Mets manager Luis Rojas held his daily pregame media briefing before the 4 p.m. trade deadline Friday, so the reported deal sending Javier Baez and Trevor Williams from the Chicago Cubs to Queens wasn't "officially official" as of when he spoke, meaning Rojas had to be coy when asked about his new infielder.
"I'm aware of the rumors; I think everyone's phones just blow up with rumors and the different things out there with of social media and how active it is. I haven't heard anything official yet of course," he said with a smile.
But when it comes to Baez the player?
"I've always been a huge fan of what he does. As an offensive player, as a defensive player, as a baserunner, all those different things he does on the field, he's a very exciting player," Rojas said. "I've always been a fan from afar. We've already played two series against the Cubs where we saw him and he actually did really well against us."
Baez, who is hitting .248 with 22 home runs and 65 RBI this season, said earlier in the week that he would love to play with Francisco Lindor, a good friend and teammate on Team Puerto Rico in the past, and in fact, playing with Lindor in New York was the only way he'd consider moving to second base.
He will play shortstop for now, though, as Lindor is still "week-to-week" recovering from an oblique injury, despite being seen taking ground balls at Citi Field this week.
"He's working on his movements defensively, and Wednesday was the first day he played some catch and took some grounders to try to feel more comfortable," Rojas said. "He's progressing, but as far as a timeline, we're sticking with week-to-week and seeing how he keeps healing."
When Lindor is back, though, the double play combo from Team Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic – one that goes all the way back to the pair being childhood neighbors on the island – will be back together, likely with Jeff McNeil moving to third base when he returns as well.
That's at least the plan for the rest of this year, as Baez is a free agent come season's end, but beyond that? Perhaps the Mets will have a keystone comb for many, many years to come.
"If I go to free agency, I would like to play with Francisco Lindor," Baez said recently in an interview with Puerto Rican radio station Mega 106.9. "I loved playing with him in the World Baseball Classic. It is the only option I would take to play second base, if it is to play with him."
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