3 NY Mets trades that continued the Midnight Massacre purge months later

3) Bud Harrelson to the Philadelphia Phillies

The rivalry between the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies wasn’t quite as intense back in 1978. Fan favorite Bud Harrelson was sent to Philadelphia for Fred Andrews and cash. Andrews never played an inning for the Mets. Harrelson didn’t find the Fountain of Youth as a member of the Phillies, but would remain there for two seasons. In the second year, he actually returned in May as a free agent.

The situation was kind of the same as it was with Grote. Harrelson’s prime was well past him. While defense was always his best attribute, his offensive totals declined a little too greatly. He hit .178 in 1977 for the Mets. He’d improve to .241 over the course of two seasons in Philadelphia. He narrowly missed adding a championship ring to his collection when he went to the Rangers in 1980. The Phillies won the World Series that year. At least he got to catch up with Matlack and even Rusty Staub who found his way there, too.

All of a sudden, the Mets were looking like a completely different team than they did even after the Midnight Massacre. Jerry Koosman was traded to the Minnesota Twins after the 1978 season, putting a final nail in the coffin of that era of baseball in Queens. A new one was underway. Fans would have to wait until 1984 to see the team win even more than 70 games in a season.