Reinstate Melvin Mora

In February 1998, Al Leiter became a Met. He couldn't have been happier to join the team he said he rooted hard for during his childhood, which he once referred to as "the Mike Vail years". This is really exciting for me. I feel like a little kid. All it took was Wayne Huizenga dismantling the World Champion Florida Marlins before they could defend their title. Steve Phillips gladly handed over three prospects in exchange for a durable lefty who threw hard and competed like crazy. One Met minor league who went to Miami was Jesus Sanchez, who went on to a Nelson Figueroa-like career in the majors (23-34, 5.32 ERA over seven seasons with four clubs). One was Robert Stratton, a Met first-round pick who would never make it to the big leagues. And one was 21-year-old A.J. Burnett, described by The New York Times in the wake of Leiter's acquisition as simply "a righthanded pitcher who has not advanced beyond Class A." Al Leiter spent seven seasons as a Met, designated m...