Steve Trachsel

Trachsel’s Mets career began with a rough first impression, then turned into one of the steadier parts of the early-2000s rotation. He slowed the game down, took the ball every fifth day, and quietly helped bridge the club from the Piazza years to the next contender.

Trachsel’s first months with the Mets were rough enough that fans were ready to move on. He gave up too many runs, worked slowly, and looked like another temporary veteran in a rotation still trying to recover from the end of the Piazza era. Instead, he adjusted and became one of the steadier starters on the early-2000s teams.

His 2003 season was the payoff. Trachsel won 16 games and gave the Mets innings while younger pitchers developed around him. He was not overpowering and never tried to pretend otherwise. His method was to change speeds, keep the ball in the park, and let the defense work. On nights when the Mets needed a game to stop spinning, that approach had real value.

He was eventually traded to the Cubs, where he reached the postseason, but his Mets tenure remains a good example of a player fans appreciate more after he leaves. Trachsel was not a star. He was the starter who took the ball, absorbed innings, and made the middle of the rotation less fragile. That matters on every team, especially one crossing from one era to another.