Wilmer Flores wasn’t supposed to be here. Flores came up as a New York Met, grinding his way through their farm system since he was a scrawny teenager. And in 2015, he finally got his opportunity to be an everyday member of the big-league club. But on July 29 of that year, the Mets got rid of him. New York needed a big upgrade and agreed to part ways with Flores in a trade to acquire a big bat, Carlos Gomez.
And yet, two days later, here he still is, with a chance to walk it off against the division rival Washington Nationals. It’s been a dramatic, and even tearful, couple of days, but Wilmer Flores has a chance to make magic. Before he does that, we should revisit the trade that wasn’t, track the surprising moves of these 2015 Mets, and relive the exciting events that have already transpired. We need to rewind.