Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

With the Mets season officially coming to an end following Sunday afternoon’s 5-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, second baseman Javier Báez’s days in New York could officially be numbered.

After a solid 2021 campaign, the 28-year old infielder is set to become one of the top free-agent bats on the market and is certainly in for a big payday.

As of Sunday, Báez was still yet to engage in any contract talks with the Mets. However, his teammate and good friend Francisco Lindor has been making a pretty strong pitch to keep the star infielder alongside him in New York.

“I would love to have him back,” Lindor said Sunday. “He’s a gamer, he’s a winner, and he competes day in and day out. I’ve had a lot of fun playing up the middle with him and learning from him. We feed off of each other, we tried to do whatever it takes to bring some wins.”

The middle infield duo of Lindor and Báez has been a ton of fun to watch, and certainly could be one of the very best in the game for years to come. This is the second time in the past few weeks that Lindor spoke highly of their chemistry out in the infield.

Báez seems to share these sentiments as well. He recently told reporters he feels his relationship with Lindor is closer than that of his former Chicago Cubs teammates Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. 

“They were special. They were really close. I think me and Lindor are closer than KB and Rizzo. It’s a really special thing we have here. I would love to stay here and play with him in New York,” Báez said.

Báez certainly made a strong case during his two-month stint in the Big Apple. In 47 games with the Mets, he hit .299 with a .371 OBP, .886 OPS, nine doubles, and nine home runs. He also looked like a different hitter, showing more discipline and cutting down on the swing and misses.

As Lindor said, Báez is a winner and a game-changer. We’ve quickly seen that he finds ways to impact the game and help his team win day in and day out, and he plays with the fire, passion, and energy to thrive in New York.