3 former NY Mets players who made it known they never wanted to be here

3) Mike Hampton took the money and ran from the NY Mets

Hampton led the National League with 22 wins against only 4 losses while pitching to a 2.90 ERA for the Houston Astros in 1999. It was by far his best professional season.

The Mets had, probably, their best offensive team in their history in 1999, as well as what was deemed the best fielding infield in MLB history. But they lacked starting pitching.

So the Mets and Astros worked out a deal that would send Hampton to the Mets. But Hampton was in the last year of his contract and so the trade was expanded to include outfielder Derek Bell. In exchange, the Mets sent speedy outfielder Roger Cedeno (expendable with the arrival of Bell) and young pitcher Octavio Dotel to the Astros. It was a trade that looked like it would benefit both teams.

The Mets would follow up the exciting 1999 season by going just a bit further, meeting the New York Yankees in the first Subway Series in 44 years. And Hampton would be a big part of it, winning 15 games (second to Al Leiter’s 16 victories) and leading the team with a 3.14 ERA. He also hit .274 on the season.

His personality just didn’t seem to fit with the Mets culture. He was a loner, and he was a bit of a hot head. He just didn’t seem to hit it off with anyone, and kind of made it quite clear of his discomfort, especially when talking to the media.

Hampton won a pivotal Game 5 in the 2000 NLCS and garnered MVP honors. However, he would eventually get pummeled in his only World Series start against the Yankees.

That last start made Hampton’s departure even more bitter for Mets fans, as he chose to take a hike to Colorado to pitch for the Rockies, rather than re-sign a similar, but not as lucrative, contract with the Mets.

The Rockies paid the price for Hampton, and Hampton would pay the price for choosing to play in Coors Field. He would only spend two seasons in the Colorado altitude and his ERA would climb pretty high, to a 5.75 mark with a record of 21-28.  Hampton would move on to pitch somewhat effectively for parts of three seasons with the Atlanta Braves, before sitting out for two full seasons with an injury. He would return for parts of a season with the Braves, the Astros, and the Diamondbacks, before calling it quits.

I once heard Jim Leyland say to Barry Bonds when they were both with the Pirates, “If you don’t want to be here, leave. I don’t want you here if that’s how you feel.” Well, some great words of wisdom for those who don’t want to be a part of the Mets organization. Good riddance.