15 worst trades in Mets history

New York Mets v Washington Nationals
New York Mets v Washington Nationals / Rich Schultz/GettyImages
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San Diego Padres v New York Mets / Focus On Sport/GettyImages

9) NY Mets Worst Trade: Dave Kingman to the Padres

I feel like the Padres are making a lot of appearances on this list. Our number nine trade is yet another featuring the Land of Ron Burgundy.

The June 15, 1977 trade which sent Dave Kingman to the Padres for Paul Siebert and Bobby Valentine was a rough move for two reasons. Firstly, could they not get a little more for the longtime slugger? I know Kingman was having a rough year (.209/.263/.370 with only 9 home runs) but I can’t help but feel there was a little more to acquire than the two players they did.

Worse is what this trade represented. Taking place during the infamous Midnight Massacre—which we’ll revisit again—this was a symbolic white flag waving move by the franchise. Kingman was one of the team’s highest profile players at the time. Shipping him out meant the rebuild was, indeed, in full effect. As if there were any doubts with a few other moves made by the team that same day.

Kingman would eventually return to the Mets but not before earning two All-Star bids with the Chicago Cubs in 1979 and 1980 while also smashing a league-best 48 home runs in 1979. Kingman wasn’t a match at the time for what the Mets were looking to do: save a lot of money and lose even more games.