NEW YORK, NY – Hopefully you’re enjoying your weekend. If you’re in the NYC tri-state area, you may have been using a canoe to get around after the heretofore unseen tropical/biblical rains hammered us early yesterday evening. Yours truly, my buddy Mike,and our two pups were caught in it instantly near The Mall & Literary Walk in Central Park. The Frankenstein-like lightning and thick rain bouncing waste-high off the ground were the stuff of some way over-the-top, cheesy Hollywood special effects – think Shawshank Redemption meets Singing In The Rain. Indeed, the only time I’ve seen that kind of unnerving tropical ferocity was on a New York Rugby Club road-trip to the Philippines – Angeles City – before that U.S. Army base foothold was destroyed by a volcano. Speaking of storms and far-reaching segues, I can’t stop the tsunami in my head after getting a random text from Buffalo Joe “The PCA for thumbs-down-Baez may go down as the worst move in the history of the Mutts, and that’s saying something.” Thanks, Joe. I had just forgotten that travesty/crime against [Mets fan] humanity.
Anyway, let’s take a look at that trade against the Amazins’ infamous backdrop of TBMTs – Tragically Bad Mets’ Trades:
Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds (1977): This one still stings like an epidural (and yes, I know how that feels). A deadline trade fueled by a feud between Seaver and chairman M. Donald Grant (a douche that orchestrated Dick Young’s damning media coverage – he was a real DICK). The return for the best pitcher in baseball? Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve “Hendo Can Do” Henderson, a box of baseballs and Dan “High Socks” Norman.
Nolan Ryan to the California Angels (1971): Oy. Vey. The coolest and most intimidating hurler of his time was packaged WITH THREE OTHER PLAYERS for an aging Jim Fregosi, who batted just .233 for the Metsies – when under .240 was actually poor. We all know how Ryan became the all-time strikeout king and a Hall of Famer.
Jeff Kent to the Cleveland Indians (1996): Traded alongside José Vizcaíno ahead of the deadline for veteran Carlos Baerga, whose tenure in Flushing was mainly about Mets fans comparing the literal size of his head to Mr. Met’s. On the field, he sucked. Kent, meanwhile, went on to win an MVP award and is in the Hall of Fame.
Amos Otis to the Kansas City Royals (1969): Traded because of a clash with… guess who?! I’ll spare you the suspense – M. Donald Grant – for third baseman Joe F*ckin’ Foy. Otis, my man! went on to be an All-Star center fielder. Foy had one sh1tty season in New York.
Scott Kazmir to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004): Failed GM Jim Duquette – who somehow landed as a SNY pundit – traded the organization’s top pitching prospect for the brittle Victor Zambrano, whom Rick Peterson COULDN’T “fix in 10 minutes.” The trade was allegedly made because vets like Al Leiter didn’t like the kid changing the music in the locker room. Kazmir became an All-Star. Zambrano walked off the mound crying.
And that leaves us with…
Báez’s Brief Tenure: Báez played decently offensively down the stretch in New York (.299/.371/.515), but he infamously turned fans against him with the “thumbs down” gesture aimed at Mets fans (referenced by Buffalo Joe) as the team collapsed and missed the postseason. He was a Met for only 91 games and will forever be remembered as a d-bag.
And finally…
The PCA Breakout: Crow-Armstrong has turned into a superstar with elite defense, game-changing speed, and power, leaving the Mets regretting the long-term price. Former Mets GM Zack Scott later admitted he “misjudged” Crow-Armstrong’s trajectory under the pressure of a pennant race. By the way, he’s still only 24 and the Cubbies extended him for 6 years at a paltry $116,000,000.00. That’s chump-change these days – and more than Seaver, Ryan, Otis, Kazmir and Kent made combined.
