Mets best trades made in November throughout the franchise’s history

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PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – MARCH 08: A New York Mets batting helmet in the dugout before a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

What are the best New York Mets trades made in the month of November in franchise history?

November isn’t Major League Baseball’s most active month for trades, but it is a team when some players swap uniforms. This was truer in the days before free agency. Still, there are some more modern New York Mets trades that took place in November and were quite impactful.

Going back to the beginning through today, there are five trades that stand out as the best made by the Mets in the month of November.

An honorary mention should go to the first ever November trade which brought Frank Thomas to the Mets back in 1961. Another tip of the cap goes to a later trade which brought Gil Hodges back to the franchise in 1967.

5) Mets trade Ron Hunt and Jim Hickman to the Dodgers

I covered this trade before on Rising Apple—not in real-time when it happened—but because it was an indirectly helpful trade the team made to later on add two important pieces to their championship puzzle.

On November 29, 1966, the Mets traded Ron Hunt and Jim Hickman to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tommy Davis and Derrell Griffith. Davis spent one year with the Mets and hit .302. It looked like the team had a legitimate hitter they could depend on for many years.

This isn’t how it turned out. Davis, along with three others, was dealt to the Chicago White Sox the very next December. In the deal, New York picked up Tommie Agee and Al Weis.

Agee is easily one of the club’s best outfielders in franchise history. While Weis isn’t in the same realm, his World Series home run in 1969 was essential to the team clinching their first championship.

It all began with a November trade that had nothing to do with those two.

Art Shamsky, right, and Jim McAndrew, members of the 1969 “Miracle Mets,” sign autographs at Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers March 25, 2019. As part of Stew Leonard’s 50th anniversary celebration, they invited members of the 1969 “Miracle Mets” to commemorate their 50th anniversary of winning the World Series. Proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.Miracle Mets At Stew Leonard S /

4) Mets trade Bob Johnson for Art Shamsky

The day was November 8, 1967, when Art Shamsky joined the Mets. After several seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, he was changing big league uniforms for the first time in his career.

The deal sent Bob Johnson to the Reds. A somewhat innocuous deal turned into a bigger one for the team at Shea. They were picking up a guy that could play some solid defense for them. What they didn’t realize was his bat was about to improve shortly after coming to the Big Apple.

Shamsky didn’t have a great year in 1968. He hit .238 in 381 plate appearances. It was typical of what he did during his time with the Reds. Something turned around the following year. Shamsky, playing mostly in a platoon with Ron Swoboda, slashed .300/.375/.488 for the 1969 Mets squad. He was one of the club’s main sources of power, knocking 14 home runs in 349 trips to the plate.

Shamsky continued to play well into 1970. This time, he hit .293/.371/.432 in 458 plate appearances.

In the postseason, Shamsky watched mostly from the bench. He did get 13 plate appearances versus the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS, logging 7 singles and driving in a run. His action was limited in the World Series to six opportunities to hit across three games.

Although short-lived, Shamsky became one of those legendary players that remains an icon in franchise lore. Right there with Ed Kranepool and some other notable early members of the franchise, he’s a guy many immediately think of when they look back fondly at the miraculous 1969 season.

NEW YORK – APRIL 19: Carlos Delgado #21 of the New York Mets in the field against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field on April 19, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) /

3) Mets steal Carlos Delgado from the Marlins in a trade

The Mets have successfully stolen a lot of really good players from the Florida Marlins. They haven’t had the same luck with the Miami Marlins. I’ll wait patiently to see it happen.

One of their best thefts happened on November 24, 2005. Along with some cash, Carlos Delgado was traded to New York. The Mets gave up Mike Jacobs, Yusmeiro Petit, and Grant Psomas.

It doesn’t matter what any of those guys did after they were traded away. While Jacobs had some success and Petit has been around the league for many years, nothing of what they did impacted the outcome of this trade like Delgado.

Delgado’s first season in New York was 2006 and we all know what happened then. The team made a run to game seven of the NLCS. Delgado was a big reason for it.

Delgado slugged 38 home runs and drove in 114 in 2006. He added another 24 home runs in 2007 and 38 more in 2008. If not for injuries, he would have surely added 20+ more in 2009.

The numbers posted by Delgado included a slash line of .267/.351/.506 and 104 home runs. Other than Pete Alonso, the Mets have never had such an impactful power hitter at first base.

What always amazes me about this deal is how the Mets were able to add him from a division rival. Normally, deals like this have to come from the other coast or American League. Not the Delgado trade. The Mets won this November trade via a deal with a hated rival.

SAN FRANCISCO – AUGUST 18: Bob Ojeda of the New York Mets pitches in a Major League Baseball game against the San Francisco Giants played on August 18, 1988 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) /

2) Mets add Bob Ojeda in a trade with the Red Sox

This November trade involves a secondary award for involving as many players as it did. On November 13, 1985, the Mets and Boston Red Sox struck a deal. Who knew less than 365 days later they would be playing in the World Series?

Each team sent four players packing. The most notable of all ended up being Bob Ojeda. Boston was apparently ready to give up on the struggling starter. Fortunately for the Mets, all he needed was a change of scenery.

All Ojeda did in 1986 was go out and win 18 games for his new team. His .783 winning percentage led the entire league. He finished fourth in the Cy Young vote and went undefeated in the postseason.

For a little more insult, Ojeda was there to help the orange and blue win Game Three of the 1986 World Series. This was a pivotal point in the series. New York was down 2-0 to Boston. The victory helped turn things around and put the Mets in a position to come back.

Ojeda wasn’t just a one-year wonder. He continued to win games for the Mets and pitch to a low ERA. His totals with the club include a 51-40 record and 3.12 ERA.

Along with Dwight Gooden and others, Ojeda helped form one of the league’s best rotations in the National League during the late 1980s. He was one of the veterans of the group made up of mostly homegrown talent or players acquired via trade before they were established.

The fact that the Mets landed him in a trade with their eventual World Series foes makes this November deal a little bit sweeter.

NEW YORK – CIRCA 1975: Felix Millan #17 of the New York Mets gets his throw off to first base while leaping over the sliding Johnny Bench #5 of the Cincinnati Reds during an Major League Baseball game circa 1975 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Millan played for Mets from 1973-77. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

1) Mets trade for Felix Millan and George Stone

Although the two Mets in this deal didn’t win a championship with the team, I do think it was an important one. In fact, I awarded our top November trade in Mets history as the most underrated, too.

The Mets got to work early in executing this deal. On November 2, 1972, the club traded Danny Frisella and Gary Gentry to the Atlanta Braves for Felix Millan and George Stone. Frisella and Gentry had been good Mets but the team was looking for a change. What they got was awesome.

Millan spent five seasons with the Mets and played a steady defense while also racking up hits. He had 185 of them in 1973 and 191 in 1975. In his years with the club, he managed to slash .278/.326/.337 with 743 hits. Never a star, he was still a key member of their starting lineup.

Stone’s story was quite different. A once productive pitcher for the Braves, he had a bad year in 1972 which may have been a reason for the trade. Refreshed and still in his mid-20s despite pitching in the big leagues for six years already, Stone had an incredible year for the 1973 Miracle Mets.

In a rotation that included some of the most popular Mets pitchers of all-time, Stone gave them a 12-3 record and 2.80 ERA. This was an incredibly funky year. The NL East was so hotly contested that the Mets were able to win the division with only 82 victories. If not for Stone, this may not have been possible.

Next. Best Mets trades made in June

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Stone didn’t have the same success after, finishing each of the next two seasons with an ERA over 5.00. We’ll always have 1973—the year when the Mets stumbled upon something pretty awesome.

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