9) Worst NY Mets trade or free agent signing since Steve Cohen took over: Eduardo Escobar signing
The Mets would have had an easy choice after the 2023 season to buyout Eduardo Escobar. Since joining the Mets in 2022, he hasn’t lived up to expectations. A $10 million payday in 2022 looked like way too much. His $9.5 million this season for a part-time player soured it more.
Mets fans have wanted to love Escobar from the beginning. Signing him prior to the lockout was praised. He seemed like the perfect fit to play third base until Brett Baty was able to take over full-time. The two are sharing some of the duties in 2023 as the rookie goes through growing pains and Escobar fades in the twilight of his career.
Year one with Escobar essentially included one hot month at the end of the season and a bunch of bad ones prior. He finished the year with 20 home runs and a .240/.295/.430 slash line. We would've gladly taken those numbers or at least the pace of home runs from him in 2023.
We won't get the chance to see some sort of magic turnaround as he is now a member of the Los Angeles Angels via trade. His 2023 campaign in Flushing came to an end with the veteran infielder slashing .236/.286/.409 in 120 plate appearances.
Compared to the Mark Canha and Starling Marte free agent signings which happened on the same day, this one is far and away the worst.