In 2021, the Chicago Cubs traded away Javier Baez and Trevor Williams to the New York Mets in a big deadline deal. This kicked off what would become a rebuild for the Cubs after trading Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, as well. One big piece of the rebuild was acquired in the Baez trade, when Chicago acquired Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Crow-Armstrong was a first round pick by New York out of high school in 2020 and immediatley became one of the top prospects in baseball. An elite defender with a solid bat, he made two Futures Games rosters and was regularly a top 100 prospect.
It was a big return, as the now 22-year-old was viewed as a future Gold Glover.
In a recent interview on the Rose Rotation from Jomboy Media, Crow-Armstrong described how he learned about the trade. He wasn't buying it.
"I didn't feel like I was apart of any trade talks that I had seen on TV or anything like that. Because I was hurt, I was hurt during that time. I had a sling on my shoulder," the outfielder said.
A lot of players don't find out they are in talks, or even traded, until they see it on TV. However, he did have a teammate that he did think would be dealt, so he gave him a call that day.
"I think the morning I got traded I called [Mark] Vientos, becuase I think we all thought he was gonna get dealt. We were like 'hey man, call me if anything happens to you,'" he continued.
The deadline is a crazy time for players who are notably mentioned in trade talks because they could get the call at any time. Crow-Armstrong wanted to be there for his teammate, but didn't see what was coming next.
"I'll be honest with you. Mark Vientos ended up being the first person to call me. Mark and I left the conversation at 'call me if anything happens,' so he FaceTimes me," he goes into detail.
This is where Crow-Armstrong knew something happened, just not what. And when he found out, he didn't even believe it.
"I answer the phone and he just blank stare, didn't say a word. So I kind of reciprocate that and don't say anything back. And I'm like, 'what happened?' And, in the background, he's in the clubhouse, I hear somebody go, 'Pete Crow just got traded?' And I'm like, 'oh, so this is about me.' And then all of the sudden my phone kind of starts buzzing. I thought it was a joke, especially when whoever said that, said that," said the lefty.
The young outfielder went on to say he didn't want to say anything bad about the Mets and that he loved his time there and is still friends with people in the organization. A weird series of events for a young player, who was hurt at the time.
Now, though, he is playing regularly for the Cubs and since August 1st has been red hot, with an OPS of .905 and seven home runs. He is beginning to look more and more like the building block the Cubs traded for.
