18
2012
Mets Trades of The Past: Keith Hernandez
An article by Barry Duchan
As it becomes apparent that the Mets, as currently constituted, will not run away with the NL East this year, Mets’ fans are all anxiously anticipating this offseason’s upcoming deals feeling certain that we’ll find some improvement via the trade market.
Of course, Mets history has given us many more bad trades than good, but let’s look on the positive side, beginning with one of the best trades ever made by the Mets, in this case a trade hatched by Frank Cashen, certainly the best Mets’ GM to this point.
The Keith Hernandez trade of June 15, 1983 is explained in detail in one of the finest baseball books I have ever read, White Rat – A Life In Baseball by Whitey Herzog and Kevin Horrigan. As Cardinals’ manager/GM, Herzog made some outstanding deals and a couple of real clinkers. Even worse than the Hernandez deal is an earlier one that may rank as one of the worst trades ever – Ted Simmons, Pete Vuckovich, and Rollie Fingers for Sixto Lezcano, Lary Sorensen, Dave LaPoint, and David Green (then considered the best prospect in the game). But back to the Hernandez deal.
As the 1983 season went on, Herzog felt that Keith Hernandez was dogging it. Herzog said he knew nothing of Keith’s drug use, but he couldn’t believe how lazy Keith was becoming. He wasn’t running out ground balls and he seemed to be spending most of his time before games smoking cigarettes and doing crossword puzzles. Other players were complaining to Herzog about Keith’s lack of hustle, and Whitey’s coaches told him that even though the club was in first place, Hernandez was “poisoning” the whole team.
Herzog also thought the Cardinals needed pitching and felt that Hernandez still had excellent trade value and that Hernandez’ salary demands for his next contract were going to be far out of line with his value to the team. The Cardinals also had a red-hot minor league hitter in Andy Van Slyke who deserved a chance in the big leagues. So, Herzog decided that moving George Hendrick to first base and Van Slyke to the Cardinals’ outfield and dealing Hernandez for pitching help was the way to go.
When Lonnie Smith came forward admitting to a cocaine habit and possibly insinuating that he was not the only member of the team doing drugs, some suspicion arose concerning Hernandez. The Cardinals began shopping Keith, but there were few interested parties. All the other team were scared of his contract and there was a definite buzz of drug rumors. Only Frank Cashen of the Mets showed any interest. The deal was to be Neil Allen who the Cardinals were going to turn into a starter, and the Mets’ most promising young pitcher, Rick Ownbey, in exchange for Hernandez. When Cashen agreed, that was it.
Hernandez’ initial reaction to going to the Mets was negative and he was pretty sure he would opt out and become a free agent, but the Mets’ young talent and Hernandez’ quick adjustment to New York City changed his mind, and Keith put his drug problems behind him and became an integral part of a Mets’ team that won a World Championship and probably should have won a couple more. Allen faded quickly and Ownbey surprisingly never made it at all, making this one of those one-sided deals the Mets were famous for, only this time it was in their favor.
About the Author: Barry Duchan
I've been following the Mets since 1962. Have to admit I was a Yankee fan as a kid, but I found it to be so much more interesting to see how a young team could build itself up rather than following a team where the season didn't really begin until October. I remember them all - Casey, Marv, ChooChoo, Don Bosch, The Stork, etc. As the years went on, I became more and more of a Mets fan, and a Yankee hater once Steinbrenner and Billy Martin entered the picture. After retiring, I relocated with my family from Long Island to Chapel Hill, NC in 2005. I spend a lot of my time now checking out all the various Mets blogs. Fortunately, I still get to watch almost all of the Mets games (except those that are blacked out here).
10 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
Recent Comments
- Tommy2cat: on Minors Wrap-Up: Brown/Rodriguez Fill Up Stat Sheet, Cuan Dominant: Nice to see Andrew Brown didn't go...
- METS62FAN: on Injury Update: Wheeler To Rejoin Las Vegas Rotation Next Wednesday: MARK, AFTER 50+ YRS AS A MET...
- gary s: on Mets Appealing Harvey Earned Run, Want Tejada Charged With Error: The tragic is back.Everything about this team...
- Judge Holden: on Mets GM Tells Ike Davis He Has Until End Of Month To Turn Slump Around: Also, based on some of his comments,...
- Judge Holden: on Mets GM Tells Ike Davis He Has Until End Of Month To Turn Slump Around: Great point. As far as I'm concerned,...
MMO Mets Chat
Need Tickets To The Mets Game?
Check Out These Great MLB Links!
Photographs From Gordon Donovan
5357 Fans Follow Us On Twitter!
1270 Fans Like Us On Facebook!
2341 Fans Read Our Feed!
1702 Fans Subscribe via Daily Email!
Thanks for re-printing another of my old posts, but that first paragraph now comes off as sarcastic. Not only are the Mets OBVIOUSLY not running away with the division but I think most fans (including myself) don’t expect any significant trades !
I liked the post Barry, even with the first paragraph.
One of the best trades the Mets ever made. Frank Cashen deserves a plaque for that deal alone!
Well he did get one – he’s now in the Mets HOF
From this article written, and another one I read, sounds like this trade had more to do with the Cards wanted to unload him and the Mets were in the right place at the right time too.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19830618&id=jsJaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I1kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6508,784100
He might not be The best Met ever to wear the uniform, but Keith still remains my all time favorite Met. Along with his talents I loved the intensity and desire to win attitude he brought to the game. Highest compliment I think you can attribute to him is he knew his baseball. Still does.
Keith said something interesting during the All Time Mets induction that was interesting….
He was not a leader on that Cardinals team just another guy who played on a team of pretty good ballplayers and had some playing time and tutelege from guys like Lou Brock.
What Keith said was he was always one of those kids who looked up to the leaders and when he finally got to the Mets and saw all the kids we had that he realized he had to be our Lou Brock and take over the role of leader on our leaderless team.
That transformed Keith and he in turn transformed the attitude of the team from the “Ok lets go out and try not to lose again” to “lets go out and WIN today!”
Once Carter and Knight got here we were chock full of leadership and confidence and thats what led to the dominant attitude the 86ers had!
And something maybe not as recognized about Keith is he was a walking scouting report on how to face batters and was a major help to the young pitchers like Gooden, Darling Fernandex and Aguilera by going to the mound and giving them a quick refresher course on what the book on them was.
The Hernandez trade was a turning point in the same way that Gill Hodges was a turning point back for the 69 team!
They both changed the mindset (kudos to Seaver for 69 as well) of a team that lost a lot and resigned to that to a team that thought they could beat anyone and did!
The question is who is going to do that now and will we be willing to pay that guy what he will likely need to get paid to play here?
Cause it seems obvious that the Hernandez deal would never be made by this front office!
Potential drug issues and a maybe too expensive contract?
Would never happen if Sandy was running things!
Seeing as Keith would have been suspended as a Cardinal if this was today, hard to say where his career would have went.
Also, heard that same story from Keith about looking up to Brock on the Cards, coming over to the Mets and kind of being thrust into the role as mentor for the young guys. I’d say he did a great job!
Now take that anecdote and bring it to the current Mets…
Not saying he will or won’t or if this scenario will ever apply.
But David Wright has always been Keith on the Cardinals.
Always deferred to the existing leaders and always had someone more significant around for everyone to look up to AS a leader.
Names like Piazza, Beltran, Delgado even Cliff Floyd was a leader here.
This is the first team where Wright has been THE guy to go to!
There is no one else to challenge him and there have been some signs that Wright may even acknowledge his role and is trying to fill it!
He may never be another Keith even if it does hit him he is the guy. And who can say he has realized it yet!
Truth is the only one who has the attitude for it is Murphy but he doesn’t have the creds for it yet.
If wright takes the role and Muephy continues to play the way he has and becomes his wingman then good things can happen again here!
Frank cashen was a great general manager, who made the right moves and got product in return, where as our mets from 2006 till now have done poor, we just give away talent for nothing. In this modern age of baseball, thanks to the wilpons have destoried us. From top to bottom. we need new onwers when new insight, a new general manager with vision, this is the only way we can be on top once again, WE got keith hernandez back in the day and see how great he was, we can get players like that again once the wilpons get out. I MEAN SELL OUR TEAM, WILPONS SELL.