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

A proverbial leash for the professional athlete is getting placed on the collar around a couple of New York Mets hitters at the start of this season. After bouncing out of the postseason in a one-hit shutout, the ball club needs to have a lot less patience for underperformers.

It’s these four who can already feel the leash tightening up.

1) NY Mets player on a short leash: Darin Ruf

Nobody on the Mets has a shorter leash on him than Darin Ruf. Does he even make it to Opening Day? The team should be open to trades. It seems like Ruf will eventually get designated for assignment anyway. The bench doesn’t have any players with minor league options aside from Luis Guillorme who might be the most important player there anyway.

Ruf needs to hit in spring and at the very start of the regular season. He cannot leave too many doubts. There will be some regardless of how well he hammers baseballs in Florida before the games begin to count. His time with the Mets was so bad that even a home run in every plate appearance this spring wouldn’t be able to erase the misery he provided in 2022.

There have been some past examples where it felt like the Mets would release a player but never did. Jose Reyes in 2018 immediately comes to mind. Hitting under the Mendoza Line in his 110 games for a losing ball club, that Mets team chose to keep the franchise legend around.

Ruf doesn’t get the same benefit of having a storied career in New York. Plus, this year’s team plans to compete. At the first sign of trouble from him or the moment one of the kids proves he is ready for the majors, it’s time to DFA Ruf and hand those at-bats to someone else.

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.