Dream Mets starting lineup for the 2023 season

8) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Brett Baty batting eighth, 3B

No, the Mets aren’t swiping Jose Ramirez away from the Cleveland Guardians in this dream. Let’s be a little realistic. Brett Baty at third base is still pretty good. It fits into the dream scenario, too. Because during the spring, he outplays Eduardo Escobar in every way. Buck Showalter has no choice but to start the left-handed hitting rookie with a little experience under his belt over the veteran stopgap they had signed one offseason prior.

Baty fits into the dream Mets lineup further. Because the Mets did land Ohtani in a trade with the Angels, it means he wasn’t included. That’s pretty good, eh? This is a happy dream.

The Mets seem destined to move forward with Baty at third base in some capacity. He was the one they summoned from the minors when Escobar went down with an injury. Even with Mark Vientos who was far more ahead of schedule than Baty for a major league job crushing baseballs in Triple-A, it’s very clear what they think of him and his ability to play the hot corner.

Baty doesn’t play every day next year. Escobar gets in his licks at the position, too. Let’s pretend we’re able to control the dream in this scenario. In which case, Baty is the best imaginable number eight hitter we could ever imagine.

As for Escobar, he’s a solid part-time player and someone the Mets can use versus lefty pitchers.