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

1) Best Mets trades in June – Keith Hernandez from the St. Louis Cardinals on June 15, 1983

Our final entry is yet another June 15 trade. This time, instead of adding a one-time All-Star or a World Series MVP, the club added arguably the greatest at his position to ever suit up for the Amazins. On June 15, 1983, Keith Hernandez was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Mets.

Exactly six years removed from losing the Youngblood trade, the Cardinals lost another with the Hernandez deal. Although still a productive player, Hernandez’s off-field issues were apparently too much to keep him around. The decision backfired on St. Louis especially for what they got in return.

Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey are the two players the Mets traded away to land El Sid. Allen had some fine years with the Mets and was serviceable for the Cardinals. Ownbey had a similar yet far shorter career in Major League Baseball. He pitched his last game as a big leaguer in 1986.

As for Hernandez, I’m not sure what there is to say. We all know how great he was. His three All-Star selections, superb defense and Gold Gloves, and the .297/.387/.429 slash line he gave the Mets all helped make him a franchise legend.

Hernandez wasn’t important to Mets history the same way as Clendenon. He didn’t have one single moment. Hernandez gave them years of fantastic service.

Hernandez is about as close to a Hall of Famer as a guy can get without punching a ticket. If some of his walks were hits, I think voters may have looked at his case differently.

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There aren’t enough words to express how important Hernandez was to the Mets during their golden years in the 1980s. Now an icon in the booth, this is the best Mets trade made in the month of June.