Top 5 Mets offseasons in franchise history

Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar have an opportunity to become members of the next great offseason in New York Mets history. At the time of putting this list together, they have yet to play a game for the franchise. Until they do and the final numbers are tallied, the excitement of what they can bring to the 2022 Mets and beyond will have to go on hold.

Time will tell for them. For now, we have to go back a couple of years to answer the question: what are the best offseasons in Mets history?

5) 1995-1996 Mets offseason included some temporary talent and a hidden gem

Between the shortened 1995 season and the start of the 1996 campaign, the Mets got busy. The franchise had not made the postseason since falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 NLCS. They were hoping to make the right moves to become relevant again between the dog days of the early 1990s and the strike that turned so many away in 1994-1995.

The Mets actually made what we could call four significant transactions in this offseason. They brought them temporary players with a good season or two in them. Another flew way under the radar and would end up becoming an all-time franchise steal. Let’s start there because it was the first in the chronology.

In early November, the Mets took a chance and signed Rick Reed. A bit of a journeyman at this point and now in his 30s, things were not supposed to go as well for Reed as they did. He dazzled in Triple-A during the 1996 season then won a rotation spot the following season. He would go on to spend parts of five seasons with the team, going 59-36 with a 3.66 ERA.

About a month later, the Mets made a more high-profile signing. They brought in speedy outfielder Lance Johnson through free agency. Johnson would set a new franchise record with 227 hits in a year which saw him hit .333/.362/.479. His time with the franchise was short-lived but we’ll always have that amazing 1996 campaign to look back at.

Speaking of important pieces on the 1996 team, in January they brought in Bernard Gilkey in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. It cost them Yudith Ozario, Erik Hiljus, and Eric Ludwick. Just like Johnson, Gilkey had an amazing season for the 1996 Mets. He hit 30 home runs, drove in 117, and set a franchise record with 44 doubles.

As if this wasn’t enough, the Mets made a trade with the Cleveland Indians a day before Opening Day. In exchange for Ryan Thompson and Reid Cornelius, the club got starting pitcher Mark Clark. He would end up traded the following summer along with Johnson but not before going a respectable 22-18 with a 3.76 ERA for the team.

4) 1967-1968 Mets offseason brought the Mets a championship on the field and in the dugout

The 1969 World Series Championship was still a full year into the future. However, a huge leap forward took place in the offseason of 1967-1968.

The first move of significance came when the Mets traded Bob Johnson to the Cincinnati Reds for Art Shamsky. Shamsky would become a fan favorite (he still is today) and vital member of the 1969 Mets in the right field platoon with Ron Swoboda. Before the month of November was over, the Mets would make yet another move and it included the addition of a Hall of Famer.

In one of the rarest kinds of trades, the Mets and the Washington Senators pulled off a player for manager swap. Bill Denehy went to the Senators and Gil Hodges went to the Mets. Immediately, the impact was felt. The Mets had their best season yet in 1968. Only one year later, they won it all. Hodges, more than maybe any other manager in franchise history, was a big reason for the success, too.

Finally, the Mets made this an offseason to remember when they pulled off another trade with the Chicago White Sox. Jack Fisher, Tommy Davis, Billy Wynne, and Buddy Booker went to the Northside. Into Queens came Tommie Agee and Al Weis. Agee became one of the team’s best offensive players and a Gold Glove center fielder. Weis, while less impactful on an everyday basis, did have his one big World Series moment when he tied Game 5 of the 1969 World Series with a home run.

2) 1998-1999 Mets offseason built two playoff squads

Mike Piazza agreeing to a new contract in October of 1998 got things started in our second best Mets offseason of all-time. It was hardly the end of a winter that would help shape the next two years.

In December, the Mets got things started early by trading Todd Hundley and Arnold Gooch to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Roger Cedeno and Charles Johnson. That same day, Johnson was flipped to the Baltimore Orioles for closer Armando Benitez. In a matter of hours, the Mets had a speedy outfielder and reliever on their team.

The fun wasn’t over yet. Their next big move was to sign free agent Robin Ventura. Only weeks after they finally got to say goodbye to Carlos Baerga, the infield was shaping up much differently for the season to come.

Not long after these moves, the Mets made one more headline-grabbing free agent deal. They added the legendary Rickey Henderson to the team.

We all remember what Piazza, Hundley, Benitez, Ventura, and Cedeno did for the Mets. Henderson, at age 40, gave them 526 plate appearances and a .315/.423/.466 slash line. Coming off a year in which he led the American League with 66 bases, he stole another 37 for the Mets.

For a final touch, the Mets also did add Orel Hershiser in March of 1999. His best years well behind him, I think he’s still a notable enough player to add to this story.

1) 1984-1985 Mets offseason was the best and it only took them two moves

The 1984-1985 offseason wasn’t a heavy one for the Mets. This doesn’t take away from the impact two of the trades they made had.

The first was a much less notable one. The Detroit Tigers sent Howard Johnson to New York for Walt Terrell. It would take Johnson a couple of years to get significant playing time for the Mets. When he finally did, Johnson became one of the game’s most unique threats. He could hit 30 home runs and swipe 30 bases in a single season. This is something he did three times with the club. Until David Wright came around, he was the most important third baseman in team history.

Only a few days after acquiring such an important part of the franchise’s lore, the Mets made a much bigger deal with a more immediate impact. Gary Carter was acquired from the Montreal Expos for four players. The future Hall of Fame catcher has often been referred to as “the finishing touch” for the clubs of those 1980s.

Carter drove in over 100 runs in each of his first two years with the Mets. He was an All-Star in each of his first four seasons, too. In the 1986 season, despite having poorer numbers than he did a season prior, he was the third-place finisher in the MVP race. The voters knew. Carter was on this team to do a lot more than what showed up on the stat sheet.

Which other Mets offseasons do you remember with such fondness?