Mets fans haven’t gotten to cheer on pitcher Zack Wheeler in quite some time, since last September 25 to be exact. He hasn’t made a start since then due to his recovery from Tommy John Surgery which he had this past spring, but he’s still found a way to help this Mets team enormously in 2015.
On July 29 the Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers were about as close as you could get to solidifying a deal that would have sent Wheeler and Wilmer Flores to the Brewers for outfielder Carlos Gomez. All that it took for the deal to fall through were Wheeler’s and Gomez’s medical reports, depending on which side you want to believe, for both teams to back out of the deal.
Every Mets fan knows what transpired that night and the days following by now. But could you imagine how things would’ve played out if that trade for Gomez had gone through? Imagine a world with no Zack Wheeler, no Wilmer Flores, and perhaps the biggest one of all, no Yoenis Cespedes?
Let’s start with the basics. Since the deal fell through, the Mets have gone 26-12. At that time, the Mets had an overall record of 52-49 and were trailing the Nationals by two games.
After a dramatic and stunning series sweep of the Nationals in Washington DC, the Mets now find themselves in first place with a substantial seven game lead and a 78-61 record, 17 games above .500. Quite the turnaround.
If that trade had ended up working out, the Mets and the rest of baseball would have never gotten to see this incredible feel good story that we’re all witnessing today.
You think the Mets would have been just fine if they had gotten rid of Flores? His numbers continue to climb. Since the non-trade, Flores is hitting .315 with 6 HR, and 19 RBI. He’s got a walk-off HR against the Nationals, several huge go-ahead hits, and seems to find his way in the middle of every late game rally.
In Monday’s crucial 8-5 win over the Nationals, it was Wimer’s leadoff single that prompted a three-run seventh inning as the Mets never looked back. Tuesday night, it was his two out single in the top of the eighth inning that led to the Mets tying the game at seven.
Or what about Yoenis Cespedes? Think the Mets would have fared better with Carlos Gomez? While at the time of the trade most Mets fans would have been just fine with the addition of Gomez, there’s just no way you could make the claim that he would have had the kind of impact that he’s had on this team.
Since he’s joined the Mets, Cespedes is hitting .317 with 14 HR, and 36 RBI. He has seven HR in his last eight games, and has proved in these past three games just how clutch he can be. In Monday’s win Cespedes went 3 for 5 with a HR, two doubles, and 2 RBI.
Tuesday night, with his team down 7-3 in the seventh inning, he hit a huge two out, three-run double that made it a one run game. And then on Wednesday night he hits a go-ahead two run homer in the eighth off Drew Storen that completed the sweep of the Nats. He’s been a one-man wrecking crew.
If you match up these numbers with Gomez, it’s not even close. Since joining the Houston Astros, Gomez has hit just .231 with 2 HR, and 10 RBI. Combined, both Wilmer Flores and Yoenis Cespedes have hit 18 more HR and have driven in 45 more runs in that same span.
Defensively, while Gomez is an extremely talented outfielder, I think most Mets fans are plenty satisfied with how Cespedes has played in the outfield, minus his blunder last night in which he later more than made up for.
Even just as compelling was the news on Tuesday about the Mets, Roc Nation and Yoenis Cespedes all agreeing to waive that 5-day clause, essentially making Cespedes a normal free agent and giving the Mets ample time to decide if they want to sign him.
You think the Detroit Tigers are mad at about letting Cespedes go after they heard about that? The Tigers asking price for Cespedes sure would have been much higher had this happened prior to the trade. Win for the Mets.
So not only do we get to keep Wilmer Flores. Not only do we get to keep Zack Wheeler. But now we can also dream of a potential 2016 lineup that still includes Yoenis Cepedes in it. Well played, Mr. Alderson, well played.
Now pay this man his money.
