With Manny Machado out, could a Mets future include both Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty, with one in outfield?

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- On the first day of a world in which Manny Machado will not be a Met, Ronny Mauricio hit a long home run to right-center field, impressed his manager by calmly turning a double play, and declared himself a candidate for the position that Machado plays.

“If I’m going to play at the big league level for the Mets, I think it would be in a different position [than shortstop],” Mauricio said through a translator, alluding to Francisco Lindor’s long-term presence at the spot where he plays in the minor leagues.

Which position would he prefer?

“Third base,” Mauricio said, without hesitation.

With Machado locked up in San Diego on a new 11-year, $350 million contract extension as of Sunday, and Carlos Correa a Minnesota Twin as of January, a lane has suddenly opened for that to happen.

If Machado were headed for free agency this November, one wouldn’t have to be a certified MLB insider to foresee the Mets’ interest. Now, the team will need a different plan to replace Eduardo Escobar in 2024.

In fact, if Mauricio and third base prospect Brett Baty both develop into major league regulars -- no sure thing, according to the law of averages -- it is now easier to imagine a world in which one is a Mets third baseman and one a left fielder.

Generally speaking, general manager Billy Eppler and manager Buck Showalter see third and left as positions that require similar skill sets.

According to the baseball philosophies that drive the Mets, an ideal left fielder and third baseman should be able to hit for both contact and power. He needs to be an above-average fielder -- an issue for Baty at third -- but not to the extent that a shortstop does. An above-average arm is not essential.

Showalter believes that both Mauricio and Baty have above-average arms (Mauricio’s might be a tick better, scouts say), but it’s clear that neither has elite range or footwork. Both have above-average power and bat-to-ball skills.

Because of the spacious dimensions at Citi Field, foot speed is more important for a left fielder there than at some ballparks. Mauricio has a slight edge over Baty in that area, but possibly not enough to be determinative.

Baty’s lateral movement remains a work-in-progress, and the team needs to see increased agility before feeling totally comfortable inserting him at any position at the major league level.

In the abstract at least, neither player would seem an ideal defender at third or in left -- but neither is a mismatch, either, especially considering their power, which in both cases is more than enough to fit a corner position.

The Mets have already considered Baty in left, and planned to do so again this spring if they had been able to finalize their agreement with Correa.

Once the Correa deal fell through, the team changed its mind about giving Baty Grapefruit League reps in left field, preferring for him to focus on developing at third base. Some in the organization remain skeptical he can excel in the outfield; the plan is for Baty to continue to do so at Triple-A in the early part of this season.

As for Mauricio, he is clearly a more confident player after winning the Dominican League MVP Award this winter. His batting practices this week impressed no less an authority than new special assistant Carlos Beltran.

Where Mauricio once seemed an odd man out with the Mets, his progress demands another look.

"He's come a long way and kind of evolved as a prospect in a lot of ways," Showalter said.

With both Escobar and Mark Canha on expiring contracts, two corner spots will open up next year.

Now that two superstars have come off the board in Correa and Machado, the team might have the chance to see how the different permutations of that left field/third base combo work.