Escobar was dealing with an off-field family issue last season that impacted his performance, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

"It was really hard," Escobar said this week. "I love baseball and respect my teammates. My problems are my problems. And I try to separate my problems from the job. But it was really hard throughout the season, especially when you're coming to a big team as a new player. It led to trying too much." The 34-year-old still slugged 20 home runs in 2022 for the fifth time in his career, but his .725 OPS was his lowest over a full season since 2016. The issue got dealt with in August, and Escobar's .321/.385/.596 slash line in September and October suggests he regained his focus in spades. He has extra incentive to rebound in 2023 as well -- prospect Brett Baty will be pushing for the starting job at third base this summer, and Mets owner Steve Cohen could potentially pursue free-agent-to-be Manny Machado next winter.