Ranking the 6 best Mets players acquired via trade with a division rival

3) NY Mets trade with the Expos for Gary Carter

If you thought referring to the Marlins as representing Florida was a throwback, wait until you see this trade. The now non-existent Montreal Expos who you may know now as the Washington Nationals once sent a future Hall of Fame catcher to the Mets in a trade. The legendary Gary Carter was traded by the Expos to the Mets on December 10, 1984, for Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham, and Floyd Youmans. Who won this deal? Don’t be so humble. Your team did.

Carter’s importance to the Mets goes beyond the numbers but you already know that. He is regarded as the missing piece of the 1986 championship puzzle. His first year with the team ended with a sixth-place finish in the MVP race. In his second year, the fabled 1986 season, he finished third.

Carter was excellent at the plate and behind it. He drove in 100+ runs in each of his first two seasons and added a whole lot of power to the lineup. Most important of all, he added more veteran leadership to a team already getting plenty of it.

An incredibly important Mets player, we still have two more players who rank even higher than Carter as guys acquired via trade with a division rival.