4 times the Mets traded a fan favorite to the Phillies

Trades between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are rare but not uncommon. In fact, some of the deals between these two longtime rivals have included a fan favorite going from New York to Philadelphia.

An honorable mention should go out to the Rico Brogna trade. A fan favorite in the eyes of WFAN’s Evan Roberts, he made enough of an impact on the afternoon show host to inspire a podcast. Brogna didn’t quite capture too many other fans. Many more found a way to fall in love with these four other players.

1) NY Mets traded fan favorite Tug McGraw to the Phillies

So who owns the catchphrase “Ya gotta believe!” A rallying cry of the Mets and Phillies thanks to Tug McGraw, the man managed to become a cult hero for both franchises.

It was on December 3, 1974, when the two teams swapped three players each. A future fan favorite the Mets picked up in the deal, John Stearns, helped some of the suffering. Stearns became one of the more productive catchers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, making multiple All-Star teams along the way. McGraw would have his share of ups and downs in Philadelphia. The biggest up came in the 1980 season when he helped the team win its first World Series.

McGraw is one of the more interesting people in the history of both franchises. Even if we take out the fact that he was traded from one to the other, his colorful personality helped make him a fan favorite in both cities

The same would be true for a few others on this list.

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.