The Mets got stronger up the middle Friday, but avoided a major plunge toward overhauling their roster.
In a move that will bolster the team until shortstop Francisco Lindor returns from an oblique strain and beyond, the Mets acquired Javier Baez from the Cubs as the centerpiece of a deal that also netted right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams. The Mets surrendered last year’s top draft pick, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, in the deal.
Baez is owed about $4.52 million for the remainder of this season, and the Cubs are picking up a portion of that amount.
“It’s not easy for us to give up prospects,” team president Sandy Alderson said. “But in this particular case when you are a few games ahead in the division and we’re at roughly Aug. 1, we needed to do something, not only to improve the team, but to demonstrate to the players that we had their back and were attempting to make the team better for the next 60 games.”
An impending free agent, Baez — who is expected to report to the Mets on Saturday — can move to second base once his friend Lindor returns from the injured list. The addition of Baez will give the Mets a dynamic double-play combination for the stretch run. The Mets had discussed another impending free agent, Kris Bryant, with the Cubs, but the asking price in terms of prospects was high. So, the Mets took Baez, who owns a .248/.292/.484 slash line with 22 homers and 65 RBIs.
“Javy got the edge over maybe some other guys because he fits a positional need right now, with Francisco being out a little while,” acting general manager Zack Scott said. “But he’s also excited to move around, as he said publicly … that he is willing to move around the diamond and provide that versatility when Francisco does return and takes over shortstop.”
Williams, a pitcher the Mets had pursued in the offseason, owns a 5.06 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 13 appearances this season. He will provide the Mets with emergency rotation depth and can also be utilized in long relief. The Mets optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse before Friday’s game.
Crow-Armstrong, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery this spring, is highly regarded for his defensive ability. He was ranked as the Mets’ No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
Last week, the Mets boosted their rotation by adding veteran left-hander Rich Hill in a deal with the Rays for minor league catcher Matt Dyer and reliever Tommy Hunter.
The Mets considered other starting-pitcher options before the deadline, but weren’t prepared to surrender a haul to the Twins for Jose Berrios, who is under club control through next season.
“We gave up a really good prospect, but we weren’t prepared to sell the farm in order to acquire some of the players who may or may not have been available to us, even at those prices,” Alderson said.
The Mets discussed with the Twins a deal for Byron Buxton and Kenta Maeda.
Owner Steve Cohen was involved in the process, according to Scott, receiving regular updates on the trade deadline landscape.
“[Cohen] wanted to know what was going on and we talked about it,” Scott said. “He was very supportive whatever it was we wanted to do and he just wanted to be in the loop on the options that we had, so we appreciated his support.”
On a day the Mets shut down ace Jacob deGrom from his throwing program because of further inflammation in his right forearm — pushing his potential return into September — Scott said the team has the pieces to compete with anybody in the National League.
“I always felt good about this team, before the deadline, I feel good still about this team,” Scott said. “We need to play better than our current record and I think we can. The whole thing is to get there, to win your division and you’ve got a good shot. There’s a lot of good teams in the National League.
“The way the game is structured, it’s looking like an arms race in the NL West and the reality is we’re probably only playing one of those teams in the postseason if we get there, so I think we have as good a shot as anybody.”