Last July, the New York Mets picked up the steam that led them to the NL East title and National League pennant. Providing a big boost to the Mets’ run was Yoenis Cespedes, acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the MLB trade deadline.
Prior to getting Cespedes, however, the Mets were close to adding Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez. The trade was widely reported as a done deal, getting to the point that word had circulated among the fans at Citi Field. Word got to shortstop Wilmer Flores, rumored to be going to Milwaukee in the deal, and the idea of leaving the team he’d been with since a teenager upset him so much that he began to cry on the field. (The fact Flores was still on the field should have been an indication to all that the trade had not been completed.)
Soon thereafter, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters there was no trade. Team doctors were concerned about Gomez’s right hip, leading them to spike the deal that would have sent Flores and pitcher Zack Wheeler to the Brewers. Word getting out to the media and Flores learning about the trade was a huge embarrassment to the Mets (as was the perception that the team spiked the deal because of Gomez’s $9 million salary for 2016). Fortunately, Alderson was able to quickly recover by putting together the Cespedes deal with Detroit.
Gomez was instead traded to the Astros and hit .242 with a .670 OPS for Houston, struggling with an oblique injury. The Astros eventually lost in the ALDS to the Royals and have gotten off to a rough start this season, currently holding last place in the AL West. Since being traded to Houston, Gomez is batting .215, one of the worst averages in baseball in that span, with four homers and a .588 OPS. His .486 OPS this seaosn is lowest among qualified players in the AL.
Cespedes was far more impactful, batting .287 with a .942 OPS, 17 home runs and 44 RBI in 57 games, helping the Mets into the postseason and a World Series run. During the offseason, he re-signed with the team, bringing back the lineup’s best run producer. Since making his Mets debut on Aug. 1 last year, he has 30 homers (tied for third-most in baseball in that span), 77 RBI (good for sixth), a .620 slugging percentage (second) and .970 OPS (fifth).
But the real heroes of the trade — and arguably the Mets’ 2015 season and beyond — were those team doctors. Expressing concern over Gomez’s hip might have changed the history of two franchises dramatically. It’s one of those crossroad moments that often happen in sports upon reflection. This one was certainly huge for the Mets. (It could look even better once Wheeler recovers from Tommy John surgery and rejoins the Mets’ rotation.)
