The 3 biggest Mets trades ever made with the Tigers

2) The Mets trade Walt Terrell to the Tigers for Howard Johnson

This Mets trade was a win. A big one, in fact. Maybe one of the more low-key trade victories in franchise history. So big you could…okay you get the point.

Walt Terrell for Howard Johnson. The Tigers had just won the 1984 World Series and were looking to repeat as champions. Terrell, who was 11-12 with a 3.52 ERA for the Mets in 1984, was still in his mid-20s and on the rise, or so it seemed. He’d be okay for the Tigers. He could win games and pitch to an ERA in the high 3.00s or low 4.00s during his first stint there.

Johnson was a different story. It took a few years but the part-time player would become the team’s starting third baseman for the 1987 season. He made the decision look like the right one. Powering 36 home runs and driving in 99, it was a year where HoJo finished tenth in the MVP vote.

Johnson would later have two years of finishing fifth in the MVP. This includes the 1991 campaign where he led the league in home runs and RBI with 38 and 117 respectively. Each was a career-high for him.

There isn’t enough time to include all of the things Johnson did so well. A three-time 30/30 guy whose base stealing prowess matched his ability to hit for power, he’d finish his Mets tenure with 192 home runs and 202 stolen bases. Ask anyone and he’s one of the best third basemen in franchise history.