As if things weren’t already contentious enough around Citi Field these days given the Mets on field struggles. There’s now a players vs. fans vs. management storyline brewing in one of the hottest sports media markets in America.
Following the Mets game vs. the Nationals Sunday, Javier Baez took to the media to explain his thumbs down gesture to the fans after reaching base. “I strike out and get booed. It doesn’t really get to me, but I want to let them know that when we’re successful, we’re going to do the same thing to let them know how it feels.”
Baez’s struggles at the plate since being acquired at the trade deadline from Chicago have been well documented. Hitting a paltry .207 with 5RBIs in 16 games, Mets fans have taken to booing the 28 year old during his at bats on a regular basis.
Injuries and a cold streak where New York has gone 9-20 since the trade deadline, falling from 1st place in the NL East to out of the playoffs entirely, are also to blame for the sour mood in Queens these days. Their crosstown counterparts in the Yankees having a simultaneous 13 game winning streak also didn’t help matters in the New York media.
To be fair, Baez was not the only Mets player to display the thumbs down gesture after reaching base. Francisco Lindor and Kevin Pillar also gave the salute to the New York crowd, but didn’t talk to the media afterwards to explain their rationale.
While Pillar, Stroman, and even team owner Steve Cohen took to social media in the aftermath of Baez’s comments to downplay the situation, team President Sandy Alderson took a different approach:
In the team released statement, Alderson went so far as to condemn the thumbs down gesture and indicated he would be addressing the matter personally “The Mets will not tolerate any player gesture that is unprofessional in its meaning or is directed in a negative way toward our fans. I will be meeting with our players and staff to convey this message directly.”
New York talk radio and sports pages have already had a field day with the drama in the Mets clubhouse. With New York sitting 7.5 games out of the division lead and mired in a 3-7 slump, on air personalities will likely be focusing more on this narrative than any on field play for the foreseeable future.
Javier Baez will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.