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

José Bautista (All-Star seasons: 2010-2015; Mets career: 2018)

Last, but certainly not least, is Joey Bats. He enjoyed three months with the Mets in 2018 after being released by the Braves. Before that, Bautista made most of his career highlights during his 10-year career with the Toronto Blue Jays, which featured the bat flip to end all bat flips against the Texas Rangers in the 2015 ALDS.

From 2010 through 2015, Bautista was a perennial All-Star and a frequent MVP candidate. During that time, he won three Silver Sluggers, clobbered 227 home runs, and became a franchise icon in Toronto. 

By the time he arrived in Flushing in 2018, some of the punch was gone from Bautista’s bat, but he still had some magic left in him. Until that point, Bautista had, somehow, never hit a walk-off home run. That quickly changed once he put on the orange and blue. His most memorable Mets moment, by far, came on July 6, 2018, when he blasted a walk-off grand slam to secure a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. 

As per usual, he did it in style. On the first pitch from Rays reliever Chaz Roe in the bottom of the ninth, Bautista belted a long home run into the second deck in left field, clearing the bases and sending the Citi Field faithful home happy.

Bautista’s Mets career ended less than two months later, when he was unceremoniously traded to the Phillies for cash considerations. He may not have single-handedly vaulted the 2018 Mets into contention, but for one summer night, Joey Bats was the king of Queens.