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3 Mets Opening Day starters who won’t be on the roster next season

By Zachary Rotman

Feb 19, 2023; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach (32) and third baseman Eduardo Escobar (10) embrace during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2023; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach (32) and third baseman Eduardo Escobar (10) embrace during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 25, 2023; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar (10) stretches before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

These three players starting for the New York Mets on Opening Day this season will not be on the roster in the 2024 MLB season.

Opening Day is less than one day away, and New York Mets fans can’t be more excited than they already are. The Mets coming off of a 101-win season will open the season in Miami looking to get the 2023 season off on the right foot.

The Mets are a team expected to contend in 2023 but have a lot of players who might be in the lineup tomorrow who will not be on the roster in 2024. This could be because of age, contract status, or the fact that they’re simply not good enough.

Let’s look into the three players from the Mets’ projected Opening Day lineup who will not be on the roster in 2024.

3. NY Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar will not be on the roster next season

Eduardo Escobar had an up-and-down first season in Flushing. He got off to a nice start before going into what felt like a season-long slump. In September, after losing his job to Brett Baty, Escobar suddenly became one of the best hitters in baseball and was a huge reason the Mets stayed in the race for the division as long as they did.

Overall, Escobar slashed .240/.295/.430 with 20 home runs and 69 RBI. 20 home runs isn’t a bad mark at all, but his general numbers were a bit underwhelming.

The Mets made the curious choice to send top prospect Brett Baty down to the minors to begin the season making Escobar the full-time third baseman once again. I don’t think Escobar is a bad player, but I think they absolutely made the wrong choice here.

Spring Training stats don’t mean much, but Baty slashed .325/.460/.425 with one home run and six RBI in 40 at-bats. Really good numbers. Escobar on the other hand slashed .118/.205/.147 going homerless with two RBI in 34 at-bats. One clearly better than the other.

While Escobar is the starter for now, I expect Baty to be up and some point and eventually play a majority of the time at third base.

Escobar has a club option for the 2024 season worth $9 million. He’s probably worth around that, but his role would undoubtedly be diminished in 2024 to a platoon bat making it unlikely the Mets pick up that option.

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