7 former All-Stars who had a recent cup of coffee with the Mets

AJ Ramos (All-Star season: 2016; Mets career: 2017-2018)

Remember when the Mets traded Ricardo Cespedes and Merandy Gonzalez for Ramos before the 2017 trade deadline? If not, don’t worry, you didn’t miss too much. When the Mets acquired Ramos, Addison Reed was serving as their de facto closer, still shutting down opposing lineups with ease after his remarkable 2016 season. As I recall, Ramos was hailed by Mets brass as a “crucial addition” to their bullpen, which turned out to be a massive overstatement.

To be fair, Ramos did have a strong start to his career in Miami. From 2012-2016, he pitched to a 2.66 ERA and was a strong back-end arm, saving 32 and 40 games in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Ramos was rewarded for his efforts in 2016 with an All-Star selection.

Once he got to the Mets, he was hampered by injuries and ineffectiveness. Over 49 games spanning two seasons in Queens, Ramos pitched to a 5.59 ERA and saved just seven games. Perhaps the low point of his tenure was when he allowed a walk-off walk to the Brewers on May 25, 2018.

It just wasn’t a match made in heaven. Ramos ended up tearing his labrum and needed season-ending shoulder surgery in June, which sealed his Mets fate. He briefly came back with the Colorado Rockies in 2020, but has been unable to stick on a Major League roster since the surgery and has appeared in just seven MLB games since 2018.