Regardless of how well Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano perform with the Mets, that Jarred Kelenic was included in the trade that brought them over from the Seattle Mariners will always be an enormous blunder. And it's one that almost didn't happen.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Mariners discussed trading Diaz and Jean Segura to the Philadelphia Phillies in a deal that included Sixto Sanchez in the days before the Mets landed Diaz and Cano for a package that included Kelenic.
The Phils later acquired Segura from Seattle and eventually traded Sanchez to the Miami Marlins as part of the package that landed them J.T. Realmuto.
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Shortly after acquiring Diaz and Cano, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said that part of the Mets' aggressiveness was due to the fact that they wanted to keep Diaz away from the Phillies.
Had the Mets not been that aggressive, leading to Seattle instead trading Diaz to the Phillies in a deal revolving around Sanchez, the NL East would likely look incredibly different...
- Diaz would be on the Phillies, whose bullpen has been abysmal
- Kelenic would still be on the Mets, and perhaps preparing for his MLB debut in 2021
- Sanchez would be on the Mariners instead of the Marlins, where he could be a dominant force for years to come
- Realmuto might not be on the Phillies (he might not be there soon, anyway, with him set for free agency after the season)
When it comes to Diaz and Cano, both have been tremendous for the Mets in 2020 after brutal debut seasons in 2019.
Diaz has a 1.64 ERA (1.92 xFIP) and 1.27 WHIP in 22 IP while striking out an eye-popping 47 batters (19.23 per 9).
Cano is slashing .324/.365/.559 with nine homers in 42 games.
But again, the Mets never should've included Kelenic in the deal that brought Diaz and Cano to Queens -- not when they were doing the Mariners a favor by eating so much of Cano's salary.
What's done is done, though, and it has changed the complexion of the NL East for the foreseeable future.