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.

May 24, 2006 – Mets trade Jorge Julio for Orlando Hernandez

About a half-decade after the Pulsipher for Harris deal, the Mets and Diamondbacks struck another one well before the actual July 31 trade deadline. This time, the Mets were looking for a starting pitcher.

The May 24, 2006 trade between New York and Arizona sent Orlando Hernandez back to the city where he made his MLB debut. Best known for his time with the New York Yankees, “El Duque” had a reputation early on in his career as a big-game pitcher. He hadn’t performed all that well since leaving the Yankees and the 2006 season was no exception.

At the time of this trade, Hernandez was 2-4 with a 6.11 ERA in nine starts. The Mets needed an arm and had seen in their own back yard what he can do.

To acquire Hernandez, the Mets traded reliever Jorge Julio. It was his first year with the team and things were not going well. He owned a 5.06 ERA through his first 21.1 innings of work. Fortunately for Arizona, he turned things around and had a 3.83 ERA and 15 saves for them in 2006.

Hernandez, however, had the bigger impact. In his 20 starts he went 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA. It wasn’t a flash of his early brilliance but it was what the team needed in front of their awesome offense and talented bullpen.

The year didn’t end well for Hernandez as he suffered an injury while sprinting just one day before the 2006 postseason began. He did return the following year and have success before injuries caught up to him again, but it’s his efforts in the 2006 regular season that made the largest difference.

August 22, 2006 – Mets trade Evan MacLane for Shawn Green

Even past the July 31 trade deadline trades can happen. On August 22, 2006, the Mets and Diamondbacks struck another deal just months after the Hernandez for Julio deal.

This time, the Mets would acquire a bat for their outfield. Veteran Shawn Green was having a productive year for the Diamondbacks complete with a .283 batting average and 11 home runs in 462 trips to the plate. It wasn’t anything close to what he did in his prime yet solid enough for the Mets to consider as an improved bat in the lineup.

The player sent to Arizona in this deal was Evan MacLane, a minor leaguer who never had much of a big league career. An obvious win for the Mets, I want to look at exactly how Green helped get them to the 2006 playoffs.

Green slowed down a little when he joined the orange and blue. He hit .257 for them and knocked 4 home runs in his 34 games. He managed to stay healthy into the postseason, putting together a solid yet not-so memorable pair of playoff series.

Green hit went 3 for 9 in the NLDS win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and followed it up with a 7 for 23 performance versus the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. The latter wasn’t enough as many of us still try to forget.

The Mets did get to enjoy Green for another year when he joined them for the 2007 season. Green was a quality player to have, slashing .291/.352/.430 in 491 plate appearances. Limited to just 10 home runs, he made up for it by knocking 30 doubles in his age 34 campaign.