Major League Baseball

Sweet deals

Published Oct. 18, 2010 10:12 p.m. ET

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Books have been written about the art of the deal, the ability to master an inexact science. In baseball, trades carry special meaning. They can change the fortunes of a franchise, sometimes expectedly, sometimes serendipitously. They can bring short-term satisfaction and long-term pain. They can cause grief in the immediate aftermath but relief in the years ahead.

Below is a list of the best midseason acquisitions, judged on the impact in the season the deal was consummated. The players who were obtained made a significant impact in the months that followed their trades, putting up impressive numbers and leading their teams to the postseason.

10 BEST MIDSEASON TRADES

Doyle Alexander

to Tigers

10Doyle Alexander traded from Atlanta Braves to Detroit Tigers for John Smoltz in August 1987

This is now seen as one of the worst trades in baseball history. John Smoltz, after all, went on to win 213 games, amass 154 saves and collect one Cy Young Award in 21 seasons. But in the prism of the 1987 season, it was seen as a brilliant move by the Tigers. After being dealt by the Braves, Alexander went 9-0 in 11 starts and posted a 1.53 ERA. The Tigers, meanwhile, won 98 games and made the playoffs before losing to the Twins in the ALCS. Based on those numbers, who would have guessed that two years later Alexander would lead the AL with 18 losses and promptly retire? Who could have foreseen that the man traded for Alexander would have such a productive career? If the two players were equated with stocks, Alexander would have been Enron and Smoltz IBM.

Manny Ramirez

to Dodgers

9Mannny Ramirez traded to Los Angeles Dodgers in three-team, six-player deal with Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates in July 2008

The Dodgers proved to be the beneficiary of the dysfunctional and deteriorating relationship between Ramirez and the Red Sox, who gladly backed the moving van up and unloaded its unhappy superstar at Chavez Ravine. In a new setting, Ramirez thrived. He batted .396 and hit 17 home runs in 53 games, doing so while still being paid by the Red Sox. Yes, the Dodgers enjoyed homers for nothing and RBIs for free. They won their division and advanced to the NLCS, where they lost to the Phillies. Things soured a bit the next season when Ramirez was suspended 50 games for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy. This past summer, the Dodgers and Ramirez broke it off as the White Sox claimed the dreadlocked slugger off waivers.

Randy Johnson

to Astros

8 Randy Johnson traded from Seattle Mariners to Houston Astros for Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen and John Halama in July 1998

Shortly after the Big Unit was charged up for the first time in energy-rich Houston, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with a blurb that read: "The stunning trade for Randy Johnson could put the Astros in their first World Series." Not quite. Houston, which was in first place in the NL Central Division at the time of the trade, flamed out like a supernova in the first round of the playoffs against the San Diego Padres. But in the final two months of the regular season, Johnson was electrifying, going 10-1 with a 1.28 ERA in 11 starts as he awaited free agency. By late October, Houston's rental agreement with Johnson had expired and not long thereafter the flame-throwing lefty signed with the Diamondbacks.

David Cone to Yankees

7 David Cone (pictured left) traded from Toronto Blue Jays to New York Yankees for Jason Jarvis, Mike Gordon and Marty Janzen in July 1995

Trading within the division is usually ill-advised. Waking up a sleeping giant is pretty foolish, too. The Blue Jays managed to do both when they let Cone go to the Yankees. At the time of the deal, the Yankees were 41-42 and seemed destined to miss the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season. But their trajectory changed with Cone's arrival as they vaulted into contention. In the final months, including the playoffs, Cone went 10-2 and emerged as the team's workhorse, throwing an average of 127 pitches in his 15 starts with New York. Toronto then watched in agony as the Yankees clinched the wild card at Skydome. Ouch.

Fred McGriff to Braves

6 Fred McGriff traded from San Diego Padres to Atlanta Braves for Vince Moore, Donnie Elliott and Melvin Nieves in July 1993

Never make the first or third out at third base and never trade Fred McGriff. Those are two baseball axioms that have been ignored time and time again. McGriff, a slender slugger, had a habit of being exchanged for players of lesser talent. In 1982, the Yankees sent McGriff and two other players to Toronto for Tom Dodd and Dale Murray. New York would soon regret that. But the Padres didn't learn when they sent McGriff to the Braves, who were nine games behind the Giants at the time of the trade. Upon moving east, McGriff batted .310 and blasted 19 home runs, helping the Braves overtake San Francisco and win the division. Two years later, McGriff was a major contributor when Atlanta won the World Series.

CC Sabathia to Brewers

5 CC Sabathia traded from Cleveland Indians to Milwaukee Brewers for four prospects in July 2008

In their effort to end their 26-year playoff drought, the Brewers mortgaged their future and acquired the beefy lefty. The move paid off for the Brewers in one memorable summer, when Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA, threw seven complete games and was the definition of clutch. Down the stretch, Sabathia rested only three days between starts, helping the Brewers stave off the Mets and clinch the wild card berth on the final day of the regular season when he tossed nine innings. But alas, Sabathia's time in Milwaukee was fleeting. The following off-season, he signed with the Yankees and left Bernie Brewer to drown his sorrows.

Carlos Beltran to Astros

4 Carlos Beltran traded to Astros in a deal with Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics involving five players and cash in June 2004

With the hapless Royals, Carlos Beltran was on the periphery of the baseball landscape, putting up big numbers on a team always out of contention. That changed six years ago, when Beltran was shipped to Houston, which was in fourth place in the NL Central when the deal was consummated. The gifted switch hitter immediately provided a jolt, hitting 23 home runs in 90 games as the Astros entered a new stratosphere. They won 36 of their final 46 games to claim the wild card. Then Beltran hit .435 with eight home runs as the Astros advanced to the NLCS, where they lost to the Cardinals in seven games. Months later, the New York Mets rewarded Beltran with a handsome contract.

Cliff Lee

to Rangers

3 Cliff Lee traded with Mark Lowe and cash to Rangers for Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke, Matthew Lawson and Justin Smoak in July 2010

At the time the deal went down, the Rangers were in first place and the franchise was in the throes of bankruptcy hearings. No one knew what to make of the situation. But everybody liked the idea of acquiring Cliff Lee, the unflappable lefty with a remarkable track record in big games. He was the key piece of a July 2009 trade going from the Indians to the Phillies, where he was 4-0 in the playoffs. It didn't matter that Lee went 4-6 with a 3.98 ERA in 15 regular-season starts. All he had to do was deliver in the postseason. Lee went 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA against Tampa Bay in the division series, pitching all nine innings in the fifth and final game as the Rangers made history and advanced to the ALCS for the first time. In short, Lee did what he was brought here to do.

Rick Sutcliffe

to Cubs

2 Rick Sutcliffe and two players traded from Cleveland Indians to Chicago Cubs for Darryl Banks, Joe Carter, Mel Hall and Don Schulze in June 1984

Years before they would watch CC Sabathia experience a remarkable revival after trading him, the Indians would witness the same transformation unfold with Sutcliffe. Like Sabathia, Sutcliffe had a losing record when he was dealt, and it would have been impossible for the Indians to predict the bearded pitcher would win the Cy Young Award at the end of the year. But that's exactly what happened. Sutcliffe went 16-1 with the Cubs in 20 starts, and because it was the Cubs, it seemed too good to be true. It was. In the fifth and final game of the NLCS, Sutcliffe was on the mound against the Padres with a chance to go to the World Series. He was staked with a 3-0 lead as late as the sixth inning, but then proceeded to give up six runs as the Cubs lost. The dream season was over.

Lou Brock

to Cardinals

1 Lou Brock traded with two players from Chicago Cubs to St. Louis Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens and Bobby Shantz in June 1964

Depending on allegiances, this is either the best or worst trade ever. Cardinals fans love it. Cubs supporters hate it. But both sides can agree one thing: The Cubs got fleeced. At the time of the trade, Brock was a .257 hitter who had yet to become a terror on the basepaths. But soon after arriving in St. Louis, something changed. That season, he batted .348 with the Cardinals, who seized the National League pennant when the Phillies collapsed in the final weeks. Then, the Cardinals defeated the Yankees in seven games to win the World Series as Brock hit .300 with one home run. Brock would become a fixture in the Cardinals lineup, establishing season and career records for stolen bases while forging a career worthy of the Hall of Fame. The Cubs, meanwhile, live with regret.

CHAT during Game 3 of the Rangers-Yankees

American League Championship series at 6:30 p.m. today.

SportsDayDFW.com

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