New York Mets: Top Ten most impactful trades in past twenty years

Aug 3, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New York Mets center fielder

(52) connects for an two run RBI double during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The right recipe for success in sports is a combination of good home grown drafted talent, shrewd free agent signings, and trades that compliment an existing core.

With the New York Mets’ recent trade for  Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers, the Mets are sending a message to fans: We are in it to win it…now.

Judging by his first few games as a Met, this was a great move by GM Sandy Alderson. But it’s still only his first few weeks in Queens. Only time can judge the real impact of a player acquired through a trade on a new team.

Sometimes it takes years to get a true perspective on the impact of a trade.

Over the past twenty years, the Mets have made numerous trades that have had either a positive and negative effect on the team.

Here is a list of the ten trades that have had the most impact (for better or worse) over the past twenty years.

Next: No. 10