Mets History Rewritten: Passing on Francisco Rodriguez for a chance to draft Mike Trout

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NEW YORK – AUGUST 14: Francisco Rodriguez #75 of the New York Mets looks on after pitching in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on August 14, 2010 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Phillies defeated the Mets 4-0. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

When it comes to Mike Trout, every fan across baseball wants him on their team including those who follow the New York Mets. It may not be as good of an idea as one may think especially when your owners are the Wilpons.

The year was 2008. The New York Mets had just completed yet another end of season collapse for the second straight year missing the playoffs by three games. Omar Minaya needed to make a move during the following offseason, so he went out and signed the best available closer on the market Francisco Rodriguez, aka K-Rod.

K-Rod had saved 62 games in 2008 and pitched to a 2.24 ERA. As part of the Mets signing K-Rod, they had to relinquish their first-round pick in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Their selection that year was 24th overall which would go to the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angles in that draft would take Randal Grichuk with the 24th selection but it was the next Angels selection that would be one that changes baseball history forever.

The Angels also had the 25th pick in that draft due to the New York Yankees signing Mark Teixeira in the winter of 2008. With the 25th selection, the Angels drafted Mike Trout and one can only think what the Mets last eight years would have looked like had they not signed K-Rod and ended up drafting Mike Trout instead.

Had the Mets not signed K-Rod, who was a big waste of money and ended up getting traded in 2011, they would have presumably still had the 24th selection in the 2009 draft. This would give them the opportunity to draft a local Jersey kid out of High School named Trout. No one knows if the Mets would have drafted Trout but let’s have some fun and imagine they did.

Trout has been the best player in baseball since he played his first full season with the Angels in 2012. Trout won A.L. Rookie of the Year that year and almost won A.L. MVP as well but Miguel Cabrera recorded a triple crown that year and ended up winning MVP.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 31: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at bat during a game against the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 31, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

You have to sacrifice to get the best

The question everyone wants to ask is where could the Mets have been having baseball’s best player for the last eight years?

Not as great as one may think. Some fans would just add Trout to the Mets rosters from 2012 to now without thinking of some of the ramifications that could occur, and some of them are quite significant.

Let’s evaluate the numbers and go through some of the past seasons.

In 2012 the outfield configuration was Jason Bay Andres Torres and Lucas Duda left to right. The three of them combined for -0.6 WAR while Trout alone recorded 10.5 WAR that same season.

If Trout’s WAR in 2012 is translated to the Mets it is reasonable that they would probably have had around 10 more wins than they did. This would have brought their final record to 85-77. While this would have fallen short of the playoffs, there would have been other ramifications that would have happened due to having a better record.

Having a better record seems good on the surface but some things would have changed potentially for the worse had Mike Trout had been on the Mets. For example, if the Mets had a record of 85-77 in 2012, they potentially would not have been able to draft Dominic Smith due to a lower draft selection and they potentially would not have been able to sign Andres Gimenez due to a decrease in international spending.

This may not seem like a big deal but Dominic Smith is someone who in 2019 showed his true potential of being both a great piece for the Mets moving forward and also being a valuable trade chip. Also, Gimenez is a top prospect who could fill some roles in 2020 and beyond or also become a trade chip. Definitely two significant pieces.

The 2013 season would have a similar outcome. The outfield alignment that year was Eric Young Jr., Juan Lagares, and Marlon Byrd left to right. Had the Mets had Mike Trout that year they potentially would have had nine more wins finishing with an 84-78 record yet still miss the playoffs.

Like 2012, having a better record in 2013 would come with ramifications. What if the Mets had an 84-78 record in 2013 instead of the 74-88 record they had? Well, their draft spot would have been about seven spots lower. This means that the Mets would not have had the opportunity to draft Michael Conforto.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 07: Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets celebrates his sixth inning home run against the Colorado Rockies with teammate Dominic Smith #22 at Citi Field on June 07, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

The reality may not be as awesome as it seems

This just scratches the surface of how one move such as not signing K-Rod and drafting Trout can ripple in ways unrealized. So, through 2014 the Mets are without Dominic Smith, Andres Gimenez, and Michael Conforto. This is not to say that the Mets would not have drafted or signed players just as good as them but that is forever unknown.

These are some significant pieces being removed and it does not end there. For example, with Trout in the fold along with Lagares and Curtis Granderson do the Mets sign Michael Cuddyer who played a big role for the Mets in the clubhouse during the 2015 postseason run?

If they do not sign Cuddyer, they would not have lost their first-round draft pick which could have been Walker Buehler and could have elevated the team potentially further.

Another wrinkle in this alternate universe is in 2015 if the Mets outfield consisted of Trout and Grandy and Lagares do the Mets trade for Yoenis Cespedes? If the Mets do not trade for Cespedes do the Mets make that run to the World Series? If they do does Alcides Escobar not set the tone of the World Series with an inside-the-park homer leading to a Mets Championship?

On the bright side, it is presumable that the Mets would have a player who would have won multiple MVP awards and could go down as one of if not the greatest player in baseball history.

With the loss of all these players due to better records and the positional surplus could the Mets have been a contender with the players they were replaced with? Sure, but an added layer to this is Trout’s contract extension.

The franchise is owned by the Wilpons who are cheap as all fans know but it also seems to be an organizational philosophy to not give out long-term high-priced contracts. So, what would have happened in 2015, the year Trout received a six-year $144M extension from the Angels? Would the Mets have given him one after seeing what happened to David Wright and his large extension?

What if they did and they were back-to-back World Series champs in 2015 and 2016. Would the Mets have given Trout the 12-year $426.5M extension? Probably not.

Having Mike Trout on the Mets for the last eight years sounds wonderful but, the Mets would probably have been the Angels with better pitching. The difference is the Mets would have let Trout walk and they would be without Trout, Conforto, Smith, etc and the team could be worse off today than they really are.

Next. What if David Wright stayed healthy?

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Just the thought of Mike Trout being on the Mets makes fans salivate but when the team is analyzed for what they would be like today, I bet fans would think twice.

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When it comes to Mike Trout, every fan across baseball wants him on their team including those who follow the New York Mets. It may not be as good of an idea as one may think especially when your owners are the Wilpons.

You have to sacrifice to get the best

The reality may not be as awesome as it seems

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