Pete Crow-Armstrong is the runaway NL MVP favorite for the Chicago Cubs this season, and if you are a Mets fan, that news has to absolutely sting. Talk about a brutal 2026 for them: underperforming, selling at the deadline, firing their manager, and then this. The worst part? PCA is putting together maybe one of the best seasons of all time, and the Mets shipped him away years ago.
Mets’ Regret Runs Deep, But They’re Not Alone
Mets fans have every right to feel terrible about trading away Crow-Armstrong. The deal sent him to the Cubs for Javier Baez and Trevor Williams. Now he is an MVP-caliber player. That kind of mistake changes a franchise’s outlook big time. But get this: USA Today’s Bob Nightengale called out how the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cleveland Guardians are in the same boat. He said, “It’s pretty wild considering that the National League’s MVP and the top two AL MVP candidates were all traded early in their minor league careers.” Seriously, how does that even happen?
Future MVPs Traded Away for Pennies
The Dodgers made a similar massive blunder when they traded Yordan Alvarez, who was just 19 years old, for Josh Fields. Alvarez is absolutely tearing it up for the Astros this year and even has a shot at winning the AL Triple Crown. Then there are the Guardians. They sent Junior Caminero to the Tampa Bay Rays for Tobias Myers. Caminero is now one of baseball’s best power hitters. He would do wonders for the Guardians, a team that’s sorely lacking in the home run department. You can just imagine the power numbers those guys would be putting up for their original teams.
When Money Makes a Difference, Kinda
The Mets and Dodgers have a ton of star power and huge payrolls, which helps them try to make up for losing Crow-Armstrong and Alvarez. They have other big names to carry the load. But the Guardians? Man, they do not have the same financial muscle or roster depth to absorb a loss like Caminero. Losing a future superstar like him hits way harder when you cannot just go out and buy another one. Imagine PCA for the Mets, Alvarez slugging for a stacked Dodgers team, and Caminero giving that Cleveland offense a massive boost. What a different season it could have been for those teams if they just held onto their future legends.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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