Blockbuster Trades in Baseball

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Nov 21, 2013

Blockbuster Trades in Baseball

July 2014 | The Red Sox traded Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes to the A's for Yoenis Cespedes.

The Red Sox made Lester, 30, available after failing to sign him to a long-term contract extension. He was 10-7 with a 2.52 ERA at the time of the trade. Cespedes was in his third year with the A's after they signed him out of Cuba. His contract runs through 2015 and he's owed $10.5 million next season. An All-Star this season, Cespedes was hitting .256 with 17 home runs and 67 RBI when traded.

July 2014 | The Rays traded David Price to the Tigers. The Tigers traded Drew Smyly and Willy Adames to the Rays, and Austin Jackson to the Mariners. The Mariners traded Nick Franklin to the Rays.

In a three-team trade, the Rays traded their ace lefthander Price to Detroit just minutes before the deadline. The 2012 AL Cy Young winner was 11-8 with a 3.11 ERA and a major-league-best 189 strikeouts when traded. Smyly was 6-9 with a 3.93 ERA in 18 starts and three relief appearances for Detroit. Franklin, a first-round pick in 2009, was hitting .294 at Triple A after struggling to a .128 average with the Mariners. Shortstop Willy Adames was one of the Tigers' top prospects.

Nov. 2013 | The Tigers traded Prince Fielder and cash to the Rangers for Ian Kinsler.

The Tigers and Rangers worked out a deal that filled persistent holes and cleared roster logjams. The deal reportedly included $30 million to Texas to help offset the difference in the remaining salaries of the two stars. The 29-year-old first baseman Fielder was just two years into a nine-year, $214 million deal he signed with the Tigers in 2012. The 31-year-old Kinsler had spent more than a year in the middle of rumors regarding either a trade or a shift off second base. Kinsler has enjoyed batting in front of Miguel Cabrera, while Fielder missed most of the 2014 season needing neck surgery.

Nov. 2012 | The Marlins traded Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, John Buck, Emilio Bonifacio and cash to the Blue Jays for Yunel Escobar, Adieny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Jeff Mathis, Justin Nicolino, Anthony Desclafani and Jake Marisnick.

Just one year after opening a brand new stadium and spending over $150 million in the offseason, the Marlins unloaded star shortstop Jose Reyes and pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle. Both played only one year for the Marlins despite signing expensive multiyear deals, and local fans were outraged because the $2.4 billion stadium project was publicly funded. The Marlins had just two players from the 2012 Opening Day lineup remaining -- Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morrison.

Aug. 2012 | The Red Sox traded Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto and cash to the Dodgers for James Loney, Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa, Ivan De Jesus and Jerry Sands.

Flush with cash from their new ownership, the Dodgers completed one of the most mind-bogglingly expensive deals in recent memory, assuming more than $275 million in payroll from the Red Sox in exchange for some of their top prospects.

Dec. 2009 | Roy Halladay, Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, J.C. Ramirez and cash to the Phillies; Cliff Lee to the Mariners; Travis d'Arnaud, Kyle Drabek and Brett Wallace to the Blue Jays; Michael Taylor to the A's.

Two Cy Young winners were traded on the same day for the first time ever when the Phillies acquired Halladay (2003 AL) from the Blue Jays and the Mariners obtained Lee (2008 AL). Halladay immediately agreed to a three-year, $60 million extension through 2013 then won the Cy Young in 2010, pitching a perfect game against the Marlins and no-hitting the Reds in the second ever playoff no-hitter.

July 2008 | Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers; Jason Bay to the Red Sox; Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen to the Pirates.

Ramirez earned his way out of Boston by misbehaving in his final season. He became an immediate sensation in L.A., helping lead the Dodgers to the NLCS and fitting well into that scene before being caught in a drug suspension early in 2009. Bay put up nice numbers in Boston before becoming a free agent in 2009. None of the players the Pirates acquired made a notable impact in Pittsburgh.

July 2007 | The Rangers traded Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay to the Braves for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison and Beau Jones.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images; Todd Kirkland/Icon SMI

It was the trade that helped build the modern Rangers, and one the Braves certainly wish they could have back. Atlanta sacrificed top prospects, including Andrus, Feliz and Harrison, all of whom have become valuable pieces for Texas. In July 2008, the Braves traded Teixeira to the Angels, where he spent the rest of that season before signing as a free agent with the Yankees in the offseason.

Nov. 2005 | The Marlins traded Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to the Red Sox for Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, Jesus Delgado and Harvey Garcia.

Boston took advantage of one of the Marlins' many salary sell-offs by acquiring Beckett, the MVP of the 2003 World Series. He went 89-58 in Boston and was the MVP of the 2007 ALCS. The World Series MVP that year was Lowell. Florida's haul included Ramirez, who won the 2009 batting title, and Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter as a Marlin in '06, when he went 10-3.

July 2004 | The Red Sox traded Nomar Garciaparra and Matt Murton to the Cubs, the Expos traded Orlando Cabrera to the Red Sox, the Twins traded Doug Mientkiewicz to the Red Sox, the Cubs traded Francis Beltran, Alex Gonzalez and Brendan Harris to the Expos, the Cubs traded Justin Jones to the Twins.

David Zalubowski/AP; Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

It was the shocking end to the Nomar Garciaparra era in Boston, but the trade netted the Red Sox Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz, who were instrumental in the Boston's curse-breaking World Series victory later that season.

Feb. 2004 | The Rangers traded Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees for Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later (Joaquin Arias).

The Red Sox were initially linked to Rodriguez, but the big winner turned out to be the Yankees, who assumed Rodriguez's massive contract that he signed in 2001 with the hapless Rangers. Rodriguez became a polarizing and controversial figure in New York, but he did win two MVPs and anchor the Yankees in their 2009 World Series title run.

Nov. 2003 | The Giants traded Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser to the Twins for A.J. Pierzynski.

The Giants needed a catcher at the time, but they traded for one who would be instantly reviled. To get Pierzynski, they dealt away a budding star at closer in Nathan, and a wondrous young talent and a serviceable starter in Liriano. Pierzynski almost immediately wore out his welcome in San Francisco, while Nathan saved 44 games in his first season with the Twins, made the All-Star team and finished fourth in Cy Young voting. Liriano was absolutely sensational before being derailed by injuries.

June 2002 | The Indians traded Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew to the Expos for Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore and Lee Stevens.

Colon was a dominant starter for the Indians until he was suddenly traded to the Expos. It may not have looked like much at the time, but the Expos shipped 10 combined All-Star appearances, five combined Gold Gloves and one Cy Young Award in the process. The Indians didn't quite utilize all of the talent -- Phillips was traded to the Reds, where he would break out. Lee and Sizemore emerged as stars for the Indians, though Sizemore's promising career has been mostly wrecked by injuries.

Feb. 2000 | The Mariners traded Ken Griffey Jr. to the Reds for Jake Meyer, Mike Cameron, Antonio Perez and Brett Tomko.

Arguably the best player in the game (or at least the American League), Griffey went to his hometown of Cincinnati in what appeared to be a grand renaissance for the Reds. But Griffey was constantly marred by injuries and losing. Cameron became an All-Star and helped the Mariners win the AL West in 2000 and 2001. He also won two Gold Gloves and notched a four-home run game with Seattle.

July 1998 | The Mariners traded Randy Johnson to the Astros for Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen and John Halama.

Despite being a Seattle icon for almost a decade, Johnson did not receive an adequate contract extension from the Mariners, which triggered the massive trade. The Mariners received a good return -- all three players would meaningfully contribute in Seattle. Johnson was almost unhittable for the Astros, finishing 10-1 with a 1.28 E.R.A before signing with Arizona in the offseason.

May 1998 | The Dodgers traded Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile to the Marlins for Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich and Manuel Barrios.

It remains one of the most bizarre trades in baseball history. L.A. had recently been sold to NewsCorp (Fox) and Piazza entered the 1998 season seeking a record-breaking contract. Not wanting a public relations disaster, NewsCorp went over the head of GM Fred Claire to complete the massive trade that sent the best hitting catcher in the game out of town. Piazza was flipped to the Mets for three prospects 10 days later, and manager Bill Russell and Claire were fired five weeks later.

Dec. 1990 | The Padres traded Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter to the Blue Jays for Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff.

Joe-Carter-Roberto-Alomar-Tony-Fernandez-Fred-McGriff.jpg — Focus on Sport, Bernstein Associates/Getty Images

The trade only featured four players, but all four were named to multiple All-Star teams and got MVP votes in at least three different seasons. Carter won Silver Slugger awards in his first two seasons and famously belted only the second World Series-clinching walk-off homer, in 1993. Alomar won Gold Gloves in each of his five seasons in Toronto and was an All-Star in each year as well. McGriff and Fernandez were All-Stars in 1992, but both would be out of San Diego by the 1993 trading deadline.

June 1977 | The Mets traded Tom Seaver to the Reds for Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, Dan Norman and Pat Zachry.

Immersed in contentious contract negotiations, Seaver wanted the kind of money that other elite starters were making. The Mets shipped him to Cincinnati in the middle of June, where he won 14 of 17 decisions and finished the year with 21 wins. Mets fans were devastated; they finished in last place that season.

Dec. 1971 | The Mets traded Nolan Ryan, Frank Estrada, Don Rose and Leroy Stanton to the Angels for Jim Fregosi.

Focus on Sport/Getty Images; John G. Zimmerman/SI

Another one of the ''worst trades ever,'' the Mets sent a young Nolan Ryan (he was 24 at the time) and three other players for an aging Jim Fregosi. Ryan would immediately emerge as a strikeout machine (he struck out an astonishing 383 batters in 1973) while Fregosi played a total of 146 games for the Mets.

Dec. 1965 | The Reds traded Frank Robinson to the Orioles for Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun and Dick Simpson.

The historically lopsided deal saw a Cincinnati legend leave town at the age of 30 for three players that never had a significant impact in Cincinnati. Robinson won the Triple Crown, American League MVP and World Series MVP in his first season as an Oriole. He would also be named to six more All-Star teams in Baltimore and win the All-Star Game MVP award.

June 1964 |The Cubs traded Lou Brock, Jack Spring and Paul Toth to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz and Doug Clemens.

A trade that is now known as one of the most lopsided in baseball was initially perceived as a steal for the Cubs. Broglio was a 20-game winner and had one of the best curveballs in the game. Brock was an unproven outfielder with great speed but an apparently light bat. Broglio never succeeded with the Cubs because of injuries. Brock became a legendary Cardinal; he won two World Series titles, was named to six All-Star teams and broke Ty Cobb's all-time stolen base record by the time he retired in 1979.

Nov. 1954 | The Orioles traded Bob Turley, Don Larsen, Billy Hunter, Mike Blyzka, Darrell Johnson, Dick Kryhoski, Ted del Guercio and Tim Fridley to the Yankees for Harry Byrd, Jim McDonald, Gene Woodling, Willie Miranda, Gus Triandos, Hal Smith, Bill Miller, Don Leppert and Kal Segrist.

The Yankees and Orioles completed an 17-player deal that swapped mostly inconsequential players, but did deliver Don Larsen to New York. Larsen would famously go on to pitch the only perfect game in World Series history, in 1956. The trade also involved Gus Triandos, who was a three-time All-Star in Baltimore.

Blockbuster Trades in Baseball