Baseball's Most Memorable Trades
Superstars Swapped, All-stars Copped, and Megadeals that Flopped
Description:... Trades are as much a part of baseball lore as peanuts and pinstripes. From the card swapping of youngsters to the wheeling and dealing of crafty general managers, players have been on the trading block as long as they've been in the batter's box. Some deals are loved by fans; others make them wince. One thing is certain--baseball has seen its fair share of one-sided trades.
Babe Ruth, perhaps the greatest slugger ever, was sold by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $100,000 in 1919. The Yankees built a dynasty around Ruth; on the other hand, the cursed Red Sox have yet to win another World Series title.
A few years after winning the National League's Most Valuable Player award in 1961, Cincinnati's Frank Robinson was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles in 1965 for three no-name players. The next year, the future Hall-of-Famer captured the elusive Triple Crown and became the only player ever to capture the mvp in both leagues.
The Ruth and Robinson steals are two of the 25 most memorable big league trades explored in this work. Using newspaper stories, wire service accounts, interviews with the principals, and other reference sources, the authors analyze the impact of such trades on the teams involved and on the overall game. The careers of the players involved are also compared.
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