Baseball history is littered with bad trades, even in today's age when MLB general managers are smarter and have more information at their fingertips than ever.
Zack Scott, who served as the New York Mets' acting GM during the 2021 season, made a particularly bad move that summer that still haunts the franchise. Scott sent Pete Crow-Armstrong, a top prospect and first-round draft pick at the time, to the Chicago Cubs for Javier Baez, Trevor Williams and cash at the trade deadline.
The deal proved catastrophic for the Mets, who slumped down the stretch and finished eight games below .500, missing the playoffs. Baez played well for them but departed in the offseason, signing a massive contract with the Detroit Tigers. Williams was a solid pitcher for them through the end of 2022, but not a game-changer.
Meanwhile, Crow-Armstrong has emerged as a superstar for the Cubs, making the All-Star team last year and leading the Major Leagues in WAR this year. He's only 24 and is signed through 2032. so he likely has several more elite seasons in front of him.
New York netted just 3.6 WAR from the trade, whereas Chicago has gotten 13.5 WAR and counting from Crow-Armstrong.
Everyone still brings up the Pete Crow-Armstrong trade. He's a star, and I moved him.
— Zack Scott (@ZackScottSports) July 8, 2026
Easy version: I misjudged him. I did. But the real miss is that we were in a pennant race, and the pull to "do something big" moved me off the discipline I'd usually hold.
A better scouting… pic.twitter.com/Mw8fQtXAtd
"Everyone still brings up the Pete Crow-Armstrong trade. He's a star, and I moved him. Easy version: I misjudged him. I did," Scott wrote on X on Wednesday. "But the real miss is that we were in a pennant race, and the pull to 'do something big' moved me off the discipline I'd usually hold. A better scouting report doesn't fix that. Building the decision so the urge to act doesn't set the terms does. I own it."
Like many GMs, Scott succumbed to the pressure of a pennant race and made a shortsighted move. He misevaluated Crow-Armstrong's potential and admits he should have traded Matt Allen instead.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but Scott is right that it's generally unwise to splurge for rental players, as those moves can haunt teams for years to come.