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The Nolan Ryan trade is often cited as one of the most regrettable moves in the history of the New York Mets, but the full story of Ryan’s development as a Hall of Fame pitcher wasn’t shaped solely by his time in New York.
In fact, it wasn’t until he linked up with the Los Angeles Angels’ pitching coach Tom Morgan that Ryan truly began to harness the power of his fastball and develop the endurance that would make him one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Meanwhile, the trade that sent Rusty Staub to the Detroit Tigers remains another glaring example of the Mets’ occasional mismanagement of talent—one that is compounded by the fact that Staub’s number 10 would likely have been retired in Flushing if he’d been allowed to finish his career with the team.
Nolan Ryan: A Diamond in the Rough
Nolan Ryan’s time with the Mets was marked by flashes of brilliance tempered by inconsistency. Ryan, a raw, hard-throwing right-hander, was drafted by the Mets in 1966 and made his major league debut in 1966 at just 19 years old.
His electric fastball was undoubtedly impressive, but Ryan struggled with control issues early in his career.
His wildness, paired with his inability to sustain his stuff over longer outings, kept him from fully realizing his potential.
It wasn’t until Ryan was traded to the California Angels in 1972 that his true development began to take shape. There, under the guidance of pitching coach Tom Morgan, Ryan was able to refine his mechanics and, crucially, learn how to harness the power of his fastball while building the necessary stamina to pitch deep into games.
Morgan worked with Ryan to improve his control and transform his fiery arm into a weapon that would dominate batters for decades.
The results were spectacular: by 1973, Ryan was emerging as one of the most feared pitchers in the game, and by the late ’70s and ’80s, he would become the strikeout king, ultimately finishing his career with a record 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters.
Had Ryan remained with the Mets, it’s possible his growth as a pitcher would have been stunted by the same control issues and inconsistent mechanics that plagued him in the early years of his career.
The trade to the Angels allowed Ryan to mature both physically and mentally, and without that change of scenery, the Mets may never have witnessed the Ryan that would go on to become a living legend.
Rusty Staub: One of the Mets’ All-Time Greats
On the flip side, the Mets made another head-scratching move when they traded Rusty Staub to the Detroit Tigers in 1975.
Staub had already established himself as one of the Mets’ best hitters, making the All-Star team in 1972 and consistently being one of the team’s most reliable offensive performers. He was a cornerstone of the Mets’ lineup, providing power, discipline at the plate, and veteran leadership. Staub was exactly the type of player the Mets needed to build around.
So when the Mets traded Staub to the Tigers for the aging, ineffective pitcher Mickey Lolich, it became one of the more puzzling trades in franchise history. Lolich had been a workhorse for the Tigers during their 1968 World Series run, but by the time the Mets acquired him, he was well past his prime.
He struggled to stay healthy and was ineffective in the few years he spent in New York.
In retrospect, the trade was a colossal mistake. Staub went on to have several productive seasons with the Tigers and the Montreal Expos, while Lolich’s tenure with the Mets was forgettable. Even more frustrating for Mets fans was the fact that Staub had become such a beloved figure in New York that his departure left a void in both the clubhouse and in the hearts of fans.
Rusty Staub’s Legacy and Number 10
Had Staub been allowed to remain with the Mets, it’s not difficult to imagine that his contributions would have been recognized with the ultimate honor: the retirement of his number 10. Staub was a key player for the Mets during the late 1960s and early ’70s, and he was undeniably one of the team’s best offensive performers.
His leadership, clutch hitting, and presence in the clubhouse made him a fan favorite, and his consistent performance on the field solidified his place in Mets history.
The Mets, however, chose to part ways with Staub for a pitcher who failed to meet expectations. This is part of the reason that Staub’s number 10 is still not retired by the Mets—he was never able to finish his career with the team that he helped to elevate in the early years of their existence.
Staub’s legacy in New York should not be overlooked, however. He was instrumental in the Mets’ development during a transitional time for the franchise, and he became a beloved figure in the city, particularly after his playing days were over.
Staub was known for his charitable work, particularly his involvement with the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund, and for his role as a restaurateur in New York City. His impact on and off the field left an indelible mark on Mets fans and New Yorkers alike.
The Bigger Picture: Mets’ Struggles with Player Development
Both the Nolan Ryan trade and the Rusty Staub trade exemplify the Mets’ struggles with talent evaluation and player development during the late ’60s and early ’70s. The Mets’ inability to maximize the potential of their players, combined with poor decision-making when it came to trades, set the franchise back on several occasions.
Both Ryan and Staub were integral to the team’s early successes, and their departures—one due to the Mets’ failure to develop Ryan’s potential and the other due to a poor trade for a declining pitcher—remain painful reminders of what could have been.
The Mets’ failure to retain and develop key players in these two cases underscores a larger issue of inconsistency that plagued the franchise in its formative years.
The Mets had the opportunity to create a dynasty with players like Ryan and Staub, but poor management and a lack of foresight kept them from fully realizing that potential.
Conclusion
The Nolan Ryan trade is often regarded as the worst trade in Mets history, but it’s important to remember that Ryan’s true greatness was nurtured away from New York under the guidance of pitching coach Tom Morgan. Similarly, Rusty Staub’s trade to Detroit stands as another example of the Mets’ failure to properly value their players, as Staub’s number 10 should have been retired by the team as recognition for his outstanding contributions.
In the grand scheme, these trades reflect a time in Mets history when the team struggled with both player development and decision-making. Had these trades been handled differently, the Mets could have had an entirely different trajectory, with Ryan’s blazing fastball and Staub’s clutch hitting becoming mainstays in the Mets’ championship contending teams. Instead, both players left the franchise under less-than-ideal circumstances, leaving Mets fans to wonder what might have been.
