Mets trades with the Cubs have a noticeable gap between the deals

The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs haven’t made a trade of any kind in more than a decade which isn’t unusual given their odd history of making moves.

The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs shared the National League East back in the old days when the leagues were split in half. When things got split up into East, Central, and West, the two teams began playing each other less. The rivalry lessened but the two teams didn’t start making trades with one another all that often.

While reviewing the trade history between the Mets and all 29 other teams, the thing that caught my eye about the Cubs was how long it takes for these two teams to strike another deal. Whether minor or major, they don’t get on the phone too often.

A bit stranger, once they do make a few moves, there is often a big gap in between making the next.

Let’s start from the most recent and work backward as we examine the unusual trade history between the Mets and Cubs.

2000s trades between the Mets and Cubs

The Mets and Cubs have only made three trades this century and two of them were technically purchases. I’ll count them for the sake of examination.

On January 25, 2006, the Cubs purchased Angel Pagan from the Mets. Nearly two full years later, Pagan was traded back to New York for a pair of minor leaguers.

The team teams didn’t swap players again until August 7, 2009, when they reversed purchasing roles. The Amazins purchased Jason Dubois from Chicago and that’s the end of the trade history between these two clubs since.

It’s not that crazy for teams to go a whole decade without making a trade. What struck me as a bit unusual was that before the Pagan purchase they had not made any sort of trade since 1997. And that trade was a far more memorable one.