Brett Baty All In On Helping Mets Win In 2023

There’s been a boatload of talk about Brett Baty‘s potential role with the New York Mets in 2023. That picture is now starting to get a little clearer as we edge closer to the start of spring training.

Ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in the Mets farm system by Baseball America, Baty earned his first big leagues call-up last summer. He made an instant impression after hitting a home run in his first at-bat in the majors, flashing tantalizing signs of his potential.

However, the third baseman struggled in the field and also failed to show consistency at the plate after going 7-for-38 with a .184 batting average in 11 games. Baty also hit two home runs with five RBI during that stretch. But, his first taste of the majors came to a premature end thanks to surgery on his finger.

Of course, growing pains are par for the course with any prospect, no matter how talented they are, and the thought was that Baty would get the chance to further hone his skills in spring training and stake his claim for a full-time role. After all, Eduardo Escobar largely struggled in 2022 and third base seemed there for the taking.

Then came the biggest saga of the offseason. With the Mets coming to an agreement with superstar free agent shortstop Carlos Correa, Baty’s role suddenly became blurred due to the fact that Correa would take over at third base in New York. That, coupled with Escobar’s red-hot September, left Baty on the outside looking in.

Life has a funny way of working out, though, and the 23-year-old will now have the opportunity to impress manager Buck Showalter and the rest of the coaching staff in spring training. Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, manning third “works better” for Baty and he’s determined to prove he’s capable of winning the starting job.

“I see it like, if I go out there and show them that I’m capable of playing really solid defense and swinging it against major league pitching in spring training, I feel like I’m going to get a shot,” Baty told DiComo. “I’m going to get a look. But at the end of the day, it’s their call.”

And it is clear the Mets want to give Baty every opportunity to make the Opening Day roster in 2023. After all, they’ve remained steadfast in their philosophy of restocking the farm system and then building a team around a core of young studs. Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Miami Marlins tried on a couple of occasions this offseason to acquire Baty in a trade.

According to Heyman, the Marlins made contact with the Mets about Baty both before and after the Correa deal fell through. Miami were prepared to offer one of their highly-regarded young starters in either Edward Cabrera or Jesus Luzardo, but New York ultimately said no in order to stay true to their long-term plan of building from within.

It doesn’t appear as though that trade talk has bothered Baty, however. In his conversation with DiComo, the lefty bat spoke about his willingness to shift over to left field if the Correa deal would have worked out. But, above all else, he just wants the chance to help this team win in 2023 and beyond.

“At the end of the day, you want that guy on your team,” Baty said of Correa. “If we did end up signing him, I would have been fine with going to try to play left field if somebody needed a day off or something like that. I just want to be in the big leagues helping a team win.”

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