A year ago, the Mets originally planned to break camp with Brett Baty as the starting third baseman and Mark Vientos the everyday DH. The vision of the two promising young sluggers, and good friends, together in the same lineup figured to be a victory for the organization, as well as a productive tandem on the field.

A lot has happened since that 2024 blueprint got shredded. But nearly 14 months later — after a number of detours and demotions — the Mets have finally circled back to that idea, with the potential for a huge payoff.

Baty got the nod at third base and Vientos was the DH for Monday night’s series opener against the Pirates. The assignment? Solve the flame-throwing phenom Paul Skenes, one of the tougher early-season challenges.

Still, the timing couldn’t have been much better. Baty was coming off three homers in his past two games and Vientos had two RBIs in Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Cubs, courtesy of a solo blast and a run-scoring single.

Whether or not this small-sample success is indeed a springboard to greater things remains to be seen. But it’s enough to convince manager Carlos Mendoza to go with the wonder twins for the immediate future. Better late than never, right? Rather than worry about them competing for time at third base, why not just deploy the two in this fashion, especially with no other compelling DH options on the current roster (Starling Marte was hitting .197 with a .626 OPS).

“We’ll find room,” Mendoza said. “I’ve been saying it. There’s 13 guys there — it doesn’t matter who the nine are that you put out there, you feel good about your chances. That’s my job, our job, to continue to put these guys in good positions.”

This version of the Baty-Vientos gambit doesn’t happen without the injury to Jesse Winker, whose right oblique strain created yet another opportunity for Baty to prove that he’s more than a 4-A player. And with Winker on the shelf for six to eight weeks, there’s going to be a long runway for this scheme to take off.

So what’s different this time around? The key could be something as simple as ramping up the intensity of Baty’s pregame batting cage regimen, a suggestion made by hitting coach Jeremy Barnes when he was summoned back from Triple-A Syracuse last week. Baty was a wrecking ball in the Grapefruit League, and when you watch him take BP up here, the ball jumps of his bat, flashing serious gap-to-gap power.

The issue with Baty, however, has always been his inability to transfer that hitting talent to the major-league level, and the inconsistency tends to sink him. In order to remedy that shaky step from the cage to the batter’s box, Barnes has worked with Baty to recreate the in-game showdowns, dialing up a programmable pitching machine that simulates everything he might see that night — high-velo fastballs, sliders, changeups — without telling him what’s coming.

“I just wanted to replicate game heart rates, stuff like that,” Baty said Monday afternoon. “Just like that fight-or-flight mode. It just makes it more challenging.”

By a hitter’s standards, it sounds like one of the more extreme measures of preparation. They have every modern device at their disposal, along with countless drills, but to face game-quality pitching — without getting tipped off — can be a bit of a grind, both mentally and physically. That’s why it’s done sparingly, roughly for five to 10 minutes, just to help sharpen the focus on the task at hand.

“It’s just a matter of the person and where they’re at with things,” Barnes said before Monday’s game. “It’s a high-failure rate thing. He’s gonna swing-and-miss. It’s going to be hard. And if you’re OK with that, then I think it’s fantastic.

“What we’re trying to do is get him cranked up to the game. It’s so easy to get caught up in mechanics and all that stuff. Sometimes we forget — get ready and hit the ball. Just talking to him and how he’s feeling and what he’s gone through up in the big leagues, we kind of stumbled upon this and felt like it was a good thing.”

Barnes and Baty decided to try it for a couple of days. But after he went 4-for-8 with three homers in his first two games back at Citi Field, it’s probably safe to assume they’ll stay with the routine for a bit going forward.

“We’ve also talked through what his plan is, and how to stay convicted in that,” Barnes said. “Try to clear his head. It’s not necessarily some crazy mechanical fix. The kid’s incredibly talented. It’s just a matter of trying to get his mind in the right spot to where he can go out and compete.”

So far, the results speak for themselves. And if the Mets can revive Baty, along with get Vientos back on track — he’s hitting .300 (27-for-90) with five homers and an .869 OPS over his last 24 games— this lineup will become as formidable as expected out of spring training. Think about it: Baty was in the No. 8 spot Monday, between the resurgent Francisco Alvarez and rising threat Luisangel Acuna, so that’s adding some serious pop down below.

“Brett’s a great player and he’s been doing his thing,” Vientos said. “I’m glad he’s been doing it.”

The Mets are hoping both Baty and Vientos can do their things. Together. Finally.