The Mets have a number of openings to fill this offseason, but it appears you can officially scratch one off the list.
Carlos Mendoza said Monday at the MLB Winter Meetings that as things stand, Brett Baty will see the majority of the playing time at third base come spring training.
The hot corner was a huge question mark for New York coming into last season, but Baty truly took his game to another level and secured his hold on the everyday job.
“Brett took that step forward,” the skipper said. “It felt like we had a tryout there and Baty just got comfortable and played really well from both sides of the field — we’ll see what happens, but as of right now Brett will get a lot of the opportunities.”
As for Mark Vientos, Mendoza says the team is preparing the young slugger for all scenarios.
The 25-year-old has been taking reps at both first and third over the winter.
“We aren’t throwing third out the window, and he’s working a lot at first,” he said. “But again, a lot can happen. So the one thing I told him is control the things you can control — just put yourself in the best position and show up to camp ready to compete.”
Ronny Mauricio also finds himself in a similar position coming off an up-and-down first full pro season.
The biggest thing for him, though, is just staying healthy and ready to go.
“It’s good to see him playing Winter Ball and playing well,” Mendoza said. “He looks good and is in a very good place. He has to come in and compete for a spot on the roster — there’s flexibility there, but I think the biggest thing is for him to be healthy.
“If we get a healthy-version of Ronny Mauricio, he is an impactful player.”
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