The Javier Baez trade was almost a nightmare for Chicago Cubs fans

As of now, the Chicago Cubs trading Javier Báez and Trevor Williams to the New York Mets in exchange for outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong looks like the best move of the 2021 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline, which saw the Cubs trade away Báez, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo.

The trade of Bryant and Rizzo hasn't aged particularly well. For Bryant, the Cubs received Caleb Kilian and Alexander Canario from the San Francisco Giants. Kilian is back with the Cubs after being designated for assignment earlier this season, and Canario is now playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kevin Alcantara is the remaining piece from the Rizzo trade, but his most meaningful games at the Major League level will likely be played in another team's uniform.

In his second full season at the Major League level, Crow-Armstrong is already knocking on the door of being a 4-WAR player, and if his offensive breakout is sustainable, he will easily reach the heralded 5-WAR status. If Crow-Armstrong is on the verge of becoming a superstar, the Báez trade will be viewed as one of the heists of the century for a Major League Baseball trade

In the same vein, the Cubs are very lucky. If they had their wish initially, the Báez trade would have looked much different.

Examining how the trade came to be between the Cubs and Mets, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) shared some details that would have turned the 2021 Trade Deadline upside down for the Cubs. Before "settling" for Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs were adamant that they received Mets' pitching prospect Matt Allan in exchange for Báez. The Cubs also explored talks with the Mets about their third base prospect, Mark Vientos, but it was Allan who was coveted. Of course, in hindsight, Vientos would've been the answer to a major need that the Cubs still have.

The Cubs avoided a disaster with Matt Allan

Nevertheless, had the Cubs acquired Allan in the trade of Báez, the move would have been disastrous. Allan was selected by the Mets in 2019 and quickly emerged as one of their best pitching prospect with the idea being that he could sit at the top of a Major League rotation. While the Cubs were in talks with the Mets, Allan was recovering from Tommy John surgery, but little did the team know that Allan wouldn't pitch another professional game until this season. Due to Tommy John surgery and a revision surgery in 2023, he hasn't pitched in the last 6 years prior to this season. Allan, still only 24, is carrying a 2.25 ERA through his first 5 starts with the Mets' Class-A affiliate this season.

There's still time for Allan to reach his potential and be an effective starting pitcher at the Major League level, but boy, when thinking about what the Cubs currently have in Crow-Armstrong compared to having no return on value over the last six season if Allan was the prospect received, it certainly would have changed the discussion surrounding Jed Hoyer even further.