'Let's go everywhere': Mets, Baty eager to create at-bats, no matter the position

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Before Bo Bichette signed with the Mets in January, the focus of Brett Baty’s offseason defensive work was third base. If anything, the Mets were rumored to be in the market for a corner outfielder such as Kyle Tucker. There was little reason for Baty to believe he would be anything other than his team’s primary third baseman.

Then Tucker signed with the Dodgers, the Mets pivoted to Bichette, and Baty became a man without a position.

A rededicated man without a position.

“I just was like, ‘All right, let’s go do some outfield, some first base.’” Baty said. “‘Let’s go everywhere.’"

At a ballfield in Dripping Springs, Texas, Baty spent hours sweating alongside instructor Jacob Madrid, a “defensive wizard” -- Baty’s words -- who has coordinated parts of his offseason workouts for years. On any given morning, Madrid might set up cones for Baty to sharpen his agility, then toss baseballs at Baty as he navigated through them. He might toss fly balls to a kneeling Baty, using music as a tool to motivate or distract him. He might fire weighted baseballs in Baty’s direction at close range.

Everything Baty did on the right side of his body, he also did on the left, with the aim of increasing his neuroplasticity -- the brain’s ability to reorganize its neural connections after learning something new.

In other words, Baty was training to be ready for anything.

“His mindset is really carrying him through all of it,” Madrid said in a telephone interview. “I can’t imagine, at that level, picking up a fourth position that late in the game and keeping your head on your shoulders and staying competitive. He handled it better than I would.”

Early this offseason, the Mets shipped Baty a first baseman’s mitt, knowing Pete Alonso’s departure could result in him seeing some time at that position. But that move didn’t have as profound an impact on Baty as the signing of Bichette, who should play third most every night.

A natural third baseman, Baty struggled at that position early in his career but made significant strides in the second half of 2025, earning daily playing time along the way. It helped that he also began hitting more consistently, with a .289/.352/.462 slash line from June 23 through the end of the season. Among Mets, only Juan Soto posted a better OPS over that stretch.

Given such production, the Mets are incentivized to find at-bats for Baty. The only question is where they can create them.

“I just want to go out there and be the best hitter, player, defender I can be, really good teammate, work hard every day,” Baty said, “and I think the at-bats will follow if I do all those things. If I play how I know I’m capable of playing, I’ll definitely get the at-bats.”

Baty’s defensive work offers an avenue for him to make things easier. While Bichette is entrenched at third base and Marcus Semien is set to play second, an injury to either player could open time for Baty. At first base, Jorge Polanco is also learning on the fly; he should spend most nights there but could shift a chunk of his duties to DH if he struggles -- or if Baty proves too important to bench. Baty could see DH time as well. Then there is right field, where Baty, Mike Tauchman, Carson Benge (No. 2 prospect at close of 2025) and others are all jockeying for playing time.

“Learning them at a Major League level is definitely different,” Madrid said of all those varied positions, “but he’s the most competitive person I’ve ever met.”

When mid-February rolled around, Baty drove from Texas to Florida to double down on his training. (“The car was full of gloves,” he said.) At Mets camp, he’s mostly been working in the infield, because a mild right hamstring injury has prevented him from taking outfield reps. At some point in March, Baty should resume his outfield work with an eye on playing as many as four positions -- first base, second base, third base and right field -- in 2026.

“It’s very challenging -- don’t get me wrong,” Baty said of developing his defensive versatility. “It’s very challenging, but it’s also very reassuring that they have the confidence in me to do that. I think that speaks to my athleticism that they have the confidence in me to go play those other positions.”