4 times the Mets overpaid for a rental in a trade deadline deal

The MLB trade deadline is the last point of the season at which players can be traded from one club to another. It can sometimes be considered to be a mid-summer Christmas morning for teams who are still in the hunt for the postseason. It's the dream of every New York Mets fan for them to be buyers at that point of the season.

Players whose contracts will expire at the end of the season are made available by teams who are considered out of contention and shopped to the teams whose dreams may still be alive. Teams are usually not going to trade much for the services of a player for only two or three months, but it gives the trading team the opportunity to get something back for a player who was about to walk away without any compensation.

Every once in a while, there is a bidding war for certain players as teams try to attain that missing piece to bring them to the promised land. While this is usually a positive process for both team, it can get out of hand. Impatience on the part of some GM's can also be a cause of some teams trading far too much for short term help. There are even a few times that the Mets paid far too much for such little return. I’m sure you’ll remember them all.

1) NY Mets trade for Kenny Rogers was an overpayment

The 1999 Mets were in the thick of the pennant race for the first time in over a decade. They were in a nip and tuck battle with the Cincinnati Reds for the last playoff position. The team decided that they needed more starting pitching to fortify their staff for the stretch run. On July 23, 1999, the Mets traded prospect Leo Vazquez and their 1994 first round selection, the 20th overall pick of the amateur draft, Terrence Long to the Oakland Athletics for pitcher Kenny Rogers.

While Rogers did help the team in their drive towards the playoffs, going 5-1 in his short tenure, he is best remembered for his walk-off-walk that forced in the winning run for the Atlanta Braves in Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS, thus ending the Mets post season and providing the Braves with the chance to move on to the World Series. Leo Vazquez would never make it to the major leagues, but Terrence Long went on to have an eight year major league career with the Athletics, Padres, Royals, and Yankees. He finished second in the 2000 American League Rookie of the Year voting, slugging 18 HRs, 80 RBIs, and hitting .288 that season.

The 1999 season may be remembered by some Mets fans for Al Leiter pitching a 2 hit, 5-0 shutout against the Cincinnati Reds in the one game Wild Card playoff to reach the post season. It may also be known to some fans for Todd Pratt’s walk off home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks that propelled the Mets into the NLCS. But the 1999 season is probably best remembered for Kenny Rogers throwing ball four to Andruw Jones on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded forcing in the winning run, sending the Braves to the World Series and sending the Mets home. It’s one of those memories that if you close your eyes, you can still picture it. Kenny Rogers became a free agent following the 1999 season and signed with the Texas Rangers.

3) NY Mets trade for Mike Bordick was an overpayment

The Mets once again were active at the trade deadline of 2000. Shortstop Rey Ordonez suffered a broken arm in May and was lost for the season. The Mets had post season aspirations and knew that they needed a replacement shortstop. The Mets first agreed to a trade with the Cincinnati Reds that would have sent future Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin to New York for a package that included top minor league outfielder Alex Escobar and pitchers Eric Cammack and Jason Saenz.

However, there was a problem. Barry Larkin had a no-trade clause in his contract, a contract that was about to expire at the end of the season. In order for him to waive his no-trade clause, Larkin insisted that his new team had to be willing to sign him to a contract extension. Mets GM Steve Phillips refused to commit to Larkin beyond the 2000 season. Larkin refused to waive his no-trade clause. No deal.

Still in need of a quality shortstop replacement, the Mets turned their attention to the Baltimore Orioles’ Mike Bordick. The slick fielding Bordick was having a good season with 16 home runs, a .297 batting average, and an appearance at the 2000 All-Star game. The Mets and Orioles agreed to a trade that would send Mike Bordick and his expiring contract to New York for infielder Melvin Mora and minor leaguers Mike Kinkade, Pat Gorman, and Lesli Brea.

Mike Bordick’s time in New York was disappointing at best. In 56 games with the Mets, he hit only .260 with four home runs while committing seven errors in the field. He became a free agent and left at the season’s end, only to return to Baltimore. Melvin Mora went on to have a 13 year major league career, spent mostly with Baltimore. He had a lifetime batting average of .277, one Silver Slugger Award and two All-Star game appearances. Mike Bordick retired in 2003.

4) NY Mets trade for Javier Baez was an overpayment

In one of the more recent deals, the Mets acquired infielder Javier Baez and right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams from the Chicago Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline. In exchange for this duo, the Mets sent 2020 first-round pick Pete Crow-Armstrong to Chicago. Baez was a close friend with Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who had lobbied hard for management to make this trade. Baez, a short stop by trade, said that he was willing to move to second base for the opportunity to play next to his friend Lindor but for no one else..

Javier Baez got off to a slow start at bat with the Mets and even had a dust up with the fans. He was unhappy with the fans who had been raining boos down on him for what they perceived as poor performance. When he did well and the fans began to cheer as fickle fans will sometimes do, Baez gave them a thumbs down. Mets owner Steve Cohan said that this behavior was unacceptable and Baez apologized. Javier Baez had the worst walk to strikeout ratio in the majors, at 0.15. He swung at and missed 21.7% of all pitches, the highest percentage in major league baseball in 2021.

The Mets offered Baez a five year, $125 million contract after the season but he decided to take a five year, $140 million contract from the Detroit Tigers. With the Mets refusing to pay the additional $15 million, essentially they gave up Pete Crow-Armstrong, their 2020 first-round pick, for 47 games of Javier Baez. Pete Crow-Armstrong was named as a 2022 MiLB Gold Glove as one of the three best defensive outfielders in the minor leagues and is considered to be the #1 prospect in the Chicago Cubs minor league system and sixth ranked outfield prospect in MLB.

Four times the Mets overpaid in trade deadline deals: Who's Next? 2023

There are times when a trade deadline deal can make a difference in the outcome of a team's season. A good example is Yoenis Cespedes, who was acquired by the Mets at the 2015 trade deadline after their original deal for Carlos Gomez fell apart. Cespedes was a major contributor to the team's march to the World Series that year.

However, more time than not, trade deadline deals don’t deliver the hoped for results. But, as the 2023 trade deadline approaches, rest assured that there will still be teams wheeling and dealing, hoping to be one of the few to catch lightning in a bottle. It’s a part of baseball history and tradition. Besides, it’s fun to dream.

After all, the sky’s the limit.