In December of 1986, the San Diego Padres traded Kevin McReynolds to the New York Mets for prospects. Padres fans were crushed as the homegrown Padre would go on to blossom in the Big Apple and produce for the Mets. 

The early years of being a Padres fan were tough.

Now that I think of it, the middle years weren’t easy either.

In those days, the owners were always looking to save a buck. The business side of the game is nothing compared to what it is now. The 1986-87 San Diego Padres were looking to get younger. They were also looking to save money on salaries. That was just the way of the land in America’s Finest City, those days.

Kevin McReynolds was a blossoming young player and the right-handed side of the Padres one-two punch in the middle of the lineup. McReynolds teamed with Tony Gwynn to give the Padres one of the best young outfield duos in the league. McReynolds debuted in 1983 at the age of 23 out of the University of Arkansas.

The right-handed hitter developed into a power threat immediately, as he slugged 20 homers in the 1984 season in 147 games and 525 at-bats. Unfortunately, McReynolds hurt his wrist at the end of the 1984 season and was unavailable as the Paders clinched their first playoff appearance in franchise history. The team went all the way to the World Series, losing to the Tigers, but you have to wonder if McReynolds could have made a difference for the Padres.

The 1985 season wore on McReynolds as he suffered through a sophomore slump, producing only 15 homers in 152 games. The following year, which would turn out to be his last in San Diego, McReynolds produced a .862 OPS and drove in 96 runs while slugging 26 homers. It was a breakout for McReynolds at the age of 26.

Instead of parlaying the 1986 season from McReynolds into another breakout year, the Padres decided to move the slugger to the New York Mets. “Trader” Jack McKeon was never shy from dealing players as the Padres sent Kevin McReynolds, minor leaguer Adam Ging, and relief pitcher Gene Walter to the Big Apple for a package of young players led by Kevin Mitchell.

The trade began as a three-for-one swap for McReynolds and escalated because the Mets refused to give up left-handed pitching prospect Randy Myers and his strikeout ability. The Mets agreed to sweeten the deal by adding Abner, who hit 14 home runs in the Texas League instead of Myers.

The Padres obtained the native San Diegan, Mitchell, minor leaguers Stan Jefferson and Shawn Abner, as well as minor league pitchers Kevin Brown (no, not that one) and Kevin Armstrong. The eight-man deal looked decent for the Padres as Mitchell was an established young player in the league, and Jefferson and Abner were former No.1 draft picks by the Mets, and outfielders to help offset the loss of McReynolds.

As a young fan, I was devastated by this trade. Fans knew nothing about the Mets’ prospects. McReynolds was a homegrown talent and still only 27 years old. For this young Padres fan, this was my first real remembrance of the Padres simply making a bad move to save money.

The frugal Padres were trying to cut costs as McReynolds commanded a hefty price in his last two years of arbitration with the team. McReynolds asked for $450,000 in arbitration for the 1986 season. He was awarded $275,000 by the judges. The following year, the outfielder and his representatives wanted $825,000, but was awarded $625,000. San Diego knew a million-dollar contract was coming McReynolds’ way, and they balked at that idea.

Sadly, the Padres obtained Kevin Mitchell in this deal only to send him packing to San Francisco after only 62 games. Mitchell was packaged with Dave Dravecky and Craig Lefferts for some young pitching talent (Mark Davis, Mark Grant, and Keith Comstock) and the oft-injured Chris Brown, who was supposed to solve the Padres’ third base issue. Mitchell made 31 starts at the hot corner for San Diego that year but was shaky with the glove.

Kevin Mitchell went on to win the N.L. MVP in 1989 (playing left field) when he hit 47 homers and put up a 1.023 OPS in 154 games. Thankfully, for the Padres, Mark Davis won the N.L. Cy Young award in 1989 as he saved 44 games for the Padres. Mark Grant went on to infamy as a Padres “great” and current broadcaster. That particular deal worked out okay for the franchise.

In the end, “Trader” Jack McKeon dismantled the Padres roster by constantly trying to “upgrade” the roster with young talent. Losing McReynolds was rough, but Mitchell could have provided some firepower to the Padres. But he was sent packing.

Kevin McReynolds went on to have a great career in New York, putting up a .790 OPS in six years and slugging 122 homers with the Mets.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.