Multiple times during the offseason, Mets president Sandy Alderson and acting GM Zack Scott refused to say that J.D. Davis would be the starter at third base this season. Alderson even said that Davis was simply the third baseman "for now."

And even before spring training began and Luis Guillorme's profile rose a bit more, there was a case to be made for the Mets starting Guillorme at third base over Davis.

With the Mets' offense relatively loaded, using Guillorme at third base and ostensibly sacrificing offense for defense there was arguably something New York could afford.

But if Guillorme -- who impressed with the bat in a limited sample in 2020 and put on a clinic during a 22-pitch plate appearance on Sunday -- can be a solid contributor on offense, the case for playing him at third most days is even stronger.

This is to take nothing away from Davis, who has worked hard on his defense and was a terrific hitter in 2019 and solid at the plate in 2020. But with no DH in the NL, the Mets will have no choice but to play Brandon Nimmo in center field and Dominic Smith in left field.

And if the Mets have two well-below-average defenders in the outfield, can they also afford to have another well-below-average defender on the infield? And does it make sense to lean on Davis there while sitting Guillorme on the bench?

Alderson said shortly after taking over that one of his main goals would be improving the team's defense, which he did in two areas by signing James McCann and trading for Francisco Lindor.

And the elite range of Lindor will help a bit if the person to his right at third base is limited.

But is Alderson (who said recently that "some of our players aren't defensive geniuses") prepared to sacrifice defense for offense at third base?

This is the question the Mets are facing right now when it comes to Davis and Guillorme.

While refusing to commit to Davis during the offseason, the Mets also kicked the tires on Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and were recently linked to free agent third baseman Maikel Franco, who is reportedly finalizing a deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

Going by the Mets' words and actions, it is clear they are not sold on Davis as the answer at third base. But will they roll with him there anyway?

Speaking about the situation in late February shortly after arriving at camp, Davis said it was big to be able to focus on third base only instead of being shuffled back and forth from there to left field.

"It's huge when you kind of go into a spring training where you know where you're going to play or where you're (usually) going to play," Davis said. "During the offseason the game plan was to continue to get better, agile or side-to-side in a way or going front to back."

It is impossible to say that Davis' defense won't get better at third base. Perhaps repetition and adjustments will help. But his play there in 2020 was so poor that it would have been unplayable over a full season.

It is the above that makes the presence of Guillorme so intriguing.

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