Cubs trade Javier Báez and Trevor Williams to Mets

Javier Báez has been both an outstanding Cubs player and one who wants you to tear your hair out.

He hits home runs. He makes impossible plays in the field. He runs bases with daring and abandon.

And then he strikes out on pitches way out of the zone. A lot. And he never — well, almost never — walks.

Now he’ll be doing all that for the New York Mets:

This likely means that Nico Hoerner is the Cubs shortstop of the future — when he comes back from the oblique injury that currently has him on the injured list. In the meantime, Sergio Alcántara likely holds down the position.

Javy was great fun. Javy was beloved. He’ll be missed, but the Cubs are clearly moving on to the next phase of franchise history. The Cubs don’t face the Mets again this year, so we won’t see Báez until 2022 — and he could wind up somewhere else, as he’s a free agent.

There is not yet any word on the return to the Cubs from the Mets in this deal. When there is, this post will be updated.

UPDATE — Trevor Williams, who was supposed to start tonight’s game in Washington, is being included in this deal:

UPDATE 2 — Here’s the return: