Cubs manager Craig Counsell has fond memories of working with David Stearns

Preternatural calm.

That, in essence, is what stood out about Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns to Cubs manager Craig Counsell when they worked together in Milwaukee.

“David’s not going to be altered by things that you think others are,” Counsell said. “It’s just not going to happen.

“He creates an organization, builds an organization [with] people around him to maybe find things you can improve on, and that’s always going to be of value, right? . . . Whether that’s how he’s wired or what he learned in Milwaukee or what I taught him — maybe what I taught him — it’s something that he operates by and he follows very closely. He’s a good builder of people around him as well.”

Plan for Baty

All things being equal, Carlos Mendoza wants to create consistent playing time for Brett Baty. It’s just a matter of putting the 25-year-old in positions in which he can have success and then build upon it.

“I definitely want to continue to get him going,” Mendoza said. “If I feel like we’re better off playing some of the other guys and giving him a day, it’s not so much about Brett Baty. It’s more like putting other guys in a position where we’re [saying], ‘Hey, we like that matchup.’  ”

Baty was in the starting lineup on Saturday, hitting seventh and playing third base. He hit a three-run home run with two outs in the fourth inning and a two-out, two-run shot in the eighth in the Mets’ 6-5 loss to the Cubs.

“Yes, having the understanding that we might benefit from giving this guy a little bit of leeway here and letting him play. But again, it’s a balance and you’re trying to keep everyone sharp,” Mendoza said. “I feel like we now have a really good rotation going here with the position players, all 13 of them, and Brett Baty is a huge part of that. So we will continue to be a day-to-day team.”