No that is not referring to the upcoming 2010 Mets season even though you can make an argument that it should be (not literally of course).

Dustin Pedroia on today’s episode of Baseball Tonight while discussing his fear of flying said that one of his great friends Alex Cora while with him in Boston took a page from a line in Rocky IV and said “If we die we die”. It worked at calming him down and he still remembers that till this day whenever he flies.

Shout Out to TheMetsNation your doing a great job of carrying the torch forward for the new generation of Mets Fans over there on YouTube.

After seeing yesterdays footage from Mets camp on S.N.Y yesterday, I can finally say that I am psyched that spring training is just a day away. Seeing Jose Reyes running without any noticeable limp also helped squelch my pessimism for the meantime. But it is funny, I was watching Ultimets Classics on S.N.Y. yesterday evening where they were showing Johan’s three hit shutout against the Florida Marlins on the second to last day of the ‘08 season, and it occured to me. This team needs to find their inner bulldog !! They need that fire to comeback when they are down by two in the bottom of the ninth with men on base ! They need to step on the necks of their opponents ! They have to show fight - And instead of the front office trotting out some Madison Avenue Advertising hacks slogans about ” believing in comebacks” - THEY INSTEAD NEED TO BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES !!!
I can give three examples of this from the last three seasons.
First is the John Maine one hit shutout from ‘07 ( I was there) . John Maine pitched possibly the finest game of his career limiting the Marlins to one no runs on one hit over eight innings. The Mets bats were pummeling the Marlins pitchers, and the Mets swagger was in evidence by the brawl that ensued between both benches after Jose Reyes decked Miguel Olivo. Yes they were knocked out of playoff contention the next day but the electricity that team showed was amazing!
The second game was the aforementioned Johan game from ‘09 ( I was there too). Here was Johan- our ace pitching on three days rest with a bad knee, single handedly shutting down the Marlins to keep our dreams of getting into the post season alive. I hadn’t felt that kind of electricity at Shea since game 6 of the ‘06 NLCS !
The third example comes from last season in that memorable game against the Boston Red Sox  ( I wasn’t there)where Omir Santos took Boston’s dominant reliever - Jonathan Papelbon deep . As we all know it was originally called a double but overturned on challenge. I know for a fact that my heart I was on edge waiting for the umpires to review the tape, and when they ruled in the Mets favor I - as all the Mets and Mets fans let out a collective sigh of relief - then celebrated because that was the runs that helped us win the game ! Honorable mention goes out to Nelson Figueroa for pitching the game of his life on the last game of the season.
But a few random games does not mean this team has the fire to win. They need not be complacent. they have to have that fire in their bellies, THEY TRULEY NEED TO BELIEVE IN COMEBACKS !!!

                                          ” The 2010 Mets need to find their inner bulldog !!”

And with that said … HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to man who was the first starting pitcher in Mets history - Roger Craig (1931). Roger was a star pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers during their ’50’s heyday, but once he came to the Mets he like Anthony Young , couldn’t win a game to save his life. He was good enough to lose ( having poor defense around you will do that). Later on he became a successful pitching coach and later on manager with the San Francisco Giants. He is also credited as being the father of the split fingered fastball.
Middle reliever from the ‘05 team - Juan Padilla is 33 (1977) .

Sadly on this date in 1986 former Mets pitching coach coach Red Ruffing passed away.

Chicago Cubs signed outfielder, Jerry Morales of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 17, 1981. I don’t know why I liked Jerry - he was your average Mets scrub but for some reason I rooted hard for him as a kid.

And just remember - there are only 47 days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.

Well I guess it was going to happen sooner or later. While I was at work , driving my charges back to their homes in Staten Island and Brooklyn, I decided to put on the man who’d poopie doesn’t stink ( Mike Francesa) to see what topic was in his cross-hairs. Obviously it was Snowboarding and the Mets ( it  must’ve been a slow day if he was picking on snowboarding). Look I know I have been a downer this off season, disenfranchised with the lack of impact moves that my beloved Mets have made. And I was feeling pretty good about the news that Mookie Wilson was back into the fold and Bob Melvin was announced as a major league scout. Hey I’m even somewhat ecstatic that they lowered the center-field wall by 8 feet ( I still say lower all the walls by that much but hey my name isn’t Dave Howard)! So I guess I am a sadist because the man who is never wrong is eviscerating my team, at some points he makes sense - i.e not upgrading the starting rotation, catcher etc. And he called Jeff and Omar on the carpet for their not following through on the promise that they made when they were interviewed by his heftiness the day after the regular season ended. But when he drones on about how bad a ball player Daniel Murphy is and that David Wright is a question mark and their are putting too much stock into Ike Davis - well that just gets me as angry as an Eskimo boy can be ( thank you Frank Zappa !) This is a man who makes his living shilling for his beloved Yankees - who can do no wrong in his eyes ( I think the Curtis Granderson trade will come back to bite them on the ass!!) and he doesn’t lend one iota of impartiality to his arguments, You can hear the smugness in his voice. So I find myself not listening to him , I can’t stand Michael Kay. So I have decided that everyday I shall listen to a different Pink Floyd cd. Tomorrow shall be Wish You Were Here, and I dedicate it to the memories of Bob Murphy, Casey Stengel,Gil Hodges, Tug McGraw,Joan Payson and to all of the players and all of the people behind the scenes that have helped to bring us happiness with two World Championships that shook the world. Who needs Mike Francesa anyway ! I have my Mets … LETS GO METS !!!!

                                                   ” Gone, Yet not forgotten”

                                                          ” I wish  he could be forgotten”

And on that note… HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to outfielder and Mets icon William ” Mookie ” Wilson (1956). I remember when Mookie first came up in ‘80, I though he was a star. He had speed he could hit for average, he had limited power, but he had amazing range in the outfield !! And he will always have a place in my heart for grinding out that at bat against Bob Stanley , until he slapped that ball right through Buckner’s legs and hearing Bob Murphy’s iconic call ” IT GETS BY BUCKNER !! THE METS WIN !!!” I t makes me wish I was 14 again!
Pitcher from the ‘94 season, Doug Linton is 45 (1965) .
One of the heroes of the ‘99 post season, catcher Todd “ Tank” Pratt is 43 (1967) . It still pains me that his name was on the Mitchell Report.

New York Mets signed free agent Clint Hurdle on February 9, 1987. Clint was most recently the manager for the Colorado Rockies . until his termination last season.

Anaheim Angels signed middle reliever Jason Middlebrook of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 9, 2004.

New York Mets signed free agent Chan Ho Park on February 9, 2007. Only Chan Ho Park - a scrap heap pitcher come back and haunt us for two straight seasons as a member of the Phillies Bullpen !

And don’t forget, while you are listening to The Good Rats, There are just 55 more days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field !

This is Part 3 of a series, the trades are chronological and are numbered from the start of Part 1 and continue through Part 2

David Justice

20.  June 29, 2000 - The Cleveland Indians traded OF David Justice to the New York Yankees for P Zach Day, OF Ricky Ledee and P Jake Westbrook.  At the time of the trade Justice was in his 12th ML season.  He was the 1990 AL Rookie of the Year, a 3 time All-Star, 2 time Silver Slugger and had received MVP votes in 5 different seasons.  For 10 seasons he had a .284 batting average while averaging 23 HR and 80 RBI, numbers that look less imposing because they include his 1996 season in which he played only 40 games, otherwise it’s more like 26/90.  Prior to the trade Justice had appeared in the post season 7 times with Atlanta and Cleveland, including 3 NL Pennants with 1 World Championship, and 1 AL Pennant.  After the trade he appeared in 3 more post seasons including 2 AL Pennants and 1 World Championship with the Yankees and a Division Series appearance in his final ML season with Oakland.

Day was traded again before reaching the majors and made his ML debut with Montreal in 2002.  His career lasted 5 seasons during which he pitched in 86 games, making 60 starts and compiling a record of 21-27, 4.66.  His last ML season was 2006 and he last appeared in pro ball in 2008 at the Advanced A level in the Minnesota Twins system.  Ledee had appeared in 192 ML games over 3 seasons prior to the trade batting .258 with 17 HR and 83 RBI in 520 at bats.  Less than a month after the trade he was traded again, to Texas.  His ML career lasted 10 seasons ending in 2007 when he batted .222 in 36 at bats for the Mets, his last season in pro ball.  Westbrook had made his ML debut with the Yankees prior to the trade, totaling 6 2/3 innings.  He both started and relieved for Cleveland becoming a mainstay in their rotation when he made 30 starts which included 5 complete games in 2004.  He has battled injuries, making only 5 starts in ‘08 and none in ‘09.  As he tries to regain his health and return to the Indians rotation his career mark stands at 63-64, 4.31.  During Westbrook’s tenure the Indians have made the post season twice, and he appeared for them in the 2007 AL playoffs.

Ugueth Urbina

21.  July 11, 2003 - The Texas Rangers traded P Ugueth Urbina to the Florida Marlins for OF Will Smith, P Ryan Snare and 1B Adrian Gonzalez.  Perhaps I’m stretching the definition of a star a bit to accommodate Urbina but heck Heathcliff Slocumb made the cut and if you’ll notice the date it’s been over 3 years since our last star for prospects trade so I’m getting a bit antsy.  Urbina was a 2 time All-Star in his 9th ML season who at the time of this trade had exactly 200 career saves including 26 for the season and had eclipsed the 34 save mark in 3 previous seasons.  He saved 6 more after the trade in the regular season and had 4 post season saves en route to the 2003 World Championship.  His career ended after the 2005 season, his 11th, and he retired with 237 career saves.

Smith never made it to the majors and was out of professional baseball after spending ‘07-’08 in an independent league.  Snare’s major league career consisted of 3 1/3 innings for Texas in 2004.  His 6 season professional career ended following a stint with Kansas City’s AA team in 2006.  Gonzalez you are probably more familiar with.  He reached the majors for a cup of coffee in 2004 then had a slightly larger cup in 2005 before Texas traded him to San Diego January 6, 2006.  As a 24 year old he became the Padres starting 1B in 2006 and has averaged 32 HR and 100 RBI in his 4 seasons there to go with his .285 career batting average, 2 All-Star appearances and 2 Gold Gloves.

Armando Benitez

22.  July 16, 2003 - The New York Mets traded P Armando Benitez to the New York Yankees for P Ryan Bicondoa, P Jason Anderson and P Anderson Garcia.  With the star bar set low by Slocumb and Urbina, Benitez sneaks in.  In his 10th ML season at the time of the trade, 1 time All-Star Benitez had a career total of 197 saves including 21 that season.  He had appeared in 4 post seasons and been a part of the 2000 NL Pennant winning Mets.  He pitched in a lesser role for the ‘03 Yankees and helped them to the post season with a 1.93 ERA but did not pitch for them in the post season as they lost the World Series.  Benitez’ 15th and final season in the majors was 2008 with Toronto, and he pitched at the AAA level for Houston in 2009.  He has 289 career saves good for 23rd all time, 6th most among technically active players.

Bicondoa never made it to the majors and was out of pro baseball after 2008.  The last 2 of his 7 pro seasons were spent in independent leagues.  Prior to the trade Anderson had appeared in 22 MLB games for the Yankees all in relief.  He appeared in 6 for the Mets and had an ERA of 5.06 in 10 2/3 innings before being waived April 8, 2004.  His 3rd and final ML season was 2005 and he spent it back with the Yankees.  He is still in professional baseball having spent the last 4 seasons primarily moving back and forth between AA & AAA in the minor league system of the Phillies.  Garcia’s major league career consisted of 1 appearance of 2/3 of an inning in 2007 for the Phillies.  2008 was Garcia’s last in pro ball and he spent that splitting time between the Advanced A and AA teams of the Seattle Mariners.

Robin Ventura

23.  July 31, 2003 - The New York Yankees traded 3B Robin Ventura to the Los Angeles Dodgers for OF Bubba Crosby and P Scott Proctor.  Ventura was in his 15th ML season at the time of the trade.  The 2 time All-Star and 6 time Gold Glove winner had with the exception of an injury marred 1997 averaged 24 HR and 92 RBI for the 11 seasons prior to the trade.  He had made 4 post season appearances including the 2000 NL Pennant.  In 2004, his final ML season he helped the Dodgers reach the post season.  His 132 career intentional walks rank 59th all time.

Crosby had 1 hit in 12 career MLB at bats before the trade.  He was out of MLB after the 2006 season after a career total of 250 at bats over 4 seasons.  His last professional season was 2007 which he spent with the AAA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.  Proctor made his ML debut in 2004 and by 2006 had become Joe Torre’s go-to guy out of the bullpen, leading the league with 83 relief appearances in 2006.  He made 52 appearances in ‘07 before being traded to Los Angeles for whom he made another 31, giving him back-to-back seasons with 83 relief appearances.  Determined to destroy Proctor, Torre left New York and took over as skipper of the Dodgers, subjecting Proctor to 33 appearances through June 21 in 2008 when he finally succumbed to the abuse and began a 2 1/2 month stint on the disabled list.  Proctor returned from the DL in early September and Torre thrust him into 8 more games before Proctor was re-injured and he missed all of 2009.

Brian Giles

24.  August 26, 2003 - The Pittsburgh Pirates traded OF Brian Giles to the San Diego Padres for P Cory Stewart, P Oliver Perez and OF Jason Bay.  Giles was in his 9th ML season at the time of the trade.  He was a 2 time All-Star who had received MVP votes every season from 1999-2002 inclusive during which time he averaged 37 HR, 109 RBI and 10 SB to go with his .309 batting average.  Giles has been with the Padres since then.  His power slowly evaporated but he helped the Padres to unprecedented back-to-back post season appearances in ‘05 & ‘06, leading the league in walks with 119 in 2005.  He currently ranks 60th in the history of MLB in total bases-on-balls and 59th in career OBP with an even .400 mark.

Stewart never reached the major leagues and was out of pro ball after his 6th minor league season in 2005.  Perez joined the Peace Corps in 2008 eschewing a 3 year, $36 million offer from the New York Mets and hasn’t been heard from since.  We wish.  The enigmatic Perez currently pitches for the Mets and after 8 ML seasons has a career mark of 58-64, 4.54 and 2 years to go on that contract.  Prior to the trade Bay had 2 hits, a double and a homer, in 8 career ML at bats.  In 2004 Bay won NL Rookie of the Year honors establishing himself as an everyday OF and has been one since for the Pirates, Red Sox and now the Mets who hope the trend continues.  Bay has won a Silver Slugger award, is a 3 time All-Star and 3 time MVP vote receiver.

Billy Wagner

25.  November 3, 2003 - The Houston Astros traded P Billy Wagner to the Philadelphia Phillies for P Ezequiel Astacio, P Taylor Buchholz and P Brandon Duckworth.  Wagner was in the 9th season of his ML career at the time of the trade.  He was a 3 time All-Star and had received MVP votes in 1999 when he won the NL Rolaids Relief Man award.  He was coming off a 44 save season and had at least 30 saves in 5 of his previous 6 seasons.  With the Astros he had taken part in 4 post seasons.  He spent 2 seasons with the Phillies saving a total of 59 games and making another All-Star appearance before leaving via free agency after 2005.  The Phillies did not make the post season during his stay.  As of the end of 2009 Wagner is still going, has appeared in 2 more post seasons and has a total of 385 career saves good for 6th all time.

Astacio made his ML debut with Houston in 2005.  He last appeared in the majors in 2006 and his career mark is 5-6, 6.02 in 28 games, 14 starts.  In 2009 Astacio threw 7 innings over 3 appearances to a 10.29 ERA for the Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate.  Buchholz made his ML debut for Houston in 2006, making 19 starts among 22 appearances for a record of 6-10, 5.89.  The Phillies traded him December 12, 2006 to the Colorado Rockies for whom he still pitches.  He missed the entire 2009 season due to injury and his current ML career record stands at 18-21, 4.42.  Having been in the majors for 3 seasons prior Duckworth’s inclusion in this trade makes it a borderline candidate for consideration similar to Chris James’ presence in trade # 1 in this series and you may discard it if you wish.  Ultimately I included this deal because I felt in my opinion that like James prior to the trade, Duckworth’s presence in the majors was hardly clear cut.  At this time he had a 15-18, 4.87 record in 65 games, 58 starts and had spent time in the minors in both 2001 & 2003.  His 2 seasons with Houston after the trade also included time in the minor leagues and his ML record with Houston was 1-3, 8.08 in 26 games, 8 starts.  He left Houston as a free agent following the 2005 season and last pitched in the majors for Kansas City in 2008.  He spent 2009 in the starting rotation of Kansas City’s AAA affiliate.  The Astros made the post season in both 2004 & 2005 and Astacio did participate in ‘05.

Curt Schilling

26.  November 28, 2003 - The Arizona Diamondbacks traded P Curt Schilling to the Boston Red Sox for OF Mike Goss, P Casey Fossum, P Brandon Lyon and P Jorge de la Rosa.  Schilling was in his 16th ML season at the time of the trade.  He had been a 5 time All-Star and had received both Cy Young and MVP votes in 3 different seasons.  He was a 2 time 20 game winner who had struck out over 300 batters in a season 3 times and had a 4th season in which he came up 7 K’s short of that mark.  His career mark was 163-117, 3.33, his K/BB ratio an excellent 4.22-1 and he had made 3 post season appearances including the 2001 World Championship.  His 1st season in Boston the Red Sox ended an 86 year drought with a World Series title and in 2007, his 20th and final season in the majors Boston won another title.  He retired with a record of 216-146, 3.46, 20 career shutouts and his career mark of 8.6 K/9 ranks 15th all time.

Goss never made it to the majors.  He spent 7 seasons in the minors never making it above AA and his last 4 seasons were spent in various independent leagues.  Fossum had spent the 3 seasons prior to the trade shuttling back and forth between Boston and the minor leagues.  His ML career mark at the time was 14-11, 4.42 in 75 games, 33 starts.  He is still in professional ball but the only 2 seasons he has not spent any time in the minors were 2005-2006 which he spent with the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays which at that time were considered by many to be an extension of the minor leagues.  Through 9 ML seasons his career mark stands at 40-53, 5.45.  Like Fossum, Lyon had spent the 3 seasons prior to the trade moving between the minors and majors.  At the time of the trade he was 10-14, 4.99 in 75 games, 21 starts.  He spent 5 seasons in Arizona but missed all of 2004 due to injury.  In 2008 he was the Diamondbacks‘ primary closer making 26 saves.  He left Arizona via free agency after 2008 and his record for them was 11-15, 4.03 with 42 saves overall.  In 2009 he was a mainstay in the Detroit Tigers bullpen in a set up role.  At the time of the trade de la Rosa had not yet appeared in the majors and he never would for Arizona as they traded him again 3 days later to the Milwaukee Brewers in a 9 player swap.  He made his ML debut for the Brewers in 2004 and went 4-7, 6.23 for them over the next 2 1/2 seasons in 61 games, 8 starts until they traded him to Kansas City who after 1 1/2 years traded him to Colorado where he seems to have found a home going 26-17, 4.60 as a regular in their starting rotation the last 2 seasons.

That brings us to the end of the series.  While some of the traded stars elicited decent returns, more often they brought back at best marginal major leaguers and at worst players that never made it above AA.  So it seems based on these examples the chance of getting a solid return for trading a star is not great, getting a star back is incredibly unlikely, and holding onto them either for the purpose of attempting to re-tool around them or to gather extra draft picks when they leave via free agency looks like a better course of action at least to this observer.

Some may wonder why the Roberto Alomar to the Mets or Bartolo Colon to the Expos trades are not here.  My stated goal here was to look at trades that included returns for the stars that were not “established major league talent” and while I admitted along the way to skirting that by including Chris James and Brandon Duckworth in trades # 1 and 25 respectively, I couldn’t bring myself to treat Matt Lawton (a 7 year vet and 5 year starting OF in the Alomar deal) and Lee Stevens (a 10 year vet and 5 year starting 1B in the Colon deal) with the same lack of respect I showed to James and Duckworth.

Perhaps if we’re all still here doing this little thing in 2015 I’ll take a look at the similar trades made in the 2005-2009 period.  Until then, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!

Easy Stars

This is Part 2 of a series, the trades are chronological and are numbered from the start of Part 1

David Cone

10.  April 6, 1995 - The Kansas City Royals traded P David Cone to the Toronto Blue Jays for P David Sinnes, MI Tony Medrano and UT Chris Stynes.   If you didn’t agree that David Cone was a star by the time of trade # 4, surely he was one now having won the 1994 Cy Young.  You may see his other accomplishments in Part 1, trade # 4.

Sinnes never reached the majors and was out of professional ball following the 1995 season which he spent with the Advanced A team of the Royals.  Medrano also never reached the majors but stuck around for 14 minor league seasons, leaving after 7 consecutive seasons in AAA ended with a 2006 stint with the AAA club of the Washington Nationals.  Stynes played in 58 games over 2 seasons with the Royals, then was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on July 15, 1997.  He wound up playing in 828 games over 10 major league seasons with 6 teams, his last season being 2004 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rick Aguilera

11.  July 6, 1995 - The Minnesota Twins traded P Rick Aguilera to the Boston Red Sox for P Frankie Rodriguez and someone named J.J. Johnson who does not exist in baseball-reference.com’s database so I can’t share anything with you about him.  Aguilera was in his 11th season at the time of the trade.  He was a 3 time All-Star and 2 time World Champion who had made the career transition from starter to long reliever to closer and amassed 191 saves before being sent to Boston.  He helped the Red Sox to the post season that year but did not play and they lost the ALDS.  He left the Red Sox via free agency at the end of that season and returned to the Twins.  He finished his career after 2000 having pitched in 16 seasons, and left with a record of 86-81, 3.57 and 318 saves which is 15th all time.

Rodriguez had pitched a career total of 15 1/3 innings in the majors prior to the trade.  He stayed with Minnesota until May 26, 1999 when he was waived and claimed by the Seattle Mariners.  His 7 ML seasons concluded with 2001 when he pitched 7 games for the Cincinnati Reds with no record and an ERA of 11.42.  Overall he went 29-39, 5.53.  After a 6 year absence from pro ball he pitched briefly for Newark of the independent Atlantic League in 2008.  The Twins did not make the post season during his tenure.

Bobby Bonilla

12.  July 28, 1995 - The New York Mets traded OF Bobby Bonilla to the Baltimore Orioles for OF Damon Buford and OF Alex Ochoa.  Bonilla was in his 10th ML season at the time of the trade.  He was a 5 time All-Star and 3 time Silver Slugger who had averaged 21 HR and 83 RBI per season to that point.  For his career he played in 16 seasons and made it to the post season 5 times including a World Series championship in 1997 with the Florida Marlins with whom he signed after leaving the Orioles via free agency following 1996, but not in 1995.

Buford had 113 total ML at bats over parts of 3 seasons before joining the Mets.  He hit .235 in 136 at bats for the Mets and they traded him to the Texas Rangers on January 25, 1996.  The last of his 9 ML seasons was 2001 with the Chicago Cubs for whom he hit .176 in 85 at bats.  His last pro season was 2003 with the AAA team of the Montreal Expos.  Ochoa made his ML debut for the Mets in 1995 and he hit .273 with 7 HR and 55 RBI in 557 at bats over 3 seasons until he was traded to the Minnesota Twins on December 12, 1997.  The last of his 8 ML seasons was 2002 which he split between the Milwaukee Brewers and the then Anaheim Angels.  After 4 years away he briefly attempted a comeback in 2007 with the Boston Red Sox AAA team but hit just .138 in 87 at bats.  The Mets did not make the post season during their tenure.

David Cone

13.  July 28, 1995 - The Toronto Blue Jays traded, you guessed it, P David Cone to the New York Yankees for P Marty Janzen, P Jason Jarvis and P Mike Gordon.  Cone you’re familiar with by now.

Janzen made his ML debut with Toronto in 1996 and was out of the majors after 1997.  His career numbers are 6-7, 6.39 in 27 games, 11 of which were starts.  He continued to plug away in the minors, playing a total of 13 career minor league seasons the last of which was 2005 which he spent with 4 different teams in 2 different independent leagues.  Jarvis never reached the majors and was out of pro ball following the 1997 season which he spent with Toronto’s AA club.  Gordon also never reached the majors and his career ended following the 1999 season which he spent with the Milwaukee Brewers‘ AA club.

Bret Saberhagen

14.  July 31, 1995 - The New York Mets traded P Bret Saberhagen to the Colorado Rockies for P Arnold Gooch and P Juan Acevedo.  Saberhagen  was in his 12th ML season at the time of the trade.  He was a 3 time All-Star, Gold Glove winner and had won 2 Cy Young awards taking the AL nod in both 1985 and 1989.  His record was 139-99, 3.19 and his K/BB ratio was a fantastic 3.63 to 1.  He had been in the post season twice winning a World Series with the 1985 Kansas City Royals.  He left the Rockies via free agency after the 1996 season.  He wound up pitching 16 ML seasons and finished with a 167-117, 3.34 record.  He made the post season a total of 5 times including an NLDS appearance with the ‘95 Rockies.

Gooch is not listed in baseball-reference.com’s database but in the Mets system he never made it above AA and was no longer in their system after 1998.  Acevedo had made his ML debut for the Rockies prior to the trade in ‘95 and was 4-6, 6.44 in 17 games, 11 starts when the Mets acquired him.  He returned to MLB with the Mets in 1997 and went 3-1, 3.95 for them that year in 25 games, 2 starts.  March 28, 1998 he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.  He wound up pitching in all or part of 8 ML seasons, his last 2003 which he split between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees.  His total career numbers are 28-40, 4.33.  As of the conclusion of the 2009 season Acevedo was still pitching professionally having spent the last 5 seasons at the AAA level in the Mexican League.

Heathcliff Slocumb

15.  July 31, 1997 - The Boston Red Sox traded P Heathcliff Slocumb to the Seattle Mariners for P Derek Lowe and C Jason Varitek.  Slocumb hardly qualifies as a star with his 1 All-Star game appearance, but the closer did register 32 and 31 saves respectively the two full seasons prior to the trade and had 17 at the time he was dealt and by now I’m pretty desperate to show some return for trading established major leaguers for unproven minor leaguers.  This trade shows it’s possible.  Slocumb saved 10 games down the stretch for the Mariners and helped them to a post season appearance.  He left the Mariners via free agency after the ‘98 season and left pro ball following the 2000 season.

Lowe had made his ML debut in ‘97, going 2-4, 6.96 in 12 games, 9 starts for Seattle.  Since the trade he has had a 21 win season and a 42 save season which coincided with his 2 All-Star appearances.  Varitek had yet to make his MLB debut and was with Seattle’s AAA club at the time.  Boston called him up late in the ‘97 season and he never looked back, returning to the minors only for injury rehab in 2006.  Varitek made 3 All-Star games, won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award.  Both he and Lowe are still plugging away in the majors 13 years later.  With Lowe and Varitek the Red Sox made the post season 4 times including their 2004 World Series title.  Lowe has since been to the post season twice more with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Varitek 3 more times with the Red Sox including their 2007 championship.

Pedro Martinez

16.  November 18, 1997 - The Montreal Expos traded P Pedro Martinez to the Boston Red Sox for P Carl Pavano and P Tony Armas, Jr.  At the time of the trade Martinez was in his 6th ML season and was a 2 time All-Star coming off an NL Cy Young award winning season in which he won 17 games and had an ERA of 1.90(!). Martinez won the first of his 3 AL Cy Young awards in ‘98 leading the Red Sox to the post season.  With them he returned there 3 more times culminating with the 2004 World Championship.  He left the Red Sox via free agency following that season and still pitches today or so they tell me.

Pavano made his ML debut for the Expos in ‘98.  He appeared in 81 games for them over 5 seasons with a record of 24-35 before being traded to the Florida Marlins July 11, 2002.  The Expos did not make the post season during his tenure.  The Marlins helped him get a World Series ring in 2003.  He has completed 11 ML seasons and has a record of 80-78, 4.44.  Armas Jr. made his ML debut in ‘99 for the Expos.  Over 8 seasons he made 151 starts for the Expos to a record of 48-60, 4.45.  After the 2006 season he left the now Washington Nationals via free agency.  He last pitched in the majors in 2008 and finished the 2009 season in AAA.  The Expos/Nationals did not make the post season during their tenure.

Chuck Knoblauch

17.  February 6, 1998 - The Minnesota Twins traded 2B Chuck Knoblauch to the New York Yankees for OF Brian Buchanan, SS Christian Guzman, P Eric Milton and P Danny Mota.  At the time of the trade Knoblauch had won the 1991 AL Rookie of the Year award and was a 4 time All-Star, 2 time Silver Slugger and 1 time Gold Glove winner and a 1991 World Series champion.  In each of the 4 seasons he spent with the Yankees Knoblauch made it to the post season with 4 AL Pennants and 3 World Championships.  He left the Yankees following the 2001 season via free agency and left professional ball after the 2002 season.

Buchanan made his ML debut for the Twins in 2000 and filled the role of back up OF with them until his trade July 12, 2002 to the San Diego Padres.  He never made it to the post season with the Twins or any other club and was last seen in the majors in 2004.  He has spent the last 2 seasons with the Kansas City Royals AAA club.  Guzman made his ML debut in ‘99 and spent 6 seasons with the Twins as their starting SS making 1 All-Star appearance and 3 post season but no World Series appearances.  He spent 2009 as the primary SS for the Washington Nationals.  Milton made his ML debut for the Twins in ‘98 and spent 6 seasons as a regular member of their starting rotation, making 1 All-Star and 2 post season appearances and compiling a 57-51, 4.76 record.  He spent part of 2009 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and part with their AAA affiliate.  Mota made his ML debut in 2002 and his entire ML career consists of that season’s 5 1/3 innings pitched.  He left professional ball after spending 2001 with 2 AAA teams.

Mike Piazza

18.  May 22, 1998 - The Florida Marlins traded C Mike Piazza to the New York Mets for P Geoff Goetz, OF Preston Wilson and P Ed Yarnall.  At the time of the trade Piazza was in his 7th ML season and had been the ‘93 NL Rookie of the Year and was a 5 time All-Star and Silver Slugger award winner who had made 2 post season appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Piazza spent 8 seasons with the Mets and appeared in 2 post seasons with them including 1 NL Pennant.  He made 6 more All-Star appearances and won 4 more Silver Slugger awards.  He left professional ball following the 2007 season having made 1 more post season appearance with the San Diego Padres.

Goetz shot some kids he said had threatened him with a screwdriver on the NYC subway.  Just kidding.  He never made the majors.  In 9 minor league seasons he never made it above AA ball and left baseball after 2006 following 2 seasons in independent leagues.  Wilson had 20 ML at bats before the trade.  He made the majors full time in ‘99 and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year balloting.  He spent 4 seasons as a starting OF for the Marlins averaging 26 HR, 82 RBI and 22 SB per season but did not appear in the post season with them.  He made 1 post season garnering a World Series ring with the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals.  His last season in the majors was 2007 but it has been written recently that he is looking to make a comeback at age 35.  Yarnall’s major league career consisted of 2 brief stints with the New York Yankees in ‘99 and 2000 for whom he pitched a total of 20 innings.  His last appearance in pro ball was with Long Island of the independent Atlantic League in 2007.

Randy Johnson

19.  July 31, 1998 - The Seattle Mariners traded P Randy Johnson to the Houston Astros for P Freddy Garcia, SS Carlos Guillen and P John Halama.  At the time of the trade Randy Big Unit Johnson was in his 10th ML season.  He was a 5 time All-Star and the 1995 AL Cy Young award winner for his 18-2, 2.48 season.  He had made 2 post season appearances with the Mariners.  After the trade he went 10-1, 1.28 in 11 starts to lead the Astros to a post season berth.  He left the Astros following the ‘98 season and as of the end of 2009 is a 303 game winner, 10 time All-Star and 5 time Cy Young award winner in 22 ML seasons.  He has 8 post season appearances including the 2001 World Championship.

Garcia made his ML debut for Seattle in ‘99 and finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting with his 17-9, 4.07 season.  Garcia made 2 All-Star and 2 post season appearances for Seattle compiling a 76-50, 3.89 record for them over 6 seasons until he was traded June 27, 2004 to the Chicago White Sox.  As of the end of 2009 his lifetime record is 121-81, 4.08.  Guillen made his ML debut for Seattle in ‘98 and became their full time SS in 2001.  He spent 6 years with the club until his trade to the Detroit Tigers January 8, 2004.  As of the end of 2009 Guillen was still a member of the Tigers and has made 1 post season appearance with them, an AL Pennant in 2006.  Halama had pitched 32 1/3 ML innings for the Astros in ‘98 prior to the trade.  He spent 4 years with the Mariners as a starter and reliever compiling a 41-31, 4.46 record before leaving via free agency following 2002.  His last season in MLB was his 9th, 2006.  He has continued to pitch professionally spending 2009 with the Atlanta Braves AAA club.

This concludes Part 2.  Part 3 may make an appearance early next week and if it does it will cover 2000-2004 and be the final part of the series.