Deadline Dread: Hall of Famers with a trade history
By Tab Bamford
Hall of Fame Induction Weekend celebrates the greatest players in the history of the game. Amazing careers and personalities who overlap generations and rosters all come together in one amazing ceremony.
The trade deadline, which is 26 hours after the beginning of the induction ceremony, is a moment on the baseball calendar that comes with completely different emotions. Everyone wants to know which players are going to be dealt and who will help his new team win it all.
Among the 10 modern era Latino players inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including Vladimir Guerrero, seven were traded at some point during their careers.
Juan Marichal finished his career with one season each with the Red Sox and Dodgers, but he was never traded. Similarly, Roberto Clemente played his entire major league career with the Pirates after Pittsburgh plucked him out of the Dodgers’ farm system in the 1954 Rule 5 draft. And Vladi, this year’s inductee, represented four organizations, but each move during his career came because of free agency.
Beginning with our most recent inductee who was dealt, Iván Rodríguez, let’s take a walk back down memory lane and look at some of the names and careers changed by trades involving seven Hall of Famers.
Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez
Inducted 2017
Pudge was traded twice in his career.
The first time was three days after the 20th anniversary of the Rangers signing him. On July 30, 2008, the Tigers sent Rodríguez to the Yankees for reliever Kyle Farnsworth. Pudge played 33 games with the Yankees, providing the Yankees with 11 runs scored over 101 plate appearances.
Farnsworth appeared in 16 games for the Tigers, striking out 18 batters in 16 innings.
The second time Rodríguez was traded was a year later. On Aug. 18, 2009, the Astros sent Pudge across the state to where it all began; Rodriguez was once again a Ranger. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer appeared in 28 games for the Rangers that season, hitting two home runs.
Neither of the two players Houston acquired in the deal – pitcher Matt Nevarez and infielder Jose Vallejo – ever appeared in a major league game.
Pedro Martínez
Inducted 2015
Pedro was also traded twice.
Five years into his professional career with the Dodgers, Los Angeles sent an undersized 22-year-old Martínez to Montreal for infielder Delino DeShields. Pedro would emerge as a dominant starter for the Expos, appearing in two All-Star Games (1996, 1997) and winning the 1997 NL Cy Young Award. Over his four seasons with the Expos, Pedro compiled a 55-33 record with 843 strikeouts in 797 1/3 innings pitched.
DeShields appeared in 370 games for the Dodgers, batting .241 with 114 stolen bases and 192 runs scored.
One day shy of the fourth anniversary of his trade to Montreal, Pedro was traded a second time. The Expos sent Martínez to Boston for starter Carl Pavano and Tony Armas in a deal that would change the destiny of the Red Sox. Pedro’s seven years in Boston were among the most dominant in the history of the game. He won the AL Cy Young Award twice (1999, 2000) and represented the Sox in four All-Star Games.
Pedro’s numbers with the Red Sox remain silly to comprehend: 117 wins against 37 losses and 1,683 strikeouts in 1,383 2/3 innings. He was also a member of the curse-breaking 2004 Red Sox World Series championship team.
Pavano made his major league debut for Montreal the following season and spent five years with the Expos, putting together a 24-35 record before he was ultimately traded to the Marlins as part of a mid-season blockbuster in 2002. Armas would make his debut a year later and would spend eight years with the Montreal/Washington franchise. He was 48-60 with the Expos/Nationals, winning a career-high 12 games in 2002.
Roberto Alomar
Inducted 2011
Many might not remember who was involved in the two trades of Pedro Martínez. When Roberto Alomar was traded – especially the first time – the earth stood still.
After three seasons in the majors with the Padres (and one All-Star Game appearance), San Diego traded the then 23-year-old second baseman with outfielder Joe Carter to the Toronto Blue Jays for first baseman Fred McGriff and shortstop Tony Fernandez.
Carter had only been in San Diego for one season but he hit 24 home runs and drove in 115 in 1990. McGriff was entering his age 27 season at the time of the deal and had hit 105 home runs over the three seasons leading up to the trade. Fernandez had three All-Star Games and four Gold Glove Awards on his resume before his age 29 season.
McGriff and Fernandez had nice careers in San Diego, each appearing in at least one All-Star Game on behalf of the Padres. Neither played in a postseason game in San Diego, however, and were eventually traded multiple times in their remaining seasons.
How’d the deal work out for Toronto?
For his part, Alomar really began to cement himself as a future Hall of Famer in Toronto. He appeared in the All-Star Game and won the American League Gold Glove Award at second base in each of his five seasons with the Jays.
A little more than 11 years later, Alomar was traded a second time. Cleveland sent Alomar with Danny Peoples and Mike Bacsik to the New York Mets for Matt Lawton, Alex Escobar, Jerrod Riggan, Earl Snyder and Bully Traber. Unfortunately for the Mets, Alomar’s final season in Cleveland would also be his last All-Star Game appearance.
Alomar would be traded two more times in his career, and the destination would be the South Side of Chicago in both instances. On July 1, 2003, the Mets sent Alomar to the Sox for Royce Ring, Edwin Almonte and Andrew Salvo. On Aug. 5, 2004 Alomar was traded to the White Sox by the Arizona Diamondbacks for Brad Murray.
Tony Pérez
Inducted 2000
Less than two months after winning a second consecutive World Series championship with the Cincinnati Reds, Pérez was dealt with Will McEnaney to Montreal for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray.
After 13 years and seven All-Star Games, Pérez headed north for three seasons. Though he would play until he was 44 – with his final three seasons coming back in Cincinnati – Pérez would not play in another All-Star Game.
What makes this deal intriguing is two of the other players in the deal.
Seven years and one day before he was involved in the Perez deal, Woodie Fryman was traded to the Phillies with three other players for another future Hall of Famer, pitcher Jim Bunning.
Six years after the Perez trade, then-Blue Jays pitcher Dale Murray was traded to the Yankees in a five-player trade that, in part, brought the rights to then-prospect Fred McGriff to Toronto.
Orlando Cepeda
Inducted 1999
All of the trades we’ve discussed thus far were multiplayer deals. When the Baby Bull was traded it was one-for-one – all three times he was moved.
The first trade was on May 8, 1966, when the San Francisco Giants traded him to St. Louis for pitcher Ray Sadecki. The Cardinals happily added a 28-year-old former NL Rookie of the Year who had six All-Star Game appearances on the back of his baseball card. Over his three seasons in St. Louis, Cepeda drove in 242 runs in 431 games and was named the National League MVP in 1967.
Sadecki was 34-39 with a 3.52 ERA over four seasons with the Giants.
The second trade was on March 17, 1969, when the Cardinals sent him to Atlanta. St. Louis needed to replace Tim McCarver behind the plate, so bringing back a 28-year-old catcher named Joe Torre worked out well. Over parts of four seasons with the Braves, Cepeda hit 74 home runs and drove in 252 runs.
Torre would appear in four All-Star Games for the Cardinals and was named the National League MVP in 1971.
In other words, both times Cepeda and the Cardinals were involved in a trade, the Cardinals ended up with an MVP winner.
The third and final trade of Cepeda’s career came on June 29, 1972, when the Braves sent him to Oakland for pitcher Denny McLain. Cepeda appeared in only three games with the A’s and was released that December.
McLain, a two-time Cy Young winner in Detroit, was 28 at the time of the deal but appeared in just 15 games with the Braves. His career ended at the conclusion of the 1972 campaign.
Rod Carew
Inducted 1991
Carew was traded only once in his amazing career. On Feb. 3, 1979, the Twins sent Carew to the California Angels for Dave Engle, Paul Hartzell, Brad Havens and Ken Landreaux.
Carew played the final seven seasons of his career with the Angels, appearing in the All-Star Game in the first six seasons after the trade; Carew played in the All-Star Game in each of his first eighteen seasons. With the Angels, Carew collected 968 hits – which still ranks 13th in franchise history.
Landreaux was an All-Star in 1980 before the Twins sent him back to southern California – this time to the Los Angeles. Landreaux was part of the 1981 World Series Champion Dodgers. One of the three players acquired by the Twins, Mickey Hatcher, spent six years in Minnesota before going back to the Dodgers as a free agent. Hatcher won the World Series with L.A. in 1988.
Carew appears in the top ten all-time Latino players for both the Twins and Angels.
Luis Aparicio
Inducted 1984
Aparicio, the first Venezuelan inducted into Cooperstown, was traded three times during his Hall of Fame career. The White Sox were involved in all three trades.
On Jan. 14, 1963, the White Sox traded Aparicio and Al Smith to Baltimore for Ron Hansen, Dave Nicholson, Pete Ward and Hoyt Wilhelm. On Nov. 29, 1967, the Orioles traded Aparicio back to the White Sox with John Marias and Russ Snyder for Don Buford, Bruce Howard and Roger Nelson.
And on Dec. 1, 1970, the White Sox traded Aparicio one final time, this deal sending him to Boston for Luis Alvarado and Mike Andrews.
Three of the four players the White Sox acquired from Baltimore in the first trade had interesting careers after the deal.
Wilhelm was entering his age 40 season at that time, but he would go on to pitch for the White Sox for six more years. Of course, the future Hall of Famer pitched in the big leagues until he was 49, ending his incredible career with the Dodgers in 1972.
Ward was the runner-up to his teammate, Gary Peters, for the 1963 AL Rookie of the Year Award and finished in the top 10 of the AL MVP voting in his first two seasons in Chicago.
Nicholson appeared in 538 games over seven seasons in the majors and was traded two more times. The third trade of his career sent him with Bob Bruce from Houston to Atlanta for three players: future Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews, Arnold Umbach and Sandy Alomar, Sr. – Roberto’s father.
Featured Image: Jeff Carlick / Getty Images Sport
Inset Image (Cepeda): Topps
Inset Image (Carew): Bettmann