August 27, 1992: The Mets Trade David Cone

August 27, 1992: The New York Mets trade pitcher David Cone to the Toronto Blue Jays for 2nd baseman Jeff Kent and a player to be named later, who, 5 days later, turned out to be outfielder Ryan Thompson.

Cone was going to be a free agent after the season, and Mets owners Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon didn't think they could re-sign him. So they wanted to get something for him, and figured Kent and Thompson were good compensation.

It's easy to forget now that Cone wasn't yet a Met when they won the 1986 World Series. They got him from the Kansas City Royals during the following Spring Training. Well, with the Mets, he won the 1988 National League Eastern Division title... and that's it.

Afterward, he reached the postseason 6 times, winning the World Series 5 times: With the Jays in 1992, and with the Yankees in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 -- against the Mets. Indeed, he was so successful with the Yankees, it's almost easy to forget he ever was a Met. He was 81-51 with them, 64-40 with the Yankees, for 125-91 in New York. Total: 194-126.

Thompson had yet to appear in a major league game. He made his debut 5 days later. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, he hit 18 home runs. Other than that, he didn't do much as a Met. Kent had some power, but provided little in the way of either wins or excitement. So the Mets let him go when he was 28, just moving into his prime. That turned out to be an even worse trade.

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August 27, 1992 was a Thursday. There were 5 games played in Major League Baseball that day. The Mets did not play. These teams did:

* The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-0 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Mélido Pérez pitched a 6-hit shutout. Pat Kelly hit a home run. Don Mattingly appeared only as a defensive replacement.

* The Toronto Blue Mays beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto. Robin Yount went 1-for-2 with 2 walks. Paul Molitor went 2-for-4. The next year would be Yount's last season, and Molitor would help the Jays win the World Series.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers, 7-2 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. George Brett went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

* The Houston Astros beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-2 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Ken Grffiey Jr. did not play. Both Cleveland runs came on solo home runs by Albert Belle.

July 29, 1996: The Kent-Baerga Trade

Jeff Kent

July 29, 1996: The New York Mets trade 2nd baseman Jeff Kent and reserve infielder José Vizcaíno  to the Cleveland Indians for 2nd baseman Carlos Baerga and reserve infielder Alvaro Espinoza.

At the time, this looked like a great trade for the Amazin's: Baerga was considered, along with Roberto Alomar, 1 of the 2 best 2nd basemen in baseball; Kent, the most disappointing player at that position. Espinoza was a good backup shortstop who could also play 2nd base and 3rd base. And Vizcaíno was an old-style good-field-no-hit middle infielder. It seemed like a no-brainer.

It was, but not in the way the Mets or their fans expected: Baerga was a flop in Flushing, while Espinoza was near the end of the line.

Carlos Baerga

The Indians, as has tended to happen to the now-Guardians in their history, didn't benefit much from the trade, either: After the season, they traded Kent and Vizcaíno to the San Francisco Giants for Matt Williams. (Each team also included another player that didn't matter much.) Williams helped the Tribe win a Pennant, while Kent helped the Jints win one, reached the postseason 8 times in his career, won the NL Most Valuable Player in 2000, and finished with 377 home runs, 351 of them while playing 2nd base, still a record. (His personality wasn't much, but he could hit.)

The Mets needed to win 1 of their last 5 games in 1998 to get the National League's Wild Card berth. They won exactly none. They lost the 1999 NL Championship Series to the hated Atlanta Braves. They beat Kent and the Giants in the 2000 NL Division Series, but lost the World Series to the even more hated Yankees. Kent could have made a big difference on those occasions.

Oh yeah, about that 2000 World Series: It was essentially decided in the 12th inning of Game 1, on a game-winning single for the Yankees by... Jose Vizcaíno.

Jose Vizcaíno, October 21, 2000

So this might be an even more damaging trade than Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi in 1971, because it may have made a difference at a time when the Mets were very good, keeping them from reaching true glory. Certainly, it was more damaging than the trade that brought Kent to the Mets, in 1992 for David Cone.

UPDATE: In 2026, Kent was elected to the Hall of Fame, and his plaque shows him wearing a Giants cap.

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July 29, 1996 was a Monday. There were 4 Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-0 at Shea Stadium. So the day looked pretty good for the Mets at the time. Pete Harnisch pitched a 4-hit shutout. Butch Huskey hit 2 home runs, and Edgardo Alfonzo hit one.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Colorado Rockies, 4-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Florida Marlins, 5-3 at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida. Tony Gwynn did not play.

* And the Houston Astros beat the Cincinnati Reds, 2-1 at Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium) in Cincinnati.