Keith Hernandez doesn’t usually sound like that. Not on a Wednesday afternoon in June, not during a doubleheader that barely registers on the national calendar. But when Pete Crow-Armstrong rounded third base and headed home at Citi Field, the longtime Mets broadcaster let the mask slip.
“Oh my goodness. One of the worst trades in a long while by the Mets,” Hernandez said on the SNY broadcast, his voice carrying a mix of disbelief and genuine hurt. The clip spread fast on social media, and for good reason. It wasn’t just a color guy being dramatic. It was someone who’s watched this franchise long enough to know exactly what he was watching happen all over again.
A trade that keeps circling back
The Mets drafted Crow-Armstrong in the first round in 2020. He was their guy, a slick-fielding center fielder with the kind of instincts scouts lose sleep over. Then the 2021 trade deadline came, and New York sent him to the Cubs in a deal for Javier Baez and Trevor Williams. Baez stayed for two months, signed with Detroit, and hasn’t been an All-Star since. Williams pitched 94 innings for the Mets and left. Crow-Armstrong is now a fixture in Chicago’s lineup, a Gold Glove-caliber defender who hits enough to make you pay.
The game Wednesday afternoon was the first of a doubleheader, and the Mets were already on a four-game losing streak. They had dropped a 9-6 game Tuesday night. The vibes were not good. Crow-Armstrong made them worse by putting pressure on New York’s defense, forcing a throw, scoring a run, and turning the game into a living reminder of a decision that keeps aging poorly.
Hernandez said what everyone was thinking
Fans online piled on, but Hernandez’s reaction cut deeper because he’s not a fan. He’s a former Met. He’s a guy who had his number retired at this ballpark. When he says a trade is one of the worst in a long while, it lands differently than a tweet from someone in the bleachers.
And the irony? The Cubs entered Wednesday tied for second in the NL Central at 42-37, six games back of Milwaukee. They’re not great, but they’re relevant. The Mets, meanwhile, are stuck in the middle of a season where nothing feels settled. Crow-Armstrong wasn’t the only reason Chicago led 6-5 in the late innings of the second game, but he was the one who made the history of it hurt.
Hernandez didn’t soften the blow after the broadcast. He didn’t need to. The frustration was already out there, echoing through a ballpark that’s seen too many of these moments, all born from short-term moves that didn’t pay off but left a long-term hole.
The Mets have plenty of problems this year. But some of them keep wearing Cubs blue.
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