3 best Mets starting pitchers single season in the 2000s

3) Mike Hampton gave the Mets more in a single year than many other pitchers in franchise history

On December 23, 1999, the Houston Astros and New York Mets agreed to a trade that would send Mike Hampton and Derek Bell for outfielder Roger Cedeno and pitchers Octavio Dotel and Kyle Kessel. Quite a Christmas gift for Mets fans.

Hampton was coming off an excellent season in Houston leading the MLB in wins with 22 and a 2.90 ERA. His performance in 1999 earned him a second-place Cy Young Award vote, a Silver Slugger award, a visit to the All-Star Game, and MVP votes for that year.

Arriving in Queens in 2000 Hampton did not disappoint. He won 15 games in 33 games, posting his second career ERA+ and leading the league in the fewest home runs allowed per nine innings. These numbers resulted in the second WAR of his career at 4.7.

Hampton's impact that season wasn't just in the regular season. He led the team to the playoffs for the second consecutive year reaching the world series after an impressive performance in the NLCS launching a complete-game shutout to send the Mets to the World Series.

Hampton left the Mets in the following offseason leaving the third-best season for a team pitcher in the 2000s. As if that were not enough, his departure was a success for the organization which received a draft pick compensation that allowed them to sign David Wright in the next draft.