I love baseball trades! There is something exciting about seeing which team got the better of the deal and debating the strengths/weaknesses of the players involved. It kinda takes me back to when I was a kid and I would swap baseball cards with my buddies (although doubles were normally figured into which cards to swap). This trade between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Arizona Diamondbacks is particularly interesting as it really wasn’t made for financial reasons. One of the strengths of the Brewers is their starting rotation and lefty Doug Davis pitches alot of innings. Even though Milwaukee is giving up Davis, and not much else (Dana Eveland & David Krynzel), they are receiving righty Claudio Vargas. Vargas had a breakout year last year for the D*Backs and should be able to step into the void left by Davis. The Brewers also received offensive backstop Johnny Estrada. Estrada is a switch hitter who hits for a high batting average and has good double power, but is one of the weakest defensive catchers in the game. That will be quite a contrast from last year’s starter behind the plate Damian Miller, who excels defensively, but is not much to write home about with the stick. Milwaukee also got some bullpen help in the person of Greg Aquino. Here is what MLB had to say about the trade.
What are some of your favorite trades? Being a Chicago White Sox fan & a Tommy John fan, I still remember when the White Sox traded John to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dick Allen (the quickest bat I’ve ever seen). This trade kept the White Sox from moving to St. Petersburg, FL.
Favorite trades? I’d have to go with giving up a reliver who was going nowhere and getting John Garland. Actually attended the game that night, and even the parking lot attendent knew that we weren’t giving up much for getting a #1 draft choice.
It took a little while, but Garland certainly has paid off.
And it didn’t hurt that it was with the Cubs. The Florida Marlins GM first trade EVER was suckering the Cubs out of Dontrelle Willis.
Tedd,
I take umbrage to that statement,it wasn’t Jim’s fault it was the way his Mum put his hat on.
LOL
Hmmm. Nobody mentioned stealing George Bell from the Cubs for Sammy Sosa. Wonder why.
The summer after my sophomore year in high school, the Cubs traded Lou Brock, Paul Toth and Jack Spring to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens and Bobby Shantz. I don’t have to look that one up; it is forever etched in my memory. My reaction as a 15-year-old: “There goes garbage. That guy will never amount to anything.” And I wasn’t referring to Paul Toth, either.
Two years ago, the Angels traded Jose Guillen for Maicer Izturis and Juan Rivera. That one worked out OK.
Favorite all-time trade? I’ll have to think about that. Maybe an aging Jim Fregosi for a young Nolan Ryan, Leroy Stanton and two throw-ins.
You can pick out your favorite trade by whatever criteria you choose, but I was actually looking for good trades rather than ripoffs. That’s what I like about the John for Allen trade. It was value for value. That said, I also liked another one sided deal – Joe Foy from KC to the Mets for Amos Otis. Both the Ryan & Otis Met trades were to find thirdbase help. Yikes, those were a couple of bad/good deals, depending on your perspective.
DonS, the Bell/Sosa trade would be a little remembered footnote if not for Sammy turning into a ‘roided-up Corkenstein. “Better baseball thru chemistry” and all that.
Teddy I think the majority of good value-for-value trades are the ones where a vet pushes a team over the hump for that one year: and a prospect turns into an All Star years later. The total disasters are the ones that are memorable though. Would anyone know if Ernie Broglio was a baseball player or a deli owner if not for Brock? :-)
“Hot Stove” is the word of the day here in the Midwest. I’m not sure it was even 20 degrees today.
You WISH it were “little remembered.”
Here’s a thought: I think that trading Sammy Sosa for George Bell cost the White Sox more wins (and more pennants) than the cost of any single trade in my time as a fan. They traded 559 home runs and got back 38. And Bell’s White Sox batting average was .240.
The White Sox were pretty good in the 1990’s. Add 45 to 66 homers a year to their lineup. I think we’re talking “pennant,” and “more than one.”
Who was the White Sox GM who made that trade? I don’t think it was Roland Hemond. And that was well before Keny Williams. Was it Ron Schuler? Ken Harrelson? I think Larry Himes was the Cub GM.
And is Ernie Broglio the only major league player to have a Marina in Michigan named after him? Or is it an airstrip? I don’t remember. So don’t say he never got ANY honors.
Joe Carter for Rick Sutcliffe would fit that description. Another very good trade also involved Joe Carter. Joe Carter & Roberto Alomar were dealt by the Padres to the Blue Jays for Fred McGriff & Tony Fernandez.
DonS: Its a Seaplane landing area or something like that. Too many really ugly people hang around that business though.
Sure I wish it was “little remembered”. Seriously, doesn’t everyone? Who can be proud of that drug user? He was on TV again tonight, denying everything. Pretty soon they’re going to start calling him OJ Sosa.
JMHO, but I couldn’t be happy with a pennant won thru steroids and cork. And if one of my team’s “stars” was still trying to tell me the sky is green-well, I wouldn’t be wearing the hat in public.
Hey Teddy-how about Babe Ruth for a Broadway play? :-)