The Mets’ run of regrettable deals with the Blue Jays had more than one chapter, and Tony Fernandez deserves his own line in that story.
New York brought Fernandez in during October of 1992 in a trade with the San Diego Padres. He arrived with a track record that included some of his best seasons in the 1980s with Toronto, plus an All-Star nod in 1992.
On paper, he looked like the kind of shortstop who could steady things in Queens. In practice, the 1993 Mets were a mess, and Fernandez got swallowed up by it.
That Mets team fell from 72 wins the year before to 59, dropped past 100 losses, and did it for the first time since 1967. Fernandez played 48 games and logged a little more than 200 plate appearances, but he only hit .225/.323/.295 with one home run. His value barely moved the needle, finishing at 0.2 bWAR.
With Fernandez nearing free agency, the Mets sent him to the Blue Jays in June for Darrin Jackson, a 29-year-old outfielder who was hitting .216 for Toronto at the time. New York did not come out ahead there either.
Jackson hit .195 with the Mets and also finished with one home run. He was a free agent after the season and later resurfaced with the Chicago White Sox in 1994, when he hit .312.
The part that really stung was what happened after Fernandez got back to Toronto. He turned around immediately, batting .306 with a 3.1 bWAR in 94 games for the Blue Jays.
Then he kept it rolling in October, going 7 for 22 in the ALCS and 7 for 21 in the World Series. He drove in nine runs in the World Series.
That’s what makes this one such a rough Mets trade: New York gave up a struggling veteran, got back a player who was even worse, and watched the guy they dealt away rediscover his game in a Blue Jays uniform.
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