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The 3 best Mets General Managers in team history ranked

Who is the best to sit in the GM chair for the Mets?

By Alan Karmin |
New York Mets GM Frank Cashen
New York Mets GM Frank Cashen / Focus On Sport/GettyImages
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New York Mets fans have suffered a lot over the years. But they have also had some great seasons to cherish. And the one thing the Mets fan are always appreciative of…is a winner.

The performance down on the field could not possibly happen without the brain trust putting that talent together. And success usually means a championship and the top general managers in Mets history were all at the helm for a New York Mets World Series.

The three best general managers in New York Mets history were:

3. Johnny Murphy was the GM of the 1969 Miracle Mets

Johnny Murphy worked under the tutelage of some great baseball minds in George Weiss and Bing Devine in the Mets early days. And when Devine left the Mets to rejoin the St. Louis Cardinals after the 1967 season, Murphy was elevated to General Manager.

Murphy went right to work and made a trade with the Washington Senators in order to get Manager Gil Hodges to skipper the Mets. He also acquired Tommie Agee and Al Weis. Then, in 1969, sensing something big was about to happen, he made the deadline trade to acquire Donn Clendenon.

Murphy was a smart baseball man and was the captain steering the ship that led to that 1969 World Series Championship. Unfortunately, he passed away right after that season. And we’ll never know if the Mets would have continued their ascent that his work initiated.

Johnny Murphy will always be remembered as the GM who got Gil Hodges to manage the Mets and was the architect of the 1969 Miracle Mets.

2. Steve Phillips was the GM of the Mets for the 2000 Subway World Series with the Yankees

Steve Phillips took over for Joe McIlvane during the 1997 season and was one of the longest tenured GM’s, lasting until 2003. The only GM to last longer was Frank Cashen.

Phillips built some of the most exciting Mets teams in the organization’s history. It all started when Phillips somehow stole Mike Piazza from the Florida Marlins days after they acquired him from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle of the 1998 season. And then, the Mets re-signed him long-term in that off-season.

The 1999 season sported what is known as the best fielding infield in Major League history with John Olerud at first, Edgardo Alfonso at second, Rey Ordonez at short, and Robin Ventura at third. And those guys could hit at well.

Oh…add in Mike Piazza behind the plate and the Mets were a powerhouse to be reckoned with. NEVER in Mets history had the Mets had such offensive firepower. The 2000 season would see Olerud replaced by Todd Zeile at first base, but the Mets didn’t miss a beat and had an even better year that culminated with a Subway World Series against the Yankees.

And while the Mets didn’t win that World Series, they would enjoy one of the most fun periods in their history.

Steve Phillips will always be remembered as the GM who delivered Mike Piazza and a Subway World Series to New York Mets fans.

1. Frank Cashen was the GM who put together the 1986 World Series Champions

Frank Cashen is the longest tenured New York Mets general manager spending 11 seasons – 1980 through 1990 – as the guy in charge. Cashen was the guy who built the great Baltimore Orioles teams and he was charged with doing that for the Mets. And he did just that.

Cashen came on board when the Mets were absolutely brutal. They were horrible on the field, and they had nothing on the horizon. They had one star, Lee Mazzilli. And after spending the first couple of years bringing back a couple of old fan favorites like Dave Kingman and Rusty Staub, and completely revamping the farm system and scouting department, he began to slowly craft an annual contender.

He began by hiring an old Oriole friend, Davey Johnson, and stashed him down at Tidewater to manage the younger players to get them ready for the kind of baseball the Orioles were known for. He started his wheeling and dealing by trading away Mazzilli. That yielded Ron Darling and Walt Terrell. Terrell would eventually be sent to the Detroit Tigers for Howard Johnson.

The following year he traded away closer Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey for Keith Hernandez. And then Cashen, needing a final piece, plucked Gary Carter away from the Expos for fan favorite Hubie Brooks and a few prospects. For the icing on the cake, Cashen would get Ray Knight from the Cincinnati Reds and Bobby Ojeda from the Boston Red Sox. And, of course, the successful drafts yielded Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden.

It all led to an era of dominance…from 1984 through 1988…the New York Mets were yearly contenders, constantly in a dog fight with the St. Louis Cardinals for the top spot in the NL East, and played hard-nosed, in your face, gut it out, entertaining baseball. Unfortunately, for various reasons, the Mets won only two Eastern Division titles (1986 and 1988) and a single World Series Championship (1986).

What should have, and could have, been a dynasty was quickly dismantled once Cashen’s reign was over.

Frank Cashen will always be remembered as the architect of the 1986 World Championship Mets.

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