Botched Carlos Gomez Deal, Wilmer Flores' Tears Send Mets to Bizarre New Low

The entire ordeal played out like a celebratory conclusion on one side, and what appeared to be an absolutely excruciating, gut-wrenching example of cruel and unusual punishment on the other.

The construction, near-completion and eventual collapse of one of the trade season’s blockbuster deals played out publicly on social media and television Wednesday, right down to the frustrating and embarrassing late-night conclusion.

In the end, it was a bizarre, stunning and definitive fail for the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers, teams that had agreed to a solid deal for both sides. The reported trade would have sent Milwaukee center fielder Carlos Gomez to the Mets for potential front-end right-hander Zack Wheeler and developing infielder Wilmer Flores, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.

“[The trade] has not and will not transpire,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters late Wednesday night, leaving no room for hope.

The deal would have helped make the Mets a legitimate National League postseason contender as they sit two games out of first place in the East. And it would have finally started a much-needed rebuilding process for the Brewers, a team 20.5 games out of first place in the NL Central and in serious need of cheap, young talent for its long-term future.

The deal was essentially done. It only needed each player’s medical reports to be signed off on, typically a formality even when there is a snag in the process like the San Diego Padres hit when they acquired Matt Kemp from the Los Angeles Dodgers last winter.

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The glitch came when the Mets were going over Gomez’s medicals. He was on the disabled list in April and into May with a hamstring issue, and he missed time last month with an ailing hip. However, Gomez had played in all but one game since June 23 and had upped his value by hitting .274/.408/.500 with a .908 OPS, five doubles and three home runs in his previous 20 games entering Wednesday.

That mattered little to the Mets in the end. They nixed the deal because they were uncomfortable with Gomez’s hip, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

Gomez, 29, was exactly the kind of impact player the Mets sought since the winter when all they could muster was a curious two-year deal for Michael Cuddyer. Gomez was going to rectify that as a sometimes dynamic center fielder roaming their outfield and hitting in the middle of the lineup. He was an All-Star in 2013 and 2014 and has shown the ability to be one of the game’s elite players on both sides of the ball.

He would have been a massive upgrade for the organization that signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 2002.

In return, the Mets nearly sent 25-year-old Wheeler, once a top prospect who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and 23-year-old Flores to the Brewers. Both figured to be major starting blocks for Milwaukee’s return to contention in the coming years.

But even though the framework of the deal was locked into place, the transaction stalled behind the scenes. While that was unfolding in secret, word of the deal had already gone public.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

In fact, some Brewers players had posed for a picture with Gomez for a happy farewell as the team flew from San Francisco to Milwaukee. And Mets fans had given Flores a standing ovation as he stepped into the batter’s box in the seventh inning and again after he grounded out.

Minutes later, as Twitter lit up with amazement that Flores was still in the game despite having been traded, Flores jogged back out to his shortstop position, clearly wiping tears from his eyes after having been told he was being shipped out by the only organization he’d ever known.

“I was sad, being a Met forever, so I got emotional,” Flores, who the Mets signed at 16 years old in 2007, told reporters.

The dichotomy between Gomez's and Flores’ reactions showed the highs and lows of the sport’s transaction wire, especially in the week leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline (Friday at 4 p.m. ET):

As it turned out, the Mets were not being callous employers by leaving Flores in the game. Manager Terry Collins had not been told a trade was happening, so he had no reason to remove Flores.

The way it played out to the baseball-watching public, though, made it seem like the Mets were indifferent to the cold reality of how the game twists players’ emotions. As we later learned, that was far from the case.

“You guys think this game is easy to play?” a clearly irritated and upset Collins said, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. “Play it with [expletive] like that going on in the background.”

By the end of the night, it was a whirlwind of emotions for players and fans.

More importantly for both franchises, it was an opportunity missed to pull off an equally beneficial blockbuster trade, possibly setting the clubs back in the near and long term.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.