If you asked the Mets, there is no way they would take the trade back. Yoenis Cespedes hit .287 with 17 home runs and 44 RBIs for the Mets last year after he got traded there. He helped lead the Mets to the NL East title and then eventually to the World Series. And this year after the Mets re-signed Cespedes, he is hitting .282 with 16 home runs and 40 RBIs. He has been the type of guy that the Mets needed.
But the Tigers also got what is looking to be a great return in the deal. The main piece of the trade that they got back was pitcher Michael Fulmer. And so far, Fulmer has been great for the Tigers. Fulmer made his debut on April 29 against the Twins and has made a total of nine starts. He is currently 7-1 with a 2.52 ERA. And after his start against the Yankees on Sunday, he is on a 28.1 innings scoreless streak. He joined Jake Arrieta as the only other pitcher since 1920 to have four straight starts of 6+ innings pitched, no runs, and three or fewer hits.
It’s rare that in a trade this big both teams come out of it fairing well and are happy. Usually big trades like this could be very one sided. But in this case, both teams would not take this trade back. The Mets got their star bat who lead them to the World Series last year and is once again leading their offense this year. And the Tigers got a good young pitcher to help them build their team back up. And another thing to think of, the Mets pitching is so good that losing Fulmer isn’t a huge blow. They have Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, and soon will have Zack Wheeler back. Losing a pitching like Fulmer doesn’t hurt them like it would hurt most teams. It’s still a little early to judge just how good Fulmer will be, but so far the Tigers have to be liking their return in the trade.
