5 most shocking transactions in Mets history

NY Mets lose Tom Seaver to the Chicago White Sox in the free agent compensation draft

Another shocking transaction took place on June 20, 1984, involving Tom Seaver. Can you believe it? Seaver was traded back to the Mets before the 1983 season. All seemed well in the world. The club was headed in the right direction, too. Maybe Seaver could be a big part of it.

Back then, there was something called the free agent compensation draft. It’s kind of like the way the qualifying offer compensation worked. It allowed teams that lost players in free agency to draft away others under team control and take on their contract.

Believing nobody would possibly want the aging Seaver and his hefty contract, the Mets left him unprotected in the draft. Who would possibly want a nearly 40-year-old pitcher? The Chicago White Sox did.

Seaver was selected by the White Sox and his days with the Mets were now over. He would not be able to get win number 300 with his beloved orange and blue fans cheering him on—although, win number 300 would eventually come at Yankee Stadium so at least some brave Mets fans were able to venture over without having to book an airline ticket through a travel agent—something as obsolete as the free agent compensation draft.

Fortunately, as far as shock goes, I think those are the only two worthy of this list that has a negative connotation. Our final three looks at the Mets a little more positively.