The best Mets who also played for the Yankees

There are well over 100 players who suited up and took the field for both the New York Mets and the crosstown rival New York Yankees. For quite some time it was taboo for the two teams to even think of trading with one another and, for the most part, the players who did play for both meandered their way across the city via a path that passed through other organizations.

There were some big names who played for both – Rickey Henderson and even Yogi Berry - as well as some pretty obscure ones – Tucker Ashford and Phil Lombardi. In the 2000 season alone, the season of the only Subway Series (World Series Subway Series) between the two teams, there were at least 10 players who were ex's and playing for a ring with the former crosstown rival. There were those who played well for one team, but not so well for the other. But there certainly weren’t too many who achieved success with both, at least not for an extended period of time.

I wanted to see if there were any players who were, in fact, productive for both the Mets and the Yankees, but played a minimum of three seasons for both teams. I found three position players who fit that description, as well as three pitchers. And all six of them, regardless of what they achieved with the Yankees, will always be more identified by fans as one-time New York Mets.

Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran had a long and productive tenure with the Mets - 2005-2011, one that justifies his eventual enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.

Over the course of his seven seasons with the Mets, Beltran was a five-time All Star and hit .280 with 149 homers – winning two Silver Slugger awards - and 100 stolen bases while playing a stellar centerfield that won him three Gold Glove awards.

After a couple of stops in San Francisco and St. Louis, he signed with the Yankees as a free agent during the winter of 2013. He was already 37 years of age when he signed, and not the Carlos Beltran that the Mets had the privilege of having in centerfield, but his time with the Yanks - 2014-2016 – was still productive.

As a Yankee, Beltran hit .270 with another 56 home runs and was again selected as an All Star.

Curtis Granderson

While the Yankees signed Beltran, the Mets signed Curtis Granderson as a free agent during the winter of 2013 after he had been with the Yankees from 2010 through 2013.

For whatever reason, Granderson was never really treated like a true Yankee. Granderson had been acquired from the Tigers in a three-way blockbuster trade and was a star player before he arrived in pinstripes.

He became an instant fan favorite with the Mets. He was with the club from 2013 to 2017 and played a huge role on the 2015 World Series team.

Early in his career, Granderson was an extra base hit machine, and led the league in triples two consecutive seasons as a Tiger. When he got to the Yankees, he altered his swing to take advantage of the short right field porch and smacked over 40 homers in back to back seasons. But his average suffered and he began striking out at an alarming rate. His batting average as a Yankee was .245 to go along with his 115 dingers.

Once he got to the Mets, he found that it wasn’t as easy to hit home runs in Citifield as it was at Yankee Stadium. He still hit 95 round trippers and nobody hustled more than Curtis.

Darryl Strawberry

Darryl…Darryl…Darryl…that’s what was always heard at Shea Stadium. Darryl Strawberry’s sweet swing was something to behold. But trouble was brewing and he took off to Los Angeles where he would reunite with childhood friend Eric Davis to provide one of the most talented teammate duos in decades. We all thought that would happen. But…it didn’t.

Strawberry was probably the best position player ever drafted AND developed by the Mets organization. He came up in 1983 and stuck around through 1990. In his eight seasons in blue and orange Straw hit .263 and slammed 252 mostly majestic home runs while driving in 733 runs, and he also stole 191 bases.

He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1983 and was an All Star the next seven seasons.

After things went bad for Darryl out west, George Steinbrenner brought him back to New York and he spent five seasons (1995-1999) as a part-time player, but provided some much needed power while helping the Yanks to a few World Series championships in 1996, 1998, 1999.

He’ll always be considered a Met more than a Yankee, but you can’t help notice that he won three rings in the Bronx and only one in Queens.

David Cone

As much as David Cone would be AN ace (not necessarily THE ace) of the Mets staff during his years, Cone’s most memorable game is the perfect game he threw for the Yankees on July 18, 1999. It was tough for Mets fans to swallow because Cone was most memorable as a Met for the time he provided locker room fodder for the Dodgers during the playoffs in 1988 when he wrote a piece for the Daily News. Because of that, Mets fans will forget the 20-3 season he had.

Cone had an outstanding career overall, even though he spent time with a number of organizations. He was most dominating during his first 5 plus seasons with the Mets -1987-1992. He won 81 games and pitched to a 3.13 ERA. He completed 34 games during that time, 15 of them shutouts. He also struck out 1,172 hitters. But he never threw a no hitter.

After a couple of stops with both the Royals and Blue Jays, he was traded to the Yankees during the 1995 season and then signed with them as a free agent at the end of the season, and would be with the club for six seasons (1995-2000).

Cone would be another ex-Met who would be a part of the Yankees dynasty of the 90’s. He would win another 64 games in the Bronx and had his only other 20-win season during the ’98 campaign.

Al Leiter

Al Leiter was a second round pick of the Yankees and was rushed to the Major Leagues at the age of 21 during forgettable time period in Yankees history in the mid 80’s.

Over the three-year period from 1987 to 1989, Leiter would win 7 games against 8 losses before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. Leiter would begin seeing success with the Blue Jays, and then would hit his stride with the Florida Marlins, making the All Star team for the first time.

Leiter became a star when he was traded to the Mets in a deal that sent two huge prospects (A.J. Burnett and Jesus Sanchez) to the Marlins before the ’98 season. He would win 95 games for the Mets, including 16 victories in 2000 as the ace of the World Series team that faced the Yankees.

Leiter would return to the Yankees to finish his career in 2005 and retire as a Yankee. But here’s something that will make Mets fans happy…Leiter actually had the best years of his career with the Mets, and the worst of his career with the Yankees.