The New York Mets no doubt, had a big offseason. They made a lot of signings, to improve their starting and relief pitching.
The Mets also re-signed one of their own hitters in Brandon Nimmo to an eight-year contract.
They nearly signed a legitimate bat in Carlos Correa, to provide more power and play third base. However just like the San Francisco Giants did, the Mets also backed out of it due to concerns with Correa’s physical, mainly on his ankle.
Signing Correa would’ve boosted the Mets lineup and provide much needed power in the middle of the order. The Mets lineup outside of Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, lacked power and it contributed to their offensive struggles down the stretch last season. Correa hit 22 home runs last year with the Minnesota Twins, who ironically retained him instead.
Many fans were disappointed that the Mets failed to sign Correa. They viewed him as the final piece to building a World Series championship squad. Correa would’ve also filled in ably at third base defensively as well.
However, the Mets won’t lose too much leverage at third base because they have two players who can fill in adequately there. Most likely to play third base this season, will be either veteran Eduardo Escobar or rookie Brett Baty.
Because he was the third baseman for most of last season, Escobar will likely get first cracks on the hot corner on the left side. He had an uneven 2022 season. Escobar struggled for most of the first five months of the 2022 season offensively, barely hitting over the Mendoza line (.200).
However, Escobar finished last year strong at the plate, with a great September. In that month, Eduardo batted .340 with eight home runs. In a September 28 game vs the division rival Miami Marlins, Escobar went 3 for 5 with a home run and five RBIs. In that game, he had the game tying hit and also the walk off hit in extra innings. For his contributions, Escobar was the NL Player of the Month in September. He was one of the few bright spots in September for a Mets offense that struggled overall that month, costing them the National League East division title to the Atlanta Braves.
Escobar was an All Star in 2021 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and hit 28 home runs in that year. In 2019, Escobar hit .269 with a career high 35 home runs.
Escobar actually finished with more RBIs in 2022 than Correa. Eduardo had 69 RBIs and Correra had 64.
Escobar also plays capable defense at third base and doesn’t hurt the team with many errors.
So for all his struggles for most of last season, Escobar finished that year strong and has had a solid career overall. He also has a fun-loving personality, who lightens up his teammates with his jokes and enthusiasm, that solidifies the clubhouse’s chemistry.
If Escobar struggles early out of the gate in 2023, a rookie could be waiting in the wings at third base, in Brett Baty.
Baty got his first taste of the major leagues last August and immediately provided a spark. He homered on his first at bat in Atlanta. Although his overall batting average in the majors last season, is only .184 in limited duty, Baty showed early on the impact he can make offensively and has a nice left-handed swing. His defense at third, could use some improvement, but with more experience, Baty has the tools to be a solid major leaguer in the future.
And so far in Spring Training, Baty has been raking it at the plate. In the Mets first Spring Training game this past Saturday vs the Houston Astros, Baty went 2 for 2 with a two run homer. He has hit safely in his first four games this preseason.
Defensively at third base, it’s been up and down for Baty. In Wednesday’s game against the Marlins, Baty made a throwing error in the bottom of the fifth inning. But he redeemed himself two batters late, when he made a strong throw this time on another grounder. It’ll be a work in progress but he seems to have a good work ethic and the right mindset to be a reliable third baseman as well as a hitter.
Escobar may be the present third baseman but Baty could be the third baseman of the future and possibly a good one.
Neither Escobar nor Baty has Correa’s credentials as a player. But both will be a lot cheaper options. Escobar’s 2o home runs and 69 RBIs in 2022 are not far apart from Correa’s 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in that same season. If Escobar can get off to a good start in 2023 and be more of the hitter, he was last September, he can be an All-Star caliber player again and make Mets fans forget about missing out on Correa.
I think things are going to start to get awfully crowded on the Mets’ roster. I can remember when the team signed Ronny Mauricio and they talked about his “projectable frame” and potential power bat. Well, that day has arrived. He’s got some polishing to do on the Syracuse team, but it won’t be long before his talent overwhelms AAA pitching. Where does he go?
I think Mauricio should be moved to the OF right this minute. The Mets seem to want to keep him in the infield and be Luis Guillorme’s replacement.
I’m not a huge fan of Escobar. He seems like a great guy and great presence in the locker room, but he was basically terrible for most of the season last year. Yes, he got hot down the stretch, but he was useless at the plate for most of the year, and his defense was bad. I’d prefer to see Baty getting most of the time at 3rd this year. I’m not sure what another couple of months in AAA will do for him hitting wise, and if the thought is that he needs to work on his defense, how much worse can he be than Escobar?
I’d rather have Baty playing third and gaining experience. If you dump Ruf, that’s one open spot.
I think Baty’s shortcomings in the field are a concern and I know he worked hard in the off season working to get better at fielding his position. Much like Alvarez and Baty, Mauricio needs ABs down at AAA to be better prepared to step in as needed. Seems that if Escobar stops hitting than Baty needs to be ready to shine, not just fill in. Or if our catching tandem’s hitting starts to fall off and we realize that all along we needed another HR bat in the order, than Alvarez’s work behind the plate has to be ready for prime time.
Isn’t this so much more fun than all of sudden looking up and seeing that Patrick Mazeika is our catcher??!!
Escobar is just a slightly better than average offensive player (106 OPS+) and he isn’t a very good defensive player (-11 Drs) . Last year he excelled against left-handed pitchers (125 sOPS+). When Baty is ready, and it could be now, then he should get the vast majority of starts against right-handed pitchers.