Maybe this is why the Mets traded David Robertson so quickly

The New York Mets have taken the first two of four from the Washington Nationals. They’re doing what they’re supposed to do. Beating up on bad teams should come easily to this ball club.

The shock of the Robertson trade on Thursday night has yet to wear off, though. Following Friday’s victory, Max Scherzer made headlines for what he had to say after the game.

Before jumping to some extreme conclusion, he did say this, too:

The NY Mets decided to sell and the only mistake was doing it in the middle of the game

Thursday’s game wasn’t even over when David Robertson was sent to the Miami Marlins. The team was coming off losing two of three against the Boston Red Sox and splitting their two-game series with the New York Yankees. The upcoming seven versus the Nationals and Kansas City Royals created some sense of positivity going forward. The Mets could easily go 7-0 except doing so would only bring them back to .500.

Playoff hopes for the Mets go beyond just their own performance. They need a couple of teams ready to add at the trade deadline to slump in a big way. It’s a near-impossible mountain to climb. The Mets needed to play baseball at a similar pace as the Tampa Bay Rays did in the first half. It wouldn’t matter how much they added at the trade deadline; they’d have a tough road ahead.

It’s understandable as to why many players, Scherzer leading the way, don’t sound so happy about the Robertson deal. They’ve been under the belief that things could turn around. The Mets front office saw things more clearly. Rather than wait until the team got really hot and began to temporarily climb back into the wild card race, Billy Eppler pulled the trigger on a Robertson trade fans will be debating for a good decade at least.

There is never a perfect time to deliver bad news. If the front office could’ve done so, they would’ve sent Robertson away after losing two straight against the Red Sox. Was there a deal on the table? Coming up with a valid reason to start selling in the middle of a massive winning streak wouldn’t have looked good. Waiting until after the end of the Nationals series, which the Mets might sweep, to trade Robertson would have made the conversation Scherzer would like to have with the front office far more volatile.

A compromise might have made everyone feel a little better. Acquiring two teenage prospects for Robertson definitely seemed too far into the future. What will Twitter even be called by then? My hope: “Page Not Found.”

The Mets needed to trade Robertson. They should have timed it better. They probably didn’t have that opportunity because the more games the team won, the worse it would have looked.

After all, they have the top-of-the-league Baltimore Orioles, surprisingly tough Chicago Cubs, and four versus the always insulting Atlanta Braves on the schedule next. A short winning streak would have been fool’s gold.