Zack Scott, the former acting general manager for the New York Mets, has publicly acknowledged misjudging prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong and allowing the pressure of a pennant race to influence the decision to trade him to the Chicago Cubs.
In a statement on X, Scott admitted, "Everyone still brings up the Pete Crow-Armstrong trade. He’s a star, and I moved him." He elaborated, "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."
The trade, which sent Crow-Armstrong and pitcher Todd Frazier to the Cubs in exchange for infielder Javier Báez and pitcher Trevor Williams, occurred on July 30, 2021. At the time, the Mets held a lead in the National League East. Then-team president Sandy Alderson had stated the acquisition of Báez was necessary to improve the team and demonstrate support for the players during the stretch run.
Báez played only two months with the Mets, posting an .886 OPS before becoming a free agent. The Mets' season subsequently collapsed, and they finished with a 77-85 record, missing the playoffs.
Crow-Armstrong, now 24, has since developed into one of baseball's top young players. He earned an All-Star selection and a Gold Glove award last year. This season, he is batting .293 with 19 home runs and 23 stolen bases.
Scott was appointed acting GM in January 2021. Prior to his tenure with the Mets, he spent 17 seasons with the Boston Red Sox front office. He was not retained by the Mets after the 2021 season following an administrative leave related to a DWI arrest, from which he was later cleared of criminal charges.