Current Mets second base options for the 2022 season

In the greatest baseball lineup of all time, Who was on first and What was on second. The New York Mets won’t go the Abbott and Costello route with their 2022 lineup. They’ll have someone other than What playing second base when the season begins.

Right now, it’s unclear exactly which big leaguer will open the season at the position. When the offseason began, Javier Baez was a possibility. He has since joined the Detroit Tigers, prematurely ending the double-play combination up the middle with potential to become the greatest in Mets history.

With Opening Day around the corner, down the street, another mile up a hill, and a county or so over, there’s time to consider a variety of options. Internally and externally, these seem to be the best options to start at second base for the Mets on Opening Day 2022.

NY Mets second base candidate: Jeff McNeil

Jeff McNeil has to be the clear favorite to start at second base for the Mets merely because he is there and the most recent guy on the roster to play the position on a regular basis. Even if it means pairing him up with Lindor again, it may be the best thing the Mets can do.

McNeil has emerged as a stronger trade candidate in the last few weeks. Details about the “ratcoon” incident coming out played a larger role into this. Although, the water may have truly passed under the bridge and things between him and Lindor could be good again.

Compared to J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith, McNeil may also provide the Mets with their greatest trade chip. He’s coming off a down year but teams have been interested in the past and nothing should change too drastically. He’s going to get significant playing time somewhere in 2022. As of right now, it’s at second base for the Mets.

Ask again in a few months and the answer could be very different.

NY Mets second base candidate: Eduardo Escobar

What if the Mets signed Eduardo Escobar to play second base? It’s not too big of a leap to make. The team could always add a third baseman and leapfrog Escobar over shortstop from third base and implant him at second.

Escobar has played far more third base and shortstop in his career than he has second base. It’s a spot where he actually has some of his better defensive numbers. Understandably so, second base isn’t as rigorous as the two infield spots on the left side of the field.

Escobar only moves over to start at second base if the Mets add a third baseman. The team hasn’t shown much faith in Davis, the club’s top trade candidate. Brett Baty probably will need some seasoning at Triple-A before they leap to that step, too. This leaves Mark Vientos as the final internal option. Even he could probably use a few plate appearances in Triple-A before getting a big league promotion.

One reason to like the Escobar signing is how flexible it allows the Mets to be. They may not get to see the full benefit of his versatility until later in the season when someone struggles or gets injured. An outside chance to become the everyday second baseman for the Mets at the moment, one big signing or trade could make him the obvious best candidate.