After a 1981 season in which he hit only .228 and was hampered by injuries to his back and elbow, Mazzilli was traded from the Mets to the Texas Rangers for Ron Darling and Walt Terrell on April 1, 1982. He had lost the right fielder competition to Ellis Valentine and Joel Youngblood. He batted .269 with 61 home runs in his five years with the Mets. Mazzilli played only 58 games with Texas and was traded to the New York Yankees for Bucky Dent midway through the 1982 season. Prior to the 1983 season, Mazzilli was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Tim Burke, Don Aubin, John Holland, and Jose Rivera.