Former Mets executive comes clean about trading Pete Crow-Armstrong to Cubs

Headed to his second All-Star Game in as many seasons next week, Pete Crow-Armstrong represents the next chapter for the Chicago Cubs. A dynamic 30/30 threat and annual Gold Glove contender, PCA is a franchise-altering player - and the man who traded him five years ago knows that.

Former New York Mets GM Zack Scott opened up about the blockbuster that's now infamous in Queens that sent PCA, then an injured, but highly regarded prospect, to Chicago in exchange for a few months of Javier Baez and right-hander Trevor Williams.

Baez was brilliant down the stretch for the Mets, slashing .299/.371/.515 and adding a spark to the lineup but he and the team's 'thumbs down' to fans late in the year marred his tenure in the Big Apple, New York went 20-37 from Aug. 1 on, missing the postseason entirely. El Mago departed in free agency that winter, signing with the Detroit Tigers on a deal that's aged quite poorly over the years.

But back to the trade itself - in a recent interview, Scott admitted the pressure of going for it at the expense of the long-term proved fatal and prompted him to pull the trigger on the deal.

The Mets hit the All-Star break that year at 48-40, but went 29-45 in the second half - and there's an important lesson to be learned from Scott's misstep during his lone season as the shot-caller in Queens.

Cubs can't turn a blind eye to future given the team's clear shortcomings

There's a very vocal contingent of the Cubs' fanbase desperately clamoring for a mega-blockbuster from Jed Hoyer and the front office this summer - a move to fundamentally re-shape a rotation that's been left tattered and in pieces thanks to injury after injury.

But a Tarik Skubal or Joe Ryan trade won't come cheap - and, let's be honest about the situation here: the Cubs have talent, but have been wildly inconsistent. Pushing your chips in to roll the dice in October is a huge gamble for Hoyer. You can bet he's aware of the state of the farm system and the imminent roster turnover looming for the big-league team this winter.

So, what should he do? Take the gamble, go for the big fish? Or try to toe the line, adding for the dog days of summer, while also keeping some powder dry for the years to come? We'll soon have our answer.

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