Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Needing to make a splash at this year’s trade deadline, the New York Mets did just that by acquiring shortstop Javier Baez – and pitcher Trevor Williams – from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong, providing this team with another impact player on the roster.

With fellow shortstop Francisco Lindor sidelined for an extended time with an oblique strain, the acquisition of Baez has since filled a massive hole on the left side of the infield and within the middle of this team’s batting order as well. Once the superstar infielder returns from the injured list, this dynamic duo is expected to play alongside each other up the middle of the diamond, which could be a lethal one-two combination.

Understandably, there’s been a ton of excitement surrounding the two-time All-Star’s arrival to the Mets’ organization, especially since he can serve as a difference-maker offensively and defensively. Having said that, the former Cub isn’t always the most reliable player on the field and it appears that’s something this fanbase will need to understand moving forward.

At times, Baez possesses the ability to deliver in clutch situations at the plate and in the field, which has allowed him to take over games in the past. But on the other hand, he’s also been known to experience very tough stretches throughout a 162-game schedule, making him somewhat unpredictable.

Putting this into perspective, the 28-year-old is capable of altering the outcome of a game during a high-leverage situation, and that’s exactly what he did on Aug. 4 against the Miami Marlins by hitting the game-winning home run in the eighth inning.

While his clutch solo home run ultimately allowed the Mets to capture a 5-3 victory, Baez couldn’t build off that momentum and proved to be a major liability just one day later, as he went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts and left a team-worst eight runners on base – not ideal results from your No. 5 hitter.

So to truly appreciate his greatness, fans have to be willing to accept the 2016 World Series champion’s intense highs along with his disappointing lows, or they may miss out on what this exciting star can bring to New York. Granted, maintaining that type of mindset will probably be easier said than done, but it might be easier to accomplish that feat once you gain a better understanding of each aspect of his craft.

Offensively, Baez is someone who’s historically excelled at hitting for power and can significantly change the score with one swing of the bat. Proving to be no different this season, the right-hander has overcome his power outage from last season, where he posted just eight home runs, a .158 ISO and a .360 SLG over 235 plate appearances, as he’s been one of the top slugging shortstops in the majors.

Positioned in the upper echelon of multiple different categories, the 2018 National League Silver Slugger Award winner has created the second-most home runs (24), the third-most RBIs (68), the third-highest ISO (.236) and the fifth-highest SLG (.478) among all qualified shortstops, according to FanGraphs.com.

Separating these stellar metrics from the rest of his offensive production, Baez should be able to help improve a Mets’ lineup that’s struggled mightily to consistently hit for power throughout the 2021 campaign. Though he’s only one player, his presence could eventually spark the rest of this offense, and in turn, allow them to start dramatically scoring more runs down the stretch.

Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

While the former first-round selection adds another power-hitting threat to this roster, that’s one of the only upsides to the run-producing aspect of his game, as he doesn’t normally hit for contact and can become a liability due to his lack of plate discipline.

Since there’s been a ton of swing and miss to his game over the last two seasons, resulting in a 39.5% whiff rate, Baez’s ability to serve as a contact-driven hitter has declined significantly compared to earlier in his career. As a result, he’s been unable to register higher results than a .227 AVG, a .295 BABIP and a .297 wOBA during that same span.

Combining his struggles at putting balls in play, strikeouts have also become a major part of the power-hitting shortstop’s craft, particularly in 2021. Given his unwillingness to lay off pitches outside the strike zone, earning him a career-worst 45.3% chase rate, he’s recorded the highest strikeout rate of his career at 36.4%.

Thanks to this poor level of discipline, along with his inability to generate contact, Baez has been one of the worst shortstops in the majors at getting on-base consistently as he owns the worst strikeout rate, the third-lowest walk rate (4.1%), the fifth-lowest OBP (.285) and the eighth-lowest xwOBA (.300) among all qualified shortstops this season.

Despite thriving against breaking balls throughout his career, the majority of the Arlington Country Day School standout’s woes have come against four-seamers, which is obviously less than ideal. Taking full advantage of this weakness, opposing pitchers have thrown him straight fastballs 31.4% of the time in 2021, and the native of Puerto Rico hasn’t had any answers to solve this dilemma.

Playing a huge factor in his increased amount of strikeouts, the 2016 NLCS MVP has produced the second-worst strikeout rate (46.5%) and whiff rate (42.7%) and is tied for the sixth-worst run value (-7) among all hitters who’ve earned at least 50 plate appearances against four-seamers, according to BaseballSavant.com.

So unless Baez starts chasing fewer fastballs outside the zone, the scouting report against him will likely continue to feature a significant amount of heaters, potentially leading to additional five-strikeout performances down the line over these final two months of the schedule.

In addition to being known as a power-hitting infielder, the 2020 NL Gold Glove Award winner also made numerous highlight-reel defensive plays throughout his tenure in Chicago, earning him recognition as one of the top defenders arccos the major leagues. Even though he’s coming off an award-winning season, errors have plagued him up to this point, causing his overall defense to be ineffective.

With the flashy defender recording career-worsts in errors committed (19) and ErrR (-3.0) this season, his traditional results have taken a massive hit, as he’s generated just a -1 OAA and 6 DRS over 794 1/3 innings at shortstop.

Taking into account these concerning metrics, it’d probably be wise for the fanbase to prepare themselves ahead of time in case Baez fails to complete a couple of routine plays, especially if moves over to second base – a position he hasn’t played since 2018.

In his own right, the all-star shortstop is capable of providing a solid amount of upside for the Mets, however, that’s not to say his offensive and defensive flaws can’t outweigh the positive aspects of his game at times. In order to appreciate him as a whole, a level of acceptance involving his troubles at the plate and in the field will likely be required.

But if this team can reach the postseason for the first time since 2016, any struggles from here on out from Baez might be forgotten about if the impending free agent can deliver during key moments down the stretch.