In the twilight of his career, Mays played both first base and the outfield.  On May 11, 1972, the cash-starved Giants traded Mays to the Mets for Charlie Williams and $50,000. 

A statute in his honor stands in front of the San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park. Willie Mays, the Say Hey Kid, batted .302, hit 660 home runs, and stole 338 bases in his 22 star-studded seasons in the National League.  A superb centerfielder with a gifted throwing arm, Mays had all five tools of a baseball superstar: hit for average, power, run, throw, and catch.  Mays twice hit 50 homers and four other years bopped 40 or more.  He drove in 100 runs for eight straight seasons, 1959 through 1966. Mays hit 20 or more homers in 17 years, and twice had three in one game. On April 30, 1961, in Milwaukee, Willie hammered four in one game. Mays was the NL's MVP in 1954 and 1965. He made the NL All-Star team 20 straight years from 1954-73.  In 1979, he was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.