Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets made their first big splash of the Billy Eppler era on Friday, signing Eduardo Escobar to a two-year, $20M deal.
At face value, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal. And it isn’t. But, as in years past, they can’t consider this their “big move” and call it a day, and they certainly need to use this acquisition as a building block rather than an answer. The good news is there’s still a lot of time left.
Escobar is 32 and will be 33 this upcoming season. Signing older players is nothing new for the Mets, although it’s fairly reasonable for Escobar considering it’s just for two years (with an option for a third year). As Thomas Hall noted in an article on Friday (prior to the signing), Escobar is a short-term solution.
There’s no doubt that in the short term, Escobar will be a solid addition. He’s posted at least 3.0 fWAR in each of the last three full seasons (-0.5 over 54 games in 2020). That’s an above-average regular.
As the everyday third baseman, he effectively forces Jonathan Villar off the roster. He also provides some fallback if Robinson Cano suffers another injury setback (or gets suspended for PEDs again). With Cano nearing 40 and coming off a suspension, he certainly can’t be relied upon to be a regular player, regardless.
Add all that to a reasonable price and an option for a third year if things go well, and it’s hard to say much negative about this signing. The Mets got an above-average regular for a reasonable price before December. And to follow it up, they signed fellow 32-year-old Mark Canha a few hours later.
But they need to do more. As far as the infield is concerned, acquiring Escobar means the Mets are likely out on a high-profile player like Kris Bryant or Carlos Correa. Which is fine — if they use the resources elsewhere.
Javier Baez is likely still a possibility, but with his recent talks with the Tigers, he’s no guarantee to come back. If the Mets lose him, it’s only even more reason for them to acquire a bigger name.
It’s still very early in the offseason, so the Mets’ front office certainly deserves some patience from the fans. They haven’t exactly developed the best reputation when it comes to things like this, though, so naturally, some fans are probably going to get a little antsy. Even with a new GM, it may be hard to give the Mets the benefit of the doubt when they’ve disappointed their fans so many times before.
In many ways, the remainder of this offseason will be a test for Eppler. If the ensuing months don’t feature any notable signings or trades for the Mets, then it would be justifiable to say that it’s “the same old Mets.” But he talked a big game in his press conference, saying specifically that he would be aggressive on the starting pitcher market. Now it’s time to see if he’ll actually back that up.
The bottom line is, the Escobar signing is solid if they do more with it, such as make a big splash with one of the big starting pitchers. They can’t settle with Escobar as their biggest move and expect to magically become a contending team.
The Mets have relied on so many hypotheticals over the last several seasons and it hasn’t worked. This is a move they would have made under the Wilpons and called it an offseason.
They can’t do that anymore. At least, not if they want to be considered a serious contender. With a new front office which expressed its commitment to being aggressive, and a lot of players still available on the market, the Mets will be expected to build from this Escobar signing and go all out.
Otherwise, it would have to be considered a disappointment.
