The New York Mets thought they had the upper hand at the 2025 trade deadline. Instead, the deal that sent Ryan Helsley to New York and Jesús Báez to St. Louis is starting to look a lot different a year later.
According to Cardinals insider Jeff Jones, Mets officials were celebrating the return they got in the swap and believed they had landed a steal. Jones wrote, “I heard after the deadline last year that Mets people were doing victory laps after this deal, couldn’t believe they duped the Cardinals into taking Báez as the Helsley return, were certain he was a lemon.
We’ll see! https://t.co/kmEE4AeVzj”
That confidence looks a lot shakier now. Helsley was rough for the Mets after the trade, and Báez has begun to settle in on the Cardinals’ side.
He is still a long way from being ready for the majors, but his work across High-A and Double-A has put him on the radar in a big way. Báez is hitting .256 with an .867 OPS and 29 home runs between the two levels, and MLB Pipeline has him ranked as the No. 21 prospect in St.
Louis’ system.
For Cardinals fans, Báez’s rise is another sign that the organization’s development work is paying off. For the Mets, it is another reminder of how quickly a deadline win can turn into a punch line.
And this isn’t exactly new territory for New York. In 2021, the Mets dealt their No. 5 prospect at the time to the Cubs for Javier Báez, Trevor Williams and cash considerations.
That prospect was Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has already become the face of the Cubs franchise. The Mets, meanwhile, finished that season in third place at 77-85 even after spending 103 days in first place earlier in the year.
The 2025 version went south in a different way. Helsley gave up 16 earned runs in 20 innings, and rumors swirled that he was tipping his pitches. Once the season ended, the Mets moved on quickly.
There is still a catch for St. Louis to sort through.
Báez becomes eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason if the Cardinals do not add him to the 40-man roster by December. That said, his minor league production this year points toward a future spot, and the Cardinals should have room if they move some of the players they held onto at the deadline, including Ryne Stanek, Riley O'Brien and perhaps Pedro Pagés.
For now, the trade is tilting hard in St. Louis’ favor.
The Mets may have thought they pulled off a clean one. Instead, they may have Metted again.
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