New York Mets: Eduardo Escobar and Brett Baty Will Lessen Pain Of Team Not Acquiring Carlos Correa
The New York Mets no doubt had a big off-season. They made a lot of signings, to improve their starting and relief pitching.
The Mets also re-signed one of their own hitters 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 provided 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 Carlos. They viewed Correa 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.
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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.
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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 and lightens up his teammates with his jokes and enthusiasm, which 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.
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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 Carlos Correa.
