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.
1990s trades between the Mets and Cubs
The 1990s replicated what these two organizations did in the 2000s as far as trades are concerned. After many years of never doing a deal, they struck with three over the course of the decade.
It all began on March 30, 1994, when Chicago traded infielder Jose Vizcaino to New York for a minor leaguer plus Anthony Young. It was a relatively innocuous trade although Vizcaino did play well for the Mets.
The two teams made a deal a little over two years later and got the most traded player in MLB history involved—the player to be named later. On April 8, 1996, Matt Franco was sent to the Big Apple for the player to be named later. It ended up being a minor leaguer named Chris DeWitt.
Franco enjoyed a few years in New York mostly as a pinch-hitter. This was far from a blockbuster deal. The final trade the two teams made in the 1990s, however, could be considered one.
This trade took place on August 8, 1997. Once again, a player to be named later was included in the deal. It ended up actually being two players, Mark Clark and Manny Alexander. They were paired with Lance Johnson on the journey to Wrigley Field.
In return, the Mets got Brian McRae, Mel Rojas, and Turk Wendell. Those three had mixed results during their time in New York. Wendell is remembered most fondly as the eccentric reliever the Mets could call upon to get some big outs.
Following this major deal between the two teams, they closed for business until the 2006 purchase of Pagan. The gap between deals nearly matched the current one dating back to 2009.
Earlier trades between the Mets and Cubs
I won’t make you sit through a full analysis of all of the minor trades made between the two teams in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Rather, let’s just stick to the gaps created between them. Sound good?
The final trade of the 1980s between the Mets and Cubs took place on June 30, 1986. Dave Lenderman and Dave Liddell went to New York in exchange for Ed Lynch. There was no trade again between these two teams until the Vizcaino move in 1994.
The Mets and Cubs made a handful of smaller trades in the decade with the most notable one taking place on February 28, 1981. This was the deal that sent Steve Henderson and cash to the Windy City for Dave Kingman. Before this trade, one has to go back a little bit to December 8, 1976, to find the most recent deal.
The 1970s didn’t include many deals at all between the two organizations. On March 29, 1970, Randy Bobb and J.C. Martin swapped spots. The December 8, 1976 deal was a three-team one that got the Kansas City Royals involved. Those were the only two trades made between these franchises throughout the decade.
There’s nothing unusual about only making two moves all decade long. What strikes me is how the Mets and Cubs have three noticeable gaps.
There were no trades from 1986 until 1994 and then again from 1997 to 2006 and finally from 2009 until present day. In between those years, the teams were active enough.
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Whether it’s a coincidence, some old bad blood between the franchises, or some curse involving a farm animal in a bar—I cannot say. More than a decade has gone by since the two teams last made a deal. How long will it go?