Bradford Doolittle hands out grades as the New York Mets acquire SS/2B Javier Baez and RHP Trevor Williams from the Chicago Cubs for OF Pete Crow-Armstrong.
NEW YORK METS: B+
For the Mets, the prime directive is to win big and win now. That much was established when Steve Cohen bought the team, and it was re-emphasized when they went out and traded for Francisco Lindor.
The results so far are bittersweet. New York is in first place, though failings elsewhere in the NL East have a lot to do with that. But it's still a good spot to be in considering the extreme rash of injuries with which the Mets have dealt, the poor season to date for Lindor and perplexing collective underachievement by the offense.
In landing Baez, the Mets have acquired someone who fits this year's dynamic. That is, he's a super-flashy big name who is, in reality, having a down season. His hacktastic ways at the plate have never been more extreme, as he's leading the NL with an incredible 131 strikeouts and has drawn just 15 walks.
That said, Baez is another Met who is due for some positive regression, the kind of which Pete Alonso has already found since his spectacular showing in the Home Run Derby. The Mets are operating according to what they believe they are rather than who they've been so far this season. The results might turn out to be amazing.
As for Williams, the Mets needed innings and he's going to be a dependable source of those. We never think of him as a high-strikeout guy, yet this year, he's pushed his K-rate over one per inning. The key for Williams is always to balance his need to nibble with making mistakes over the plate, which results in a spate of gopher balls. However, moving into Citi Field will help him in this regard; some of his mistakes will now turn into long outs.
Now can we just get to the part where we watch a highlight reel of Lindor and Baez playing defense together in the middle of the diamond?
CHICAGO CUBS: C-
Amazing that at the moment this is written, the last standing member of the Cubs' beloved core is Kris Bryant -- the one guy who has been rumored to be on his way out of town for two years.
Crow-Armstrong is a legit prospect, one of the better ones to move at the deadline in terms of upside. He was the Mets' first-round pick last year, so he's getting his first taste of professional action this summer. The sample size is tiny, but he's reached base in 18 of his first 32 plate appearances in Low-A. Baseball America describes him as a future Gold Glove-caliber defender in centerfield. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel ranked him sixth in the Mets' system before the season and picked him to be the organization's breakout prospect.
Why the sour grade?
Look, let's not fault GM Jed Hoyer for what's taken place this week. This is an organizational thing driven by the financial parameters with which he has to work. He did well in this deal, considering Baez's less-than-stellar platform season and impending free agency.
Perhaps Baez's requests during extension negotiations were unreasonable. Still, this trade rips the heart out of the proverbial chest of Cubs fans. That's not a practical way to look at it, sure. But it should never have come to this.