NY Mets: 15 worst trade deadline deals in franchise history

5) NY Mets Worst Trade Deadline Deals: David Cone to the Toronto Blue Jays for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson

This trade deadline move was a little different. Dealing David Cone to the Toronto Blue Jays on August 27, 1992, did land the Mets two quality players: Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson, the former more so. There are other factors at play as to why this was a bad trade deadline move.

Firstly, the Mets watched from afar as one of their best pitchers in recent seasons would go on to win a championship. Cone and the Blue Jays took down the Atlanta Braves in the 1992 World Series. He was amazing for them down the stretch, going 4-3 with a 2.55 ERA.

Fortunately, it looked like the Mets did at least get some quality back. Although he struggled in New York during the 1992 season, Kent began to grow into a quality hitter. He wasn’t able to fully blossom until a few years later. By then, the Mets had already traded him away in an even worse deal.

Thompson was far less productive yet a nice part-time player. He did hit 18 home runs in 1994 in only 379 trips to the plate. He would get traded prior to the 1996 season to the Cleveland Indians where he would (at least organizationally) reunite with Kent.

Trading Cone at the deadline as they did, prior to his free agency, and getting back Kent and Thompson wasn’t horrific. However, it’s what the Mets did after, in particular with Kent, that has landed this as one of the worst trade deadline moves in franchise history. The team never did win with Kent on the roster and managed to flip him around the deadline in 1996 for the fourth-worst deadline move the franchise ever executed.