Needing Some Extra Magic, the Mets Trade for El Mago
The Mets arrived at Friday’s trade deadline with an offense that averaged just 3.85 runs per game. Only two teams were worse: the Texas Rangers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, and both of them are in last place in their divisions.
The Mets, of course, have been leading the National League East for months (every day since May 8, to be precise), with help from a weak field around them. They held a lead of three and a half games over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday afternoon, when they added a big bat in an effort to pull away down the stretch.
Javier Baez, a two-time All-Star infielder with 22 homers this season, joined the Mets with starter Trevor Williams and cash in a deal with the Chicago Cubs. The Mets sent the outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong to the Cubs.