5 most shocking transactions in Mets history

In 1988, Jane’s Addiction claimed that Nothing’s Shocking but I disagree. Baseball still has a way of bewildering us. Throughout New York Mets history, there have been plenty of surprising transactions.

Rather than rank them—because how do you really rate your surprise—I thought instead I’d take you through history and share a few details on what I believe are the five most shocking Mets transactions.

If you’re new to this, clean the floor. Your jaw may drop to it.

NY Mets trade their franchise star Tom Seaver on June 15, 1977

I wasn’t around in 1977 to see the gas shortages, the end of Elvis Pressley, or the Midnight Massacre. The name given to the day when the Mets tore their franchise apart, it was headlined by the Tom Seaver trade to the Cincinnati Reds.

On June 15, 1977, MLB’s trade deadline was the opportunity for the Mets to say sayonara to winning and having to pay their players. Seaver had regularly been in disputes with ownership over his pay. With baseball evolving during this decade with free agency and other parts, the Mets felt it was time to move on.

It’s hard to really compare trading Seaver to anything else. Even dealing Jacob deGrom wouldn’t measure up. Seaver was the first true star the franchise ever had. It’s why they nicknamed him “The Franchise.” He remains the best player to ever represent the team, too.

Outside of landing a star player back of equal ability, the move was cursed from the start. Still held in the lowest of regards all of these years later, it was the most shocking negative transaction the franchise was ever involved in.

Rumor has it if you listen closely late at night every June 15, you can still hear Mets fans wailing with grief.

NY Mets trade for Mike Piazza only days after he was already traded

Finally, something I was alive to see! Although I don’t remember it much because the internet wasn’t something that my parents were willing to pay for until a few years later—even then, we had dial-up for way too long—I do recall those early days of Mike Piazza on the Mets. I remember them well. He crushed baseballs like no one else I had ever seen in the uniform before. He was a threat to anyone who stepped on the mound.

Getting Piazza was a surprise for Mets fans. What made it even more shocking was that he had just been traded a few days earlier.

On May 14, Piazza joined the Florida Marlins after a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. On May 22, he was again traded. This time, the Marlins sent him to the division-rival Mets for a couple of minor leaguers. It was the kind of move that would have had social media in a frenzy. Too bad most fans probably didn’t learn about it until the paper the next morning.

As far as trades go, this has to be the biggest shock of all. Although the Mets weren’t shy about making big moves in those days, the Piazza deal was different. He was an absolute star and after many seasons of missing the postseason, it appeared the team was ready to do whatever it took to get them there.

A season later, with Piazza leading the way, they’d return to the playoffs after a more than ten-year absence.

NY Mets are sold to Steve Cohen from the Wilpon Family

You remember this one like it’s yesterday probably because you celebrate it every day. The Mets were routinely spinning in circles under the Wilpon Family’s ownership. They were usually good enough to compete but never good enough to go the distance. The perception changed completely when maybe the most important transaction of all took place after the 2020 season.

A player wasn’t traded. A free agent wasn’t signed. The whole franchise was sold from the penny-pinching Wilpon Family to Steve Cohen. You know him better as Uncle Stevie.

Players do have the biggest impact on the game. However, ownership can swing a team’s fortunes far more drastically in one direction or the other. We’re in the infancy of the Cohen regime. So far, things are looking up. In only his second year, he has blown past the luxury tax threshold. He’s doing what fans wanted the Wilpons to do for years times ten.

This became one of the most shocking transactions in Mets history because it seemed dead a year prior. Cohen was in the bidding for the Mets well before he did eventually buy them. When that potential deal fell apart, it seemed like the only hope would be for another buyer to come along. Some potential shoppers did show up. Ultimately, it was the man with the deepest pockets and the biggest fandom of the organization to pay up.

NY Mets sign free agent Max Scherzer to the highest AAV deal in team history

Remember when I said ownership matters a lot and how it can swing a team’s fortunes? Well, we’re seeing it firsthand under Steve Cohen.

In only his second offseason as owner of the Mets, he gave free agent pitcher Max Scherzer a record-breaking contract. It set a new high as the largest average annual value in the history of the game. This was the kind of move an owner that wants to win it all makes.

If we’re going to be honest, I don’t think anyone expected Scherzer to sign with the Mets. We can cite a variety of reasons for this. Maybe New York wasn’t his thing. Maybe he was a little too old or a little too costly for them. Whatever you used to explain your lack of anticipation, you were with us all.

When the Mets did sign him, it came as a huge surprise to everyone. Seriously? Pinch yourself. You’re not dreaming.

Scherzer won’t get a chance to become one of the all-time great Mets pitchers because of how long he’ll end up staying with the ball club. That doesn’t mean his impact will be forgotten. Signing him was as symbolic as it was valuable to winning. The Scherzer signing showed the rest of the league how serious the Mets were about winning.