest, how I feel. But it’s the business.”

The Mets know how he feels regardless.

“Not happy,” was how Mendoza described Vientos’ attitude toward his part-time role. “But also understanding that he’s got an opportunity that when he’s in the lineup, he can help us win baseball games.”

Monday’s loss aside, Vientos has done so, entering Monday with a .302/.318/.442 slash line over his previous 12 games and improving upon it with a 2-for-4 night. Within that production have been some key hits, including a go-ahead, two-run double Saturday in a win over the Giants, a go-ahead, three-run double July 11 against the Royals, and now his grand slam against the Padres.

Three days out from the Trade Deadline, Vientos has no idea whether he will be moved -- he just wants “whatever to happen to be in my best interest.” His phone has been blowing up with trade rumors, but until something actually happens, Vientos will remain focused on the chances he does receive.

“I felt good at the plate today,” he said. “I felt better at the plate, for sure.”