5 former Mets players still in MLB the team gave up on too early and whether it was justified

4) The NY Mets gave up on Wilmer Flores too early

Fan-favorite Wilmer Flores hit .262/.303/.424 in his six seasons with the Mets. He had the ability to come up with clutch hits like no one else. After the 2018 season when the health of his knees was questionable, newly anointed general manager Brodie Van Wagenen gave him the Justin Turner treatment and non-tendered him.

Flores went on to hit .317/.361/.487 for the 2019 Arizona Diamondbacks. He latched on to the San Francisco Giants a year later where he has continued to put up similar numbers that he did while in New York. The 2022 campaign was definitely a down year but Flores did rip a career-best 19 home runs and 71 RBI despite batting .229.

This one hurts in the heart far more than the brain. Flores would have remained a superb bench player for the 2019 Mets. Don’t think so? That was the year they planned to have Jed Lowrie on the roster.

Van Wagenen made a lot of unfriendly decisions for the Mets including this move. Flores should have remained with the Mets as a part-time player for at least another season. He wasn’t pricey nor was he an ill-fit or coming off of a bad year. As a corner infielder and occasional second baseman, Flores would have had plenty to offer the Amazins. It still looks wrong for him to wear another team’s uniform.