169 players have suited up for both Yankees and Mets

If you are a fan of either team, you've probably forgotten more than you can remember

When I started writing this post the number was 168 players who’d played for both the Yankees and Mets. In less than a week the number is now up to 169! The Mets have been around for 64 years making the average season 2.6 players who have worn the uniform for both New York teams.

Historically the Yankees and Mets have not done much in the way of direct trades with each other. The teams have traded players with one another only 17 times since 1966. Yet the original Mets of 1962 were managed by a former Yankees standout manager in Casey Stengel. To be fair, Stengel also managed the Dodgers while they were in Brooklyn and had been a player for the New York Giants so clearly Casey had a thing for New York City even though he was born in Kansas City.

The first trade between the Yankees and Mets happened in 1966 when pitcher Bob Friend, who had most of his career success as a Pirate, was sold to the Mets and went 1-4 in 12 starts for the last place Mets. Most of the other trades between the teams involve players who are barely known to most fans.

The most notable trade between the two teams involved a player who never wore the uniform of one of them. In December of 2001, the Yankees traded David Justice to the Mets for Robin Ventura who would go on to be an all-star for the Bombers in 2002. Justice was flipped to the Oakland A’s after a week for relievers Mark Guthrie and Tyler Yates. Guthrie had a pretty good 2002 appearing in 65 games for the 75-win fifth place Mets.

The five best players to play for both Yankees and Mets

HOFers Yogi Berra and Rickey Henderson lead the way although Yogi only played one season at Shea and was far from his prime whereas the “Man of Steal” slashed .298/416/.423 with and 117 OPS+ in his two seasons with the Mets that began at age 40. Yogi has been the only one to manage both the Yankees and Mets.

Dwight Gooden – was a shooting star with the Mets and played 11 seasons with the team as well as three for the crosstown rival Yanks. He was far better for the Mets but threw a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1996 which was bittersweet for this Mets fan considering the Met’s pitchers did not yet have any no-hitters.

Willie Randolph – Mets fans remember Willie as the manager of the 2005-2008 Mets and despite never having a full season losing record as Mets manager, (he was let go when the Mets were 34-35 in 2008), he never had the opportunity for another managerial job. He played 13 excellent seasons for the Yankees and finished his underrated playing career (66 career bWAR) with the Mets in 1992. I’ve never been able to understand why Willie was denied another chance to manage an MLB club.

Robinson Cano – Mentioning Cano’s name hurts Mets fans feelings. After nine terrific HOF-like seasons with the Yankees and a following five-year stint in Seattle, Cano came to Citi Field and played in only 168 games in three seasons being slightly above average at the plate and far from his best in the field. If Cano did get voted into Cooperstown, he’d wear a Yankee cap. But that feels like a long shot.

Yankees and Mets that you have forgotten

Since there are 169 players who’ve played for both teams, there are many familiar names like David Cone (who pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in 1999 also bittersweet for Mets fans), Gary Sheffield, Al Leiter, Carlos Beltran, Curtis Granderson, and of course Daryl Strawberry, who contributed to both franchises success, although not necessarily equally. Granderson comes closest to being good and about the same level of good for both teams.

You can include Orlando ‘El Duque’ Hernandez and now Juan Soto as players who will be forever known as both Yankees and Mets. But there are a few names that might surprise you and a couple surprised me!

Sandy Alomar is long forgotten as both a Met and Yankee. Alomar only played 15 games for the Mets which came seven years before his three years and 294 games with the Yankees. His sons HOFer Roberto and Sandy Jr. outperformed their old man.

Bobby Abreu – played three seasons with the Yankees (2006-2008), and 78 games for the Mets in his final season of 2014. The Mets tend to bring in ex-Yankees for the final year of their career. It has not worked out well.

Dock Ellis – I’d almost forgotten that Dock Ellis pitched for the Mets (17 games in 1979) but somehow did remember his two years with the Yankees (1976-77) since I probably saw him pitch on TV or even at the renovated Yankee Stadium. Dock reputedly once pitched a no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates after having dropped acid thinking it was his off day. His times in New York were less notable.

Kenny Rogers – No not the singer, the left-handed pitcher who pitched relatively ineffectively for the 1996-97 Yankees before pitching 76 meh innings for the 1999 Mets, capping off their season by walking in the winning run in the playoffs vs. the Atlanta Braves.

Marv Thronberry – Mets fans love to talk about the trials and tribulations of original Met ‘Marvelous Marv’, whose one plus season with the Mets is legendary for some of his miscues. But before Marv was a Met, he played three seasons for the Yankees as a young up-and-comer who could not break into a formidable lineup and was eventually moved to the Kansas City Athletics and then the Baltimore Orioles before being traded to the Mets in May of 1962.

Dave Kingman – playing 664 games and hitting 154 homers for the Mets, Dave ‘Kong’ Kingman was both irascible as well as a guy who hit prodigious home runs. Somehow, he played eight games for the 1977 Yankees in the middle of his nine-year tenure with the Mets (1975-1983).

This season, besides Juan Soto, the Mets have Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas (who had eight starts for the Yankees in his forgettable and mostly injured 2022-23 seasons with the team), who are former Yankees.

For the Yankees, Carlos Carrasco (how quickly he’s been forgotten!), Geoff Hartlieb (one game for the Yankees this year and three for the Mets in 2021), and Pablo Reyes are former Mets that played for both teams. Reyes played one game in 2024 for the Mets before 24 with the Yankees this season.

That’s three for both teams on current rosters which seems about average. Will there be more? The season is only a bit more than one-half complete so it’s very possible!

About the Author: Mark Kolier along with his son Gordon co-hosts a baseball podcast called ‘Almost Cooperstown’. He also has written baseball-related articles that can be accessed on Medium.com and Substack.com