This new series of posts will examine moves in Mets history that never quite materialized and the potential ramifications of those moves.
In the inaugural edition we will look at the Mets non-move of trading for Manny Ramirez following the 2004 season.
Coming off their curse-breaking World Series title in 2004 the Red Sox discussed moving Ramirez, specifically to Queens, in an effort to save money. The deal, which would have been built around Cliff Floyd, Heath Bell and Lastings Milledge, never came to be. Boston’s refusal to pay any of Manny’s remaining salary was a sticking point in the failed trade.
In the 2004 and 2005 off-seasons the Mets added Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, Paul Lo Duca, Carlos Delgado and Billy Wagner, and in 2006, the Mets fell just one game shy of reaching the World Series.
After blowing that opportunity the team would go on to infamously collapse in the final stretch of the next two seasons. Adding Manny Ramirez’s name to that list of high profile moves could have changed the course of Mets history in a very positive way.
In that 2006 season Cliff Floyd had 11 homeruns and 44 RBIs compared to Ramirez’s 35 long balls and 102 RBIs. With that extra production in an already potent lineup, the Mets could have made quick work of the Cardinals in the 2006 NLCS, and then could have beaten the overmatched Tigers in the World Series. Manny’s bat may have also helped to prevent the Amazin’s collapses the following two seasons as the slugger hit 57 homeruns and knocked in 209 runs between 2007 and 2008.
The Mets talent in those two years was good enough where if they had just reached the postseason they could have competed for titles. After 2006, the Mets let Cliff Floyd walk in free agency. Lastings Milledge never lived up to the lofty expectations fans had for him and was eventually dealt to Washington for Ryan Church. Lastly, Heath Bell was sent to San Diego in a notorious failure of a trade for the Mets. Looking back, trading these three players in a package for Manny Ramirez seems like a no-brainer.
Overall, if the Mets could have worked out a deal for Manny in 2004, their lone failed playoff run may have instead become a dynasty.
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