Remember 1969: Who Won? A final look at the 414 New York Mets Trades in History.

Mets Trades through the years:  Who won?

Who Won?   
A final look at the 414 New York Mets Major League Trades 

 Fun facts and Useless Trivia first:  

The Mets:

• Completed one or more major league trades with 38 different team names
  
  
• Completed one or more major league trades with 29 distinct franchises
  
  
• Made 24 trades each with the Dodgers and the Cardinals to top the list of most trades
  
  
• Made 23 trades with the Royals, but none of them were great
  
  
• Made 22 trades with the Padres, making California their most traded with state (when the Angels and Giants are added, they made 66 trades with their west coast partners (excluding Seattle)
  
  
• Obtained 36 players from the Dodgers and 34 from the Cardinals in all those trades
  
  
• Traded for a manager once
  
  
• Traded away (at least) two future GMs (Billy Beane and Jerry DiPoto)
  
  
• Traded for and/or away a handful of future managers
  
  
• Obtained more players named John or Jon than any other (followed closely by Bill or a variation)
  
  
• Had 9 players that were obtained twice through trades.   They did not obtain anyone three times
  
  
• Traded 16 players twice.   They never traded the same player three times
  
  
• Alex Ochoa and Greg McMichael were the only players both traded for and traded away twice
  
  
• Traded for a Shawn Green and a Sean Green
  
  
• Traded for a Bob Miller and traded away a Bob Miller and they were two different players
  
  
• Traded for a Bobby Jones and a traded away a Bobby Jones and they were two different players
  
  
• Traded for three players known by their initials whose first initial is J

The biggest trades with just two teams involved were the four for four “Bobby Ojeda trade” with the Red Sox, the five for three “Robbie Alomar trade” with the Indians, and the four for four “Art Shamsky + 3 for Jim Beauchamp + 3 trade” with the Cardinals

 ·   The most players traded away in one trade was 7 in the three team “JJ Putz – Aaron Heilman, etc” trade in December 2008.  This should probably be called the biggest trade between two teams as 6 of the 7 the Mets traded ended up on Seattle and 3 of the 4 that Mariners traded ended up on New York. 

Next, the trades.  

Has anybody been keeping score to see who really won?   Have the Mets made out better or been taken to the cleaners on the trade front? 

My opinion:  The Mets are ahead over the sixty years of trades.  There have been some very good ones, and some very poor ones.

The best:    I believe the top four, or at least four of the top five have been when they have traded for a catcher.  They have done pretty well with left-handed pitchers as well.

After writing about trades for about three months my list of top “Overall Baseball” trades, ordered:

1. Preston Wilson, Geoff Goetz, and Ed Yarnall for Mike Piazza
   
   
2. Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham and Floyd Youmans for Gary Carter
   
   
3. Tom Parsons for Jerry Grote
   
   
4. Tug McGraw, Don Hahn, and Dave Schneck for John Stearns, Del Unser, and Mac Scarce  (tough to give up McGraw, and he had a decent run in Philly, but Stearns solidified the position for 8 years)
   
   
5. Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey for Keith Hernandez
   
   
6. The Bobby Ojeda trade
   
   
7. A.J. Burnett, Jesus Sanchez, and Robert Stratton for Al Leiter and Ralph Milliard
   
   
8. Randy Myers for John Franco  (gotta give to get, but Franco was better for the Mets)
   
   
9. Danny Frisella and Gary Gentry for Felix Millan and George Stone
   
   
10. Roger Cedeno, Octavio Dotel, and Kyle Kessel for Derek Bell and Mike Hampton
    
    
11. Tie between all the players traded for Frank Viola and all the players traded for Johan Santana
    
    
12. Bob Bailor and Carlos Diaz for Sid Fernandez and Ross Jones
    
    
13. Jerry Koosman  ☹ for Jesse Orosco
    
    

The best in-season trades that were designed to help the post season push:

1. Luis Cessa and Michael Fulmer for Yoenis Cespedes
   
   
2. Four players for Donn Clendenon

• Honorable Mention:  John Gant and Rob Whalen for Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe

The best feel-good trades:

1. Charlie Williams for Willie Mays
   
   
2. Three players for Tom Seaver

• Honorable Mention:  Bringing Hubie Brooks back in 1990

 

Others that turned out well:

• Gus Bell for Frank Thomas
  
  
• Tommy Davis plus three for Tommie Agee and Al Weis
  
  
• Three players for Ray Knight
  
  
• Todd Hundley and Arnold Gooch for Roger Cedeno and Armando Benitez

 

And a couple that were really very good trades at the time that just didn’t work out, which in my opinion does not make them bad trades:

• Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino for Carlos Baerga and Alvaro Espinoza
  
  
• Dan Norman and Jeff Reardon for Ellis Valentine

 

On the flip side the bad ones:

1. Nolan Ryan and three others for Jim Fregosi
   
   
2. Amos Otis for Joe Foy
   
   
3. Tom Seaver for Four Players
   
   
4. Rusty Staub for Mickey Lolich
   
   
5. Jason Isringhausen for Billy Taylor
   
   
6. Nelson Cruz for Jorge Velandia
   
   
7. Melvin Mora plus three for Mike Bordick

I would not argue terribly hard if the Reardon for Valentine trade above was pulled down to this list.

Lastly a grading of trades by team:

 

The Mets have gotten the better of:

• Braves:   Frank Thomas, Roy McMillan, Felix Millan, George Stone, Greg McMichael, Jeff Francoeur, Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe
  
  
• Marlins:   Mike Piazza, Al Leiter, Carlos Delgado
  
  
• Astros:   Jerry Grote, Ray Knight, Derek Bell, Mike Hampton and J.D. Davis  (Mike Scott got away)
  
  
• Dodgers:   by a smaller margin with Charlie Neal, Tommy Davis, Sid Fernandez, Roger Cedeno, and Charles Johnson who was immediately flipped for Armando Benitez.   (Although I believe because Johnson was a very good catcher, he would have gone on to a great career with the Mets had he stuck around, but Piazza was the man for the Mets at the time)
  
  
• Twins:   Jesse Orosco, Tim Teufel, Frank Viola, Luis Castillo, Johan Santana
  
  
• Giants:   Willie Mays, Ray Sadecki, Zack Wheeler
  
  
• Cardinals:   Keith Hernandez, Bernard Gilkey, Joe McEwing (more as a fan favorite than for his stats), Mike Vail (for a fleeting moment, or year)
  
  
• Washington Senators:   the Bill Denehy for Gil Hodges trade should be in the ‘best’ list

 

The teams they might consider not trading with any more with:

• Angels:   Nolan Ryan
  
  
• Royals:   Amos Otis, Gregg Jeffries, although then did get Cone and Saberhagen
  
  
• Reds:   Tom Seaver;  although they did get Franco, Foster, Bruce, etc.   They did have some decent years from ex-Reds

Call it a draw

• Expos – got a lot, gave up a lot
  
  
•  Tigers– lost Staub, got HoJo and Cespedes
  
  
• Blue Jays - got Kent, Syndergaard, Olerud,  lost Cone, Dickey, Mookie
  
  
• Rangers – got Darling and Terrell, lost Matlack, Mazzilli, and Milner
  
  
• All the rest . . .

Note:  There are a couple recent trades between the Mets and Indians and Mets and Mariners that could tilt one way or another depending on the next several years. 

Final two notes on Mets trades:  

The Seaver trade:   That was just an unfortunate time for everyone involved as Seaver’s relationship with the Mets in 1975 had completely broken down over contract issues.    While that trade really hurt, the fact of the matter was that as a baseball trade, they could have done a whole lot worse.   The three MLB players they received were under terrible pressure and actually played OK under the circumstances. 

And everyone’s favorite whipping trade:   Diaz and Cano for Kelenic and others.    So far the Mets have won this one.   We could discuss the merits of the trade itself at the time it was made – I was disappointed that they gave up Kelenic in the deal, but at the time, I did not have much issue with it.   Diaz was a proven shut-down closer and to get that kind of quality, something must be given up.   It is now really down to Kelenic and Diaz.  Justin Dunn hasn’t done much and was recently traded to the Reds.    

Personally, I was more upset with losing Armstrong for Baez than Kelenic for Diaz.    The Armstrong trade with the Cubs may go down as Amos Otis bad before it is over. 

 

It's been fun.   On to other topics for me.