Mets Trade History: The Cy Young winners acquired via trade

The New York Mets have acquired some notable former Cy Young winners via trade. We take a look at how they landed in Flushing and their impact with the Amazins.

Bringing a former Cy Young winner to town via trade usually looks like a good idea. Unless the guy is in the twilight of his career, it has worked well for the New York Mets.

Previously on Rising Apple, we took a look at the Cy Young winners the Mets have signed in free agency. It’s the way they put Rick Porcello in the team’s uniform ahead of the 2020 season.

This hardly tells the full story of the history of the Mets and former Cy Young winners. From the earliest days of the franchise through today, we take a look at the four Cy Young winners the Mets brought to Flushing via trade.

Honorable Mention: Warren Spahn – 1957 Cy Young Winner

One of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all-time, Warren Spahn was technically not a trade. Back in 1964, the Mets purchased him from the Milwaukee Braves. This was quite common in the days before free agency. It’s how the Mets landed their first former Cy Young winner in team history.

Spahn only pitched one season for the club. In 19 starts and a relief appearance, he went 4-12 with a 4.36 ERA.

Unfortunately for the future Hall of Famer, he didn’t last the full season in New York. The 44-year-old was released in mid-July and signed two days later by the San Francisco Giants where he wrapped up his career.

Many Mets rosters in the early 1960s included former stars such as Spahn in hopes of adding some star-power to the organization. Spahn was clearly finished after two decades in baseball and his atypically bad numbers with the Mets in 1965 showed the Braves were right to sell him.