NY Mets front office sounds ready to get fooled forever by Brett Baty

New York Mets rumors about the possibility of trading Francisco Alvarez are one thing. He, and maybe even Luis Torrens, would bring back some good help for the Mets. Another, seemingly more defined player on the Mets roster, doesn’t quite have the same value.

The Four Baby Mets are all similar yet different. Alvarez remains the most consistent and promising. Mark Vientos had the single best year but also some really terrible ones. Ronny Mauricio’s at-bats can be found on the back of a milk carton. Then there’s Brett Baty who, with a .605 OPS, ranks as the fourth-worst hitter in MLB.

According to SNY’s Chelsea Janes, the Mets aren’t quite ready to pull the plug. “...some within the Mets front office still believe Baty will emerge as a lineup staple, which means they will not part with him for nothing.”

The key phrasing here might be “will not part with him for nothing.” Surely, there’s a team out there somewhere with a little more patience for Baty to turn into something.

Are the Mets seeing something that we aren’t?

Over 1300 MLB plate appearances since debuting in 2022, Baty is a .229/.296/.357 hitter. It’s that last number that is the most frustrating. We were told, and experienced it in the minors, how powerful he could be. 

When he was drafted, Harold Reynolds called him “Freddie Freeman with power.” Woof! This hasn’t aged well. Just 3 home runs this year and 18 of his 36 coming last season with 9 of those in his final 190 plate appearances, Baty has been a disappointing non-power hitter for the Mets.

In fact, getting the ball in the air has been an issue throughout his major league career. He has toned it down a lot this year with a 44.6% ground ball rate. His 50.4% rate in 2023 was his second-lowest. The league over this time period is at 42% with his personal career rate sitting at 49.8%. Nearly half of the balls he puts in play are a threat to ant hills.

Batting .218/.300/.305 on the season, he has started off July looking refreshed after a putrid June where he batted .147. A 5 for 14 start with a pair of doubles to match last month’s extra-base total, Baty is in a home run drought dating back to May 18th. It’s not for a lack of playing time. While Francisco Lindor was out, Baty was playing a lot of third base.

At 26 with his next birthday coming in November, we’re way beyond Baty being some clueless kid in need of better coaching or at-bats under his belt. He has been given multiple chances and continuously he has gone on months’ long slumps.

It doesn’t seem likely the Mets will move on from Baty at this year’s trade deadline as any team looking to build for a championship wouldn’t have much of a need. Baty is more of an offseason trade candidate. There is a remaining minor league option with arbitration only beginning with next season’s salary. Controlled through the 2029 season, it would take a major change for him to survive as a member of the Mets for three more full seasons after this one.

Baty can have a place on a major league roster off the bench or in a platoon situation. Projecting him to become a lineup staple is bold. His performance has been more like a paperweight. He has held the team back more than helped. It’s not all his fault. The front office, apparently, is still ready to get fooled.

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