3 Mets free agents we can already expect to be gone after the 2023 season if not sooner

3) NY Mets infielder Eduardo Escobar has already moved to the trade block

Consider Eduardo Escobar the Carlos Carrasco of the bats. He is very much a trade candidate with the addition of Carlos Correa to the roster. Yet another double initials player the team could deal before we even get to Opening Day, the better plan would probably be to have Escobar become a part-time player and use his bat regularly against left-handed pitchers.

Escobar’s currently undefined future does have one light many of us will agree on. His option for 2024 doesn’t seem likely to get picked up. By the time we get to 2024, the Mets will need to have Brett Baty on the MLB roster permanently. Escobar’s rough 2022 season puts him in a spot where he’ll have a lot to prove this year. As strong as his finish was, we need to see much more from the veteran infielder.

Keeping Escobar after the 2023 season means paying a part-time player quite a bit of money. It’s not an issue for Steve Cohen, however, the Mets may be able to find a better fit for themselves.

One thing we can always consider is the Mets picking up Escobar’s option and then trading him next offseason. This is risky. The circumstances are different from Carrasco in a pitcher-friendly league. We definitely have learned to expect anything and everything from the Mets.