Mets Opening Day third base candidates for the 2023 season

With the New York Mets in the midst of one of the biggest spending sprees in MLB history, many fans were quick to jump on the Carlos Correa train when it was rumored that he might be linked to joining the team. While the 2-time All-Star would have been a great addition, it was not a necessity for the Mets to sign Correa, as they already have a couple of other guys who can fit the role of New York Mets third baseman perfectly.

All three options had an opportunity to get some playing time at some point in the 2022 season and each could, once again, be given that same opportunity in 2023. The question here is, which will get the first chance to prove themselves when Opening Day arrives?

1) NY Mets starting third baseman candidate: Eduardo Escobar

When Steve Cohen and Billy Eppler worked their way through the offseason leading up to the 2022 season, they added multiple key contributors to an offense that would help the Mets win 101 games in the regular season. Eduardo Escobar was one of those key signings. He, along with Mark Canha and Starling Marte brought their veteran leadership and strong play on the field to a team looking for both.

Things started very slow for the former Milwaukee Brewer but after going down with an injury that kept him out of the lineup for some time in August, Escobar returned just in time for the pennant race and let me tell you, there was nobody on the 2022 Mets that had a better September than Eduardo Escobar. In 26 games, the 33 year old hit .340 with 8 home runs and 24 RBIs.

If Escobar can play anything like that in 2023, it would be huge for a Mets offense that is looking for more production at the bottom of the lineup.