The Mets shouldn't consider trading Brett Baty despite signing Carlos Correa

The New York Mets shocked the baseball world by signing Carlos Correa to a lifetime contract in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The original plan was for Brett Baty to get the majority of the reps at third base, but now that is Correa’s new position.

The Mets shouldn't trade Brett Baty even with Carlos Correa at third base

Correa is a great baseball player, but he’s had some injury issues. The whole reason his deal with the Giants fell through was because their team doctors found something in his medicals. He’s also missed time due to injuries in all but three of his Major League seasons (153 games in 2016, 58 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020, and 148 games in 2021). Brett Baty is really good injury insurance for Correa.

Another option is to have Baty play left field, which he’s already done a little bit of in the minors. His defense won’t be as strong as Mark Canha’s, but his offensive profile is stronger. In this scenario, Canha would become the fourth outfielder who could step in to give others a day off, pinch hit, or DH occasionally. There's a good chance this is the route the Mets choose.

A final option would be to have Baty DH. Daniel Vogelbach or Eduardo Escobar are penciled in for the majority of the at-bats there, but I’d rather let Baty continue his development in that role. Baty has a higher ceiling than both of them, plus he can play the field when others need a day off.

Another factor to consider is that the Mets don’t have any needs big enough to consider trading Baty. They’re looking for middle relievers or 4th outfielders, they don’t cost the #2 prospect in an organization or the #18 overall prospect in MLB, which Baty is. It would be a foolish overpay to send Baty for one of those needs, especially when you consider that Baty can play a decent left field.

To summarize, the Mets have plenty of ways they can still use Brett Baty. They can start him in left, start him at DH, or play him off the bench. This is why having depth on the roster is so important; any way the Mets use him, he helps the team, and he’s great injury insurance. I’d hate to see Baty get traded and then someone gets hurt and the Mets regret it. Keep him around, get him playing time somewhere, and let him continue his development.