3 most important Mets players we should already be concerned about for next season

2) NY Mets third baseman Brett Baty hasn’t won the starting gig yet

Brett Baty isn’t close to the Rookie of the Year conversation. Tell that to yourself before the season began. Your past self would’ve come to some awful conclusions.

The young third baseman has been disappointing on both sides of the ball. He hasn’t hit and his defense is among the worst at the position in all of baseball. The Eduardo Escobar trade in late June made it official that the position was Baty’s to put in a headlock. Instead, MLB pitchers are regularly getting him to submit.

Not all hope is lost on Baty. Few rookies explode onto the scene. Because we have Francisco Alvarez to compare him to, it might look a little more like Baty wasn’t ready for the big leagues. Alvarez has exceeded expectations behind the plate and hit for a ton of power. He has his own shoes to grow into, but the overwhelming questions aren’t there with him like they are with Baty.

How much patience will the Mets have with Baty? If next year isn’t an all-in season, we should expect them to give him plenty of leash. However, we should remember how quickly they were willing to give Carlos Correa over $300 million to become their new starting third baseman. This was before Baty showed the warts he has in the majors this season. If an opportunity arose for them to find someone else, would they?

While Marte is at the age where a decline is inevitable, Baty is trapped in the rookie malaise. Meanwhile, this last Mets player making us worry should be in the prime of his career.