The best Mets trade with the Astros

There have actually been some pretty good trades made between the New York Mets and Houston Astros. In our search to find the best one, we need to look at the final results.

These two “brother teams” both came into the league together in 1962. Maybe more often than not, the Mets got the long straw on the deal.

In August of 1984, the two clubs made a deal that would have a great impact two years later. In exchange for players to be named later, the Mets picked up Ray Knight.

The best Mets trade with the Astros brought them their 1986 World Series MVP

The players to be named later ended up being Gerald Young, Manuel Lee, and Mitch Cook. All guys who had major league careers, none were able to do what Knight could in 1986.

Before that, Knight hit well for the Mets in 1984 before struggling through the 1985 campaign. He was an unlikely hero for the 1986 team, a roster crammed with talent.

The regular season went well for him and included a .298/.351/.424 slash line. Knight rediscovered some of his power, hitting 11 home runs and driving in 76. At the time, they were his highest totals since 1980.

Knight’s real claim to Mets fame occurred in the 1986 World Series. After a poor showing against the Astros in the NLCS, he would go on to slash .391/.440/.565 with a home run and 5 RBI in the World Series versus the Boston Red Sox. The performance awarded him the MVP of the series. He was also the one who famously scored the winning run on the Bill Buckner error.

Honorable mention Mets trades with the Astros

This was hardly the only good Mets trade with the Astros. In 1965, they swapped Tom Parsons for Jerry Grote. Grote would become the team’s starting catcher for many years. He still remains a fan favorite.

Another notable deal with some playoff implications came in 1999. Kyle Kessell, Roger Cedeno, and Octavio Dotel were all traded to Houston for Mike Hampton and Derek Bell. Hampton and Bell were valuable members of the 2000 club that made it to the World Series.

The Knight trade gets the nod from me because of the singular accomplishment of putting a championship flag in Queens. It’s a hard feat to top.