Carl Everett may not believe in dinosaurs. Carl Everett may not believe in the moon landing. But Carl Everett can't dispute this: he has been traded many, many times.
Everett had a reputation for being a difficult teammate, but the teams that traded him always got value in return. Let's take a look at every deal from the Jurassic Carl period.
Everett was actually a first-round pick of the New York Yankees back in 1990. After some uninspired seasons in the low minors, the Marlins took Everett in the 1992 expansion draft. In 1993-94, he managed just a .515 OPS over 74 plate appearances with Florida, so the stage was set for his first trade: the Marlins sent him to the Mets on November 29, 1994 for second baseman Quilvio Veras.
Veras promptly led the National League in steals (and in caught stealing) for Florida in 1995 while compiling a .261/.384/.373 line at second base. Everett had his best Mets season in 1995; he hit .260/.352/.436 that year before injuries slowed him down in 1996 and 1997.
Finally, the Mets decided to cut bait, dealing Everett to the Houston Astros on December 22, 1997 for reliever John Hudek. Hudek posted a 4.00 ERA in half a season and helped the Mets acquire supersub Lenny Harris, but Everett became a star for the Astros immediately. He hit .296/.359/.482 in 1998, then had arguably his best year in 1999: .325/.398/.571.
Despite this dominance, the Astros unloaded Everett on the Boston Red Sox on December 14, 1999, getting Greg Miller and Adam Everett in return. While the latter went on to some magical years in the field for Houston, Jurassic Carl continued to produce at the plate for Boston. He hit .300/.373/.587 in 2000, though his production dropped off a bit in 2001.
That drop-off was the impetus the Red Sox needed to trade Everett, then entering his age-31 season, to Texas for Darren Oliver on December 12, 2001. Everett struggled somewhat in 2002, then had his last great Carl Everett season in 2003: .287/.366/.510. Naturally, he was traded right in the middle of it, heading to the White Sox on July 1 for Frank Francisco, Josh Rupe and Anthony Webster. Francisco, in particular, went on to success with the Rangers, saving 25 games last year and putting up a strong 55/14 K/BB ratio in his first 46.1 innings in 2010.
Everett spent a half-season in Chicago, then signed as a free agent with the Montreal Expos for the 2004 season. But the White Sox needed him back and traded for him again on July 18, 2004, giving up Gary Majewski and Jon Rauch, a pair of relievers, for the right to bring Everett back into the fold. This was part of the latter-day Everett production: .260/.319/.432 won't get it done when your outfield defense is declining and you have a reputation as a difficult teammate.
Six years later, Carl Everett is still playing baseball, hitting .276 with seven home runs for the Atlantic League's Newark Bears. Chances are, he'll never get traded again, but his Jack Of All Trades legacy is secure.
