The Mets’ front office, headed by David Stearns, always stayed at the receiving end since they failed to land marquee names like Kyle Tucker and Robert Suarez this offseason. However, this is not the first time the Mets have lost out on a marquee name. In 1981, the Mets drafted Roger Clemens in the 12th round, but ultimately, he was not signed. He went on to win seven Cy Young Awards.

Now, the Mets’ former manager, Bobby Valentine, talked about the Mariners’ Japanese legend Ichiro Suzuki, which could make the fans regret it one more time.

“Ichiro sat down and reflected on that time. I think he would say. Oh. I thought I was going to be a New York… I remember when we put a bid in, you know, it was a silent bid. Let’s just outbid them and see if we can negotiate the contract,” Valentine said in a podcast with Sal Licata. “Ichiro is being represented by my agent, Tony Attanasio, who was not on the best of terms with the organization because of my contract. I think that had a little something to do with it, where someone in the back room said. Oh, he’s just trying to make his agent some extra money. I’m not sure that that comment was ever made, but I kind of smelled it at the time.”

Before Suzuki came down to the MLB, he was known to Valentine. Valentine took over as the Mets manager in 1996, and he managed Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines in 1995. So, he saw Ichiro from the front seat playing against them. At that time, Suzuki was playing with the Orix Blue Wave. Coincidentally, Valentine took over the Marines’ manager seat in 1995, and Ichiro produced one of his best seasons in the same year.

That season, Suzuki had a stat line of .342/.432/.544 with 25 homers, 80 RBI, 49 stolen bases in 58 chances, 104 runs scored, and more walks (68) than strikeouts (52). What’s more surprising was before landing in MLB, Suzuki already compiled 4,274 hits. That’s 18 more hits than Pete Rose’s 4,256 hits! “Freak of nature,” Valentine called Suzuki back then.

So, when the Wave permitted Suzuki to negotiate with the MLB team after 2000, Valentine, the then-Mets manager, lost no time in convincing the front office to go for him. “I said, I can’t believe we’re having a meeting every day. We’ll get him out when the season starts,” Valentine said. “I guess we needed two meetings a day.”

However, Valentine’s friction with the Mets’ then GM Steve Phillips regarding his contract extension cost Suzuki’s bid.

The Mets reportedly offered till $9 million compared to the Mariners’ $13.1 million. The Mets front office was hesitant to go higher because, before Suzuki, no position player had ever come to MLB and transitioned from NPB. There was a certain amount of risk, especially with Suzuki’s unorthodox batting style and his mannerisms at the plate.

Ultimately, the Mariners signed Suzuki, and the rest is history. He went on to play the next 18 years in MLB and record 117 HRs at .311. Who knows, these stats could have helped the Mets win a World Series.

Ichiro Suzuki could have been the Mets’ missing link

The Mets’ last World Series came in 1986, and signing Suzuki could have been their missing link in winning another one.

The Mets’ 2001 season was disappointing. They ended the year with an 82-80 record, and their outfield was the weakest point. Back then, the Mets had Benny Agbayani, Jay Payton, and Timo Perez in the outfield, but they were all profiled as fourth outfielders rather than starters. Yes, Payton was a top prospect back then, but he was not enough.

Slotting Ichiro Suzuki in the outfield would have been helpful. He secured 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards (2001–2010) in right field.

The Mets ultimately couldn’t make it and left to witness the Mariners officially retire Suzuki’s No. 51 during a pregame ceremony last year. In comparison to the Mets’ 80-82 season in 2001, the 2001 Mariners tied the all-time MLB record with 116 regular-season wins, riding on Suzuki’s bat.

So, every time the fans regretted the Mets losing out on key names, Suzuki’s name would always come first. Probably the biggest blunder of Fred Wilpon during his time in New York.