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Column: Giving Mets fans a thumbs down pretty much ends Javier Baez’s future in New York. Will it affect the free-agent market for the ex-Chicago Cub?

paul sullivan, chicago tribune
·5 min read

In case the New York Mets missed it, here was the scouting report on Javier Báez:

Plays with flair. Strikes out at a 36% clip. Swings at pitches well outside the zone. Hits prodigious home runs. Watches prodigious home runs. Strong arm. Great range. Prolific tagger. Good speed on the bases. Creative headfirst slides. Speaks his mind.

We saw this in Chicago the last eight years, and because the good usually outweighed the bad and he helped lead the Cubs to a championship in 2016, Báez became a local legend.

Now he’s a Mets legend, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

When Báez told reporters Sunday that he and some of his teammates were giving thumbs-down signs on the bases as a way to “boo” Mets fans who have been booing players, he shut the door on a possible return to New York and made himself a target of boo birds at Citi Field for the remainder of 2021.

Mets President Sandy Alderson issued a statement that the organization “will not tolerate any player gesture that is unprofessional in its meaning or is directed in a negative way toward our fans” and that he would meet with players “to convey this message directly.”

Owner Steve Cohen told the New York Post that players make “mistakes,” but he added: “They hit the third rail, though, by messing with fans. And it is unacceptable. Hopefully, this is a teaching moment and they will learn from this.”

Báez — who has not hit consistently since his July 30 trade from the Cubs, got injured shortly after the deal and made a brutal baserunning gaffe during his brief stay in Queens — was vilified on Twitter, where it was pointed out that even New York Yankees icon Derek Jeter was booed at Yankee Stadium in 2004. Jeter said he deserved it, which is the proper answer most athletes give when they’re underperforming and hearing it from fans, whether they believe it or not.

But Báez isn’t like anyone else, as evidenced by his decision to tell fans they’re wrong to boo him. Maybe he was simply channeling his inner Lee Elia, or perhaps he just hates New York.

Either way, when the New York Daily News published a back-page headline that read, “Mets: Go to Hell, Fans!” I immediately thought of former Cubs third baseman Ron Santo, who had similar feelings toward Mets fans from his playing days through his broadcasting career.

Somewhere, Santo was smiling.

The Mets had the day off Monday, giving angry New Yorkers an extra day to let the story percolate on talk radio and ensure the Citi Field crowd is in the proper mood for Baéz’s first at-bat Tuesday night, assuming he’s in the lineup. He’ll likely be persona non grata the next four weeks in New York before moving on as a free agent.

After watching Báez grow up from the minors to Cubs superstar, it’s a shame to see him go through the wringer in New York. But that’s the price you pay for speaking your mind.

I don’t recall Báez being booed in Chicago, where he basically could do no wrong. His clever baserunning in Pittsburgh in May, when he deked the Pirates first baseman on a routine grounder, was featured the next day on “Good Morning America.”

Even his mental mistakes became one-day stories, and he almost always admitted to them afterward. The guess here is Báez will apologize, concede that Mets fans have a right to boo and get through the final month of the season without many more interviews.

Then we’ll find out whether teams will shy away from signing a player who has the major leagues’ highest strikeout percentage and criticized fans for booing him.

Some Cubs fans still hope he’ll return to Wrigley Field next year on a multiyear deal, but that’s wishful thinking. The Cubs already have said Nico Hoerner will play shortstop when he returns from his oblique injury, and the plan is to team Hoerner with trade-deadline acquisition Nick Madrigal as the double-play combo of the future.

The possible landing spots for Báez seem to have dwindled considerably, barring a short-term deal to increase his value.

At least 10 teams are in the midst of a rebuild and won’t be spending big on a shortstop this winter. The Yankees might not be completely satisfied with Gleyber Torres’ season, but they’re unlikely to get into a bidding war now that Báez is radioactive in New York. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Trea Turner at the trade deadline, knowing they’ll probably lose free agent Corey Seager. The Chicago White Sox have Tim Anderson, who is not moving positions, and recently acquired second baseman César Hernández.

Philadelphia Phillies fans will boo players at the drop of a hat, so that’s not a good fit. The San Francisco Giants just gave Brandon Crawford an extension. The Atlanta Braves wouldn’t replace Dansby Swanson with Báez, and the Milwaukee Brewers consider the Willy Adames acquisition in April one of the main reasons for their success.

Báez already blew off any chance of going to the Cincinnati Reds by taunting reliever Amir Garrett after a walk-off hit in one of his final games as a Cub.

Perhaps his best bet is the Los Angeles Angels, where he can reteam with manager Joe Maddon, a loyal booster who gave Báez the freedom to be himself. Maddon said in 2019 that an evaluation of Báez’s tools was like a “novella” in progress.

“You’ll write all kinds of things,” Maddon said. “You’re going to write some negative stuff. Different things you think will get better over time, like four years, has really improved.”

Báez has a long career ahead of him, and hopefully this made-for-the-tabloids moment will be a mere blip in his life.

But he put the spotlight on himself and learned a valuable lesson:

New York is not Chicago.