The Mets swung a trade on Wednesday to add more depth pieces to the roster, dealing minor league pitcher Coleman Crow to the Brewers for right-hander Adrian Houser and outfielder Tyrone Taylor.
New York brings in two players that president of baseball operations David Stearns has plenty of familiar with, having just come over from Milwaukee himself, and brings outfield depth with Taylor and a potential back-of-the-rotation arm in Houser, who carries a career 4.04 ERA in 523.2 innings of work.
After the deal was announced, former Mets GM Zack Scott revealed that the Brewers had offered Houser before, only for a much bigger return.
Scott posted on X that Milwaukee offered Scott Houser for Jeff McNeil back when he was the GM before the 2021 season, which the Mets declined.
Scott, who said the answer from him was "a quick no," added that the trade that ultimately landed Houser and Taylor on Wednesday is "better."
If the Mets had done that trade, they would have parted with a batting champion in McNeil for a pitcher in Houser who is a ground ball-heavy arm that slots into the back of a rotation. Trading away Crow, while getting a league-average bat and solid outfield defense in Taylor as well, seems like a much better deal, even if it took an extra two years.
