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3 Mets Opening Day starters who won't be in the lineup next year and who could replace them
The New York Mets Opening Day starting lineup will come out later today but it’s an easy guess as to who the nine starters will be. Someone will have to step on a LEGO at this point for something to change. Let’s hope Brandon Nimmo lets someone else cook his chicken.
As the case is every year, some of the players in the Opening Day lineup are about to find themselves there for the last time. It’s these three Mets we should most expect to not return next season or at least find themselves on the bench to start the 2024 campaign.
1) NY Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar will not be in next year’s Opening Day lineup
This is an easy one. The Mets were already willing to pay Carlos Correa a lot of money to upgrade over Eduardo Escobar. It wouldn’t be a shock to see them look outside of the organization next offseason yet again as they hope to upgrade the hot corner.
Escobar’s contract includes a $9 million team option for the 2024 season. He’s going to have to hammer baseballs at an elite rate for them to even consider picking this up. Because there is an obvious replacement already within the system, it’s hard to imagine the Mets paying $9 million to a bench player trending downward.
Brett Baty is the guy we should all have in mind to replace Escobar in next year’s Opening Day starting lineup. For plenty of fans, he was the guy who should’ve replaced Escobar in this year’s lineup.
Baty may not outright win the third base job this year. For the sake of saving even a little bit of Steve Cohen’s money, there are better players to pair with him at third base and on the bench than Escobar.
2) NY Mets left fielder Mark Canha will not be in next year’s Opening Day lineup
Mark Canha is on a similar deal as Escobar. His $11.5 million option for next season is a little more tempting to pick up. He had a much more productive first year with the Mets in 2023. It’s not inconceivable for them to keep him.
Canha does seem a little pricey, especially if the Mets are hoping to sign one of the big free agents next offseason. He is by no means a bad option to have out there. It just seems like they could spend more wisely on a younger or better player.
Left field options are plentiful for the Mets. What I actually envision more is for them to target a right fielder and move Starling Marte into left. The best free agent left fielder next offseason is probably Ian Happ. In right field, someone like Teoscar Hernandez could be interesting. I don’t see the Mets going there.
The way I see this front office going has them sticking with a one-year option. Cahna fits there. So would trade options like Michael Conforto, Wil Myers, or Anthony Santander. It’s early and it’s bold but the 2025 Opening Day right fielder for the Mets will be Juan Soto when he signs as a free agent.
The Mets don’t have too many reasonable options in their farm system right now to start in left field over Canha in next year’s Opening Day lineup. But because it’s a team option and not the player option like Omar Narvaez has, I feel he’s more likely to leave.
3) NY Mets designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach will not be in next year’s starting lineup
So Escobar is replaced by Baty and Canha is replaced by someone a little less expensive who can hit for some nice power and play right field with Marte moving to left. Narvaez stays behind the plate because the Mets made the decision to hand him a player option in his 2024 contract.
Narvaez will have to have a really good year to not take his player option for 2024. Tomas Nido already received an extension as well. The Mets have shown their cards. They aren’t convinced Francisco Alvarez will be ready on Opening Day 2024 to start behind the plate.
This is where our third replaced player comes in. Designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach is everything from a non-tender to a trade candidate in the offseason. In fact, if things don’t get well during the 2023 regular season, moving on from him is a possibility, too.
The 2024 Mets Opening Day lineup will feature Alvarez as the team’s starting DH. It’s partly a result of them wanting his bat on the roster but also needing to see more out of him as a defensive player. He’ll get mixed in regularly with Narvaez and Nido. If things work well, the team will trade one of the veterans midseason to upgrade elsewhere. Carrying three catchers isn’t ideal but neither is having two first basemen like Vogelbach and Pete Alonso on your roster. This does mean Shohei Ohtani isn’t on the Mets roster and at this point I’m convinced he’s playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers next year.
The Mets won’t have a fully revamped starting lineup next year but it will include the infusion of their young bats. As undesirable as it may seem right now, their best improvements will come in the form of pitching. After making sure Max Scherzer is happy and stays put in Queens either by accepting his player option or agreeing to a new deal, the Mets go out and add another ace.
Next. 3 popular free agents the Mets were right to walk away from. dark