The Cubs’ quick exit from the Wild Card Series gave the Mets something to watch from a distance - and, in one corner of the fanbase, something that looked an awful lot like reverse Pete Crow-Armstrong deja vu.
Chicago fought all the way down the stretch for playoff seeding and wound up with fifth place, which sent it into a best-of-three against the Padres on the road. That trip went badly fast. The Cubs were outscored 12-1 and swept in the Wild Card Series, with a roster that included three notable ex-Mets acquired just this season via trade.
NJ.com’s Max Goodman connected the dots after Chicago was done for the year, and his point landed cleanly: the Mets came out of that trade season with Jefferson Rojas, now their top prospect, while the Cubs got Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor.
“The Mets got Jefferson Rojas, now their top prospect, from the Cubs for Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor at the trade deadline.
Chicago was swept by the Padres in the Wild Card Series. Holmes was on the roster, but didn’t pitch.
Taylor was 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit single in Game 2. …
- Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) October 1, 2026”
That left the Mets with a top prospect and the Cubs with almost nothing to show in October: no Holmes appearances at all and just one at-bat for Taylor. For New York, it reads like the Crow-Armstrong trade in reverse.
Rojas is the name Mets fans are now circling for a reason. He could flame out and become another Jarred Kelenic.
Or he could be the kind of player who forces everyone to revisit the trade in a very different light. Crow-Armstrong was never a top-100 prospect when the Mets dealt him, but his rise always made some sense.
He was a first-round pick, and while an MVP-level breakout may not have been the expectation, a real big-league star was never out of the question.
Rojas has already taken a step and has a week’s worth of Triple-A work behind him. Barring a season stoppage, he looks like a strong bet to reach the majors in 2027.
The Mets need a long-term answer at third base no matter what happens with Bo Bichette, and second base is shaping up as a competition involving Rojas, Emilien Pitre, Mitch Voit, and perhaps others. The hot corner seems like the cleaner fit, especially with Rojas having hit 27 home runs in the minors this past year.
The Cubs, meanwhile, didn’t exactly need another third baseman with Alex Bregman already signed for multiple years. Even so, this wasn’t a trade that screamed win-now value for Chicago.
Holmes posted a 4.25 ERA in nine starts, while Taylor hit .351 in a part-time role. Either player could still circle back to the Mets, which would only make the deal look better for New York over time.
The old joke around the Crow-Armstrong-for-Javier Baez-and-Trevor Williams deal has always leaned on Cubs joy and Mets misery. New York didn’t even reach the playoffs in 2021, while Chicago just did - and still walked away with little to show for it. There’s also a good chance the Cubs get another shot at a hollow laugh when Crow-Armstrong is announced as the NL MVP.
That kind of individual honor won’t soften the October numbers. Crow-Armstrong went 0 for 7 with four strikeouts and a walk in the series, and his playoff line now sits at .147/.194/.147 with 16 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances.
Last year, the Cubs at least pushed things to Game 5 of the NLDS. This time, they were out before the month really started.
For years, the line has been, “can you believe the Mets traded this guy?” Now there’s at least a chance the question flips in New York’s direction with Rojas. The Cubs didn’t even play an official game in October.
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Because Mauricio has no minor league options left, the Mets may soon have to make a tougher call than simply sending him back down. A trade has started to look like the likeliest path, and the Seattle Mariners have come up as a possible fit with needs at both shortstop and third base, which could push this situation toward a resolution sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]