The Cubs were busy Friday, trading three players who are headed for free agency this winter in Javier Báez (to the Mets), Kris Bryant (to the Giants) and Craig Kimbrel (to the White Sox), acquiring a pair of high-floor, low-ceiling prospects as well as two more guys with some upside.
Báez is one of my favorite players to watch, with his electric bat speed, incredible reflexes, tags that look like magic … but my rational self can’t ignore that he’s played in 150 games since the start of 2020 and has a .271 OBP thanks to just 22 walks, along with 206 strikeouts in that span. He’s become less disciplined since his peak year in 2018, when he finished second in the MVP voting, with a strikeout rate that has gone up each season since then. This seems like an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle — we know Báez can be more productive than he has been this year, and if he pulled a Yoenis Céspedes for the next three months, it shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Cubs also sent Trevor Williams, who gives the Mets another swingman/depth starter option, in the deal.
The Cubs get the Mets’ first-round pick from 2020, outfielder
