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The one where the NY Mets trade 3 players for an All-Star who didn’t even last the season

The trade didn't pack the punch the Mets were looking for.
ByTim Boyle
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1993, Unknown location; USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Mets shortstop Tony Fernandez (1) poses during a spring training portrait session prior to the 1993 season. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images
1993, Unknown location; USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Mets shortstop Tony Fernandez (1) poses during a spring training portrait session prior to the 1993 season. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

October trades aren’t as common in MLB these days in part because the World Series extends until the final days of the month. The 1992 World Series ended on October 24 and two days later, the 72-win “worst team money could buy” New York Mets traded three players to the San Diego Padres in exchange for their All-Star shortstop.

Tony Fernandez was coming off of a .275/.337/.359 season. A four-time Gold Glove winner in the past, the defense was definitely on the decline with a -0.2 bWAR on the year. This didn’t stop the Mets from trading D.J. Dozier, Wally Whitehurst, and Raul Casanova in exchange for a year of Fernandez.

Well, not quite a year. After 48 games with the Mets, Fernandez was traded again.

The Mets didn’t give up a whole lot to get Tony Fernandez, but it still feels like a wasted trade

Dozier never played a major league game outside of the 1992 season with the Mets. Whitehurst had a good year in 1993 for the Padres, pitching to a 3.83 ERA in 19 starts and a pair of relief appearances. Casanova would get used in a trade a few years later and put together a lengthy MLB career that would actually end in 2008 as a member of the Mets for 20 games.

Fernandez had a unique stint with the Mets. He hit .225/.323/.295 which was far below expectations. They found a buyer in spite of this, the Toronto Blue Jays willing to take him back.

Much of Fernandez’s best years took place in the 1980s with the Blue Jays. He was going home at the exact right time. Rejuvenated perhaps by joining a contender, Fernandez hit .306/.361/.442 with the Blue Jays in the regular season. In the playoffs, he was right there among the best Blue Jays hitters. He was 7 for 22 in the ALCS and 7 for 21 with 9 RBI in the World Series. The Blue Jays won it all again in 1993 after a win in 1992. Fernandez was a part of it.

The Mets failed to turn their Fernandez faux pas into much more. To land him, the Blue Jays only surrendered Darrin Jackson whose .216 batting average with them fell to .195 in a Mets uniform.

The trade hardly backfired and was probably more in-line with, ironically enough because they were previously traded for each other, what happened with the Mets trade for Roberto Alomar. While ineffective with the Mets like Fernandez, the package of players given up to acquire him hardly did much either.

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