4 Mets hitters who will be on a short leash this season

2) NY Mets player on a short leash: Eduardo Escobar

Eduardo Escobar is on a short leash despite turning things around late last season. Unlike Ruf, we should expect him to stay on the roster all year while healthy. He’s a bigger payroll hit to release. He’s someone who could take another step down and remain an important part.

We already had our plans with Escobar when it looked like Carlos Correa was coming to Flushing. Escobar would move to the bench and become the right-handed platoon partner of Vogelbach and occasional starting third baseman and second baseman. It’s exactly what the future could hold for him with an addition.

Brett Baty is clearly the man gunning for Escobar’s job this year. A superior right-handed hitter than he is from the left side, a platoon of Baty and Escobar at third base later this season is a possibility. It would be the first step in Escobar’s short leash getting tugged on.

Something else to consider with Escobar could be whether or not he even becomes a midseason trade candidate. His name appeared in trade rumors prior to the Mets moving on from Correa. Although it’s not a necessity to trade Escobar, Baty could win the majority of playing time and an upgrade at another position could begin to create a roster crunch.

The Mets do have an option on Escobar’s contract for next season. Baty will look to play well enough to give the team an easy decision. Escobar’s short leash, in part because of Baty knocking on the door, may never become too big of a worry. One reason is there is another starter Baty could replace.

3) NY Mets player on a short leash: Mark Canha

The other player who may feel the warm breath of Brett Baty making its way down his neck is Mark Canha. With Baty getting regular reps in left field already in the minors, it may be left field where he eventually finds himself. There have been questions about his ability to play third base. Plus, with a guy like Manny Machado expected to become available next offseason, moving Baty to the outfield could be in the cards.

Canha did have a good first year with the Mets although it was much different than what many of us expected. His power numbers were down yet his batting average and OBP were up. It’s hard to really know what type of player he’ll be for them in 2023.

We should give Canha a longer leash than Ruf and Escobar. There is no question about that. Aside from Baty, his spot in the lineup could always get taken over by a trade deadline addition. Moving Canha to the fourth outfielder spot on the roster wouldn’t be so horrible. He could even be the right-handed part of the DH platoon. There are plenty of ways to get him into the lineup if the Mets find a better left fielder.

The leash on Canha isn’t too short right now, but in the final year before his team option, there’s no reason to force him into the lineup.

4) NY Mets player on a short leash: Daniel Vogelbach

Daniel Vogelbach is a poor fit for the Mets simply because of how the rest of the roster is structured. They could get away with him and Pete Alonso together. Add in Darin Ruf. Sprinkle in Francisco Alvarez and even Mark Vientos. It’s hard to not be a little frustrated with a first baseman who can only hit against right-handed pitchers. At least it’s not the other way around.

Vogelbach was a productive member of the 2022 Mets. In 183 trips to the plate, Vogey slashed .255/.393/.436. He hit 6 home runs and drove in 25. It wasn’t bad at all, just limiting.

Although the Mets have committed to him and could have chosen to move on, the $1.5 million option on his contract was too affordable to not pick up. I can’t say I blame the team for making the move early on in the offseason. It protected them from being left with lesser quality players.

Vogelbach is a wasted player on a roster if all he does is sit on the bench so we should expect Billy Eppler to give him a little more leeway. If Ruf was able to make it through an entire offseason with the team, I’d suspect the Mets would let Vogelbach remain with them as long as possible even if the numbers aren’t quite what they need to be.