Mets trades with the Diamondbacks often lead to a postseason visit

The New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks have a history of making trades in years when the orange and blue made it to the playoffs.

If the New York Mets want to get to the postseason, they may want to consider making a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Since the Diamondbacks came into existence in 1998, the Mets have made a trade with them in three of the four seasons they made it to the playoffs.

I’m not one to believe every conspiracy theory thrown at me but I do appreciate some good baseball coincidences.

The Diamondbacks are only a little more than two decades old and yet they have helped the Mets multiple times get to the postseason. These four trades are fine examples of how impactful a midseason trade can be.

June 2, 2000 – Mets trade Bill Pulsipher for Lenny Harris

Almost two full months before the 2000 trade deadline, the Mets and Diamondbacks swapped players. Going from the desert of Arizona to New York was pinch-hitter-extraordinaire Lenny Harris. Heading from the Big Apple to the South West, Bill Pulsipher.

The day was June 2, 2000, and the Mets thought they could use some bench help. Harris had already played for them prior, finishing the 1998 campaign in their uniform. The familiarity was there so the .188 batting average he had with Arizona didn’t scare them off.

As it turned out, they were right to buy low on Harris. He hit .304 in 157 plate appearances for the Mets in 2000. Far from the most important player on the team, he was still a great complementary piece to the rest of the roster.

Meanwhile, Pulsipher’s career was already just about over. He never did pitch a game for Arizona and bounced the league for a few years, never able to overcome his past injuries.