October trades are a little rarer in MLB now, with the World Series stretching deep into the month. Back in 1992, though, the calendar still had room for a late move.
Just two days after the World Series ended on October 24, the 72-win New York Mets sent D.J. Dozier, Wally Whitehurst, and Raul Casanova to the San Diego Padres for All-Star shortstop Tony Fernandez.
On paper, it was the kind of deal that looked like a swing for a familiar name with a strong track record. Fernandez had just finished a .275/.337/.359 season and, even with the defensive value fading, still carried the reputation of a four-time Gold Glove winner. The Mets saw enough to pull the trigger.
It didn’t take long for that bet to age poorly. Fernandez lasted only 48 games in New York before being traded again.
His time with the Mets was underwhelming across the board. He hit .225/.323/.295, production that fell well short of any reasonable expectation. Even so, the Mets managed to find another team willing to take him, and Toronto stepped in.
That return to the Blue Jays fit Fernandez perfectly. Most of his best seasons had come in Toronto during the 1980s, and he helped the Blue Jays at exactly the right moment.
In the regular season, he batted .306/.361/.442. Then he showed up in October, going 7 for 22 in the ALCS and 7 for 21 with 9 RBI in the World Series.
Toronto won the title again in 1993 after already winning in 1992, and Fernandez was part of that run.
For the Mets, the deal never really turned into much. Dozier never appeared in another major league game after his 1992 Mets season.
Whitehurst turned in a solid 1993 with San Diego, posting a 3.83 ERA in 19 starts and two relief outings. Casanova later became part of another trade, went on to a long MLB career, and eventually finished with the Mets in 2008 over 20 games.
Toronto’s price for Fernandez was modest. The Blue Jays sent back Darrin Jackson, whose .216 average with them dropped to .195 once he was in a Mets uniform.
In the end, the trade never truly exploded in either direction. It was closer to a wash, and in that sense it lined up with the Mets’ later deal for Roberto Alomar, another move where the player they got didn’t do much while the package they gave up also failed to deliver.
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