Trades are the life blood of this website. This is the longest we’ve ever gone without one! We’re all pining for the good old days … which got me thinking about the players who have been constant fodder for MLBTR posts.
Plenty of other names have appeared on the site more often in rumors. And there are lots of players who’ve ended up moving around more often by other mechanisms. (See, e.g., Oliver Drake, the reigning king of the waiver claim.) But among those players that appeared in the majors in 2019, no man (so far as my research revealed) has matched or exceeded these five-time-traded players when it comes to being dealt …
5 (tie). Mark Melancon (5)
- Yankees to Astros (7/10)
- Astros to Red Sox (12/11)
- Red Sox to Pirates (12/12)
- Pirates to Nationals (7/16)
- Giants to Braves (7/19)
5 (tie). Drew Butera (5)
- Mets to Twins (7/07)
- Twins to Dodgers (7/13)
- Dodgers to Angels (12/14)
- Angels to Royals (5/15)
- Royals to Rockies (8/18)
5 (tie). J.A. Happ (5)
- Phillies to Astros (7/10)
- Astros to Blue Jays (7/12)
- Blue Jays to Mariners (12/14)
- Mariners to Pirates (7/15)
- Blue Jays to Yankees (7/18)
4. Tyler Clippard (6)
- Yankees to Nationals (12/07)
- Nationals to Athletics (1/15)
- Athletics to Mets (7/15)
- Diamondbacks to Yankees (7/16)
- Yankees to White Sox (7/17)
- White Sox to Astros (8/17)
2 (tie). Cameron Maybin (7)
- Tigers to Marlins (12/07)
- Marlins to Padres (11/10)
- Padres to Braves (4/15)
- Braves to Tigers (11/15)
- Tigers to Angels (11/16)
- Marlins to Mariners (7/18)
- Indians to Yankees (4/19)
2 (tie). Edwin Jackson (7)
- Dodgers to Rays (1/06)
- Rays to Tigers (12/08)
- Tigers to Diamondbacks (12/09)
- Diamondbacks to White Sox (7/10)
- White Sox to Blue Jays (7/11)
- Blue Jays to Cardinals (7/11)
- Athletics to Blue Jays (5/19)
1. Jesse Chavez (8)
- Rangers to Pirates (7/06)
- Pirates to Rays (11/09)
- Rays to Braves (12/09)
- Braves to Royals (7/10)
- Blue Jays to Athletics (8/12)
- Athletics to Blue Jays (11/15)
- Blue Jays to Dodgers (8/16)
- Rangers to Cubs (7/18)
It’s such a weird list because almost all of these guys have had really solid careers
Sometimes teams don’t feel like coughing up the money
chavez has?
A 12 year career of roughly league average pitching is absolutely solid
I mean i wouldnt call 12 yrs of 4.85 era “average”
If a quality start is 3 runs over six innings – which is open to debate – 12 years of 4.85 equals average.
As an A’s fan I’m fond of Chavez – he always left everything out there
Better than you
You bring up a good point. A quality start may be the equalent of a 4.50 ERA. The QS stat is often referred to positively; a 4.50, not quite as much.
His career average is actually 4.48 which is absolutely the definition of average. Best year of 2.55 ERA
See here year by year MLB averages. baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/pitch.shtml
That’s exactly why I think the idea of a “quality start” should be amended. If you give up 3 ER, you should have to go 7+ IP. Otherwise, it should be 2 ER or less over 6+ IP.
Although, it’s not an official stat (outside of some fantasy leagues that prefer using it over Wins), so it’s not a big deal.
$22.5M in career earnings and seven teams trading for him. It seems he’s been considered reasonably valuable.
@tward09 ERA is meaningless without context.
Look at his ERA+ over his career. It’s 93. That’s just below league average, and over 12 years that’s nothing to scoff at.
3 earned runs over 6 is a quality start but 4 over 8 isn’t. Nor is a complete game 4 runs over 9. Dumb stat for sure.
Clippard and Happ have had periods where they have been good but the rest of the guys on this list are meh, roster fillers.
Three relievers and two late inning defensive guys with Cameron having some offensive use due to his speed. Not surprising they’ve been moved a lot.
Melancon?
Why’s that weird? Why would teams trade for a player who didn’t have value?
i mean it makes sense for it to be a list of solid-but-not-spectacular players
Solid but unspectacular. They have value… but all are replaceable.
Exactly who you would expect to see on a list like this.
Solid is why they are traded so much. They’re good enough to help a team but not so ggggood that they command big money or alot of yrs, so they’re team friendly contracts. But they’re not good enough to rebuild as part of ur core, so u dont have to give up the farm or a core piece to acquire them.
Not strange at all. If they’re good, teams want them.
Clippard and Chavez make sense, have probably signed a lot of 1-year deals, have had good years on those deals and have had value in July
For some odd reason, even though I watch (or listen to) every single rangers game, I still associate Chavez with Anaheim (despite him only playing there a season). It’s so weird not seeing him and the Angels not mentioned together. He’s had a solid career, and he always plays above his stats, but being a solid (but not great) reliever, your gonna be shipped around fairly often.
Chavez is the typical Jeckel and Hyde…not ever really consistent. Lights out for a while, then suddenly looses it. Still think he is a solid reliever.
Emilio Pagan will eventually make this list.
Pagan is speedrunning his way to the top of this list
Interesting that Edwin Jackson has been with 14 teams, only six of those through trades, “Well traveled veteran.”
Edwin Jackson was good enough to throw a no-hitter at one time. Sure it took 149 pitches and included 8 walks, but still…
That’s more luck, than skill. That tells me his defense was on fire, and opponents were cold that night. Almost a walk per inning, says he didnt have his best stuff
Edwin Jackson got the Tigers Max Scherzer in the Arizona trade.. He will always have a warm place in my heart
He also helped my Cardinals win the World Series after one of those trades.
Octavio Dotel 6 times
12/99 Mets to Astros
6/04 Astros to Athletics
7/07 Royals to Braves
7/10 Pirates to Dodgers
9/10 Dodgers to Rockies
7/11 Blue Jays to Cardinals
Ron Villone traded 7 times. Mike Morgan, Kenny Lofton, and Terry Mulholland all traded 6 times.
Seems weird that someone as good as Lorton would have been traded so much …
Yeah it does.
and HoF voters unjustly held it against him
So apparently being “purchased” is considered on traded on this so Terry Mulholland was actually traded 7 times.
‘active’ players
I done apologizing for missing that. Thanks
Thought for sure Dotel would be on this list.
Technically he should be. Traded 6 times.
I think it’s just active players.
well, that would do it.
The article clearly states players who appeared in the majors in 2019.
My bad I missed that.
I count six players on the list.
There was a tie.
I see 7 players.
I see dead people.
You missed one on Maybin went from Angels to Astros played in WS stoked a base everyone got a free taco then was free agent
Waiver claim!
You forgot Mark Melancon, he’s been traded at least 5 times.
Dang it. I sat there looking at his name for 10 seconds and was like “nah it wasn’t 5 times.” Ha. I will add him!
Yeah, it is surprising. He’s almost too good of a reliever to be on a list like this.
Obviously. But there’s still six players on the list.
I’d love to see something like this for waiver claims. The waiver battle over Adam Rosales is one of my favorite transactions in the past decade.
i want one on the greatest offseason oddesys. surely some guy has spent time with like 6 teams during one offseason.
Poor Maybin. He was traded by the Tigers TWICE and he still signed with them again this off-season!
I think Maybin reaches 8. I think the Yankees will trade for him again. I was very surprised they didn’t bring him back on a cheap deal. A great clubhouse guy and he added some speed off the bench. Something this Yankees team needs. They lack team speed or a legitimate lead off hitter.
Lest we forget The Player To Be Named Later. And yes, he’s still active.
Always and forever……
I expect relievers to be on this list. Seems like every trade deadline, everyone is looking for that extra reliever.
But Edwin Jackson deserves special credit for playing on 14 of the 30 MLB teams. How many more can he get?
Hate the Drake!
Both Tigers and D’Backs Jackson played for them twice 10 years apart. 3 NL West teams, 3 NL East teams, 2 AL and NL Central teams? His no hitter with AZ vs TB he walked 8 and hit a batter. He played in every division. 14 teams.