3) AUGUST 27, 1992: DAVID CONE TO BLUE JAYS FOR JEFF KENT AND RYAN THOMPSON
The real issue is the Mets should have locked up Cone long-term before it got to this point, where he was months away from free agency. He was one of the best pitchers in the game and would go to win a Cy Young Award with the Kansas City Royals, then multiple championships with the Yankees.
But considering he was being traded as a rental, and as a waiver deal in late August, the Mets actually got great value back in Kent, who went on to eventually put up Hall-of-Fame-worthy numbers as a second baseman. Kent wasn’t a good fit in New York, however, particularly that first year when he angered veteran teammates by refusing to go along with the annual rookie costume-dress on a get-away day in Montreal, demanding his clothes back that had been packed away, finally forcing then-manager Jeff Torborg to angrily intervene.
4) JULY 31, 1999: JASON ISRINGHAUSEN AND GREG MCMICHAEL TO ATHLETICS FOR BILLY TAYLOR
The Mets gave up on Isringhausen too early, viewing him as a failed starter, and they weren’t willing to wait to see if he could thrive as a reliever. They traded him for Taylor, a veteran closer.
The deal proved bad on both ends, as Taylor was ineffective in his half-season with the Mets while Isringhausen blossomed into one of the top closers in baseball for the A’s and Cardinals over the next several years.
5) JULY 30, 2004: SCOTT KAZMIR AND JOSE DIAZ TO THE DEVIL RAYS FOR VICTOR ZAMBRANO AND BARTOLOME FORTUNATO
This mistake was driven by the Mets’ desperation to contend, even though they were 49-53 at the time, seven games back of the Braves in the NL East. The trade will always be remembered for Rick Peterson famously telling Mets brass he could fix Zambrano in 15 minutes, though the then-pitching coach has always insisted that statement was taken out of context.
In any case, Kazmir blossomed into a good -- at times dominant -- starter for nearly a decade while Zambrano had elbow problems that limited him to one full season with the Mets.
HONORABLE MENTION
July 29, 1996: Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino to the Indians for Carlos Baerga and Alvaro Espinoza
The Mets decided Kent’s personality didn’t work in New York, but Baerga was a bust in Queens while Kent eventually blossomed after another trade, earning an MVP Award with the San Francisco Giants.
June 15, 1977: Dave Kingman to the Padres for Paul Siebert and Bobby Valentine
Kingman’s launch-angle swing, towering home runs, and tons of strikeouts weren’t appreciated as much in the 1970s as they would be now. He went on to have his best years after the trade, hitting 48 home runs for the Cubs in 1979 before eventually returning to the Mets. Bobby V., meanwhile, was never the star that scouts once projected him to be after breaking his leg running into an outfield fence as a young player.
July 22, 2022: Colin Holderman to the Pirates for Daniel Vogelbach
Aug. 2, 2022: J.D. Davis and three minor leaguers to the Giants for Darin Ruf
Aug. 2, 2022: Saul Gonzalez to the Cubs for Mychal Givens
This is a collective sum-of-the-parts type thing that belongs in this category because GM Billy Eppler failed to do enough to add to a team that was clearly headed to the postseason.
Vogelbach was OK as a lefty DH that season but flopped in 2023, while Holderman has become a very good reliever for the Pirates; Ruf was a complete bust as the right-handed half of the DH platoon; and Givens proved to be of no help in high-leverage spots for a bullpen that needed late-inning depth.
And one 'Tweener
JULY 31, 1989: RICK AGUILERA, KEVIN TAPANI, DAVID WEST, TIM DRUMMOND, AND JACK SAVAGE TO THE TWINS FOR FRANK VIOLA
This blockbuster at the time is hard to define as strictly a win or a loss. Viola, still considered an ace at the time, gave the Mets a boost they needed, with Dwight Gooden having shoulder problems. He went on to have 20-win season in 1990, finishing third in the NL Cy Young voting.
Still, with no Wild Card in play, the Mets didn’t get to the postseason during Viola’s two and a half seasons, while Aguilera -- who blossomed into a dominant closer -- and Tapani played key roles in helping the Twins win a championship in 1991.