3 hyped NY Mets trades or signings that failed to change the franchise for the better

The New York Mets have never been known as the team to make the big splash when it comes to the free agent market. They HAVE made some noise, and they have had some good signings. But for the most part, the Mets have not had a lot of success with decisions on spending.

To wit, just consider the recent contracts of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, two future Hall of Famers. It all looks great at the onset. The chase is exciting. The thrill of the kill. The flop is hard to swallow.

It’s true, it hasn’t been all bad, but it’s been bad enough. And there were three free agent signings by the New York Mets, players who were believed to be game-changers for the franchise, but whose signings fell flat.

1) George Foster

The signing of George Foster is one of the most puzzling acquisitions made by the team. It took place not soon after the new ownership of Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon took over, and Frank Cashen was the GM running the show. Cashen was shrewd and made a lot of truly good moves that would transcend the Mets into an annual contender and eventual World Series champion. But the acquisition, and then signing Foster to a huge contract, was not one of his better moves. Perhaps the new hierarchy was trying to quickly prove themselves to the fan base by making a big splash after taking over from the tightwad oversight of M. Donald Grant? It was a huge failure. And to compound things, Foster accused Davey Johnson and Mets management of racism smack in the midst of the 1986 season when he was slumping and was replaced in the lineup by, believe it or not, Kevin Mitchell. The Mets ended up releasing him Foster smack in the midst of their championship run.

Foster will forever be remembered for hitting 52 home runs in 1977 as a part of the Big Red Machine, one of the most potent offenses in MLB history. But he was a part of the “Machine.” The Reds had a lineup dotted with Hall of Famers including Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, and Joe Morgan, as well as those who could very well be in there like Pete Rose and Davey Concepcion. He GREATLY benefitted from those around him. And to be honest, other than that one season of “52” he was rather average. And, yet, the Mets made him the second highest paid player in the game at the time, second only to Dave Winfield who signed a record contract with the cross-town Yankees.

So it appears that it was a case where the Mets management thought they were getting a truly special player, were trying to make a point to their fan base, and totally blew it.