Cardinals prospect traded by the NY Mets gets called out for lacking effort

One of the more expensive New York Mets trades last summer swapped three prospects for St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. Helsley was a major disappointment in his setup role, getting shelled throughout August and into September. He’ll be remembered the same way we recall a root canal.

The costly trade included pitchers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt with the addition of headliner Jesus Baez. An infield prospect held in high regard entering the 2025 season, he finished poorly with the Cardinals after a not so satisfying start to the year with the Mets.

The Athletic’s Keith Law is one of the leaders in terms of prospect coverage. He didn’t have such kind words to say about Baez.

Jesus Baez doesn’t sound like the kind of player Mets fans would want

Along with critiquing Baez’s results, more on that in a moment, Law had this to say about his effort:

“He didn’t play hard on either side of the ball, including running balls out (the easiest thing to do as a player), and his approach to at-bats was awful. He also showed up out of shape last spring, helping the Mets decide to move him.”

Baez combined to hit .242/.326/.387 in parts of time in A-Ball and High-A for both organizations. He has yet to put together a truly excellent season in the minors. Since debuting in 2022, he’s a lifetime .243/.329/.399 hitter with a 21st birthday approaching at the end of February. Already Rule 5 eligible this December, but unlikely to get taken by anyone barring some kind of miraculous uphill climb that would rival Alex Honnold, he’s not technically behind schedule. He’s also not making a case to zoom through the minor leagues.

Depending on where you looked, Baez might’ve been the top ranked Mets prospect dealt last summer. Drew Gilbert’s stock had already fallen. Blade Tidwell hadn’t done much of anything to suggest he was a top 10 prospect. Baez’s physical tools, as Law did praise, haven’t been enough to make him the kind of young player sure to have a big league impact.

Poor results coupled with a lack of effort could stop Baez’s trajectory dead in its tracks if the Cardinals aren’t able to change him. A prospect sold young but with good reason, Law’s assessment of the situation shouldn’t have us too worried about how this bad Mets trade can get any worse. The other two prospects aren’t as highly regarded even with Baez’s distinctive shortcomings. Maybe this ends up as one of those trades nobody wins.