MESA, Ariz. — It’s hard to value a player more than the A’s valued Jed Lowrie.

When a team trades for a guy not once, but twice, the infatuation isn’t a passing fancy. It’s genuine.

“Jed sees the game similar to the way we do,” general manager David Forst said, “and he understood his strengths. He also just cared.”

Lowrie was a major reason the A’s won 97 games last season and reached the playoffs for the first time in four years. He not only was a fixture as the second baseman and No. 3 hitter, he also was an important presence for several young players transitioning to big-league stardom.

Lowrie’s now a New York Met, and the A’s have a new second baseman, Jurickson Profar. They’re undecided who’ll hit third; it could be a combination of folks, including Profar.

What the A’s will miss, as they embark on life without Lowrie, is someone who evolved as a leader and set examples for corner infielders Matt Chapman and Matt Olson and served several years as the double-play partner for Marcus Semien.

“It’s cool to play with guys like that because you can pick up more than they probably know they’re giving you,” Chapman said.

For example?

“If guys were getting down on themselves, he was always there to pick us up,” Chapman said. “That’s what he helped me out with the most. He knew I was hard on myself a lot of times, and he’d say, ‘Use past experiences, you gotta keep grinding, keep pushing.’

“That’s what good teammates do, pick each other up when you’re down. I thought he was really good at doing that for a lot of guys.”

Chapman, Olson and Chad Pinder played their first full seasons in the majors with Lowrie and could always go to him with a question about the big-league lifestyle and grind.

Lowrie wasn’t considered a leader during his first go-round in Oakland, but grew into the role the past couple of years as the organization introduced young cornerstone players.

“He’s a great resource because he’s so aware of himself and how he needs to go about his work day,” manager Bob Melvin said. “I think the timing was right last year for him to be here. I think our young players took a lot from him, and now they’re kind of on their own, but we think they’re up to the task.”

Lowrie was traded from Houston to Oakland before the 2013 season, and a year after he returned to Houston on a three-year deal, the A’s reacquired him before the 2016 season.

“We had Jed in some years we weren’t really good. We had Jed in years we were,” Forst said. “He never wavered how much he cared about his own performance and the team’s performance, and that had a tendency to wear off on some of the younger players. It was good for them.”

The A’s had expressed interest in re-signing Lowrie, who turns 35 in April, but weren’t going to come close to the two-year, $20 million deal he got with the Mets.

On Dec. 21, the A’s acquired Profar from Texas in a three-way trade that also involved the Rays. Profar, 26, is making $3.6 million after hitting .254 with a .335 on-base percentage, 20 home runs and 77 RBIs in a career-high 146 games in 2018.

“I’m very happy for Jed. He definitely earned every penny,” Semien said. “He was our three hitter pretty much the whole year and solidified our lineup, making it tougher to pitch to (Khris Davis), getting on base a lot for KD.”

Lowrie’s second half wasn’t nearly as good as his first half, but he set career highs with 23 homers and 99 RBIs and was an All-Star for the first time. The Mets invested in a veteran infield with Lowrie, Todd Frazier and Robinson Cano, and two of the three aren’t expected to be available Opening Day.

Lowrie has a sprained knee, Frazier an oblique strain.

“Jed had an incredible year, he was awesome for us,” Olson said, “but he ultimately got the deal he wanted in New York. We’re all happy for him. and we’re excited about Jurickson. It looks like he’ll build on what he did last year. He has a great attitude and is fitting in with us. He always has a smile on his face.

“It makes for an easy transition.”

John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicle’s national baseball writer. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey