Fansided

Let’s look back at some of the most interesting New York Mets contracts

By Ryan Morik

NEW YORK - CIRCA 2001: Mike Piazza #31 of the New York Mets bats against the Atlanta Braves during a Major League Baseball game circa 2001 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Piazza played for the Mets from 1998-2005. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - CIRCA 2001: Mike Piazza #31 of the New York Mets bats against the Atlanta Braves during a Major League Baseball game circa 2001 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Piazza played for the Mets from 1998-2005. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 01: Johan Santana #57 of the New York Mets celebrates after pitching a no hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on June 1, 2012 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Johan Santana pitched the first no hitter in Mets history as the Mets defeated the Cardinals 8-0. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 01: Johan Santana #57 of the New York Mets celebrates after pitching a no hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on June 1, 2012 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Johan Santana pitched the first no hitter in Mets history as the Mets defeated the Cardinals 8-0. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

7. Lance Johnson, 1 year, 2.7 million

  • .333/.362/.479
  • All-Star, 18th place in NL MVP voting
  • 7.2 bWAR – fifth-highest by a Met in a single-season
  • MLB-high 21 triples
  • MLB-high 227 hits

A career .285 hitter before signing with the Mets, Johnson became one of baseball’s best hitters for a season. The Mets wound up re-signing Johnson and Bernard Gilkey after their great 1996 seasons, but traded both soon after. However, a low-risk gamble worked, and that’s something that cannot be said for a lot of Mets deals.

6. Johan Santana, 6 years, $137.5 million

  • 109-109 record
  • 3.18 ERA
  • Pitched the only no-hitter in franchise history

Sure, the two-time Cy Young Award winner didn’t finish out his contract with the club, as injuries derailed his career. But Santana was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. In his first three seasons with the Mets, he posted a 2.85 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He finished in third place in the 2008 National League Cy Young Award voting, leading all of baseball in ERA (2.53).  It also was his sixth-consecutive top-seven finish.

Even though some Mets fans may take back the no-hitter if it meant a dominant Santana for the rest of the contract, there is no reason to think that the Mets made a mistake signing him at first. Maybe the Wilpons would take it back if they knew what would come, but for the first three years, it was a total steal.

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