Mets Trade Deadline Deal Battle: Marcus Stroman vs. Javier Baez

Was the Mets trade for Javier Baez worth it?

There are far fewer moving parts in this trade than the former. Baez was acquired along with pitcher Trevor Williams for only one prospect, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Despite a slow start and a brief feud with the fans, Baez’s time in New York was quite remarkable. He hit .299/.371/.515 with 9 home runs and 22 RBI. The offense was alive with him around. If only it could have woken up the rest of the team, including the pitching, this may have gone down as one of the best Mets trade deadline deals of all-time.

The idea of keeping Baez around beyond 2021 was possible but that won’t be the case. The Mets still do have Williams for the coming year, adding a few extra points to the score of this deal.

Ultimately, our perception of this deal depends on how Crow-Armstrong performs. He’s a few years away from getting anywhere close to the big leagues. Like all prospects, there’s plenty of uncertainty.

Thus far, only the Mets have gotten anything out of this deal. Crow-Armstrong only had 6 games of professional baseball experience before going down for the year in 2021 with an injury.

Eventually, maybe he does make the major leagues. And when it happens, there’s a possibility he’s playing behind Stroman, one of the newest members of the Cubs franchise.