4 times the Mets traded a fan favorite to the Phillies

2) NY Mets traded fan favorite Bud Harrelson to the Phillies

The least consequential trade on this list, the Mets sent longtime Mets second baseman Bud Harrelson to the Phillies in March of 1978. In a part a leftover move for the organization to make as they turned the page on the decade, the team received Fred Andrew and cash from Philadelphia in this move.

Harrelson's best days were long over at the time of the deal. He batted just .178 for the 1977 Mets. He wasn't much better with the Phillies either, at least not when he hit .214 for them in 1978.

Harrelson's second year with the Phillies was far more productive yet limited. He received only 87 plate appearances but delivered a .282 batting average in those chances. Unfortunately, he played his final season in 1980 with the Texas Rangers. He wouldn't get himself a second World Series ring like McGraw.

As for Andrews, he spent all of 1978 in the minor leagues. It was his last year in professional baseball. The Mets didn't get much out of this deal at all other than the money and a few disgruntled fans who got to see Harrelson go behind enemy lines for parts of two seasons.

Fortunately, this deal didn't hurt the Mets much. The same isn't true for this next trade.

3) NY Mets traded fan favorites Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell to the Phillies

Mets and Phillies fans will argue over who gets to claim Tug McGraw. They’ll let each other take Lenny Dykstra.

Long before the chaos later on in his career but more so in retirement, Dykstra was a darn good baseball player. He was a part of the 1986 Mets whose status with fans has them on a mantel few athletes in New York ever will reach.

This trade between the Mets and Phillies was much different than the McGraw deal. Along with another fun guy we can consider a favorite, Roger McDowell, Dykstra changed uniforms in exchange for a bust addition. Juan Samuel came over from the Phillies in an absolute steal of a trade for Philadelphia.

Dykstra would become an even better player with the Phillies, putting up his most monstrous numbers in 1993 when he was the runner-up for MVP. In his first full year with the team in 1990, Dykstra led the league with 192 hits and a .418 OBP. The June 18, 1989, swap was a quick disaster for the Mets. Samuel was traded the very next offseason in hopes that in the age before the internet everyone might forget he was ever in orange and blue.

We remember. Events from the prehistoric 1980s live on forever. This deal didn't just send one player fans in Queens liked. It got rid of two.

4) NY Mets traded fan favorite Turk Wendell to the Phillies

Mets and Phillies fans can argue over McGraw. They can pass along Dykstra in a hot potato fashion. There is no denying which team Turk Wendell represented best. Parts of five seasons were spent with the Mets. He played more games with the Mets than any other club.

Wendell first joined the Mets in the middle of the 1997 team in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. He wasn’t very good in those first 13 games, posting a 4.96 ERA.

Things changed quickly in 1998. Wendell appeared in 66 games, tossed 76.2 innings, and did it all with a 2.93 ERA. He’d continue to be available regularly out of the bullpen for Bobby Valentine. Before he was traded to the Phillies in mid-2001, Wendell wrapped up his stint with the Mets owning a 22-14 record and 3.34 ERA.

The stint came to a close on July 27, 2001, when Wendell and Dennis Cook were sent to the Phillies for pitching prospect Adam Walker and starter Bruce Chen. Chen made 11 starts for the team down the stretch, pitching to a 4.68 ERA. The Mets sent him to the Montreal Expos the next April.

Wendell wasn’t very good for the Phillies in his 2001 appearances either. The 7.47 ERA in 15.2 innings was a huge contrast from what he did in New York. The 2002 season was a wash due to injuries but he did manage to get back on the field in 2003 where he gave them a quality season.

Wendell, like McGraw, Dykstra, and McDowell had a big and often fun personality. Even Harrelson did more than fade into the background. What is it about the Mets trading interesting people to the Phillies?