4 times the Mets traded a fan favorite to the Dodgers

The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t strangers to making trades. Their first took place on December 15, 1961, when Lee Walls and $100,000 was sent to the Dodgers for Charlie Neal and Willard Hunter.

Over the years, whether both were winning or one was in a rut, they’ve often called each other up about a deal. The Dodgers have been helpful to the Mets in taking on some bad contracts. They’re also the ones responsible for bringing Bobby Bonilla back to New York.

A couple of times the Mets have ended up trading a fan favorite to the Dodgers. A search through the history of trades between the two, four favorites from four generations went from Queens to Hollywood.

1) NY Mets traded Jim Hickman and Ron Hunt to the Dodgers in 1966

Two of the early fan favorites of the Mets, Jim Hickman and Ron Hunt were traded to the Dodgers on November 29, 1966. The deal brought them Tommy Davis and Derrell Griffith. As crushing as it was to lose two of the earliest significant offensive players, the Mets were later able to use Davis in a separate trade to bring them Tommie Agee.

Hickman was one of the original 1962 Mets and was one of their more productive hitters during his tenure. Most known for being the first player in team history to hit for the cycle, he sits in the passenger seat in this trade.

While Hunt wasn’t on the 1962 team, maybe for the better, he did make his MLB debut in 1963 and would go on to have a short yet memorable career with the Metropolitans. He hit .303 in 1964 and made his first All-Star appearance that season, too. He’d get his second All-Star selection in 1966.

Hunt’s claim to fame would come later in his career. Following the trade to the Dodgers, he ended up with the San Francisco Giants where he learned the art of getting hit by pitches. In 1971, as a member of the Montreal Expos, Hunt was nailed 50 times. It was one of 7 seasons where he led the league.

Most Mets fans who were around to remember their fandom for Hickman and Hunt might feel a little more detached from them. Gone before the 1969 Championship, fans were more plentiful for this next player who was once traded to the Dodgers.