Not one, but two trades involving big-name starting pitchers have taken place on November 28th in the not-too-distant past. Let's review…
- The Rays and Twins completed a six-player swap on this date in 2007. Tampa received Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Eddie Morlan while Minnesota received Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie. The move looked like a steal for the Rays initially, especially after Garza and Barlett helped their new team to its first World Series in 2008, but Young started to even things out with a big season in 2010.
- While that was going on, the Reds signed Francisco Cordero to a four-year, $46MM contract on the same day. He's pitched to a 3.13 ERA with 113 saves in his three seasons in Cincinnati, helping get the team back to the playoffs this year.
- Four years earlier, the Red Sox acquired Curt Schilling from the Diamondbacks for Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, Jorge de la Rosa, and minor leaguer Michael Gross. Schilling helped Boston to World Championships in 2004 and 2007, and other than Lyon (4.03 ERA in 232 IP), Arizona didn't get much out of this trade.
- The Astros dealt Pete Harnisch to the Mets for two players to be named later on this date back in 1994. Harnish pitched to a 4.33 ERA in two-plus seasons in New York while neither of the players Houston received, righties Juan Castillo and Todd Beckerman, played in the big leagues after the trade.
- The Mariners signed a young slugger out of the Dominican Republic by name of David Arias in 1992, and eventually traded him to the Twins four years later. Seattle had incorrectly listed his name after signing him, but everyone knows him by his nickname now: Big Papi.
- Some other players involved in transactions on this date: Chad Bradford, Adam Kennedy, Randy Wolf, Gregg Zaun, Rickey Henderson, and Dennis Eckersley.
David Arias is the man. I googled him and he reminds me of this guy named David Ortiz…Fun how he and Arias have the same nickname, Big Papi.
Wait
This is a mixup between Ortiz’s patronymic surname (Ortiz) and matronymic (Arias). I suspect that seattle had it reversed, and then it was corrected.
It is more likely that Axisa simply does not understand how Latino surnames work.
I was making a joke, but imagine how the Mariners must have felt after seeing him 8 or so years later hit a trillion home runs at Fenway.
Oh, indeed, your joke made me guffaw. Someone in the seattle organization ought to have been fired.
“David Ortiz is like JESUS! He’s with you when you need him. He puts you on his back and CARRIES YOU!” – Crazed Red Sox Fan, 10/19/04
Yes…usually when something like that happens, someone gets fired.
Like that Schilling trade to the Red Sox purely to spite the Yankees.
Thankfully, it looks like people have learned their lesson in that regard.
Like that Schilling trade to the Red Sox purely to spite the Yankees.
Thankfully, it looks like people have learned their lesson in that regard.
How about what the Twins must of felt after they tried to turn him into an opposite field hitter.
and then non-tendered him…My goodness.
Kinda proves that some players will thrive or suffer under certain coaching staffs. In Minnesota he was taught to bunt and to hit to the opposite field… coaches in Boston take one look at him and say “Swing away.”
See Jose Bautista as another example
I’m well aware of how they work. Seattle made the error, not me.
So let me get this straight, this David Arias had pretty good power, then transformed into David Ortiz, who still had pretty good power in Minnesota, then hit 50+ home runs regularly once in Boston. Man, it’s like magic, isn’t it? Wonder how it was done. 🙂
It’s interesting how those things happen. I love those kind of stories though. There are many players who have those kind of late bloomer stories. It’s really interesting isn’t it?
I think he was referring to roids.
Really? Oops.
That’s Okay, You can’t read Sarcasm through a computer.
Also, stupid Chuck and Howie. You’ve screwed over our Org. for over a decade. Really need to be fired.
Usually I’m pretty good. I just wasn’t prepared for the joke haha
Going back even further, 33 years ago today, the Twins traded Mudcat Grant and Zoilo Versalles to the Dodgers for John Roseboro, Bob Miller and Ron Perranoski. Perranoski led the AL in saves 2 of the following three years.
1967, that’s 43 years.
Delmon Young’s “big season” consisted of hitting .306/.345/.482 as a poor defensive left fielder. He compiled a little over two wins above replacement, placing him as an average player. Congrats, Minnesota!
If it wasn’t for his fielding, he’d have (acording to Baseball-Reference) 5.0 WAR w/ Twins. Kinda sucks thou, he’s too young to really be full-time DH. Hopefully they can work on his fielding.
Ortiz was literally a player to be named later.