NEW YORK — Through the 2025 season, 172 players have worn both the uniforms of the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. That number keeps growing.
Juan Soto left the Yankees last December for a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets. This offseason, former Yankees relievers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams also crossed town to Flushing.
The pipeline between the two franchises has been running for decades. Some players thrived in one uniform and faded in the other. A select few left their mark on both sides of the city.
Below are the 9 most impactful players to succeed with both clubs, listed from No. 9 to No. 1.
9. Bartolo Colon won fans on both sides
Bartolo Colon
| Team | Years | Key Achievements |
| Yankees | 2011 | All-Star comeback season, 3.83 ERA |
| Mets | 2014–2016 | 2016 All-Star, iconic home run at age 42 |
Colon posted an All-Star comeback season with the Yankees in 2011. With the Mets, he became a 2016 All-Star and a viral sensation when he hit his first career home run at age 42. Few players have been embraced so warmly by both fanbases.
8. Orlando Hernandez anchored both rotations
Orlando Hernandez
| Team | Years | Key Achievements |
| Yankees | 1998–2004 | 3× World Series champion, 1999 ALCS MVP |
| Mets | 2006–2007 | 18–12 record, 3.88 ERA |
“El Duque” was a three-time World Series champion with the Yankees from 1998 to 2000 and the 1999 ALCS MVP. He posted a 2.65 ERA in 17 postseason games as a Yankee. Hernandez closed out his career with 47 games for the Mets in 2006 and 2007, going 18-12 with a 3.88 ERA in Flushing.
7. Robin Ventura shined on both sides of town
Robin Ventura
| Team | Years | Key Achievements |
| Mets | 1999–2001 | Gold Glove, NL MVP voting (6th) |
| Yankees | 2002–2003 | 2002 All-Star, 27 HR season |
Ventura earned a Gold Glove with the Mets in 1999, the same year he finished sixth in NL MVP voting with a .301 average and 120 RBI. He was an All-Star with the Yankees in 2002, hitting 27 homers and driving in 93 runs.
6. Rickey Henderson brought star power to both rosters
Rickey Henderson
| Team | Years | Key Achievements |
| Yankees | 1985–1989 | 4× All-Star, 326 stolen bases |
| Mets | 1999–2000 | .315 average in 1999 |
Henderson was a four-time All-Star during his five Yankees seasons from 1985 to 1989, stealing 326 bases and finishing third in AL MVP voting in 1985. He later played 152 games with the Mets in 1999 and 2000, hitting .315 in his first season in Flushing at age 40. Henderson’s 30.8 WAR with the Bombers far outpaces his 1.3 with the Mets, but he remains a legend in both clubhouses.
5. Carlos Beltran earned a Hall of Fame nod
Carlos Beltran
| Team | Years | Key Achievements |
| Mets | 2005–2011 | 41 HR season (2006) |
| Yankees | 2014–2016 | 2016 All-Star |
Beltran was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January 2026, capping a career that included seven seasons with the Mets and three with the Yankees. His best season came in 2006 when he hit 41 homers with a .982 OPS for the NL East-winning Mets. With the Bronx team from 2014 to 2016, Beltran made his final All-Star team in 2016 and slashed .304/.344/.546 with 22 homers before being traded to Texas.
4. Darryl Strawberry won titles in both uniforms
Darryl Strawberry
| Team | Years | Key Achievements |
| Mets | 1983–1990 | 7× All-Star, 1986 World Series champion |
| Yankees | 1995–1999 | 2 World Series titles |
Strawberry was the No. 1 overall pick in 1980 and became a seven-time All-Star with the Mets. He held the franchise home run record until Pete Alonso broke it in August 2025. With the Yankees from 1995 to 1999, Strawberry never played more than 101 games in a season but was a clutch postseason performer. He hit five homers with a .933 OPS across 20 playoff games and won two World Series titles in the Bronx.
3. Dwight Gooden was electric for both teams
Dwight Gooden
| Team | Years | Key Achievements |
| Mets | 1984–1994 | Cy Young (1985), 1986 champion |
| Yankees | 1996–1997, 2000 | 1996 no-hitter, 2 World Series rings |
Gooden debuted with the Mets at 19 and won the NL Cy Young Award in 1985 with one of the greatest pitching seasons ever: 24-4, 1.53 ERA, 268 strikeouts. He was the centerpiece of the 1986 championship Mets. Years later, after battling personal struggles, Gooden found a second act in the Bronx. He pitched a no-hitter on May 14, 1996, and won World Series rings with the Yankees in 1996 and 2000. His Mets numbers (41.6 WAR) dwarf his Yankees totals (5.2), but the Bronx gave him career-defining redemption.
2. Curtis Granderson produced for both clubs
Curtis Granderson
| Team | Years | Key Achievements |
| Yankees | 2010–2013 | 2× All-Star, 43 HR season |
| Mets | 2014–2017 | Key player in 2015 World Series run |
Granderson is the only position player to record at least 10 WAR for both the Yankees (14.9) and Mets (11.1). He was a two-time All-Star with the Bombers from 2010 to 2013, hitting a career-high 43 homers in 2012. With the Mets from 2014 to 2017, he was a key contributor to the 2015 World Series run, batting .283 with three homers in 14 playoff games.
1. David Cone tops the list
David Cone
| Team | Years | Key Achievements |
| Mets | 1987–1992 | 3.13 ERA, 1,172 strikeouts |
| Yankees | 1995–2000 | 4 World Series titles, perfect game |
Cone spent seven seasons as a Met and six as a Yankee. He was an All-Star with both clubs and won four World Series rings in the Bronx from 1996 to 2000. His signature Yankees moment came on July 18, 1999, when he threw the third perfect game in franchise history. As a Met, he posted a 3.13 ERA with 1,172 strikeouts. As a Yankee, he went 64-40 and was a dominant postseason arm, going 6-1 with a 3.86 ERA across six October runs. Now a YES Network analyst, Cone remains a fixture in both fanbases.
Yankees–Mets crossover stars comparison
| Rank | Player | Mets WAR | Yankees WAR | Championships | Major Awards / Highlights |
| 1 | David Cone | 21.8 | 22.7 | 4 (Yankees) | 1999 Perfect Game, All-Star with both teams |
| 2 | Curtis Granderson | 11.1 | 14.9 | 0 | Only position player with 10+ WAR for both teams |
| 3 | Dwight Gooden | 41.6 | 5.2 | 3 (1 Mets, 2 Yankees) | 1985 Cy Young, 1996 no-hitter |
| 4 | Darryl Strawberry | 36.6 | 4.8 | 4 (1 Mets, 3 Yankees) | 7× All-Star, 1986 champion |
| 5 | Carlos Beltran | 31.1 | 6.4 | 1 (2017 Astros) | Hall of Fame (2026), 9× All-Star |
| 6 | Rickey Henderson | 1.3 | 30.8 | 2 (not with NY teams) | MLB stolen base king |
| 7 | Robin Ventura | 6.6 | 3.7 | 0 | Gold Glove, 2002 All-Star |
| 8 | Orlando Hernandez | 2.5 | 11.0 | 3 (Yankees) | 1999 ALCS MVP |
| 9 | Al Leiter | 25.4 | 0.6 | 1 (1993 Blue Jays) | 2× All-Star |
| 10 | Bartolo Colon | 5.4 | 2.8 | 0 | -Star, iconic HR |
Cone stands out as the only player to dominate postseason runs with the Yankees while also being a Mets ace. Granderson is unique as the only position player with 10+ WAR for both teams. Gooden and Strawberry represent the rare case of Mets legends later winning titles in the Bronx.
The list of players who have crossed between the Yankees and Mets will keep growing. With Weaver and Williams now in Flushing, the rivalry’s shared roster history adds new names every year. But few will match the impact of the 10 who made their mark on both sides of the greatest city in baseball.
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