Remember when only two weeks ago Javier Baez was sitting with a child on his lap giving a press conference only a late 1990s wrestling heel could pull off? Things have changed a lot since that fateful day. The New York Mets second baseman is no longer public enemy number one among the fans.
The story went about the way we all thought it would. In this age where 10-second TikTok videos get more views than a presidential address, we all understand how quickly life can move.
Emotions, opinions, and the news cycle all move rapidly. What was important one day is totally out of fashion the next. It’s precisely why people are always changing their underwear—for the fashion, no other reason.
Mets fans and Javier Baez are copacetic
Bound for the floor, the relationship between Mets fans and the biggest trade deadline acquisition of all made by the club back in July has taken a major turn. It wasn’t Baez’s appy polly loggy he offered at the behest of his agent or someone in the PR Department. Baez has, instead, gotten on our good side smacking baseballs around.
From the beginning, there’s only one request Mets fans had from him: help us win.
There’s no other purpose for a trade deadline acquisition other than to help turn a team’s fortunes around or be that catalyst to step on the gas. Baez missed some time shortly after arriving in New York. Now that he’s back and healthy, he is doing everything possible to make sure the blue and orange team leaves the ballpark victorious.
His bat. His gloves. Even his legs. All have gotten in on the action.
Baez plays a different brand of baseball than most of us see. He’s more aggressive than most—sometimes swinging freely or going for an extra base and ending up caught dead between two bags. For each of those moments worth a thumbs down, he has given the Mets a big hit or a heads-up baserunning maneuver. Plus, his defense has been impeccable.
The mistake made by Baez and his teammates was that they made the booing personal. Regardless of their true intent, they made it about everyone’s mother. You don’t mess with moms.
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The strained relationship between fans and Baez isn’t broken, just bent. Playing his way into our hearts, it will be interesting to see if the Mets get a second date with him in 2022.