1. Gary Carter
Now here is the other special move that was made by Frank Cashen.
1984 was complete. The Mets were coming off of a second place finish in the NL East. They had a young pitching staff but needed a veteran catcher to guide them through games and keep them on track. Cashen thought he could get the All-Star from the Expos, Gary Carter. Cashen was a heck of a general manager, and he pulled off a blockbuster. The Mets acquired the star in return for Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham and Floyd Youmans. Not only was he a player that paid dividends for the pitching staff, he also became known as the final piece of the championship puzzle.
But, we had another year before that happened.
So how does one debut after being acquired in such a big trade, and to the biggest city in the world? Well, he does this:
That’s one way to start your career in New York. In 1985 he hit 32 home runs and drove in 100 runs, and for a .281 batting average. He always wanted to play in a World Series and finally got the chance in 1986. In game four he hit two home runs over the Green Monster to power the Mets to victory. He also started the rally that ended with the Buckner ground ball in the famous game six.
Next: Five best second basemen in Mets history
Carter was a special player, known as “the kid” for his child-like love for the game. You could see in his emotions how much he loved what he was doing. He did it well obviously, but he got such joy out of it. Remember folks, it’s a game. It’s OK to enjoy playing a game. He was taken from us way too soon, was made by the Hall of Fame to go in as a member of the Expos but remains in Mets fans hearts and is the top acquisition since 1980. Why? Because he brought a championship.
Honorable mentions include Bob Ojeda, Howard Johnson, John Franco and John Olerud.