The Mets were already in sell mode by the time July 14, 2003 rolled around, and one of their bigger moves of the month sent Jeromy Burnitz to the Los Angeles Dodgers with cash in exchange for three prospects.
Burnitz’s second stint in New York had started with real pop. He had 18 home runs in just 65 games and was hitting .274/.344/.581 when the deal went down.
In Los Angeles, the power stayed, but the rest of the line slipped. He hit 13 homers in 61 games, but his slash line fell to .204/.252/.391.
The Dodgers didn’t reach the postseason, and Burnitz became a free agent after the season.
What the Mets got back didn’t amount to much. Kole Strayhorn never climbed above Double-A.
Victor Diaz appeared in 110 games across three seasons for New York before being traded on August 30, 2006 for Mike Nickeas, a catcher who hit .180 in 191 Mets plate appearances from 2010-2012. Jose Diaz was the other piece, but he ended up tied to the infamous 2004 deadline deal that brought Bartolome Fortunateo and Victor Zambrano to the Mets alongside Scott Kazmir.
Jose Diaz played in only 5 MLB games and none came with the Mets or the Tampa Bay Rays.
So the Burnitz trade never really produced a winner. Burnitz didn’t give the Dodgers enough to change their season, and the Mets’ return was thin enough that the deal mostly lives on as a footnote to later, more notorious moves. Victor Diaz later found success in Mexico in the early 2010s and also had a brief stint in Japan.
There’s even a more recent Mets trade with a similar kind of strange symmetry. In 2017, Jay Bruce had 29 home runs in 103 games before being dealt to the Cleveland Indians for Ryder Ryan.
Then on August 31, 2020, the Mets brought back Todd Frazier and sent the Texas Rangers a player to be named later in December - and that player turned out to be Ryan. Two trades, one player, and no clear winner either time.
In Other News...
This Feels Like Exactly The Risky Mets Pitching Bet Stearns Loves
The Mets have already shown a willingness to keep turning over pitching bets, and late June brought another reminder when David Peterson was shipped to the Cubs for Cole Mathis. Around the league, Lance McCullers Jr. has become one of the more intriguing names to watch after Houston sent him and Colton Gordon to Milwaukee for Jadyn Fielder, a move that puts a once-promising arm in a new setting and gives clubs a fresh chance to evaluate what he has left.
For New York, the appeal is obvious enough even with the risk baked in. McCullers has spent the last two seasons fighting through major health issues and uneven results, and the kind of pitcher he becomes with the Brewers will matter more than his reputation ever could. If he can stay on the mound and show something closer to his old form, he could fit the sort of upside play the Mets have not been shy about exploring, especially with David Stearns having known him from their time together in Houston. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Deadline Selloff Could Soon Cost Them A Trusted Bullpen Arm
As the deadline approaches, the Mets are widely expected to move into sell mode, and one of the more appealing pieces on the roster is a left-handed reliever who has quietly been one of their steadier bullpen arms this season. Brooks Raley has given New York the kind of late-inning reliability contenders tend to chase in July, which is why he has started to surface in conversations around clubs looking for help on the left side.
Boston has been one of the teams linked as a possible fit, especially with a need for another matchup lefty to pair behind Aroldis Chapman. But the Red Sox have also played their way into a murkier spot, and their recent surge has made it harder to tell whether they will push in for bullpen help or stay patient, leaving any potential deal hanging on how they read the next few days. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Are Eyeing A Mets Starter And Fans Wont Like It
The Phillies have surged since Don Mattingly took over as interim manager, and their push toward the NL East race has only sharpened the focus on the trade deadline. According to ESPNs Buster Olney, Philadelphia is prioritizing starting pitching, with the middle of the rotation emerging as the area it wants to upgrade as it tries to keep pace in a tight division battle.
For Mets fans, the more unsettling part is that one of the names floating into that discussion is a current New York starter who is still working back from injury. He is on the 60-day injured list and expected to return in August, which makes him an especially intriguing possibility for a contender looking to add help without waiting too long, and it adds another layer to a deadline market that could get complicated quickly. [Read more 🡒]