5 best and worst Mets MLB trade deadline deals of all time

The Mets have had their share of both famous and infamous in-season trades over the years.

Remember, the non-waiver trade deadline was June 15 until 1986, when it was changed to July 31 (though occasionally moved up or back to fit the MLB calendar, as in the case this year on July 30). 

In any case, here’s a look at the Mets’ best and worst deadline deals in franchise history…

The 5 Best

1) JUNE 15, 1983: NEIL ALLEN, RICK OWNBEY TO CARDINALS FOR KEITH HERNANDEZ

All these years later, this trade is still No. 1 for its lasting impact. It wasn’t a typical deadline deal in that the Mets weren’t close to winning when they took advantage of Hernandez falling out of favor with Whitey Herzog to bring in the veteran All-Star, but Frank Cashen wanted a cornerstone player he could build around with young talent on the way, and in retrospect, gave up very little to get him.

Hernandez changed a losing culture, played a huge role in the Mets winning it all in 1986 — still the last championship the franchise has won — and, for bonus points, what would the SNY telecasts be these days without his “I’m Keith Hernandez” personality?

2) MAY 22, 1998: PRESTON WILSON, ED YARNALL, GEOFF GOETZ TO MARLINS FOR MIKE PIAZZA

It wasn’t really a deadline deal, but it was an in-season trade that changed everything for the Mets, giving them a bonafide superstar which led to championship potential. After a rocky first month, Piazza lived up to his billing as his power bat proved crucial in getting the 1999 team to the NLCS and the 2000 team to the World Series.

He’s also one of only two Hall-of-Famers, along with Tom Seaver, inducted wearing a Mets cap (Gary Carter wears a Montreal Expos hat).

3) JULY 31, 2015: MICHAEL FULMER AND LUIS CESSA TO TIGERS FOR YOENIS CESPEDES

Sandy Alderson presumably will always consider himself fortunate that a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for Carlos Gomez a couple of days earlier, which would have sent Wilmer Flores and Zack Wheeler to the Brewers, fell apart due to medical concerns about Gomez’s hip and/or Wheeler’s post-Tommy John surgery status, depending on who you believe.

Even then, Alderson was wary of Cespedes’ reputation as a slacker, and tried to trade for Jay Bruce and Justin Upton on deadline day before finally dealing for La Potencia, whose hot bat propelled the Mets to the NL East title. Fulmer went on to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors with the Tigers before arm injuries derailed his career for a couple of seasons.

4) JULY 28, 1969: STEVE RENKO, KEVIN COLLINS, JAY CARDEN, AND DAVID COLON TO EXPOS FOR DONN CLENDENON

It was a classic midseason pickup of a veteran with some pop in his bat by a contender in need of some offense, and it paid huge dividends when Clendenon hit three home runs in the 1969 World Series to earn MVP honors as the Mets knocked off the mighty Baltimore Orioles.

Renko went on to have some solid seasons for the Expos, while Clendenon faded quickly after a strong 1970 season with the Mets. But when a trade has such a direct impact on winning a championship, it’s remembered as an all-timer.

5) JULY 28, 2011: CARLOS BELTRAN TO THE GIANTS FOR ZACK WHEELER

Teams value blue-chip prospects so much more than a decade ago that this trade almost certainly wouldn’t happen now, where a contender would give up a can’t-miss pitcher like Wheeler for two months of Beltran.

But the Giants were coming off their 2010 championship and feeling strongly that Beltran could help them get over the top a second straight season. Turned out he didn’t, and the Giants made no effort to re-sign him, so they didn’t get much of a return for losing Wheeler.

HONORABLE MENTION

August 28, 1984: Gerald Young, Manuel Lee, and Mitch Cook to the Astros for Ray Knight

The Mets got some veteran presence for their young team while giving up three non-prospects, and Knight turned out to be a big part of the ’86 team and its brawling persona. He famously showed off his Golden Gloves-learned boxing skills in starting one of their fights, throwing a right-left combination at the Reds’ Eric Davis at third base. Not to mention, Knight earned MVP honors in the ’86 World Series.

July 30, 2023: Max Scherzer to the Rangers for Luisangel Acuna

August 1, 2023: Justin Verlander to the Astros for Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford

It remains to be seen if the prospects blossom into big league impact players, though all came highly-touted, and Clifford in particular is getting high marks as a power hitter in Double-A this season.

Regardless, the trades were the right call in helping the Mets do a reset, especially because owner Steve Cohen was willing to eat a minimum of $72 million on the Scherzer/Verlander contracts to essentially buy quality prospects. The fact that both of the aging aces have missed time since the trades has further validated the decision to sell.

August 30, 2015: Miller Diaz and Matt Koch to the Diamondbacks for Addison Reed

A waiver-deadline deal that proved more important than expected as Reed was huge down the stretch in 2015, and very good in 2016 and 2017 as well before the out-of-contention ’17 Mets unloaded him.

THE 5 WORST

1) JUNE 15, 1977: TOM SEAVER TO REDS FOR PAT ZACHRY, DOUG FLYNN, STEVE HENDERSON, AND DAN NORMAN

For anyone of a certain age, it will always be the low point of their Mets fandom, as the club did the unthinkable and traded The Franchise for a package of nondescript players in a deal that ushered in an era of bad baseball at Shea Stadium.

A contract dispute was at the heart of the matter, one made worse when Daily News columnist Dick Young took management’s side, angering Seaver to the point of wanting out. Years later, the Mets again bungled their handling of Seaver: After bringing him back in 1983, they mistakenly allowed him to slip away again in a free agent compensation draft, this time to the Chicago White Sox.

2) JUNE 18, 1989: LENNY DYKSTRA, ROGER MCDOWELL TO PHILLIES FOR JUAN SAMUEL

GM Joe McIlvaine always blamed Davey Johnson for this disastrous trade, saying the manager begged him for weeks to trade Dykstra because he couldn’t take his constant complaining about being platooned with Mookie Wilson. Davey always denied that he had anything to do with it, but I tended to believe McIlvaine because the trade never made any sense.

Samuel had speed but wasn’t much of a hitter, and he couldn’t play center field as the Mets hoped when they converted him from second base. Dykstra went on to become a star for the Phillies and McDowell had some good years for a few different teams.

3) AUGUST 27, 1992: DAVID CONE TO BLUE JAYS FOR JEFF KENT AND RYAN THOMPSON

The real issue is the Mets should have locked up Cone long-term before it got to this point, where he was months away from free agency. He was one of the best pitchers in the game and would go to win a Cy Young Award with the Kansas City Royals, then multiple championships with the Yankees.

But considering he was being traded as a rental, and as a waiver deal in late August, the Mets actually got great value back in Kent, who went on to eventually put up Hall-of-Fame-worthy numbers as a second baseman. Kent wasn’t a good fit in New York, however, particularly that first year when he angered veteran teammates by refusing to go along with the annual rookie costume-dress on a get-away day in Montreal, demanding his clothes back that had been packed away, finally forcing then-manager Jeff Torborg to angrily intervene.

4) JULY 31, 1999: JASON ISRINGHAUSEN AND GREG MCMICHAEL TO ATHLETICS FOR BILLY TAYLOR

The Mets gave up on Isringhausen too early, viewing him as a failed starter, and they weren’t willing to wait to see if he could thrive as a reliever. They traded him for Taylor, a veteran closer.

The deal proved bad on both ends, as Taylor was ineffective in his half-season with the Mets while Isringhausen blossomed into one of the top closers in baseball for the A’s and Cardinals over the next several years.

5) JULY 30, 2004: SCOTT KAZMIR AND JOSE DIAZ TO THE DEVIL RAYS FOR VICTOR ZAMBRANO AND BARTOLOME FORTUNATO

This mistake was driven by the Mets’ desperation to contend, even though they were 49-53 at the time, seven games back of the Braves in the NL East. The trade will always be remembered for Rick Peterson famously telling Mets brass he could fix Zambrano in 15 minutes, though the then-pitching coach has always insisted that statement was taken out of context.

In any case, Kazmir blossomed into a good — at times dominant — starter for nearly a decade while Zambrano had elbow problems that limited him to one full season with the Mets.

HONORABLE MENTION

July 29, 1996: Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino to the Indians for Carlos Baerga and Alvaro Espinoza

The Mets decided Kent’s personality didn’t work in New York, but Baerga was a bust in Queens while Kent eventually blossomed after another trade, earning an MVP Award with the San Francisco Giants.

June 15, 1977: Dave Kingman to the Padres for Paul Siebert and Bobby Valentine

Kingman’s launch-angle swing, towering home runs, and tons of strikeouts weren’t appreciated as much in the 1970s as they would be now. He went on to have his best years after the trade, hitting 48 home runs for the Cubs in 1979 before eventually returning to the Mets. Bobby V., meanwhile, was never the star that scouts once projected him to be after breaking his leg running into an outfield fence as a young player.

July 22, 2022: Colin Holderman to the Pirates for Daniel Vogelbach

Aug. 2, 2022: J.D. Davis and three minor leaguers to the Giants for Darin Ruf

Aug. 2, 2022: Saul Gonzalez to the Cubs for Mychal Givens

This is a collective sum-of-the-parts type thing that belongs in this category because GM Billy Eppler failed to do enough to add to a team that was clearly headed to the postseason.

Vogelbach was OK as a lefty DH that season but flopped in 2023, while Holderman has become a very good reliever for the Pirates; Ruf was a complete bust as the right-handed half of the DH platoon; and Givens proved to be of no help in high-leverage spots for a bullpen that needed late-inning depth.

And one ‘Tweener

JULY 31, 1989: RICK AGUILERA, KEVIN TAPANI, DAVID WEST, TIM DRUMMOND, AND JACK SAVAGE TO THE TWINS FOR FRANK VIOLA

This blockbuster at the time is hard to define as strictly a win or a loss. Viola, still considered an ace at the time, gave the Mets a boost they needed, with Dwight Gooden having shoulder problems. He went on to have 20-win season in 1990, finishing third in the NL Cy Young voting.

Still, with no Wild Card in play, the Mets didn’t get to the postseason during Viola’s two and a half seasons, while Aguilera — who blossomed into a dominant closer — and Tapani played key roles in helping the Twins win a championship in 1991.