Luisangel Acuña’s incredible Mets run almost never happened.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported this week that David Stearns and Co. were “seriously listening on” Acuña at this year’s trade deadline before ultimately hanging on to the rookie shortstop.
The Mets instead made a bevy of moves in late July, acquiring starter Paul Blackburn, outfielder Jesse Winker and a collection of relievers, all of whom could be had without giving up the 22-year-old.
Acuña has been red-hot in the absence of Francisco Lindor, who hasn’t played a full game since Sept. 13 thanks to a back injury.
In nine games, Acuña is hitting .379/.400/.828 with three home runs, two doubles and a triple while holding down the most important position in the field for the Mets.
The Mets have gone 6-3 since Acuña was called up, holding on to an NL wild-card spot without their best player.
Acuña, the younger brother of Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., was acquired by the Mets in exchange for Max Scherzer during the team’s infamous 2023 MLB trade deadline sell-off.
In barely a week in the big leagues, the Mets have gotten more from Acuña than they could have imagined.
The Venezuela native was ranked outside the top 10 by MLB Pipeline on the Mets’ prospect list and hit just .258 with seven home runs in 587 plate appearances in Triple-A before his callup.
With six games to play, Acuña and the Mets are in the driver’s seat for one of the three wild-card spots.
They start a pivotal three-game series against the Braves on Tuesday – if they win two games in the series, they’ll clinch a playoff berth.
Win one game, and they still control their destiny heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
