The best Mets trade for an outfielder the team has ever made

The best New York Mets trade for an outfielder is an easy choice. Few trades have ever completely changed the franchise as much as this one did. The timing was perfect. The vibe was completely different after it happened.

You already know the answer. It was the 2015 trade deadline deal for Yoenis Cespedes. You still have chills thinking about it, don’t you?

The best NY Mets trade for an outfielder brought the team Yoenis Cespedes in 2015

The Mets haven’t made a whole lot of terrific trades for outfielders. Many of their best were free agents or homegrown. Cespedes is the exception. Arriving from the Detroit Tigers with a .293/.323/.506 slash line and 18 home runs, he got even better in his final 249 plate appearances for the Mets.

Cespedes powered his way into the heart of Mets fans by hitting .287/.337/.604 with 17 home runs. It felt like every single one of them came in the clutch. Almost forgotten, Cespedes actually played more center field than any other position for the Mets in the 2015 regular season. It helped the team piece together the best possible lineup.

The trade was a bit costly. Luis Cessa and Michael Fulmer ended up going to Detroit in the deal. Fulmer would go on to win the American League Rookie of the Year the very next season. He did flame out quickly and moved to the bullpen where it’s debatable how successful that has been.

Mets fans would do this trade one-hundred times over for what Cespedes brought to the team down the stretch in 2015. It didn’t matter what the cost was.

Cespedes managed to stick around a little while longer, but on a new contract after hitting free agent following the World Series run. He was awesome in 2016 before opting out. It was the next contract when the mayhem began.

It doesn’t matter how it ended with Cespedes. The trade itself will remain one of the best the franchise ever made. At the trade deadline, it might be the greatest.