This wasn’t supposed to start with Javier Baez and the Mets giving their fan base another reason for frustration with them.
We were supposed to be recapping a weekend where the Mets took two out of three from the Washington Nationals. This was supposed to be about a feel-good weekend for a team that badly needed one.
The Mets gave us some clutch hitting, good pitching, solid defense, and even some aggressive base running (yes, the stolen base is still a thing!).
It wasn’t supposed to be what we’re about to discuss, but here we are. Once again, we’re talking about how this team can’t get out of their own way.
The names along the way change, however the narrative remains the same.
One step forward, two steps back, and right back into the hole they dug for themselves – which nobody asked them to dig in the first place.
You can change the ownership and spend money on improving the roster – but this team will find a way to wipe out any goodwill they attempt to build.
And not just with their fan base, it’s also with the media. The beat writers that cover them every day and the national media which salivates at the thought of this team finding a way to insert another foot in their own mouths.
If that sounds cruel or harsh – maybe I’m being too nice.
Because this team – the New York Mets – resemble more of a 162-game soap opera than a franchise determined to compete for championships.
Every professional sports team has storylines and plot twists, but this team takes the cake!
In this latest episode of As The Mets Turn, guest starring Javier Baez …
Sunday afternoon, after the Mets secured a 9-4 win over the Nationals, Baez was asked about the thumbs-down sign he flashed after blasting a go-ahead two-run home run in the fourth inning.
Various teams have their celebrations and rituals. Over the years, the Mets have been at the forefront of coming up with team celebrations or salutes to one another when something good happens. So, it’s no surprise they were asked afterwards about the unusual thumbs-down gesture that’s been their latest wave.
Simple question, should be a reasonable response, right?
Insert the sarcasm button right about – here.
Baez explained that the thumbs-down signal was the Mets’ way of booing their own fans.
“When we don’t get success, we’re going to get booed,” Baez said. “So, they’re going to get booed when we get success.”
Say what, now?
“We’re not machines,” Báez said. “We’re going to struggle seven times out of 10. And, you know, it just feels bad. When I strike out and I get booed, it doesn’t really get to me. But I want to let them know that when we have success, we’re going to do the same thing to let them know how it feels.”
“If we win together, then we’ve got to lose together, and the fans are a big part of it. They’ve got to be better. I play for the fans. And I love the fans. If they’re going to do that, they’re just putting more pressure on the team, and that’s not what we want.”
Baez didn’t just say that, I know he just say that! *Booker T Voice*
So, here’s Baez, a New York Met for all of one month, telling the fans they got to be better.
This, from the same player who’s produced a .207/.258/.414 slash line with three homers and five RBIs in 16 games since moving to the Mets at the trade deadline. And, for my casual sports fans reading this, there’s plenty room for improvement in those numbers.
Moreover, Baez is using the word “we” often in his comments. Therefore, let’s look at “we” for a bit.
Who’s “We”? Let’s address it
The “we” Baez is referencing would be the Mets. The same team that just won consecutive games for the first time in over two weeks.
Since the trade deadline, the Mets have a 9-20 record. They’ve dropped from first place in the National League East to third. If the playoffs started today, they’d be sitting at home like the rest of us – watching.
And here’s Baez telling the fans they got to be better?
No, he’s apparently misinformed.
Baez and the Mets “got to be better”!
Because, in this town, if you don’t produce, the fans are going to boo you.
Ask Mike Piazza how his early years as a Met were whenever he went into a hitting slump.
Derek Jeter. Patrick Ewing. Mark Messier. Eli Manning. All superstars here in New York, all legends for what they brought to their respective teams. The fans here don’t discriminate.
That’s the reality of the situation. And Baez, with eight years of MLB service time, knows this. The man played for the Chicago Cubs, for heaven’s sake!
What do you think the fans in New York are going to do when you’re not producing?
They’re not going to throw flowers at you and tell you get well soon. It’s going to, instead, be more along the lines of:
Hey, how much money are you making? Get it together, over here!
What’s next for the Mets?
Baez loves the fans; he just doesn’t want to be booed when he fails to do what they acquired him for. Pillar, his teammate, attempted to downplay it as the team just having fun and not to read much into it.
Lindor, while in on the thumbs-down movement, has also acknowledged his struggles with the bat contributes to the booing and justified criticism.
I can’t help but wonder how the two faces of the team, Pete Alonso and Jacob deGrom, feel about all this. And by that, I mean what they’re feeling. Not what’s the right thing to say in front of the cameras.
Team president Sandy Alderson was quick to put out a statement in which he says it’s OK for fans to boo. Furthermore, he added it’s not OK for players to mock their fans for booing.
And team owner Steve Cohen might’ve had the best analogy of all when talking to the New York Post.
“These are young guys and sometimes we forget they are on a public stage and can make mistakes,” Cohen said “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.”
Tune in next time, because there will be a next time
It’s fair for the fan base to wonder how long before the next episode of As the Mets Turn.
For now, instead of talking about what the Mets need to do to make a September push for the playoffs, we’re talking about another moment in team history for all the wrong reasons.
Let’s see if Baez can give the fans reason to cheer him for the remainder of this season. Because that’s the other thing which comes with New York sports fans, if you do well here, we tend to get selective memory on the other things.
We’ll find out this, and more, beginning Tuesday when the Mets host the Miami Marlins.
There’s never a dull moment with this team.
So tune in with us, same Mets time, same Mets channel!
Image: Javier Baez – Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
Image: Javier Baez / Francisco Lindor: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
