Colorado Rockies: Crybaby Javier Báez’s antics may skyrocket Trevor Story’s value

New York Mets shortstop Javier Báez showed yet another instance where he is a crybaby over the weekend. If you haven’t seen his latest outburst, he and some of his teammates (including former Colorado Rockies outfielder Kevin Pillar and Baez’s lifelong friend, Francisco Lindor) decided that when they get hits or are successful on the field, they will put their thumbs down.

Why? Báez says it “feels bad” when he and his teammates get booed so he wants fans to feel the same when they are successful.

“We’re not machines,” Báez said. “We’re going to struggle seven times out of 10. It just feels bad when … I strike out and get booed. It doesn’t really get to me, but I want to let them know that when we’re successful, we’re going to do the same thing to let them know how it feels.”

For what it’s worth, Baez is right. As Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry discussed recently in this article, players are humans. They should not be receiving death threats or other threats on social media. However, fans booing players in a stadium is much different.

If Báez’s statement of “doesn’t really get to me” is true, then why do the “thumbs down” thing at all? The thing is that it has gotten to Baez and players, like Lindor, who admitted to essentially quitting on his former team (the Cleveland Indians) in 2020.

The problem is that Báez and the Mets are “struggling” more than seven times out of 10. Since the Mets acquired him, he has hit .210/.258/.452 and the Mets are 6-11 in games he has played in but since August 1, the Mets are 8-19.

As a result, the Mets have gone from leading the NL East with a 55-48 record and a four-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies and a 4.5 game lead over the Atlanta Braves to a 63-67 record and 7.5 game deficit to the Braves, who now lead the NL East, and a seven-game deficit for the second NL Wild Card spot.

So it’s not surprising that to see that a winning culture is not really with the Mets right now.

After Báez’s statement, Mets President Sandy Alderson that the players’ disapproval of fans “will not be tolerated.”

Báez has dug himself another hole and, once again, showed why he is one of the more overrated players in baseball for a number of reasons.

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Javier Báez’s most recent outburst with the New York Mets will skyrocket Trevor Story’s trade value

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story has to be licking his chops over Javier Báez’s recent antics for a number of reasons too.

Story has not had a typical Trevor Story season as his numbers are a bit down but entering free agency, Story has a lot less baggage than Báez. Story doesn’t publicly show the swagger that Báez does but he has what Story himself has called a “quiet intensity.”

Story is the quintessential player you look at when you want a player that will have little to no drama surrounding him and will get the job done, both on offense and defense. Báez has shown flashes off being able to get the job done but he continually leads the league or is in the top 10 in strikeouts. Currently, he leads the NL both in strikeouts and errors.

A shortstop that has had multiple instances of bringing issues to his team (e.g. this instance and his spat with Cincinnati Reds reliever Amir Garrett) who could, at the blink of an eye, be one of the worst players in baseball or a player that is one of the best in baseball? Or a player that has been more consistent both on offense and defense with little to no baggage that is the same age?

The answer will be answered this offseason but Trevor Story is a better player and has less baggage, so he could see his value skyrocket.