There’s a pretty straightforward case for the Mets keeping Brett Baty in the mix for another year: they don’t have to force a decision, and they don’t seem eager to walk away from the possibility that he’s still turning into something useful.
That belief was reinforced this weekend by MLB insider Pat Ragazzo, who reported there’s an expectation the Mets will stick with Baty at least through another season. The reasons are familiar.
The “what if?” question hangs over him, especially with the occasional signs that he might be coming around offensively.
Add in the fact that he still has a minor league option left, and the Mets have a built-in escape hatch if they need it. That makes cutting bait now feel like giving up for nothing.
Baty’s value also comes from the fact that he fits the messy, flexible job description teams always end up needing. In his super utility role this season, he’s easy to replace in theory.
In practice, there aren’t many players who can cover as many bases. That kind of versatility matters, even if it doesn’t make him indispensable.
If you start mapping out next year’s roster, the path for Baty gets narrow fast. Assume Bo Bichette is back at third base.
Assume the outfield is spoken for. Assume nothing dramatic changes.
Maybe the Mets also upgrade at first base and reshape the pitching staff. Under that setup, Baty’s at-bats are hard to come by unless injuries create openings.
Second base is the one place where he can really push for time, but Marcus Semien complicates that picture. Baty would have to show the Mets he’s the better option, and most days that battle looks close to a coin flip.
There’s also the money side of it. Baty is projected to make $2.5 million in his first year of arbitration next season, according to Spotrac.
For a lower-end utility player, that’s right in the range of what the market tends to pay. Enrique Hernandez is one example: he got $4.5 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers this year after hitting .203 and posting 0.2 bWAR.
None of that means the Mets should stop looking for another utility piece. A player like Mauricio Dubon would fit on almost any roster, but he’d also be trying to land somewhere with a clearer lane to regular playing time. The Mets can’t really promise that.
Baty is still a work in progress, and not a finished product by any stretch. But compared with the kind of alternatives that often pop up in this role, he’s a more appealing option than the next Vidal Brujan, Zack Short, or Christopher Morel type.
So as a fifth infielder and emergency outfielder, with those opportunities kept in check, Baty makes enough sense. The Mets may be wary of watching him leave and figure it out somewhere else, but that outcome could happen no matter what they do this winter. For now, they’ve set the bar low enough, kept a fallback plan ready, and shown they’re willing to use the final minor league option if a better option comes along.
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Spring training could turn second base into a real competition, with Jefferson Rojas, Mitch Voit and milien Pitre all in the mix to push for time. Semiens experience and defensive reliability still give him a strong case to hold the job, but the Mets have left themselves enough room to challenge the spot if the bat does not come around. For a team trying to sort out its future infield, that makes this one of the more interesting position battles to watch. [Read more 🡒]