Quick Cubs playoff exit is giving the NY Mets reverse Pete Crow-Armstrong deja vu

The Chicago Cubs battled to the bitter end for MLB playoff seeding, eventually settling for fifth. This led to a best of 3 series against the San Diego Padres on the road where they managed to get outscored 12-1. The New York Mets had plenty of incentive to pay close attention to this series. Chicago was full of ex-Mets, three notables acquired just this season via trade.

NJ.com’s Max Goodman wasn’t ready to sleep past 1am when the Cubs had already been eliminated. His Mets coverage led him to the same conclusion many of us are.

No Clay Holmes used in the playoffs at all, a lone at-bat from Tyrone Taylor, and the Mets picked up their new top prospect, Jefferson Rojas, in exchange for those two soon-to-be free agents. It’s Pete Crow-Armstrong deja vu all over again but in reverse.

The label we wanted Mets prospect Jefferson Rojas to receive has been bestowed upon him

Jefferson Rojas could easily burn out quickly and be another Jarred Kelenic. What about the opposite? PCA was no top 100 prospect at the time when the Mets traded him. However, he made a quick ascension and as a first-round draft pick, it was always on the table for him to become a legitimate big leaguer. Nobody probably predicted MVP candidate levels but I digress. It was never outrageous for PCA to become a star on some level.

Rojas, meanwhile, has already proven himself and has a week’s worth of work in at Triple-A. A sure bet to see MLB action in 2027 as long as there is a season, he fits too perfectly into the Mets’ plans. The team will need a long-term third base solution regardless of what Bo Bichette decides. Second base is a brewing competition between Rojas, Emilien Pitre, Mitch Voit, and maybe even a few others. The hot corner seems more practical and with 27 home runs in the minors this past year, he definitely seems like a solution the organization has been searching for.

The Cubs definitely didn’t need another third baseman with Alex Bregman signed for multiple years. That doesn’t mean this was the perfect trade for them to make. Holmes pitched to a 4.25 ERA in 9 starts for them. Taylor hit .351 in a part-time role. Each is a conceivable match to return to the Mets, adding another layer of how great of a trade this will look for New York as it ages.

The big joke about the Crow-Armstrong for Javier Baez and Trevor Williams trade has always been equal parts love for the Cubs and disdain for the Mets. New York didn’t even make the playoffs in 2021. The Cubs just did but for what? They didn’t even get ticket sales.

Chicago is likely to get their next laugh when Crow-Armstrong is announced as the NL MVP. It’s a hollow win. After getting manhandled in the playoffs, PCA going 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts and a walk, those individual honors don’t shine through. Crow-Armstrong is now a .147/.194/.147 hitter in the playoffs with 16 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances. Last year, the Cubs at least took it to Game 5 of the NLDS.

The “can you believe the Mets traded this guy?” will follow Crow-Armstrong away forever. Now, we at least have the hope of saying the exact opposite about Rojas and the Cubs. They didn’t even play an official game in October.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow