The trade market that is a part of Major League Baseball has always been and will always be one of the primary factors affecting franchises’ development and deterioration in America’s Pastime. Swaps of such kind, which often are performed discreetly and based on a detailed comparison of scouting reports, carry an enormous potential to bring a radical shift in the club’s performance – either positive or negative. While some of these giant trades turn out to be only one-year solutions, others go down in the annals of baseball history and set the game up for good for the foreseeable future. In this exegesis, an effort will be made to look at some of the greatest trades, not MLB picks, in the annals of MLB about the players exchanged, the circumstances that led to the monumental swap, the merchandise like Chicago Cubs shirts, and the impact that is firmly etched in the DNA of the cherished National Pastime.
The Babe Ruth Trade (1919)
The most famous trade in MLB history, that can not be discussed here, is the selling of Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees in 1919. Ruth was sold for $100,000 which was a lot of money then, the owner of the Red Sox used the money to finance a Broadway show. It can therefore be said that the trade left a big mark on society. Ruth changed position from a pitcher to a hitter and became one of the most famous home run hitters of all time. He contributed to the Yankees winning four World Series championships in the 1920s, thus establishing the team as a baseball dynasty. On the other hand, the Red Sox had to wait for 86 years to get the championship again and, this was famously known as the curse of the bambino.
Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio (1964)
The St. Louis Cardinals traded away Ernie Broglio for Lou Brock in the year 1964 to the Chicago Cubs. What I want to emphasize is that Brock played outfield and showed little promise at the time, whereas Broglio was one of the top pitchers. However, this transaction quickly rose to the top of the MLB's all-time worst transactions. Throughout his playing career, Brock amassed over three thousand hits, was crowned the league's eight-time base stealer, and developed into a superb Hall of Fame right fielder for the Cardinals. He helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1964 and 1967 because he was a quick and reliable batter. Championships. Broglio was also a part of this trade and he never pitched as well as he could have because of injuries for most of his career; therefore, this trade was undoubtedly a success for St. Louis.
The Nolan Ryan Trade (1971)
Another example of a trade that completely changed a player’s career is the New York Mets trading Nolan Ryan to the California Angels in 1971. Ryan was traded for shortstop Jim Fregosi together with three other players. Ryan then grew to be one of the most feared pitchers in MLB history. In his 27-year career, he established numerous records such as the career strikeouts record of 5,714 and seven no-hitters a record that has not been broken to this date. Fregosi was a good player, but he did not stay long enough with the Mets and this made this particular trade a real steal for the Angels.
The Frank Robinson Trade (1965)
Some pundits frowned upon the Cincinnati Reds’ move to trade Frank Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles in 1965; the Reds’ management considered Robinson “an old 30.” For Robinson, the Orioles traded pitchers Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun and an outfielder Dick Simpson. Robinson dispelled the skeptics and led the Dodgers to the Triple Crown and MVP in his first season with the Orioles. He took his team to World Series championships in 1966 and 1970 and was named Hall of Fame. This trade is a perfect example of one team overestimating how much value a particular player has left in the tank and the other getting a steal.
The Randy Johnson Trade (1989)
Randy Johnson was traded on the 16th of August 1989 to the Seattle Mariners in a deal that involved five players. Johnson was a young and talented but at times unreliable pitcher at the time. However, this trade made way for one of the most remarkable pitching in the annals of baseball. Johnson developed into a five-time Cy Young award winner, a large man who threw a wicked fastball. He played for the Mariners for a few years and was part of the team that achieved the first playoff in 1995, his career record of a perfect game, over 4800 strikeouts, and other records considered phenomenal, placed him among the all-time great pitchers.
The most memorable trade in MLB is characterized by a dramatic change in the fortunes of the teams that are involved and one side gets a franchise player. Starting with the deal that sent Babe Ruth to the Yanks to the one that provided the Detroit Tigers with Miguel Cabrera, these trades demonstrate the importance of rational analysis and sometimes, a pinch of luck. They are a perfect example of how one game is capable of changing the course of history of a franchise, giving fans the heroes and players who are legends in the history of the sport.