Mets fans will want to leave Brett Baty in London after his NY take

Major League Baseball's world tour is heading to the United Kingdom.

In the third edition of the London Series, the New York Mets will face the Philadelphia Phillies at London Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.

Both the Mets and Phillies are permitted to carry an additional position player on their roster to ease the strain of transatlantic travel. New York called up third baseman Brett Baty as their 27th player for the London Series.

The Mets recently optioned Baty to Triple-A Syracuse. Roughly a week later, he is enjoying the sights and sounds of London. Baty told reporters that he explored the city with his girlfriend, grabbed some dinner, and even caught a tour bus to see Buckingham Palace.

Brett Baty surprised by London being cleaner than New York City

Baty, who is traveling to London for the first time, was asked if he noticed any unexpected differences between London and New York.

"It's a lot cleaner," Baty said. "I don't want to be mean to New York City, but I feel like London might be a little bit cleaner."

New York fans may not like to hear it, but London has been graded as a cleaner city than New York City by several different measures. Based on annual average PM2.5 concentration levels, London was significantly less polluted than New York City in 2023.

Luckily for Baty, he can stay in clean cities as long as he avoids the Majors. Syracuse was ranked as the seventh-cleanest city in the United States by the American Lung Association, which ranks cities based on particle pollution, litter, and eco-friendly initiatives.

Baty, who previously played third base, spent a portion of his last stint in the Majors taking ground balls at second base during batting practice. When he was demoted to Syracuse, he was instructed to continue practicing at second base. With Mark Vientos thriving at third base, Baty has a clearer path to carving out a role at second base, where Jeff McNeil has been in a slump.

“I love defensive versatility. I’ve always loved it,” Baty said. “It’s a different game from other points of view. Any way I can help the team.”

Baty was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on May 31. Since optioned players are required to spend a minimum of 15 days in the Minors, Baty will be ineligible to remain with the club once the team returns to New York. Once he's sent back to Syracuse, he'll likely continue working on developing as a second baseman.

Along with Baty, the Mets also flew catcher Joel Hudson and reliever Cole Sulser to London.