have had a long and successful history. They have won two World Series titles in 1969 and 1986. They have also been to the World Series another two times in 1973 and 2000. Along with these accomplishments, the team has had several individuals rise to greatness.
Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Davey Johnson, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Bobby Valentine and David Wright are just a few of the names that are not only synonymous with baseball history, but with the Mets franchise. There are many more individuals that have gone on to greatness in Queens while wearing the orange and blue.
However, for every good apple, there are a dozen bad seeds. For every Darryl Strawberry, there are several Alex Escobar's, Esix Snead's, Roger Cedeno's and Preston Wilson's of the system—those that didn't always live up to the hype.
Then, you have the rotten apples. Those players that make the average athletes look like saints with their unashamed attitudes and brash behavior. These are the ones that truly give the franchise a bad name. These are the ones that have given the Mets a black eye over their nearly 50-year history.
There is no doubt or argument over who is the greatest leadoff hitter to ever play the game. It's Rickey Henderson . His induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame is a testament to his great abilities. He was, however, a headache as a Mets player. In 1999, he batted .315, with 30 doubles, 82 runs scored and 37 stolen bases.
He was a brilliant leadoff hitter for a spectacular offense that boasted big names like Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo to name a few. But when the team needed him the most, he often lacked focus. He quickly put himself into the doghouse with both management and fans with off-the-wall comments and lack of hustle.
In the NLCS against theAtlanta Braveslater that year, he was struggling. He only hit .176 and was lifted by manager Bobby Valentine in the late innings of Game 6. When he was replaced for a pinch-hitter, he pouted and left the dugout at the most important time of the game.
He was reportedly found playing cards with fellow disgruntled teammate Bobby Bonilla in the locker room. When his team needed his support the most, he couldn't provide it. That has never sat well with fans or the media. It turned into a media nightmare for ownership and Valentine.
Henderson shrugged it off as just one of those things a player does. He never denied or admitted the incident and never apologized for leaving his team in their most desperate hour of that season. They lost that series.
George Foster Plays the Race Card Better Than the Outfield
In the early 1980s, there was one major power hitter for the Mets. His name was George Foster . Foster spent his most formidable years in the 70s with the "Big Red Machine" in Cincinnati.
By the time Foster came to Queens, he was really only looking to cash in on the new free-agency movement that had hit baseball and the big contracts that went with it.
He was not a bad hitter as a Mets player, though. From 1982 through 82 games of the 1986 season, Foster had hit 99 home runs and had driven in 361 runs. However, he had a meager .252 batting average with 496 strikeouts to go along with it in his time with the Mets.
He quickly became a unpopular player, and when the team had younger players up-and-coming in the system, they thought it would be the perfect time to make a move toward youth. Foster didn't take kindly to this. He began to claim that the Mets were a racist team, and he wasn't seeing playing time due to his ethnicity.
The media, of course, ate this up, and it created a firestorm of controversy in the locker room. A controversy that the Mets wanted no part of. They quickly released the ever-growing disgruntled Foster on August 7th, 1986 .
He retired after finishing out that season with theChicago White Sox. The youth movement in Queens that included Lee Mazzilli who replaced him on the roster went on to win the World Series.
The New York Mets have had many great pitchers. Oliver Perez isn't one of them. They have had many big-money pitchers. Again, Oliver Perez is not one of them either. The Mets have had their share of bad or mediocre pitchers to take the mound, but none came with the potential, the hype or the aggravation and baggage that Perez came with.
What helped him come with such expectations in the first place? His contract. How bad was he, and how bad was the contract? It was so bad that the team was willing to take a $12 million hit to move on from his tenure in Queens. They inked him to a three-year, $36 million deal in 2009 on the strength of a 4.22 ERA and a 10-7 record in 2008.
After the deal, however, his stats, like his control, mostly went haywire. He posted a 6.82 ERA the following year and a 6.80 ERA in 2010. He went 3-9 in those two seasons total. They asked him to work it out in the minors on several occasions. He refused on every occasion.
He struggled so much that they had to report an injury that had no proof just to send him down to the minors for rehab to clear a roster spot for someone that would produce. The Mets went on to another losing year under, then, manager Jerry Manuel.
That stint ended the Omar Minaya/Jerry Manuel regime in Queens. It ushered in the Alderson/Collins regime in its wake. A regime, that the jury is still out on so far, but all indications are pointing to a brighter future than the recent past.
The New York Mets needed a closer. They have had many great pitchers in their history that filled that void. From Jesse Orosco to John Franco to Rick Aguilera. They have had their share of good pitchers to work the ninth inning. When they were building to compete in the 2008/2009 off season, they realized that they needed a closer for the following season.
It was a big need that was exposed the previous year. They addressed this need with a strong choice to sure up the bullpen. Francisco Rodriguez had already won a World Series in Anaheim as a rookie. He set a new record for saves in his walk year of 2008 as aAngels' closer with 62. He was quickly signed to a three-year, $37 million deal by the Mets in December of that offseason.
It was the splash the Mets were looking for to make the league take notice that they were serious World Series contenders. Instead, they became a pretender very quickly. The first season, K-Rod finished with 35 saves and a 3.71 ERA. The team collapsed in late September, though, in part due to a bad bullpen performance late that year.
The following season was even worse for the Mets and their premiere closer. They were injured and out of the race for anything of serious consideration when the frustration mounted, and emotions got the best of Rodriguez.
On August 10th, 2010, the closer got into an argument in the tunnel with his girlfriend's father. The argument spilled into the private quarters of the players' area and led to a heated exchange in which K-Rod punched the man in the face.
By punching him, K-Rod got arrested and charged with third-degree assault, and he also injured his thumb on his throwing hand, thus relegating him to the DL for the remainder of the season.
He was ordered to attend anger management and returned for the 2011 season as a model citizen. The headaches, however, didn't stop. He had a clause in his three-year contract that called for a guaranteed option after he hit the mark of 61 games finished in the final year of the deal. As he got closer and closer to that number, the team got more and more nervous.
Manager Terry Collins had to use him because the team was contending, while GM Sandy Alderson fielded questions about the crippling $17.5 million option that would kick in should he reach the goal.
A few days before the All-Star game, K-Rod changed agents and signed with the highest-profile agent in the sport, Scott Boras. He was setting himself up for a big payout the next season.
Alderson and the Mets saw this coming and quickly traded him just hours after the All-Star Game to theMilwaukee Brewers, before Boras could have any say in the matter. The Mets have yet to decide on the two players they will receive from the Brewers.
The New York Mets had the best team in 1986 and one of the most consistent teams in the late 1980's. A big reason was the offense of one man: Darry Strawberry . He was feared as a hitter by opposing teams and fans and beloved by New Yorkers and Mets fans alike. He epitomized the New York attitude.
In his illustrious on-field career with the Mets, he captured the top spot in mostly every major offensive category: 252 home runs, 733 RBI and 580 walks—all rank first in team history currently—and 1,025 hits (eighth), .520 slugging percentage (second) and his 191 stolen bases (fourth)—all rank in the top 10 in team history. His eight seasons with the Mets were spectacular on the field.
Off the field, however, was an entirely different story. Strawberry was prone to fighting and arguing with teammates, the media and anyone who was willing to engage his temper. He developed an appetite for the drug of the day—cocaine. His personal life rapidly spun out of control after that point.
He got into a well-known controversy with teammate Wally Backman by threatening to "bust that little redneck in the face." He got into a physical altercation on team picture day in 1986 with team captain Keith Hernandez. He was constantly at odds with manager Davey Johnson due to continual criticism of the manager.
The Mets finally granted him free agency in the 1990 offseason. His life went even further downhill from there. He was arrested numerous times for not paying child support. He solicited sex from a police woman posing as a prostitute. He was suspended byMLBfor his cocaine use. He had and beat cancer of the colon but fell into a deep depression and became suicidal as a result of the fight.
Through it all, he is still revered by Mets fans and the franchise, despite the numerous black eyes he gave them in the media and around the league. He is an undisputed member of the team Hall of Fame and many (including myself) are constantly calling for his number to be retired.
He has worked to try to resurrect his image in recent years with stints on celebrity reality shows, but many fans will remember him for his quick bat and even quicker temper.
The Mets have had many phenomenal pitchers. None have harnessed as much potential for potency and controversy as one man— Dwight Gooden .
Gooden was the bonafied ace of the 1986 pitching staff that included Ron Darling, Bobby Ojeda and Sid Fernandez. He was the quintessential dominant starting pitcher of the era, both feared and revered.
On the field, he led the Mets to a championship while compiling 1,875 strikeouts in his Mets career that began with such promise. He won Rookie of the Year and followed it up with a Cy Young Award in only his second season.
He ranks second to only Tom Seaver for franchise wins (157) and strikeouts (1,875) and third to Seaver and Jerry Koosman in innings pitched (2,169.2), walks (651) and starts (303) in team history. He is an elite pitcher in Mets history.
Off the field, however, he had a tumultuous relationship with teammates and a tendency for explosiveness. In 1986, he got into a fight with police in Tampa,Florida. This fight led to a town-wide riot the following year when the police were acquitted of misconduct charges in the incident.
He tested positive for cocaine in spring training of 1987. He missed nearly half the season due to rehab in an attempt to avoid suspension. Many suggest the Mets missed the chance to defend their 1986 title due to Gooden's rehab. As a testament to his talent, incredibly, he still won 15 games in that season.
Injuries combined with heavy drug use sent his career into a downward spiral. He became a shell of what his potential once suggested. He went from first ballot Hall of Famer to a fizzled-out phenom in a matter of two seasons between 1989 and 1991.
While he still is an unquestioned member of the Mets Hall of Fame, he never reached his full potential as a player due to his inner demons. He fell into a period of legal troubles soon after his retirement beginning in 2002.
He was arrested in February of that year for a DUI from alcohol and driving with a suspended license. The following year, he was arrested again for driving with a suspended licence. In 2005, he was arrested for assault and battery stemming from a home dispute with his girlfriend.
Later that year, he was pulled over for erratic driving and drove off. He turned himself into police three days later and served more than six months in prison for that.
He is currently serving probation for child endangerment from a March 2010 incident where he was driving under the influence with a child in the vehicle and left the scene of an accident. He agreed to a lesser plea bargain to avoid more jail time.
This occurred just days after he mentored Mets players in spring training down in Port St Lucie, talking to them about the dangers of breaking the law and going down the wrong path.
He is still beloved by fans and media to this day, despite his many troubles, but he has a lot of recuperating to do to get back on the right road.
Hopefully, this last incident will be his last.
When looking back on the history of the Mets, there are two big moments that may stick out in the championship year of 1986.
These were a walkoff home run in the NLCS of that year against theHouston Astrosand a Game 3 leadoff home run in the World Series against theBoston Red Soxthat helped the charge in the comeback to a title. Both were hit by one man— Lenny Dykstra .
Dykstra could be on another list too. One for biggest trade mistakes in franchise history, as just a few years after that title, the Mets traded him to thePhiladelphia Phillies, and he helped them go to the World Series in 1993.
Dykstra was angry at the Mets for trading him. He loved New York and the franchise. He became just as loved by the fans in Philly.
During his five-year tenure with the Mets, he amassed 116 stolen bases and scored 287 runs. If he was good in New York, he was great in Philadelphia. He grew to his potential as a hard-nosed player that was filled with raw emotion and good baseball sense.
His turmoil off the field , though, was less spectacular. It started with the legendary brawls with Mets teammates and opposing players during the formidable years of the Mets contending seasons. It continued into a car accident in 1991 while with the Phillies. A wreck so bad that it injured not only himself, but their starting catcher Darren Daulton.
His troubles continued long after his playing career ended in 1998 though. In 1999, he was arrested for sexual harassment on a 17-year-old employee at a car wash he owned. In 2007, his name was dragged through the mud as one of the many players on the Mitchell Report to have taken steroids.
His business went under in a storm of financial disasters and mismanagement. This led to his homes being foreclosed on and him being arrested for trespassing and vandalizing the homes in 2009.
In 2010, he was charged with check fraud after paying for a female escort with a bounced check. In January of this year, he was charged with sexual assault by his female housekeeper for forcing her into oral sex.
In April, he was arrested for bankruptcy fraud, and in June, he was arrested again for identity theft and grand theft auto. In that last incident, he was found with cocaine, ecstasy and HGH in the car.
Just a few days ago, on August 25th, while waiting for his sentencing on the June charges, he was charged with indecent exposure. He exposed himself to potential housekeepers being interviewed for a job at his residence.
If he was a lifelong Mets player, he would have been No. 1 on this list. As it stands, Mets fans are just hoping he gets help.
A once bright spark has become a dim and tormented soul.
Bobby Bo Was Bobby Oh No!
The New York Mets were in need of a big bat to boost their offense in the early 1990s. They thought they would steal one from the, then, rivalPittsburgh Pirates. After all, they had an enormous wealth of talent there and a team that repeatedly thwarted the Mets in playoff races in the span of that era. Enter Bobby Bonilla .
Before his first stint (that's right, they had him twice), he was a Mets killer. Not only did he hurt the Mets, he hurt the rest of the league with his 114 home runs, 500 RBI and .284 batting AVG in his six years in Pittsburgh.
It was a natural choice for the Mets to pursue him in the 1991-1992 offseason. They signed him to a five-year, $29 million deal (more on that later).
During his five years total in Queens, he was not so good. With trading in names like Barry Bonds for Dave Magadan in the lineup, his numbers suffered. Without protection in that lineup, his offensive weaknesses were exposed, and he became very unhappy. The worse his performance, the more unhappy he became.
He began to openly criticize fans and media. Even going so far as to threaten a reporter—Bob Klapisch. Klapisch at the time had written a book called "The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse of the New York Mets." Bonilla took offense to this book and confronted Klapisch about it.
He had to be restrained by other players in the clubhouse. He then told Klapisch he would "show him the Bronx." At the time, that was taken as a threat, and the media completely bought into the circus that ensued from the Bonilla temper tantrum.
In 1995, the Mets had enough of Bonilla's lack of production and poor habits that matched his temper. They traded him to theBaltimore Oriolesfor Alex Ochoa and Damon Buford. However, when they were building a contender for the 1999 season, they came knocking on his door again.
This time, they traded to reacquire him. They sent Mel Rojas to the L.A.Dodgersfor Bonilla. That year though, Bonilla showed the Mets why they traded him the first time. His level of play suffered. He was a role player, not a starter and that led to numerous battles with manager Bobby Valentine.
He was extremely disgruntled with his stay in Queens the second time. The constant arguing over playing time led to Valentine benching him in the playoff run. In the NLCS, he was playing cards with fellow pouter Rickey Henderson in the locker room when the team was trying to rally against the Atlanta Braves.
As if all of this isn't bad enough, he was placed on waivers and picked up by those same Braves in 2000. The team decided to pay out the remainder of his contract on a deferred basis. At the time, he was owed $5.9 million. Since they deferred the payments, the contract to be repaid in 25 annual installments until 2035 is worth nearly $30 million when the interest is included.
He turned $5.9 million into $30 million due to taking advantage of the team's desperation to free up their current payroll in the 2000 season. In other words, every year until 2035, the Mets will not have an extra $1.2 million to spend on re-signing their players, signing draft picks or obtaining free agents because of this financial mess that Bonilla's poor play and bad attitude caused.
The Mets poor financial abilities were a huge factor, but the fact remains if Bonilla was half the player here as he was in Pittsburgh, they would not have been so desperate to agree to those terms. He is so high on this list because he has handcuffed the team's finances for the next 25 years.
For a player that had 95 home runs, 295 RBI and a .270 batting AVG over five seasons in two separate stints, this is certainly a hefty price for a team to pay for their mistakes. His poor attitude, quick to argue and poor character when combined with the financial ramifications that his contract will have on the team for the next quarter century, make him an easy choice for a top spot on this list.
However, there is one person that trumps even Bobby Bonilla.
Omar Minaya Brought More Embarrassment to the Mets Than Any Player
The New York Mets have had far too many players add to their shame in a rich history that spans almost 50 years. However, it is not a player that takes the top honor of being the biggest headache in franchise history. It's a general manager.
His name, for those who don't know the face, is Omar Minaya .
Why is a GM the biggest cause of disgrace and headaches for this franchise? I think after you read his laundry list of incidents in a short six years with the team, you'll understand. Minaya actually started out inTexasbriefly before joining the Mets organization.
He was raised in Queens, so getting involved with the Mets was a dream come true. It was just too bad it all unraveled into a horror movie-type nightmare that would make Freddy Kreuger wet the bed.
In 2004, Minaya was named GM. The Mets figured he was up for the role since he was assistant GM to Steve Phillips for a few years prior to that and held the GM position for the Montreal Expos. He first hired Willie Randolph to manage the club. This sent shockwave-type headlines throughout the city and the sport. He then added Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez. He added Billy Wagner and Carlos Delgado to the mix soon after.
The Mets were off to a good start, and they were successful. The success did not last, however. He changed the culture of the team and the fans and baseball noticed. It was more welcoming and multi-cultural. He took great criticism for this though. Some felt he was being racist and unfriendly toward the white and black populations that followed the team.
He traded away young players that went on to become All-Stars: Jason Bay (though he did sign him in 2010 to a large deal), Matt Linstrom and Heath Bell. To this day, Bell still holds a grudge against the Mets. He signed Moises Alou, Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo to bad long-term deals. He also signed Jason Bay in his final season as GM to one of those bad deals too.
He had far more controversy than his moves though. Every GM makes bad moves and trades good young players. He's not No. 1 for that. He's here for an entirely different level of stupidity. The job of a GM is to shield the team from controversy—not cause it. Minaya, however, was better at causing controversy then he was at evaluating talent.
It all started at 3:12 am EST on June 17th 2008. Minaya decided to take this moment over any other to discreetly fire manager Willie Randolph in a hotel in California on a west coast road trip. He never released a statement to the players or members of the organization until well after the word was out.
He blamed himself for the miscommunication, but it caused some players and organizational members a serious dislike for him from that point on. Fans began to see him as a bumbling idiot for how he handled that. Their suspicions would be confirmed less than a year later.
News began to break in July of 2009 that Vice President of Development, Tony Bernazard was involved in some sketchy activity. He was losing his temper with minor league players, challenging them to fights on a daily basis, and then, reports surfaced that his connection to Minaya prompted the Randolph firing.
All of this could have been dealt with properly, however, Minaya took it a step further. When additional news broke that Bernazard had a confrontation with Mets closer K-Rod on the team bus, the media and fans began to call for Bernazard to step down. Minaya decided to fire him on July 27, 2009.
During the press conference to announce the firing, Minaya blatantly confronted New York Daily News journalist Adam Rubin (yes, the same one that now writes for ESPN) and questioned his accuracy on breaking the story about Bernazard's fighting with minor leaguers. Minaya went on to accuse Rubin of jockeying for a job in the Mets front office at Minaya's expense.
The heated exchange was confounding as this video shows . The look of shock on Rubin's face shows how this came literally from nowhere. Minaya apologized a few days later but the damage to Rubin's reputation and respect of Minaya's IQ was already done.
In addition to all of this, he has been the very reason the Mets are unable to spend money this year. Reports of the team losing money are true. They have their hands full with the Bernie Madoff scandal, but make no mistake, Omar Minaya is to blame for this year and next year's financial woes. His mismanagement of payroll funds tied the Mets hands.
It led to the team taking financial hits this season on players like Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo and trading K-Rod. They still owe Jason Bay and Johan Santana for the next few seasons each. Bay is untradeable at this point. His contract is simply too big. Santana has yet to pitch after his surgery last October. Some are not sure if he will ever take the mound again or be anything close to what he once was.
The Mets may not be able to afford to re-sign Jose Reyes in the offseason as a direct result of the hemorrhaging of funds from these bad contracts that still remain on the books.
They must build a bullpen, re-sign starting pitchers and find some bench players too after all. When combining all of this with the money they will spend on Reyes, they will go far beyond the $125 million or so salary cap that the Wipons have imposed on Mets GM Sandy Alderson.
So, something has to give. Either the asking price for Reyes, which is possible and I'm sure we'll all hear about a few months from now, or the salary cap has to go higher. With the finances the way they are, I don't see that happening though.
It is due to Omar Minaya that the Mets are where they are right now—more so Minaya than any player or staff member. Even the owners with their dumb remarks and poor spending habits have not beaten this team down as much as Minaya has with his decisions and his poor communication skills. He has held them back for six years and left Alderson to clean up the mess.
So far, he has. But how long can he keep cleaning until people get impatient and call for his head as well? It's like a bad politician. One spends their term cleaning up after the previous one and ends up not accomplishing much. When election time comes around, another politician will benefit from the previous administration's cleaning job.
With that cleaning job comes a ton of stress. It comes with added headaches as they revisit the mistakes of the past and wrestle with the ghosts of those errors. When Alderson is done, no amount of Advil in the world can help the headaches he'll have dealt with.
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