Mets: Three all-time best Mets trades in the month of June

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JUPITER, FL – MARCH 12: New Era caps and Wilson gloves of the New York Mets sit on the dugout steps during a spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium on March 12, 2019 in Jupiter, Florida. The Marlins defeated the Mets 8-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

2) Best Mets Trades in June – Donn Clendenon from the Montreal Expos on June 15, 1969

An even more important trade deadline deal than the Youngblood trade in 1977 was this deal between the Mets and Montreal Expos in 1969. It took a lot to get him, but the Mets ultimately landed Donn Clendenon in what is one of the greatest trade deadline deals in franchise history.

The cost for Clendenon included Jay Carden, David Colon, Kevin Collins, Steve Renko, and a player to be named later who happened to be Terry Dailey. Carden, Colon, and Dailey never made it to the big leagues. Collins spent one year in Montreal while Renko went on to have a 15-year career. Fortunately, he didn’t do anything close to what Clendenon did in his first year with the Mets.

Clendenon is and will forever be the answer to a great Mets trivia question: who is the first World Series MVP in franchise history?

Before he was starring in the playoffs, Clendenon gave the Mets a quality finish in 1969. It included 12 home runs across 226 plate appearances and a .252 batting average. His clutch hitting, including 3 World Series home runs, is what made him a Mets legend and ultimately led to this trade becoming ga landslide victory for New York.

Clendenon remained in Flushing through the 1971 season. He had a very productive year in 1970, smacking 22 home runs and driving in 97 with only 443 trips to the plate. Add in his .288/.348/.515 batting line, this trade looks even better.

Unfortunately, Clendenon was already on the decline by 1971. We’ll always have the 1969 World Series. Without him, who knows what the results would be.

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