Readers of this blog and all of the other Mets-related sites have been speculating on what kind of return would make it worthwhile for the Mets to trade RA Dickey at the peak of his value. Some suggest one “super-prospect”.  Others suggest a package. I had my own thoughts that Dickey should bring back the kind of almost-major-leaguers-but still-prospects such as the Padres got for Mat Latos. But the more I think about it, I’m [...]

In 1960 and 1961, Jesse Gonder was a good hitting young catcher in the Yankee organization who had no chance of making a team that already had two of the best catchers in the league in Yogi Berra and Elston Howard. Plus Jesse had a reputation as one of the more outspoken black ballplayers at the time. The Yankees were beginning to add some black players to their team, but they were generally quiet guys [...]

Steve Henderson came to the Mets with the burden of being one of the key players coming over from the Reds in the 1977 Tom Seaver trade. In addition, since the Mets had just traded Dave Kingman to San Diego, Henderson was expected to eventually replace him in the middle of the Mets’ lineup. This was an awful lot of pressure for a kid who had never spent a day in the major leagues, but [...]

In a previous post, I indicated why I was so discouraged with the Alderson regime for doing almost nothing to try to improve the ball club. Contrast what this regime has (or hasn’t) done with the work of Bing Devine whose tenure as GM of the Mets spanned the years 1965 to 1967 between stints with the St. Louis Cardinals. I would hardly call Devine’s work with the Mets perfect, especially since he had the [...]

I was on vacation in Japan when the Mets acquired Felix Millan in the winter of 1972, so I found out about the trade – Millan and lefty pitcher George Stone from the Braves for starting pitcher Gary Gentry and reliever Danny Frisella – via a tiny box in the International Edition of the New York Times. 1972 had been a very disappointing, injury-filled season for the Mets. Prior to the season, the Mets had [...]

It is perhaps a sad commentary on the current state of the Mets and their almost non-existent production from the outfield, but I want to assure you that this post is NOT written tongue-in-cheek. I’m sure most Mets fans remember when Milledge was the highly-touted first-round Mets’ draft pick who made a big splash in the major leagues after an impressive climb through the minors. Milledge seemed to have it all plus that special charisma [...]

When Sandy Alderson was hired as Mets’ GM, most Mets’ fans were overjoyed. Alderson had a track record of success and was also an articulate spokesman who promised to keep the fans informed of the Mets’ plans and to make every fan feel more a part of the Mets than ever before. We soon learned that the Wilpons were cash-strapped and that high-price free agent signings were unlikely. Nevertheless, among Alderson and his soon-to-be-hired aides, [...]

Ed Charles, the veteran third baseman with the heart of a winner and the soul of a poet was a leader on and off the field and a genuinely nice guy who was an integral part of the 1969 Miracle Mets. His championship ring was the culmination of an 18-year professional career. Charles’ name is sometimes forgotten because he didn’t make any highlight reel plays in the World Series, but those of us who still [...]

In 1975, Rusty Staub had his best season ever for the Mets, batting .282/.371/.448 with 30 doubles, 19 home runs and 105 RBI. Then, in the offseason, for reasons few fans could understand, the Mets traded Staub to Detroit for veteran lefthanded pitcher Mickey Lolich. Actually, the trade was Staub and AAA pitcher Bill Laxton for Lolich and AAA outfielder Billy Baldwin. I remember thinking that maybe this guy Baldwin was some super-prospect (he wasn’t) [...]

    Whatever their legacy may be, there is no doubt that Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire were among the most dynamic, history-making, baseball players of their generation – and both easily could have been Mets. The Mets drafted Clemens out of high school in the twelfth round of the 1981 amateur draft, but did not sign him.  After putting up outstanding numbers at San Jacinto College, he transferred to the University of Texas where [...]

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 [...]