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

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PITTSBURGH, PA – CIRCA 1987: Pitcher Sid Fernandez #50 of the New York Mets pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during a game at Three Rivers Stadium in 1987 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

#8 Sid Fernandez

Coming in at the eighth-best trade in franchise history is another member of the 1986 starting rotation in Sid Fernandez. On December 8th, 1983, the Mets acquired Fernandez and infielder Ross Jones from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for utility man Bob Bailor and pitcher Carlos Diaz.

Bailor only played in two seasons for the Dodgers and was nothing special. He hit .261/.295/.297/.592 with no home runs, only 15 RBI, 19 runs scored and 4 stolen bases over 139 games played. Diaz only appeared in three seasons for the Dodgers and had a respectable 3.71 ERA with a 1.366 WHIP over 145.2 innings pitched.

As for the Mets return, Jones did next to nothing in the handful of games he played before being released. He played in 17 games where he had only 1 hit in 10 at-bats with 1 RBI.

Fernandez was the highlight of the deal as he was the only one to produce following the trade. He stayed in New York for ten years and put up great numbers. He pitched to a 3.14 ERA, a 1.113 WHIP, won 98 games, pitched 1,584.2 innings, made 2 All-Star teams, finished 7th in Cy Young Voting, and won a World Series.

Fernandez’s best season came in 1992. That season he had a 2.73 ERA, a 1.067 WHIP, won 14 games, threw 5 complete games, 2 shutouts, and pitched 214.2 innings with a 6.1 WAR.

In addition to Fernandez being great in the regular season over his career with the Mets, he came through when needed in the 1986 World Series. In the fall classic, he appeared in three games where he pitched 6.2 innings to a 1.35 ERA, a 1.050 WHIP, and struck out 10 batters to only 1 walk.

Fernandez currently has the best Mets single-season batting average against, is currently fifth in wins and innings pitched in franchise history, has the eighth-most shutouts, fourth in strikeouts and WHIP, and has the second-best batting average against. The productivity Fernandez put up while playing for the Mets is clearly Amazin’ and as a result of his great production, his positive impact on a World Series team, and the minimum the Mets gave up for him, the transaction to acquire him finds itself as the eighth-best trade in franchise history.

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