Power ranking the Mets 2021-22 big offseason acquistions

4. Mets free agent signing Eduardo Escobar

The Mets also have stability at third base with an everyday player such as Eduardo Escobar. The Mets had an issue getting runners in scoring position home last year and that’s what Escobar was signed to do when the two sides agreed to a two-year pact before the lockout.

Six of Escobar’s seven RBI’s this season have come with men in scoring position, and that’s how he was successful in 2019 (when he drove in 118 runs with the Diamondbacks) and in 2021 (90 runs driven in between the Diamondbacks and Brewers).

Like Canha, Escobar’s value has increased with a new sense of patience at the plate, as he has drawn 16 walks, which was tied for fourth in the National League when play began on Friday.

The Mets initially did not have a clear idea on where he would play, but he eventually found an everyday position at third base, and he has only committed one error in 39 total chances, making his .974 fielding percentage good for third among National League third basemen.

What should impress Mets fans most about Escobar has been his team leadership off the field. He gathered all the Mets’ prospects for a motivational speech in spring training to spread the culture Buck Showalter is trying to institute to the big league team, and turn it into an organizational culture of winning.

He and Francisco Lindor picked up the tab for reliever Yoan Lopez after he was fined for throwing at Nolan Arenado on April 27, which incited a benches clearing incident.