Gold Glove infielder Troy Tulowitzki believes New York Mets star isn't quite ready to play third base every day: "He needs to get better over there" 

The New York Mets tried to sign Carlos Correa with the expectation that he'd move to third base, where they currently employ Eduardo Escobar. That didn't happen, which left the position to Escobar.

Waiting in the wings, however, is Brett Baty. He's the Mets' second-best prospect and the 21st-ranked minor leaguer in the entire league. However, his defense has left much to be desired, which is why he's tried out the outfield, too.

Baty has been working with former defensive wizard Troy Tulowitzki on improving his defense, which evidently needed a lot of work.

According to SNY, Tulowitzki said this about Baty:

"He needs to get better over there. But some people need to get better because they aren’t athletic enough or don’t have arm strength. He’s got all the tools. He just needs some reps."

This kind of brutal honesty hasn't fazed Baty, though:

"He’s not going to beat around the bush about anything and he’s not going to sugarcoat anything. If he doesn’t see something he thinks will play at the next level, he will tell you straight up. And I love that in people.

"I don’t really like people who are just there to tell you how good you are, tell you how good you look and stuff like that. I like the people that are actually going to be honest with you, and help you get better."

Tulowitzki recorded 94 defensive runs saved in nearly 11,000 innings at shortstop in his career, so he knows a thing or two about infield defense on that side.

Whether or not Baty makes it at third base for the New York Mets remains to be seen. But it's impossible to say he's not giving it his best shot and trying to get better.

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Who will play third base for the New York Mets: Brett Baty or Eduardo Escobar?

Had the New York Mets landed Carlos Correa, this would all be moot. Since they didn't, they now need a reliable third baseman.

Eduardo Escobar plays third for the New York Mets

That's probably going to be Escobar, who is a better defender there. Baty's bat is worth getting into the lineup once he's MLB-ready, but at what cost?

Baty could DH over Dan Vogelbach or rotate in and out of the outfield to spell Mark Canha or Starling Marte.