Top 10 Worst Mets Trades

I am a firm believer of the yin and the yang. That is why I must present the worst Mets Trades off all-time. I am doing this not to annoy or discourage, but to inform and entertain.

Again, this list comes from Matthew Silverman's book "Mets Essential". So, here it is...

10. Melvin Mora--- Acquired by the Baltimore Orioles on July 28, 2000. Mora replaced injured SS at the time Rey Ordonez. The Mets didn't think they could win a championship with the defensively shaky Mora and he went on to have successful career with the Orioles, especially in 2004. That year he hit .340 with 27 HR's and 104 RBI's, good for 18th in the MVP race.

9. Jeff Kent--- Acquired by The Cleveland Indians on July 29, 1996. Kent and Jose Vizcaino went to Cleveland for Alvaro Espinoza, who appeared in 48 games as a Met, and Carlos Baerga who never measured up to expectations. Kent only spent one full season in Cleveland and was traded in '97 to San Francisco for Matt Williams. That year, Kent finished eigth in the MVP race batting .250, with 29 HR's and 121 RBI's.

8. Jeff Reardon--- Acquired by the Montreal Expos on May 21, 1981. After leaving the Mets, Reardon went on to be an extremely effective reliever in both Montreal and Minnesota. In Minnesota, he led the AL in saves in '85, while finishing seventh in the AL Cy Young race. Currently, Reardon ranks sixth on the all-time saves list with 367.

7. Jason Isringhausen--- Acquired by the Oakland A's on July 31, 1999. Isringhausen was dealt for a sub-par combination of Greg McMichael, who the Mets had already dealt for twice, and Bill Taylor. Taylor had an 8.10 ERA with the club, while Isringhausen posted 33 saves with the A's in 2000. He also led the NL in saves with 47, as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

6. Scott Kazmir-- Acquired by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on July 30, 2004. Look for this one to constanly rise as Victor Zambrano continues to falter and Kazmir, at the age of 24, only gets better.

5. Lenny Dystra--- Acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies on June 18, 1989. How do you let a guy go that helped define your best run in team history? Well, Frank Cashen did and it was probably the worst deal he ever made. Dystra went on to lead the Phils to the World Series in '93. He also finished second in the MVP race that year batting .305, with 19 HR's, 66 RBI's and 37 SB's.

4. Rusty Staub--- Acquired by the Detroit Tigers on December 12, 1975. The Mets got pitcher Mickey Lolich out of this deal. He pitched one year for the club. Staub, on the other hand, was dominant in Detroit, finishing fifth in the MVP race in 1978 batting .273 with 24 HR's and 121 RBI's.

3. Tom Seaver--- Acquired by the Cinicinatti Reds on June 15, 1977. The best Mets' pitcher of all-time was traded for a bunch of nobodys. He ended up finshing second in the NL Cy Young race in '81 and fourth in '79. Oh, the humanity.

2. Amos Otis--- Acquired by the Kansas City Royals on December 3, 1969. The Mets never really gave this kid a chance. So, what happened? He only was a four time all-star for the Royals and led the team to the '76 World Series. No big deal.

1. Nolan Ryan--- Who else??? Acquired by California Angels on December 10, 1971. The Mets were desperate for a third basemen which led to the trade of their best pitching prospect. Ryan will go down as one of the best pitchers of all-time with 324 career wins, (14th all-time) 5714 strikeouts, (1st all-time) and a 3.19 ERA. I think this one will live in Mets infamy.