3 gut-wrenching NY Mets trades that will forever turn the stomach of fans

1) Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds for Steve Henderson, Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, and Dan Norman on June 15, 1977

Tom Seaver had already given the best years of his career to the New York Mets. He had won three Cy Young Awards – and he SHOULD have won four – and he would never win another again. (Although he should have won the award in 1981 when it went to Fernando Valenzuela.) He would also not appear in another World Series after leaving the Mets organization, although he WAS a part of the Boston Red Sox organization during the 1986 World Series.

The point is that Seaver was at the pinnacle of his career when the Mets were in the midst of being mired in the lowest point of the organization’s history under the dictatorship of M. Donald Grant. Seaver wanted to win. Grant wanted to treat the Mets as a tax shelter, and so long as the fans kept the turnstiles going, that’s all that mattered. The two butted heads privately, and then Grant made it public. And when Daily News sportswriter Dick Young made it all public and personal, Seaver decided to make an exit.

Was it really his choice or was it forced upon him? Either way, a move was made. The day was June 15, 1977 and it has, unfortunately, become the most well-known day in New York Mets history and it was so-dubbed as The Midnight Massacre.

It was on that night, at the trade deadline, that the Mets made three trades to begin clearing the decks and making the final moves to totally dismantle the roster that had become such a big part of Mets lore from 1969 through 1973 and up until 1975 when they still appeared to be competitive. That night in June of 1977 put it all to bed, for a long time.

The Mets sent Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds for a package that included former Rookie of the Year Pat Zachry (who was expected to slot right in to Seaver’s spot), Doug Flynn (who was a spectacular fielding middle infielder but had no place to play in the Reds lineup), an outfielder Dan Norman (who was supposed to have a lot of raw power), and the supposed stud of the deal, Steve Henderson (who was hyped to be the top five-tool player in the Reds system and was going to be a superstar for the Mets). While Zachry was requested to supplant Seaver, it was Henderson who was demanded in the deal. The Mets PROBABLY would have taken Henderson for Seaver straight up – he was that much in demand.

Well, let’s see now.

Zachry would be somewhat productive but would never live up to expectations of being the pitcher to replace Seaver. That was unfair and unwarranted. He was not Seaver and he wasn’t going to be Seaver. Being Pat Zachry would have been enough. But he got hurt, breaking his foot when he kicked the dugout in disgust one outing, and he was never the same.

Flynn was amazing to watch at second base. He was to second base as Ozzie Smith was to shortstop. He was THAT good. He even won a Gold Glove with the Mets. But he didn’t hit a lot. If you are a part of the Big Red Machine, everyone around you is a big hitter, and so it’s contagious and you also get some good pitches to hit because they can’t really pitch around you. With the Mets, eh, that didn’t necessarily work. Flynn didn’t hit enough to stick around.

Norman was, well, non-existent. Except for a few appearances, he wasn’t around too long at all. He was a complete and utter bust.

Henderson, on the other hand, while not a complete and utter bust, in no way did he live up to the billing or even remotely come close to his “five-tool player” label. And, again, while that might not be fair, because he was productive, the Mets didn’t get what they believed they were getting in a package for The Franchise. Maybe that’s what they WANTED the press and the fans to believe in order to deflect from the utter despicable behavior of trading away Tom Seaver?