While the trade was still presumed to be on, news media members and fans directed a torrent of online abuse against the Mets for leaving the emotional Flores in the game when he was supposedly no longer on the team. It is customary in such situations to remove the player who is about to be dealt, to guard against a last-minute injury.

But after the game, Manager Terry Collins insisted that he knew nothing about a possible trade: “Someone came to me and said, ‘Wilmer’s crying,’ ” he told reporters. “I said, ‘Why?’ Well, he got traded. To who? For what?”

Flores is hitting .249 with 10 homers, solid numbers for a middle infielder, and is still only 23. He would seem to have a bright future in the game. But like any player, he does not know for sure where that future will be.

For all the macho codes of the dressing room, players are human, and find it as difficult as anyone to abruptly leave behind teammates or a beloved city. When Shane Victorino was traded this week from the Red Sox to the Angels, he held an emotional news conference, and broke down when asked about his singing of the Bob Marley song “Three Little Birds,” which Boston adopted as an anthem after the Boston Marathon bombing.

Flores can now breathe a sigh of relief and unpack his bags — until the next trade rumor starts circling. The trade deadline is Friday at 4 p.m., Eastern time.