Plenty of prospects are moved in the lead-up to the MLB trade deadline, and most of the time nobody ever thinks twice about it. However, in some cases, a prospect dealt comes back to haunt a team, and that’s undoubtedly been the case for the New York Mets and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Five years ago in 2021, the Mets pushed their chips in, trading Crow-Armstrong to the Chicago Cubs for Javier Baez and Trevor Williams.
While Baez was productive at the plate, New York sputtered out of control, missing the postseason and losing their trade deadline acquisition for nothing in free agency. On the flip side, Crow-Armstrong has developed into a superstar, MVP candidate in Chicago, and with the 2026 deadline looming, he was asked to reflect on the life-changing trade.
“I mean, really, it really changed the whole trajectory of it. It changed my life, my family’s life, in so many ways. So I look at that as such a blessing. I didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but I’m here. I get to play at Wrigley every day, I get to play in front of the best fans in the world, and I’m a part of a really good squad all the while. So it changed my life,”
The 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong is hitting .283 with 24 HRs and 64 RBI through 111 games played this season. He’s also stolen 26 bases and leads all of MLB with 22 outs above average, according to Baseball Savant.
Looking back on the Crow-Armstrong for Baez trade is a nightmare for the Mets and brings back great memories for the Cubs.
Who knows where the worst team in the NL East would be right now had they kept Crow-Armstrong, and who knows where the second-best team in the NL Central would be had they not landed Crow-Armstrong just over five years ago to the day.
