| In a misguided attempt at balance, my goal was to come up with a Ten Best Trades in Mariners History piece to mirror the “Worst” one from a few days ago. Then something terrible happened: I realized ten was kind of pushing it. Don’t get me wrong, it would have been possible….but things get kind of iffy around #7 or 8. If you’re leaning towards including the 1991 Mike Blowers for Jim Blueberg trade with the Yankees, that’s a bad sign. Sure, Blowers was a productive bat for the M’s in a couple different stints, and sure, Blueberg never did a goddamn thing for the Yanks or anybody else, but…..dude, it’s Mike Blowers.
I could have stretched it to ten by including deals like the Blowers one, or deadline deals that acquired Andy Benes or Vince Coleman that helped spark the magical run of 1995, but I just couldn’t do it. So instead, I’m opting for a Five Best list, to maximize impact and save the Mariners organization further embarrassment.
Before I begin though, I want to take a moment to discuss an “honorable mention” pick- the confusing as fuck, three team 2008 trade that netted the Mariners Jason Vargas, Mike Carp, Franklin Gutierrez and Aaron Heilman, among others. If Gutierrez weren’t the most brittle/unlucky man in Major League Baseball, I’d probably include it. Anyway……
5. December 19, 2009
– Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies and JC Ramirez to Philadelphia for Cliff Lee
Alright, Lee only spent a couple of months in a Mariners uniform, but the fact remains the M’s acquired him for a song. None of the three prospects sent over (this deal also involved Toronto, and sent the Jays Roy Halladay to Philadelphia. By virtue of that, not to mention Lee choosing to go back to Philly the following winter, they were the clear winners of this trade) figured into the M’s long term plans.
That the M’s seemingly botched the next move (sending Lee to Texas for a crop of prospects led by Justin Smoak) is irrelevant. They still acquired one of the five best pitchers in baseball for three middle of the road prospects. This was a win.
July 31, 1998
– Randy Johnson to Houston for Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen and player to be named later (John Halama).
When you consider what the trio the Mariners picked up accomplished versus what Johnson did, this trade doesn’t look so good. But you have to take into account that there was no chance in hell the Big Unit (easily the dirtiest nickname in baseball history) was signing an extension. His primary gripe, it seems, is that he felt unappreciated. And it’s hard to blame him: then-GM Woody Woodward (and, no doubt, other Mariners execs) felt that Johnson’s best days were behind him. This probably was incorrect, based upon his future run of four consecutive Cy Young Awards and a World Series championship with Arizona, but hey, maybe they had a point.
Anyhoo, at the time, the package the M’s received for Johnson was thought to be disappointing and, for a player of the Unit’s caliber, perhaps that was true. Yet all three (even “player to be named” Halama) made considerable contributions to the M’s in subsequent seasons. Garcia won 16 or more games three times in five full seasons in Seattle and led the league in ERA in 2001 (while finishing 3rd in Cy Young voting). Guillen, though often hobbled by injuries, put together several solid years before becoming a multiple time All Star in Detroit. Even Halama reached double digit victories for three consecutive seasons. Considering that Johnson was a goner, the M’s fared pretty well.
3. July 30, 1996
– Darren Bragg to Boston for Jamie Moyer
While this deal didn’t fulfill its primary objective (getting the ’96 M’s into the playoffs), it did pay enormous dividends and cost them virtually nothing.
Moyer was 33 at the time of this trade, and, up to that point, had won 66 games over parts of eleven seasons. It wouldn’t have been all that presumptuous to surmise he was nearing the twilight of his career. Instead, Moyer won 145 games as a Mariner over the next ten years. This included seven straight seasons of at least 13 wins, and he twice reached or exceeded 20 victories.
Bragg spent a couple of so-so seasons in Boston, then bounced around the league for another six years, but never again enjoyed a role as a regular. A deal that worked out far better than anyone could have imagined.
2. July 21, 1988
– Ken Phelps to the NY Yankees for Jay Buhner, Rich Balabon and a player to be named later (Troy Evers).
Balabon and Evers never got past Triple-A and Double-A respectively, but that Buhner kid turned out OK. Bone, in addition to becoming a Northwest institution, was a serious power threat for a full decade. He reached the 20 HR mark for seven consecutive campaigns. In fact, from 1995 to 1997, he hit a total of 124 homers. He also had a cannon for an arm, providing an imposing presence out in right field. Buhner arrived in ’88 and he never left, not only finishing his career as a Mariner in 2001, but remaining a vital part of the community to this very day.
Phelps was presumably acquired by the Yankees to help push them back into the playoffs. Of course, by the time this goal was reached, it was seven years later and Phelps was long gone. In any case, it was a bad enough trade that Frank Costanza couldn’t help but to berate George Steinbrenner for it.
1. May 25, 1989
-Mark Langston and player to be named later (Mike Campbell) to Montreal for Gene Harris, Brian Holman and Randy Johnson.
There was a time when the Mariners were essentially the smallest of small market franchises. So when Langston, one of the AL’s finest, most dominant pitchers, was creeping towards free agency, it was decided he had to be moved. And while he went on to continued success with the Angels, one of the players the M’s received in return changed their fortunes to such a degree that there probably would be no Seattle Mariners today had he not arrived.
The Unit, though he was wild enough to lead the league in walks from 1990 to 1992, established himself as an almost unbelievable force- so much so that I’m not even really sure where to start.
During his nine year run in the Emerald City, Johnson was a double digit winner seven times (the only exceptions being his rookie year and an injury-shortened 1996). He also struck out at least 200 batters seven times, pitched the first no-hitter in franchise history and captured the 1995 Cy Young Award.
Johnson was especially dominant from 1993-1997, compiling a record of 75 wins and just 20 losses. Best of all was the confidence instilled in fans any time Johnson took to the mound- the feeling of virtual invincibility. So, in essence, we flipped arguably the most dominant lefty in the game circa ’89 for arguably the most dominant lefty in MLB history.
But the greatest thing Johnson brought to Seattle was the guarantee of a future. Had the M’s not gone on their improbable run in ’95, it’s quite likely Safeco Field never gets built and the team ends up in Tampa. We’ll never really know if it would have worked out that way- and Johnson is the single biggest reason why. |
No Balls And Three Strikes 