Photo by Richard Nelson

When the New York Mets initially agreed to a 12 year $315 million deal with Carlos Correa, it was going to have a resounding impact upon the organization. Not only was the team going to become World Series favorites, but the Mets were going to have to adjust their development plans for their top prospects including Brett Baty and Mark Vientos.

As previously noted on Vientos, the Mets had already seemingly decided he was not destined for third base. He had begun to play more first base, and as we saw with the late September call-up, it did seem like his future with the organization might be at DH.

For Baty, Correa likely meant Baty was going to move to left field. For his part, Baty had already been playing some left field. That was partially due to the redundancy with Vientos at third base, and it did seem like he may have to eventually move out there.

Between the Correa signing and Mark Canha‘s contract having an option, it was possible Baty was going to be the 2024 Mets Opening Day left fielder. While that option still remains, with no Correa, for the time being Baty is going to move back into the Mets third base picture.

Arguably, he was already there prior to the Correa signing. After all, he was called up to the majors last season due to injuries to Eduardo Escobar and Luis Guillorme. In his first ever Major League at-bat, we all thought he was going to be the Mets third baseman of the present and the future.

First AB…HOME RUN for @baty_brett. #LGM pic.twitter.com/cI44N57mlc

— New York Mets (@Mets) August 17, 2022

That’s what the Mets envisioned when they drafted Baty, and it is one of the reasons why Baty has been regarded not just as the Mets second best prospect, but as one of the very best prospects in the game.

Baty has immense raw power which was held back by his ground ball rate. When that number finally dipped under 50% with Double-A Binghamton, his offensive numbers exploded. He had a 160 wRC+ leading to his promotion to Triple-A Syracuse and his quick promotion to the majors.

For Baty to be the Mets third baseman or left fielder of the future, he is going to have to keep that ground ball rate down. Like most players, Baty’s bat is what is going to keep him in the lineup.

However, with his development, his glove is not going to keep him off the field. Each and every year of his professional career, Baty has made strides defensively. He has quieted early concerns he will have to move off of third by significantly improving his agility and range at third. Certainly, his strong arm is going to play quite well over there.

In the end, Correa agreeing to a deal with the Minnesota Twins will alter the Mets immediate plans for Baty. He will likely stay at third for the foreseeable future, and if his injured thumb has healed well (as is the expectation), we could see him make a push for the Opening Day roster or an early promotion.

The timetable of Baty has not been altered by Correa’s signing with the Twins. Rather, the position he will ultimately play on the Mets has. Once again, Baty is the Mets third baseman of the future.