Bumbling New York Mets were reportedly over the moon to unload breakout Cardinals prospect

The New York Mets have a long and storied reputation as a laughingstock around baseball, and their front office looks to be contributing to the franchise's sad state of affairs at the hands of Chaim Bloom and the St. Louis Cardinals. At the 2025 trade deadline, the Cardinals and Mets swung a deal sending Ryan Helsley to the Big Apple. In true Mets fashion, Helsley was disastrous down the stretch, whereas the main piece in the package back to St. Louis, shortstop Jesús Báez, has found his footing in 2026. According to Cardinals insider Jeff Jones, this wasn't how the Mets drew it up.

It's obviously too early to deem Báez as an MLB-ready piece, but his production between High-A and Double-A has opened Cardinals fans' eyes and is another positive reflection on the Cardinals' developmental overhaul. He's currently hitting .256 with an .867 OPS and 29 home runs across the two levels, and MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 21 prospect in the Cardinals' increasingly fearsome system.

The Cardinals are making the Mets look like fools again

If Báez continues to flourish, it won't be the first time the Mets are kicking themselves over trading a prospect. In 2021, they traded their No. 5 prospect at the time to the Chicago Cubs for Javier Báez, Trevor Williams and cash considerations. That prospect's name was Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is already the face of the Cubs franchise. Javier Báez and Williams, meanwhile, were a part of a Mets team that finished in third place at 77-85 despite spending 103 days in first place in their division earlier in the season.

The Mets torpedoed similarly in 2025, as Helsley allowed 16 earned runs in 20 innings while rumors persisted that he was tipping his pitches, and the Mets unsurprisingly couldn't get rid of him fast enough once the season concluded. Thus, even if Jesús Báez is eventually just a fringe major league contributor, the Cardinals will have made out like bandits in a deal where the Mets front office was sure it had swindled St. Louis.

It's worth noting that Báez will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason if the Cardinals don't place him on their 40-man roster by December, so the Cardinals will have to decide on whether he's a piece of their future. His performance in the minor leagues this year suggests that the Cardinals will eventually find a spot for him, and they should have some roster space when they unload some players whom they kept at the trade deadline, such as Ryne Stanek, Riley O'Brien and perhaps Pedro Pagés.

You never want your team name to become a verb, but the Mets look to have Metted once again with their acquisition of Helsley for a player who appears to be slugging his way through the minor leagues. In the meantime, get out a stick of chalk and put another tally in the win column for Bloom and the Cardinals' scouting and development system.

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