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The Mets made among their smartest deals to obtain Jesse Orosco and John Olerud.This is the fifth in a series of lists we will be generating related to the history of the New York Mets. Since it's winter meetings week, we'll cover the top 10 trades in Mets history Tuesday and Wednesday (we'll throw in a list of the worst trades, too).
If you want to see the rest of the top 10 series (topics: home runs, pitching performances, defensive players, fastest Mets and singles), click here.
10. Nov. 27, 1967 –- Mets trade Bill Denehy to Senators for Gil Hodges
We start with a twist, a trade in which the Mets obtained not Gil Hodges the slugging first baseman, but the Hodges who had since retired and had modest success in improving the expansion Washington Senators as their manager.
Hodges, a beloved figure from his days with the Brooklyn Dodgers, came eagerly and talked of winning quickly. He improved the Mets to 73 wins in 1968 and then skippered them to their first World Series title the following season.
A Senators executive forecast Hodges' success with the Mets in a quote given to the New York Times right after Hodges' hiring.
“Weaknesses? Gil has none, only strengths. He has it in him to become the game’s outstanding manager. He has a forceful personality and he can be tough when it’s necessary. When he talks to a player, that player knows he’s been talked to. And Gil has so much decency that he commands respect. He always knows what to do and is a patient instructor. He even gets mad at the right times.”
9. Dec. 20, 1996 -- Mets trade Robert Person to Blue Jays for John Olerud
The Mets were the beneficiaries of discord between the Blue Jays first baseman and his manager, which seems hard to fathom given how well Olerud performed in his three seasons with the Mets.
Honorable Mentions
Cito Gaston was way off-base in predicting that Olerud would have a tough time with Mets fans. Olerud was beloved, and it helped that he hit .315, played Gold Glove-caliber defense and had numerous clutch hits in his three seasons. The Blue Jays even helped the Mets out by paying $5 million of Olerud's $6.5 million salary that first season.
Gaston speculated that 1997 might be Olerud's last season. Olerud lasted a lot longer, playing until 2005. Person pitched poorly in all three seasons with the Blue Jays before finally having a little success in Philadelphia.
Let’s wrap with this stat: Olerud was worth 17.2 wins above replacement in his three seasons with the Mets. Person’s two-plus seasons with the Blue Jays resulted in a negative 1.8 WAR.
8. June 15, 1969 -- Mets trade Steve Renko, Kevin Collins, Jay Carden and Dave Colon to Expos for Donn Clendenon
The Mets took advantage of a sticky situation as the Expos had tried to trade slugging first baseman to Donn Clendenon to the Astros in the 1969 offseason, only to have to alter the trade when Clendenon told them he planned to retire.
The Expos coaxed Clendenon into playing and once the Mets established some legitimacy, general manager Johnny Murphy decided what would put them over the top would be a bopper. They gave up four prospects to get Clendenon, who was more than worth the haul (the best of the prospects was pitcher Steve Renko).
Clendenon hit 12 home runs in 202 at-bats in the regular season, providing the presence in the cleanup spot the team needed. He then hit .357 with three home runs in the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles to earn series MVP honors.
7. Dec. 8, 1978 -- Mets trade Jerry Koosman to Twins for Jesse Orosco and Greg Field
The Mets made the most of a bad situation here. Koosman wanted to return home to the Midwest and threatened to retire if not accommodated.
The Mets acquiesced, obtaining two minor league pitchers, though Orosco was not added into the deal until February (the Mets had been hoping to obtain a pitching prospect from the Giants, Phil Nastu, but the Twins failed to acquire him and gave the Mets Orosco instead).
Orosco had been a second-round pick for the Twins the previous winter and the Mets thought highly enough of him that he made the jump from rookie ball in 1978 to Triple-A in 1979 (initially as a starter).
By 1982, Orosco was in the big leagues to stay and he’d make a major impact. He won 13 games and saved 17 more in 1983, and ended up finishing third in the NL Cy Young voting.
Orosco played a huge role in the Mets' improvement from 1984 to 1986, splitting closer duties with Roger McDowell for two of those three seasons.
Koosman celebrated the trade with a couple of bottles of champagne. The Mets would celebrate the fruits of the trade eight years later with a couple of bottles as well, after Orosco recorded the strikeouts that ended the 1986 NLCS and World Series.
One last tidbit on Orosco that I always found amazing: His primary number with the Mets was 47. His final record with the team: 47-47.
6. March 27, 1987 -- Mets trade Ed Hearn, Rick Anderson and Mauro Gozzo to Royals for David Cone and Chris Jelic
Credit general manager Frank Cashen and vice president Joe McIlvaine for making a good read on Cone, who gave the Mets yet another young arm in their starting rotation for what amounted to a good backup catcher in Ed Hearn and a career minor leaguer in Rick Anderson.
Cone excelled in the spotlight, winning 20 games in his second season with the Mets and leading the National League in strikeouts in his fourth and fifth years. He was a workhorse who took the ball every game and consistently averaged seven innings a start. He would thrive in multiple spots besides with the Mets, who would deal him to Toronto at the 1992 trade deadline.
Cone’s final record with the Mets was 81-51 with a 3.13 ERA. He ranks first in club history in strikeouts per nine innings (8.72) and fourth in winning percentage (.614), one-one-thousandth of a point below Tom Seaver. That’s good company to be in.
