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I'll Take Manhattan: Baseball's Most Lopsided Trades, Revised Edition
2005-02-21 01:49
Other entries in the Trade Series: Mike: I’ll Take Manhattan: Baseball’s Most Lopsided Trades Studes: The Best and Worst Teams of the Trade This article has been revised and expanded after Studes and I revised our methodology and resolved all outstanding data issues. I've added a slew of stats: career win shares before and after the trade, the single-season win shares before and after the trade, and the career and single-season win shares above baseline (WSAB) before and after the trade. The trades are ranked by career WSAB after the trade. I also made sure to incorporate all of the trades mentioned in the first go-round. So here goes: #1:Date: December 15, 1900 Trade: New York Giants sent Amos Rusie to Cincinnati for Christy Mathewson Pre Career WS: -293 Post Career WS: 426 Pre Year WS: 0 PostYearWS: 21 WSAB Pre Career: -239 WSAB Post Career: 333 WSAB Pre Yr: 0 WSAB Post Yr: 15 This wasn't so much a trade as a gimmick to sell the team, but I have to go by the official record. Then-Cincinnati owner John T. Brush started with the old Indianapolis NL club, but this club folded and his investment was transferred to the Giants as the NL tried to consolidate its base during the Players League wars. He was rewarded with ownership of the Reds in the resulting twelve-team NL. It's unclear if he ever relinquished his Giant ownership. However, had he kept it while owning the Reds, he wouldn't have been the only owner at that time to do so. Apparently, in the negotiating process Brush demanded Mathewson from Giant controlling owner Andrew Freedman. In exchange, the Reds got Rusie, a future Hall of Famer who had missed two straight seasons at the time. Rusie had torn his shoulder muscles in a throw to first and never was able to recuperate. He was actually retired at the time of the trade. Oddly, Rusie had followed Brush from Indianapolis to New York back in 1889-1890. Rusie would go on to pitch just three games, very poorly (including a 14-3 debut), for the Reds and then called it a career. That was more than one could have expected when he was traded. Mathewson did pretty well for the Giants. Rusie would return more than two decades later as the superintendent of the Polo Grounds. Mathewson would be traded back to Cincinnati in 1916 and he would pitch his last game with the Reds, the only game he pitched for them.
#2:Date: January 10, 1991 Trade: Houston sent Glenn Davis to Baltimore for Steve Finley, Curt Schilling, and Pete Harnisch Pre Career WS: -92 Post Career WS: 525 Pre Year WS: 0 PostYearWS: 35 WSAB Pre Career: -58 WSAB Post Career: 310 WSAB Pre Yr: 0 WSAB Post Yr: 18 This is the ultimate cautionary tale for GMs who want to nab a star by giving up the farm, or at least all the farmhands. The Orioles had grown tired of Randy Milligan's inconsistency at the plate and salivated at the idea of injecting power into their lineup via Davis. Being a seven-year veteran in the cavernous Astrodome, Davis was still able to collect thirty home runs in three seasons. The Orioles expected that to translate into 40 or 50 in Memorial Stadium, and they wanted to generate fan interest as they prepared to move into Camden Yards in 1992. They were coming off a disappointing 1990 season (76-85) after making great strides the previous season (from a catastrophic 54-107 record in 1988 to 87-75, in second place, just two games behind the Blue Jays in 1989). One more star could right their course. Meanwhile, the Astros had fallen into fifth place in 1990 (75-87) and were looking to rebuild. They had a young Craig Biggio behind the plate and just about to bloom into an All-Star. In August they stripped the Red Sox of a minor-league Jeff Bagwell for 15 games from Larry Andersen. With then-third baseman Bagwell in tow, the Astros felt that Davis, a free agent at year's end, was expendable. Harnisch would be an All-Star in 1991 and would be a reliable starter for the 'Stros over the next three years. Finley would be inserted in center field and even though he hit just three home runs in 464 at-bats in 1990, he would eventually become the power hitter he's known to be today. Unfortunately for the Astros he would never hit more than 11 for them in his four seasons in Houston. He would then be traded to the Padres on December 28, 1994 in their monster 11-man deal. Schilling would spent one year in the Astro pen and then after a trade to the Phils for Jason Grimsley at the end of spring training in 1992, he would finally become a starter. The Astros collected the most lopsided bounty in trade history and they failed to unearth the best of it. Meanwhile, Davis would hit just 24 home runs and play 185 games over the next three seasons in Baltimore. After playing at least 150 games a season from 1986 to 1989, Davis at age 29 would never play more than 106 in a season. Here’s a comparison between the two sides in the deal:
#3:Date: December 5, 1988 Trade: Texas sent Curtis Wilkerson, Paul Kilgus, Mitch Williams, Steve Wilson and two minor leaguers (Luis Benitez and Pablo Delgado) to the Cubs for Rafael Palmeiro, Jamie Moyer, and Drew Hall. Pre Career WS: -17 Post Career WS: 413 Pre Year WS: 0 PostYearWS: 1 WSAB Pre Career: 0 WSAB Post Career: 251 WSAB Pre Yr: 0 WSAB Post Yr: 0 What do you need Rafael Palmeiro when you have Mark Grace? Palmeiro was a singles-hitting left fielder. Pete O'Brien had been the Rangers first baseman in 1988, but signed after the season with Seattle as a free agent. The Rangers desperate for first baseman traded a boatload of young players including 12-game winner Kilgus and young would-be closer Williams. Wilkerson was a weak-hitting middle infielder that the Cubs mistakenly tried to convert to third. Moyer is now a two-time twenty-game winner but he was coming off a 9-15 year in Chicago and would go just 6-15 in two seasons with the Rangers.
#4:Date: August 30, 1990 Trade: Boston sent Jeff Bagwell to Houston for Larry Andersen. Pre Career WS: -63 Post Career WS: 338 Pre Year WS: -10 PostYearWS: -3 WSAB Pre Career: -22 WSAB Post Career: 237 WSAB Pre Yr: -6 WSAB Post Yr: -2 What do you need Jeff Bagwell for if you have Wade Boggs and you need a middle reliever? Bagwell was a single-hitting third baseman in Double-A at the time. The Sox won the AL East by two games and Andersen pitched very well before leaving as a free agent. Bagwell became the 'Stros starting first baseman the next season, developed a bit of power, and may join Boggs in the Hall of Fame when all is said and done. I was living in Boston at the time of the trade and knew, as many did, that this was a mistake. By the way, the starting Boston first baseman was Carlos "The Q" Quintana.
#5:Date: December 9, 1982 Trade: New York Yankees traded Fred McGriff, Dave Collins, Mike Morgan, and cash to Toronto for Dale Murray and Tom Dodd. Pre Career WS: -63 Post Career WS: 338 Pre Year WS: -10 PostYearWS: -3 WSAB Pre Career: -22 WSAB Post Career: 237 WSAB Pre Yr: -6 WSAB Post Yr: -2 "You want some kid who's a year out of high school as a throw-in? Sure" Yeah, Murray wasn't very effective as a long reliever in New York, but this was just a bad trade for five years. In 1987, Fred McGriff became the Blue Jays starting first baseman, and though he may always be seven dingers away from a Cooperstown plaque, he makes this one memorial. Even without McGriff, Collins remained a steady starting outfielder and Morgan was then a young starter. Murray had just pitched 111 innings in relief the year before, but even so, you can't trade this much for a middle reliever. McGriff had just parts of two seasons in the Gulf Coast League under his belt. In his first partial season after being drafting by the Yankees, he batted .148. The same day the Yankees signed Steve Kemp to a five-year contract. Really.
#6:Date: November 29, 1971 Trade: Cincinnati sent Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart to the Astros for Jack Billingham, Ed Armbrister, Cesar Geronimo, Denis Menke, and Joe Morgan. Pre Career WS: 152 Post Career WS: 389 Pre Year WS: 0 PostYearWS: 33 WSAB Pre Career: 111 WSAB Post Career: 233 WSAB Pre Yr: 0 WSAB Post Yr: 19 The Reds traded Lee May for who? Are they crazy? In a deal panned by the Cincinnati press, the Reds picked up three big pieces of the Big Red Machine in Morgan, Geronimo, and Billingham. After falling from 102 wins in 1970 to just 79 in 1971, the Reds were ready to run off ten straight winning seasons with two world championships, three league championships, and five division titles. The Reds gave up two established starting position players. May had just hit 39 home runs for the Reds. He would remain productive, but would never be a superstar. Helms had been a starting second baseman in Cincy for six years, was a rookie of the year, and had just won two straight Gold Gloves. This was a trade that would have made Billy Beane proud.
#7:Date: January 20, 1965 Trade: Three-team deal--The White Sox get Tommy John, Tommy Agee and Johnny Romano from Cleveland and send Cam Carreon to Cleveland and a player to be named later (Fred Talbot), Jim Landis, and Mike Hershberger to the Kansas City. Also,Kansas City sent Rocky Colavito to Cleveland. Pre Career WS: -96 (White Sox transactions only) Post Career WS: 371 Pre Year WS: 0 PostYearWS: 8 WSAB Pre Career: -22 WSAB Post Career: 231 WSAB Pre Yr: 0 WSAB Post Yr: 15 Again Beane would be proud: Horn your way into a deal and get the players you want in the process. The Sox pick up two young Tommies as Colavito returns to Cleveland. The Sox give up quantity, a number of players that they no longer need or want, and get youthful quality.
#8:Date: April 21, 1966 Trade: The Cubs sent Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl to the Phillies for Ferguson, John Herrnstein and Adolfo Phillips. Pre Career WS: -312 Post Career WS: 338 Pre Year WS: 0 PostYearWS: 5 WSAB Pre Career: -185 WSAB Post Career: 215 WSAB Pre Yr: -1 WSAB Post Yr: -1 Well, there it is. The Phils trade a future Hall of Famer for two starters that were 35 and 37 years old. Jackson would be decent for three years in Philly rotation but Buhl would last just 137.1 innings and win 6 games in slightly over one year with the Phils. After Leo Durocher converted Fergie to a starter, he would win twenty games in six straight seasons starting in 1967.
#9:Date: July 29, 1988 Trade: Baltimore gets Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling from Boston for Mike Boddicker. Pre Career WS: -79 Post Career WS: 363 Pre Year WS: -5 PostYearWS: -7 WSAB Pre Career: -47 WSAB Post Career: 207 WSAB Pre Yr: -5 WSAB Post Yr: -4 I had just settled in at Boston when this trade went down. Mike BODdicker became Mike Bod-DECK-er in the deal, and my ears nascently introduced to a Bah-stan accent were highly offended. Anderson had faltered earlier in the season and was back in Triple-A. Boddicker was an established starter. Boddicker would have two and one-half reliable to very good seasons in Boston. Anderson would have a pretty good career in Baltimore. Schilling again becomes a thrown-in awaiting to bloom. The Red Sox did win a division that year and again two years later with Boddicker in the rotation.
#10:Date: December 10, 1971 Trade: California gets Nolan Ryan, Frank Estrada, Don Rose, and Leroy Stanton from the Mets for Jim Fregosi. Pre Career WS: -199 Post Career WS: 340 Pre Year WS: 0 PostYearWS: 26 WSAB Pre Career: -124 WSAB Post Career: 202 WSAB Pre Yr: 0 WSAB Post Yr: 20 And here's the trade, any mention of which every Met fan dreads. It should put to rest the "Quantity for Quality" argument. Fregosi was a very good player with the Angels but a) faltered with the Mets and b) would still not have been fair compensation for Ryan. Never trade a young pitcher with Ryan's natural skills even if he can't find the plate.
To be continued…
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