Foster was 37 years old and in the final year of his contract when the season began. Although he had been respectable for several years, he had not fully lived up to the expectations that were set for him by the Mets and his age was starting to become a factor as well. He put up respectable power numbers (13 home runs and 37 RBIs), but had a .237 batting average, and had lost considerable range in left field. Meanwhile, the Mets manager Davey Johnson was looking for an everyday position for utilityman Kevin Mitchell. When the Mets headed to Cincinnati for a three-game series on July 21, Foster sat out the series, making just one pinch hit appearance in the second game of the set.