The 5 biggest "what ifs" in Mets history

After 61 seasons of New York Mets baseball, the franchise has been the last team standing only twice. The main cause of that could be from bad ownership and management but even with those negatives getting in the way, the Mets have had golden opportunities over the years to add to that weak list of World Series championships. 

The future of the Mets certainly looks bright with Steve Cohen at the top of what hopefully is a powerhouse in 2023 and beyond. Today, though, we’re looking back at the biggest “what ifs” of the past. 

1) What if the NY Mets never traded Nolan Ryan?

It was December 1971. The Mets were fresh off back-to-back 83-79 seasons following the 1969 World Series title. They had built a loaded pitching rotation that featured Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Jon Matlack, and Nolan Ryan. General Manager Bob Scheffing felt as though the Mets needed to make improvements to their offense so he decided to trade one of those starting pitchers. They guy he traded went onto to become an 8-time All-Star, pitch seven no hitters, and reach the Hall of Fame as one of the best pitchers this great game has ever seen. That pitcher would be Nolan Ryan. 

Had the Mets not shipped the 23 year old at the time, the 1970s could have looked a lot different. Would New York have won the 1973 World Series if they had another Hall of Fame pitcher still in the rotation? Would they have still decided to trade Tom Seaver in 1977 if the Mets continued to win in the 70s?

The 1970s is still known as one of the worst decades in Mets history and maybe keeping Nolan Ryan would have resulted in a lot more winning.