Mets forced to gamble on new CF after haunting Pete Crow-Armstrong trade fail

Mar 1, 2026 - 07:32

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Mets forced to gamble on new CF after haunting Pete Crow-Armstrong trade fail originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Mets have a very fun roster heading into the 2026 MLB season. While the rotation could use one more top-flight arm, the bullpen and lineup are in strong spots.

With a stacked infield, the Mets' only question mark is in the outfield. Juan Soto is incredible, but with Carson Benge in right field and Luis Robert Jr. in center field, there are some realistic concerns about the Mets' outfield.

Those concerns only heighten the massive wave of regret that the Mets will have for trading away Pete Crow-Armstrong. As Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report writes, this was a colossal trade fail, and one that will haunt the Mets for years to come.

The decision to trade PCA will haunt Mets for years

"Crow-Armstrong - who can't become a free agent until after the 2030 season - was traded by the Mets for half a season of Javier Baez in July of 2021," Kelly writes.

That trade almost immediately aged poorly, as Javier Baez walked in free agency that next offseason, and even though he played well for the Mets (.886 OPS), the team missed the postseason, and Baez lasted just half a season.

Now, Crow-Armstrong is one of the best young outfielders in Major League Baseball. He is 23 years old and coming off a 6.0 bWAR season for the Chicago Cubs, where he had 37 doubles, 31 home runs, 35 stolen bases, a .768 OPS, and some of MLB's best defense.

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If the Mets hadn't made that trade for Baez, they would have Crow-Armstrong alongside Soto and one of Benge or Robert in the outfield.

Instead, they're forced to rely on Robert and Benge in the outfield. With all of their all-in moves this offseason and big spending, having someone like PCA under club control through 2030 would be massive.

This trade hasn't aged poorly, but after his breakout 2025 season, Crow-Armstrong's trade looks a whole lot worse for the Mets than ever before.

While the gamble on Benge and Robert could pay off, it would've been a whole lot better had Crow-Armstrong never left the team. This trade will continue to haunt the Mets, and based on how PCA played in 2025, it's going to haunt them for a while.