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The last NY Mets-LA Dodgers trade deadline deal was an easily forgotten one

Fans of both teams might have forgotten this trade.
Aug 8, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Phil Bickford (50) delivers a pitch during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Phil Bickford (50) delivers a pitch during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers link up in the penultimate weekend before the MLB trade deadline. One team is battling for supremacy. The other, relevancy.

The two clubs have hooked up in the past for some trade deadline deals. Multiple times in Mets history, a fan favorite has been traded to the Dodgers.

Midseason deals are a bit of a rarity between these National League rivals. To find the most recent trade these two clubs made at the deadline, we only have to go back to 2023 when they made an easily forgotten yet strange one. It definitely didn't include a beloved player from either club changing uniforms.

The Mets were selling but made one buy at the 2023 trade deadline with the Dodgers

An outlier from other moves the Mets were making, the 2023 trade deadline included the purchase for cash of Phil Bickford and Adam Kolarek from Los Angeles. Kolarek was a lefty who appeared in 4 games at the end of the year and has not pitched again since the 2024 season when he was in Triple-A for the Los Angeles Angels.

Bickford, on the other hand, appeared to be someone the Mets had intentions of making the 2024 roster. Despite a 5.14 ERA with the Dodgers and 4.62 ERA with the Mets at the end of 2023, the team ended up tendering him a contract and brought him to St. Lucie in March.

The Mets and Bickford became a rare instance of a player actually having to go to arbitration as they “bickered” over the player’s proposal of $900K vs. the Mets who thought $815K was reasonable. Bickford won the case but because the salary wasn’t guaranteed, wouldn’t see anything more than a pro-rated amount. He was released before the start of the season.

Picked up by the New York Yankees days later, he would end up with an 8.64 ERA in 8.1 innings of work. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since.

Bickford’s current status as the most recent player traded between the Mets and Dodgers at the deadline is strange because of the circumstances. He was a buy for a selling team and an irrelevant one at that. Despite being the 18th overall pick in the draft in 2015 and the 10th overall two years earlier when he didn’t sign, Bickford failed to meet everyone’s expectations. This includes the 2023 Mets who had very little in August and September.

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