The Futility Infielder

McGriff Redux

I wanted to revisit the Fred McGriff situation (see below, July 11). But I've been too busy, and the fires have died down with the Crime Dog's refusal to waive his no-trade clause. With enough bytes already spilled (somewhat heatedly) on the Web about this, I decided to put a sock in it. I'm not a Cubs fan, but I'm disappointed that the trade didn't go through, as it seemed like a good opportunity for the Cubs to shore up a weakness and for the Dog to find a loving home. But the deal's off, for now.

I admit it, I get a charge out of these kinds of trades, no matter who I'm rooting for. They interesting to watch, because they're like a double-or-nothing challenge set to a dramatic arc. The cast is familiar: the savvy veteran looking for one more shot at a ring; the contending team still a piece away from completing the puzzle; the prospect, tantalizing in his promise, not ready to help the big club this year but prepared to haunt them for the rest of his career. Here are a few memorable ones, right off the top of my head, not all of them fitting the mold above, but most having an impact on at least one pennant race, if not several:

1982: Houston sends P Don Sutton to Milwaukee for P Frank DiPino, P Mike Madden, and OF Kevin Bass. Sutton goes 4-1 down the stretch, beating Jim Palmer on the final day of the season and leading the Brew Crew to their only World Series. Bass is the best of the bunch on the other end, a key player on the 'Stros oh-so-close 1986 team, thoguh DiPino develops into a solid closer, for awhile at least.
1987: Detroit sends P John Smoltz to Atlanta for P Doyle Alexander. Alexander goes 9-0 down the stretch as the Tigers win the AL East; Smoltz wins a Cy Young Award and becomes a member of the best trio of starters in recent memory.
1988: Los Angeles sends 3B Pedro Guerrero to St. Louis for P John Tudor. The Dodgers win an unlikely World Series without my favorite player; Tudor was adequate at best, and wasn't effective until returning to St. Louis.
1989: New York Yankees send OF Rickey Henderson to Oakland for P Eric Plunk, P Greg Cadaret, and OF Luis Polonia. The A's win a World Series and reach another with the game's greatest leadoff man, who has an unreal postseason (.441 AVG, .448 OBP, .941 SLG, 11 SB). The other three enjoy undistinguished but lengthy careers.
1990: Boston sends 1B Jeff Bagwell to Houston for P Larry Andersen. Boston wins the AL East., though Andersen's impact is minimal (0-0, 1 Save); Bagwell becomes one of the best players in the game, hitting 300+ HR and leading Houston to 3 consecutive playoff appearances.
1992: New York Mets send P David Cone to Toronto for 2B Jeff Kent and OF Ryan Thompson. Cone wins his first ring as a Blue Jay and starts his odyssey as a mercenary; the Mets fumble future MVP Kent along to Cleveland for a fat Carlos Baerga, and Thompson starts his tour of oblivion.
1993: Oakland sends OF Rickey Henderson to Toronto for P Steve Karsay and OF Jose Herrera. Henderson wins another ring, though he only hits .215. Karsay battles arm injuries for years before emerging as a first-rate reliever in Cleveland.
1995: Toronto Blue Jays send P David Cone to the Yankees for P Marty Janzen and two other pitchers. Janzen wins six games over the next two years; Cone wins six postseason games and four World Series rings with the Yankees.
1998: Seattle sends P Randy Johnson to Houston for P Freddy Garcia and P John Halama. Johnson reels off a 10-1 record and becomes the ace of the NL Central champs; Garcia and Halama combine for 51 victories over the next two seasons, bolstering the Seattle rotation. Garcia is 11-1 for the runaway Mariners this season and was the winning pitcher of this year's All-Star Game.
1999: San Diego sends C Jim Leyritz to Ney York Yankees for P Geraldo Padua. Leyritz struggles for the Yanks (.227, 0 HR, 5 RBI) but hits the last home run of the 1900s in Game 4 of the World Series, proving that he's still the King of the postseason; Padua has yet to surface.
2000: New York Yankees send OF Rickey Ledee & P Jake Westbrook to Cleveland for David Justice. Justice revives the struggling Yankee offense, leading them to their third straight championship. Ledee is traded to Texas where he continues to rot, Westbrook only now is emerging as a solid pitcher.

By all accounts they Cubs' package to the Devil Rays was less than stellar; one report included middling middle reliever Manny Aybar and a AAA shortstop hitting .236 with a 630 OPS. If that's the case, GM Chuck Lamar, a man whom I wouldn't hire to manage my sock drawer, got off lucky. He'd be well served to do his homework and find some bodies that can help him in the event McGriff does agree to waive his no-trade before the deadline.