NY Mets rumors: Why sticking with Brett Baty another year is an acceptable outcome

As MLB insider Pat Ragazzo dove into earlier this weekend, there’s a belief the New York Mets will stick with Brett Baty for at least another year. Occasional hints of him turning a corner offensively seem to be a driving force as to why the Mets continue to have faith or at least refuse to pull the plug.

That “what if?” factor along with the remaining minor league option are at top of mind when it comes to why the Mets can justify keeping Baty. They don’t want to give up on him too soon and with a chance to simply stash him in the minor leagues as a last resort, it’s tough to cut ties for nothing at all.

There’s one other reason. Baty, in his super utility role this season, is easy to replace but why needlessly do so? You won’t find too many other players as versatile as Baty with those other factors in play.

In a utility role with no guarantees, the Mets could do far worse than Brett Baty

Where does Baty fit into next year’s plans? Let’s make a lot of assumptions. Bo Bichette is back at third base. The outfield is covered. Nothing outlandish or unique happens. Maybe the Mets find a first base upgrade and invest in a vastly different pitching staff.

For Baty, playing time is scarce outside of injury. Second base is the one spot he can steal playing time from, but with Marcus Semien around, Baty will need to prove to the Mets he is the better option. Most days they’re a coin flip.

Baty is in his first year of arbitration next season with a projected $2.5 million salary according to Spotrac. That’s probably around market value for what most lower-quality utility players would receive as free agents. It’s not the perfect example, but Enrique Hernandez got $4.5 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers this year a season after hitting .203 while worth 0.2 bWAR.

Just because Baty is around also doesn’t mean they should neglect to add a utility player. A player like Mauricio Dubon would look good on just about any roster. For him, he’d look to capitalize on a strong year and find a spot where there’s a clearer path for playing time. The Mets can’t really offer this.

Baty remains a far from perfect work in progress. Compared to some of the other options out there who’d be realistic utility player choices, he’s far more satisfying than whoever the next Vidal Brujan, Zack Short, or Christopher Morel happens to be.

As a fifth infielder and emergency outfielder (let’s limit those opportunities), Baty is sensible enough when the alternatives are lateral, downgrades, or maybe only slight improvements. The Mets sound fearful Baty is going to end up as another one of those players who leaves and figures it out. A potential inevitability regardless of what they choose to do this winter, the important part is the Mets set the bar real low for Baty, do have a backup plan in place, and aren’t skittish when it comes to burning the final minor league option when something better is available.

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