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Best trade times captivate a team’s fan base (get fans to buy tickets or broadcast matches, right?) And reward a clubhouse for making such necessary reinforcements. They provide a clear narrative, a simple formula, which anyone can digest and execute.
The 2021 deadline for the Mets? It ended up giving almost everyone indigestion.
God, what a bizarre Friday for the Mets, who somehow managed to pull off one of the deadline’s most compelling trades – the landing of the Cubs’ dynamic Javier Baez – to let their fans in shock 1) injury setback for ace Jacob from Grom; 2) a 6-2 loss to the Reds at Citi Field; and 3) the post-game disclosure that Brandon Nimmo, one of the team’s best hitters, would not have touched in the bottom of the ninth, had the Mets rally continued, due to a “Hamstring pinch” suffered during a hook dive into the top of the frame.
It won’t surprise you though to learn that, on the bright side for these guys, they maintained their 3½ game lead in the National League East over the Phillies and four games over the Braves, as their top two. challengers – both of whom secured strengthening deals on Friday – also lost.
Friday ended up being the type of day Francisco Lindor once again expressed his displeasure with Mets fans who expressed their displeasure, this time with Michael Conforto falling apart (“I hate to see the crowd booing our players. It sucks ”), and it’s barely recorded, thanks to the news overload.
The Mets reportedly took advantage of making more news in the form of acquiring a pitcher in addition to Trevor Williams, who joined Baez from the Cubs and was immediately selected for the Triple-A Syracuse.
“Some of the high-end throws just weren’t available to us,” Mets president Sandy Alderson said at an in-person press conference Friday afternoon. “Some players had no-trade clauses and maybe didn’t want to come to New York. In other cases, high-end starters were pushed out of the market until the very last minute and then demanded very high prices. So when you look at the starting pitcher market, top to bottom … [we decided to] stick to our long term plan, you better go in a different direction.
Surely you know Alderson was referring to two pitchers: future Hall of Fame member Max Scherzer, who used his collectively negotiated no-trade protection to head from the Nationals to the Dodgers, and Jose Berrios, as the Twins. distributed to the Blue Jays for a delicious comeback from Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richardson. An equivalent package from the Mets, coming off the MLB.com lead rankings, would have been Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty, which surely would have turned some stomachs in Queens. And the Mets, their heavy agricultural system, could not find other treasures.
As for Baez, there’s no denying his strengths – power, skill against left-handed pitching, speed, defense and love of the spotlight – and perhaps these may prove to be even more valuable now that the Mets have suffered the worst. punch from the inflammation to deGrom’s right elbow, a development that puts the rest of his season in jeopardy. Baez’s main weakness is that he doesn’t work; his 15 walks for the season placed him sixth among major league hitters on Friday. One curiosity must be his propensity for drama in the game, as evidenced by his fine taunt last week from Reds reliever Amir Garrett after snatching a home run against him.
“What’s wrong with the drama?” Asked Alderson, who of course made Yoenis Cespedes a Met six years ago on Saturday. And acting general manager Zack Scott said he joked to Baez, “We play your buddy’s team.”
The other concern should be Baez’s role once Lindor recovers. What playing time, at what position will the versatile infielder take if everyone is healthy? Will this create misfortune for Luis Rojas to manage?
Will Friday be the Mets’ catapult to bigger things or their ultimate obstacle? We cannot find out, as the Mets have given neither themselves nor their watchers a clear solution to a troubling problem.
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