Bad Trades: Lenny Dykstra

Philadelphia Phillies Juan Samuel and New York Mets' outfielder Lenny Dykstra. (AP)
Philadelphia Phillies Juan Samuel and New York Mets' outfielder Lenny Dykstra. (AP)

Are the Mets famous for trading unproven young talent for fading superstars? Or does management order the General Manager give up a star player just because he has hit his prime and wants to unload a big contract and build for the future? See how some teams and players have fared from some the most lopsided trades in baseball history.

Juan Samuel for Lenny Dykstra

June 18, 1989

Lenny Dykstra continued to produce for the Mets, but some charged that his post-season power surge had tempted him to swing too much for the fences. In 1987 and 1988, Dykstra struck out more than he walked for the first time in his professional career.

On Father’s Day, 1989, the Mets shipped Dykstra and Roger McDowell to the Phillies for Juan Samuel.

Samuel bombed in New York; Dykstra took off for the Phils. Bulking up in the off-season, he quickly established himself as an offensive force in 1990, at or near the top of the NL in five major offensive categories.

In 1993, Dykstra enjoyed a career year, establishing individual highs in homers, RBIs, stolen bases, runs, and hits.

In games in which Dykstra scored, the Phils were 69-29 — a large part of the reason the eclectic club went from worst to first.

Philadelphia lost the World Series in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays, but Dykstra batted at a .348 clip and whacked four homers, including two two-run shots in Game Four.

About the Author

MeetTheMess
Lifetime Met fan who hates his parents for making him become a Mets fan as a child. No amount of therapy has helped and cannot switch teams now. Quitting smoking was easier. What a joke this organization really is, how much pain and suffering it has brought us through the years. Bad enough to be in Big Apple with Yankees fans.

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