New York Mets: 15 best trades the franchise has ever made

#2 Gary Carter

Coming in at the number two spot we have who is looked at as the “missing piece” to the 1986 World Series Championship team with the “Kid”, catcher Gary Carter. On December 10th, 1984, the Mets acquired Carter from the Montreal Expos in exchange for infielder Hubie Brooks, catcher Mike Fitzgerald, outfielder Herm Winningham, and minor league pitcher Floyd Youmans.

Brooks went on to be the best of the four that went to the Expos. He played five seasons for them and hit .279/.322/.441/.762 with 75 home runs, 390 RBI, and 689 hits over 647 games played while being selected to two All-Star games, winning two silver sluggers, and finishing fourteenth in MVP voting.

Fitzgerald was nothing special for the Expos but still ended up playing seven seasons for them. In those seven seasons, he went on to hit .238/.331/.359/.690 with 39 home runs, 241 RBI, ad 180 runs scored over 633 games played.

Winningham played in three and a half seasons before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds. In those three and a half seasons he hit .233/.300/.331/630 with 11 home runs, 79 RBI, 65 stolen bases, and 97 runs scored over 399 games played.

The last man the Expose got in return, Youmans, played in four seasons before being dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies. In those four seasons, he went on to pitch to a 3.57 ERA, a 1.275 WHIP and won 29 games over 496.1 innings.

Onto the Mets return, they got the missing piece to their Championship caliber team when they acquired Carter. Carter ended up playing five seasons for the Amazin’s in which he combined to hit .249/.319/.412/.731 with 89 home runs, 349 RBI, and 272 runs scored over 600 games while being selected to four All-Star games, being awarded two silver slugger awards, and a third and sixth-place finish in MVP voting.

His best season came in his first one in 1985. He went on to hit .281/.365/.488/.853 with a career-high 32 home runs, 100 RBI, and 83 runs scored in 149 games played with a 6.9 WAR and an All-Star game appearance, a silver slugger award, and a sixth-place finish in MVP voting.

Although Carter’s defense was nothing to drool over, he did give the Mets average defense all over the diamond. He appeared in games at catcher, first base, third base, and both corner outfield positions during his time in Flushing.

When it came to the big stage, Carter did not disappoint. In the 1986 World Series, he was a huge part of the team’s success by hitting .276 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI over the seven game series.

Carter is easily one of the most important players in the history of the New York Mets. He was the player that helped propel the Mets to the next level in 1986 to win it all. The previous two seasons the Mets had won 90+ games but failed to reach the playoffs each year. Although the Mets did give a couple of good players for Carter, it worked out very well for them as Carter put them over the top and allowed them to win their second World Championship, resulting in the second-best trade in franchise history.