Baseball’s deadline deals this season have come fast and furious, not unlike Paul Walker. They seem significant at this juncture, but will anyone care about them three years from now. That remains to be seen, so in the meantime, we break down the Top 10 trade deadline deals of All-Time.
10. 2004 — The Mets trade Scott Kazmir and Jose Diaz to the Devil Rays for Victor Zambrano and Bartolome Fortunato.
Often minor league prospects come out of nowhere making trades look bad in hindsight. This is not one of those situations. Scott Kazmir was a premier prospect at the time of the trade. One can only assume Jim Duquette thought Victor was related to Carlos Zambrano.
9. 1998 — The Astros trade Carlos Guillen, Freddy Garcia and John Halama to the Mariners for Randy Johnson.
Rarely has a deadline trade produced so much success for both teams. Randy Johnson provided the fuel the Astros needed to make the playoffs in 1998 and pitched a magical NLDS despite getting minimal run support. Seattle sparked the beginning of the careers of Guillen, Garcia, and Halama.
8. 2002- The Expos trade Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens to the Indians for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.
If 1994 wasn’t enough proof, this trade should be. God does not want the Expos to win. In the thick of a playoff race, the Expos acquired Bartolo Colon who was in the middle of his best season to date. The Braves won the division, the Expos missed the playoffs, and the Indians got three perennial All-Stars. And Canada wept.
7. 1990- The Red Sox trade Jeff Bagwell to the Astros for Larry Andersen.
449 HRs, 1500 hits, and an MVP later, Jeff Bagwell is a Houston legend. Larry Andersen’s 15 appearances and 4 saves with the Red Sox make the cash received for Babe Ruth seem significant.
6. 1987- The Tigers trade John Smoltz to the Braves for Doyle Alexander.
Randy Smith would like to thank Bill Lajoie for causing Tigers fans to point to this trade annually rather than the Juan and Luis Gonzalez blunders. Doyle Alexander helped the Tigers make the playoffs in 1987, but Smoltz’s Hall of Fame career might’ve provided something for Tigers fans to cheer for in the 1990s.
5. 1989- The Expos trade Randy Johnson, Brian Holman and Gene Harris to the Mariners for Mark Langston.
Mark Langston went on to throw the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter, but not for Montreal. Randy Johnson, the only player to make the list twice, went on to pitch eight dominant seasons in Seattle.
4. 1991- The Orioles trade Curt Schilling, Steve Finley, and Pete Harnisch to the Astros for Glenn Davis.
While neither team saw success in the trade, it changed the career of a potential Hall of Famer as well as one of the better center fielders of his time. Pete Harnisch also had a quietly successful career following the trade. Glenn Davis? Had a successful basketball career at LSU. Yeah, that’s the only Glen Davis any of us know.
3. 1997- The Athletics trade Mark McGwire to the Cardinals for T.J. Mathews, Eric Ludwick, Blake Stein.
At the time, it looked like a great trade for the Athletics. McGwire was in the last year of his contract and everyone assumed would sign with the Dodgers or Angels to end his career near his home in LA. Instead, he re-signed with the Cardinals and had a pretty memorable 1998.
2. 1977- The Mets trade Tom Seaver to the Reds for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, Dan Norman.
Tom Seaver WAS the Mets. This would be like the Packers trading Brett Favre. Seaver’s career with the Red provided him with his only no-hitter, though.
1. 1964- The Cubs trade Lou Brock to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio
Broglio was an 18 game winner the year before. Lou Brock had a lackluster, but short, career up until that point. Broglio played less than three years with the Cubs. Lou Brock became one of those rare guys who almost becomes bigger than the game. Brock set the major league stolen base record with 118 in 1974, racked up over 3000 hits, and was named to the MLB All-Century team. Oh, and he did it for the Cubs’ arch rival. Chicago fans deserve no better.
The Massacre
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