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Jack Of All Trades: Esteban Loaiza

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As the year 1971 prepared to close, and Nixon Now's 1972 dawned, a baby named Esteban Loaiza entered the world in Tijuana, Mexico. This Baby New Year would go on to pitch for eight teams over 14 seasons in the major leagues. Three times, he was traded for in July, with teams counting on him to pitch them to the postseason. The results were, at best, a mixed bag.

Loaiza signed as an amateur free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1991. He made the jump from Double-A in 1995, and pitched until July of 1998 with Pittsburgh, putting up similar numbers to his production for the remainder of his career- a 4.63 ERA in Pittsburgh, compared to a lifetime 4.65 ERA. At that point, the Rangers decided he'd be the perfect addition to their stretch-run pitching staff, dealing infielder Warren Morris and pitcher Todd Van Poppel to Pittsburgh for Loaiza.

The trade didn't really work out for either team. Morris had a strong 1999, witn 15 home runs and a respectable 98 OPS+ at second base, but his career utterly disintegrated from there. The Pirates tried to make Van Poppel into the star everyone thought he'd be back when he was drafted in the first round of the 1990 draft. Alas, after a 4.95 ERA at Triple-A in 1999, the Pirates let him leave via free agency.

Meanwhile, Loaiza did not provide the pitching the late-90s Rangers so desperately needed. In 14 starts for Texas following the trade in 1998, he pitched to an unsightly 5.90 ERA, allowing 15 home runs in 79.1 innings, and didn't get a posteason start in an ALDS sweep by the Yankees. He improved to a 4.56 ERA in 1999, earning a Game 3 assignment in the ALDS, but Texas got swept by the Yankees again.

In 2000, the Rangers slipped out of contention early. This time, the Toronto Blue Jays sought Esteban Loaiza as the answer, shipping pitcher Darwin Cubillan and infielder Michael Young to Texas for Loaiza. With Toronto just 1.5 games out of first place, Loaiza should have been the difference. He pitched to a strong 3.62 ERA in 14 starts, but the Blue Jays finished the year 32-34 and 4.5 games behind the Yankees. As for Texas' haul, Cubillan didn't provide any value, but Michael Young and his six All Star games, 158 home runs and multi-position versatility certainly did.

Loaiza spent 2001 and 2002 in Toronto, posting an ERA over 5.00 each year, then signed with the White Sox in 2003. He was spectacular, pitching to a 2.90 ERA and finishing second in the Cy Young voting to Roy Halladay. He returned to previous form in 2004, but the Yankees saw an opportunity to acquire a starting pitcher and rid themselves of Jose Contreras, a huge disappointment. The Yankees shipped Contreras and cash to Chicago for Loaiza on July 31, 2004.

Once again, dealing for Loaiza didn't help. He pitched to an 8.50 ERA in 42 1/3 innings for New York, and the Yankees memorably came up a pitcher short in their ALCS collapse against the Boston Red Sox. The White Sox straightened Contreras out, and his 204.2 innings of 3.61 ERA pitching helped thee White Sox to their first World Series victory since 1917.

So what can we learn from the saga of Esteban Loaiza? One thing, mainly. If the best pitching help on the market is Esteban Loaiza, you might as well not make the trade. 

Jack Of All Trades: Manny Trillo

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This man, born on December 25, inspired cheering in many cities over a long period of time. You may think I'm referring to Rickey Henderson or Jesus, but the man in question is actually Manny Trillo. The longtime second baseman deserves to be remembered more today than he is. Trillo collected four All Star appearances, three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers at second base.

And yet, like some other players in my Jack Of All Trades series, Trillo managed to get traded quite a bit- five times in his career. Moreover, Trillo, a useful commodity, often became part of package deals-including an eight-player, six-player and four-player transaction. Let's travel back to a time when "Manny being Manny" simply meant strong up-the-middle-defense and a reliable bat.

Trillo signed as an amateur free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1968. After two seasons in the minor leagues, the Oakland Athletics stole him away in the minor-league portion of the Rule V draft. He put up numbers pretty similar to what he'd manage in the major leagues for various Oakland affiliates- decent batting average, few walks, home runs in the mid-to-upper single digits, great defense.

That made him a valuable trade chip following the 1974 season. The Athletics acquired the final remnants of Billy Williams' career on October 23 in exchange for Trillo and veteran relievers Darold Knowles and Bob Locker. Williams, a Hall of Famer, fell well short of that standard in Oakland, with a 109 OPS+ over two seasons at age 37-38 as a Designated Hitter. Locker and Knowles each had one standout season for the Cubs- though, this being the Cubs, they didn't happen during the same season.

And Trillo, over the next four seasons, played in at least 152 games each year, gave the Cubs strong up-the-middle defense, even made an All Star team in 1977. He hit just .256/.317/.333 over that time, but considering that he'd replaced the combination of Vic Harris and Billy Grabarkewitz at the position for Chicago, he was an undeniable upgrade. Overall, Trillo was clearly the most valuable player in the deal.

Trillo also rose to the top of a complicated deal between the Cubs and Phillies that can be described as part challenge trade, part pitching prospect grab. On February 23, 1979, the Cubs traded Trillo, outfielder Greg Gross and catcher Dave Rader to the Phillies for second baseman Ted Sizemore, catcher Barry Foote, outfielder Jerry Martin and a pair of minor-league pitchers: Derek Botelho and Henry Mack.

Seeing the challenge trade part of this swap leads one to believe that the Cubs really liked those young pitchers. Trillo, five years younger than Sizemore, won all three of his Gold Gloves and both of his Silver Sluggers over the next four years with the Phillies, while playing a strong second base for the 1980 World Champions. Sizemore played only sporadically for the Cubs in 1979, and his last year in baseball was 1980.

As for the rest of the trade, Gross, considerably younger than Martin, gave the Phillies a decade of 97 OPS+ hitting, primarily as a pinch-hitter. Martin put up a decent 101 OPS+ for the Cubs in 1979 before fading badly in 1980, and bounced around the major leagues for the next few years. Foote and Rader continued in their roles as entirely replaceable catchers for a few more years. And neither Botelho nor Mack did anything significant in the major leagues. That was predictable, given Botelho's pedestrian strikeout rate and Mack's ludicrously high walk rate just before the Cubs acquired them.

It cannot be said that Trillo provided the most value of anyone in the third trade of his career. This time, the Phillies packaged Trillo and outfielder George Vukovich, catcher Jerry Willard, pitching prospect Jay Baller and a young Julio Franco for Von Hayes. This trade is well-known in Philadelphia circles, with Hayes roundly booed by Phillies fans for failing to become Ted Williams, despite being acquired for five players.

Hayes did manage to give Philadelphia nine years of 118 OPS+ hitting while playing all three outfield positions, first base and even a bit of third base. Fun fact- over the remaining length of Hayes' career, his OPS+ of 116 for the Phillies and Angels in 1983-1992 is better than Julio Franco's 112 OPS+ mark for Cleveland and Texas in that same span. Still, Franco's subsequent 109 OPS+ in 1993-2007, along with the value from Vukovich, Willard and Trillo made this deal a loser for Philadelphia.

Trillo performed as expected for Cleveland in 1983, putting up a .272/.315/.328 line with the Indians. But with the Montreal Expos looking for middle infield help, the Indians flipped Trillo to Montreal on August 17, 1983 for minor-league outfielder Don Carter and $300K. Carter never made it to the major leagues, while Trillo allowed Doug Flynn to shift to shortstop for an Expos team that ultimately finished eight games back of the Phillies in the National League East.

After the season, Trillo signed as a free agent in San Francisco. Trillo's range began to decline, his batting average dipped to .254 in 1984 and .224 in 1985. With a young Robby Thompson ready to take Trillo's place at second base, the Giants traded Trillo to the Cubs on December 11, 1985 for utility infielder Dave Owen, who can best be described as both a poor man's Spike Owen and as Owen's brother.

Usually, when teams acquire aging middle infielders, the endings aren't happy ones. But Trillo thrived in the role. In 1986, playing first, second and third, he hit .296 and posted an OPS+ of 99. In 1987, he added shortstop to his resume, and hit a career-high eight home runs en route to an OPS+ of 112.

Though he slumped in 1988, leading to his release, and retired following a poor 1989 with the Reds, Trillo provided value to his teams long after glove-first second basemen usually do. So as you enjoy Christmas Day, or whatever other holiday you celebrate, hope that the presents you receive have the durability and value of Manny Trillo, even if, as was often the case with teams acquiring Trillo, it wasn't exactly what you wanted.

Top Five Phillies GMs Since 1960

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As Philadelphia prepares to present Ruben Amaro, Jr. with his weight in cheesesteaks, it is important to remember that for all of the Phillies' 10,000+ losses, Amaro's got some worthy competition among the GMs in Philadelphia history.

Indeed despite the acquisition of Cliff Lee this week, much of Amaro's story is still to be told. As of this writing, it isn't clear Amaro is in the top three to hold that executive position. Here are the cases for the best five since 1960. I'm using the 50-year window, with the clear understanding that whoever traded Bill Foxen for Fred Luderus, thus securing the first baseman on the NL Champion 1915 team, was a baseball genius.

1. Paul Owens (1972-1983): Owens took the reins of a team that went 59-97 in 1972, and whose primary achievement was to allow Steve Carlton to display his brilliance by winning so little when he didn't pitch (Carlton won 27 games). But by 1975, the Phillies were contenders, and by 1976, they won 101 games, beginning an eight-year stretch that included six playoff appearances, two NL pennants and a World Series title in 1980.

Interestingly, his predecessor, John Quinn, helped him quite a bit, trading Rick Wise for Carlton just months before Owens took over. Owens had directed Philadelphia's farm system before his promotion, and even on the 1972 team, those efforts began to pay off. A 21-year-old Greg Luzinski hit 18 home runs, a rookie catcher named Bob Boone hit .275, and a second baseman/third baseman named Mike Schmidt hit his first major league home run.

But while Owens had a head start, he only built upon those gains in subsequent seasons. His drafts produced talent like Lonnie Smith and Ryne Sandberg, while he signed George Bell and Julio Franco as amateur free agents. He traded Willie Montanez for Garry Maddox. Both men hit  at about league average rates, but Maddox played an elite defensive center field.

Owens didn't put together a great Rule 5 track record – he lost Bell, Greg Walker and Willie Hernandez in various Rule 5 drafts. He also, near the end of his tenure, traded five players, including Franco, for Von Hayes, and five days later, traded a package including Mark Davis and Mike Krukow to the San Francisco Giants for reliever Al Holland and an aging Joe Morgan. But because of what he did well, Owens is still the easy choice at number one.

2. Pat Gillick (2005-2008): Simply put, it is hard to argue with the results. Gillick succeeded everywhere he went, and in just his second season with Philadelphia, the Phillies won the National League East. In his third season, they won a World Series.

So what did he do to push beyond the successful, but also-ran teams of Ed Wade? For one thing, he immediately traded Jim Thome to open first base to a young Ryan Howard. He put together drafts that allowed Philadelphia to deal prospects to fill remaining holes (see Kyle Drabek, for instance, who eventually headlined the deal for Roy Halladay). He picked up Jamie Moyer for a couple of minor leaguers, signed Jayson Werth for six fewer years and approximately $125MM fewer dollars than the Nationals. Plus, he dealt Michael Bourn for Brad Lidge.

Not everything worked for Gillick – his trade of Gio Gonzalez and Gavin Floyd for Freddy Garcia was one-sided for the White Sox. On the other hand, Gonzalez and Floyd would be battling for the fifth starter's job on the 2011 Phillies.

In short, enough of what Gillick did worked, and following the 2008 season he handed a team over to Amaro that managed to win another NL pennant with little tweaking. Only his relatively short tenure keeps Gillick from the number one spot.

3. Ed Wade (1998-2005): I'll be honest: even I'm surprised to see Wade this high. But hear me out.

Wade's drafts, unquestionably, formed the heart of the championship years Philadelphia celebrated after Wade left. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Pat Burrell, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers, Kyle Kendrick, even the eventually-traded Gavin Floyd, J.A. Happ and Michael Bourn were drafted and signed under Wade. Carlos Ruiz and Antonio Bastardo signed as amateur free agents.

To be sure, there were missteps. Curt Schilling, traded to Arizona, yielded Travis Lee as the primary piece in return. Nick Punto and Carlos Silva went to Minnesota in exchange for Eric Milton. Free agent relievers like Terry Adams too frequently found multi-year deals, thanks to Wade. And despite contending much of the time, Wade couldn't add enough talent to get Philadelphia over the finish line first.

But the Phillies won at least 86 games in four of Wade's final five seasons at the helm, then began a string of four consecutive NL East titles with mostly Wade-acquired players two years later. Most GMs don't get fired for results like this; they get raises.

4. Ruben Amaro, Jr. (2008-Present): Well, for the most part, you probably already know about the successes. Amaro acquired Halladay. He just signed, in an under-the-radar story, Cliff Lee. He acquired Roy Oswalt for surprisingly little this past summer. And under his watch, the Phillies have two playoff appearances, including one NL pennant.

Why isn't Amaro higher? Two reasons. One is, as demonstrated above, his two teams have won largely on the efforts of his two predecessors. Not entirely, of course, but quite a bit. And beyond the big three pitchers mentioned above – two of whom, it must be said, were acquired with prospects provided by his predecessors, there are some troublesome moves as well.

Many of the deals Amaro has given out already look like mistakes. Three years and more than $30MM to Raul Ibanez before 2009 has proven to be an overpay since June of 2009. Three years and $24MM to Joe Blanton has Philadelphia trying to dump Blanton's salary a season later. And the five-year, $125MM deal signed by Ryan Howard – one that doesn't even kick in until 2012 – is arguably the inexplicable move of the baseball decade.

As the players Amaro inherited age, it will be fascinating to see how well the team plays. If he manages that transition well, he'll certainly move up on this list. But the long-term deals he's given out to many older players could keep him anchored at fourth.

5. John Quinn (1959-1972)/Lee Thomas (1988-1997)

This is a very difficult decision, so I've elected not to make it, and call it a tie. Quinn, as mentioned before, made the Steve Carlton trade. He signed Dick Allen as an amateur free agent. But he also presided over seven losing seasons, and never did get Philadelphia to the postseason.

As for Thomas, he took over a 67-win team in 1989, and by 1993, led them to 97 wins and a NL pennant. He stole Dave Hollins in the Rule 5 draft, brought in Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell for Juan Samuel, and managed to trade Jason Grimsley for Curt Schilling. And yet, Thomas' Phillies didn't post a winning record once in his final four seasons as GM, meaning his teams had one winning record in eight years.

Both men made some astute moves while GM. But Phillies fans are equally glad that Quinn made way for Owens, and Thomas made way for Wade, Gillick and Amaro.

Jack Of All Trades: Rickey Henderson

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When future generations see the ludicrous offensive numbers Rickey Henderson put up, they are going to be shocked when they see how many times he changed teams during his career. Thirteen times, Rickey Henderson found a new employer (even though, much of the time, he returned to previous employers). Four times, Henderson got traded.

So what exactly can a team expect to give up for the greatest leadoff hitter of all time? Surprisingly little, on balance. Let's travel back to a time when a player of Henderson's caliber made a small fraction of Jayson Werth's annual salary.

Henderson began his career with Oakland, who drafted him in the fourth round of the 1976 draft. He made quick work of the farm system, and debuted at age 20 in 1979. By 1980, he was the player he'd be for essentially the next two decades, with an OPS+ of 134, 100 stolen bases, and 117 walks.

However, the New York Yankees sought Henderson, and were willing to give up a ton of prospects to get their hands on him. On December 5, 1984, New York dealt Tim Birtsas, Jay Howell, Stan Javier, Eric Plunk and Jose Rijo to Oakland for Henderson and pitcher Bert Bradley, who would never appear in a game for the Yankees.

The most valuable pieces in the deal were Howell, who made a pair of All-Star games with Oakland, then helped them land Bob Welch in a trade. Jose Rijo put up some strong seasons, but only after the A's traded him for highly-used Dave Parker. Birtsas and Javier had a few decent years as a reliever and backup outfielder, respectively, while Plunk bided his time as Oakland's swingman, in case his path and Henderson's would cross again.

Five years later, it did. Henderson continued his excellence in New York, though his power seemed to be disappearing as he turned 30. On June 21, 1989, the Yankees traded Henderson and his .349 slugging percentage on the season back to Oakland, receiving Plunk, Greg Cadaret and Luis Polonia in return.

Plunk continued a strong career as a middle reliever that lasted until the end of the decade. Greg Cadaret had middling results in three seasons as a swingman. And Polonia lasted less than a calendar year with the Yankees before they sent him to the Angels. So this one was a heist. Henderson found his power stroke back in Oakland, and had his finest season ever in 1990. He posted a 188 OPS+, hit 28 home runs, stole 65 bases in 75 attempts, and helped the A's to another American League pennant.

Henderson was fantastic in 1991 and 1992 as well, and was en route to a season the equal of 1990 in 1993 when the A's, out of contention, traded the free agent-to-be to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 31, 1993. Toronto sent back top pitching prospect Steve Karsay and toolsy outfielder Jose Herrera. Karsay couldn't overcome numerous injuries and Herrera never put it together. And yet, the trade wasn't the win one would assume. For whatever reason, Henderson completely tanked with Toronto, with a 182 OPS+ prior to the trade in 1993, but just an 83 OPS+ after the deal.

After the season, Henderson signed with the A's, and also stopped in San Diego, where he was traded for the final time on August 13, 1997. This time, San Diego's trade partner was the Calfornia Angels, who were just a half-game out of first. They picked up Henderson, minor leaguers Stevenson Agosto and Ryan Hancock for George Arias. The primary result of this deal is the journeyman Arias can tell his grandchildren he was traded for Rickey Henderson and additional players. Henderson, for his part, completely tanked in Anaheim, putting up an OPS+ of 60. He'd been at 118 for San Diego prior to the trade.

So what have we learned from Henderson's trades? A few things. One is, it is astonishingly hard to get value in prospects, even if the team trading those prospects was the mid-80s New York Yankees. For another, it is probably a bad idea to deal a Rickey Henderson-level player when he is 25 years old. And Henderson's reputation as a player who needs a comfort level to succeed seems reinforced by his performance following two of his deals, both of them in-season. The only time he thrived after being traded mid-year, it was a deal returning him to his original team, the A's.

Most of all, it makes this question worth pondering: if Bill James' argument – that you could divide Henderson's production in half and have two Hall of Famers – had become reality, how many times would those two players have switched teams? Did I just blow your mind?

Ranking Mets GMs All-Time

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Well, it's official. Sandy Alderson is the 12th General Manager of the New York Mets, bringing joy to the corners of the globe patrolled by stat-savvy Mets fans, and misery among those who heard Alderson say he won't be active in the free agent market this winter.

The legacy he'll be competing against - 49 seasons, just two world championships, despite the riches associated with the largest market in the country – is a decidedly mixed one. Let's rank his 11 predecessors.

1. Frank Cashen

Cashen easily holds the top spot in Mets history. His tenure lasted over a decade. He drafted Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry. He traded for Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez (the latter for a paltry Neil Allen). He made an unpopular decision at the time, dealing Lee Mazzilli for Ron Darling, that proved to be a wise move. He even traded Calvin Schiraldi in a deal for Bob Ojeda prior to the 1986 season; Ojeda went 18-5 with a 2.57 ERA for the Mets, while Schiraldi served up the go-ahead home run to Ray Knight in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series. Now that's a good trade!

2. Bing Devine

Devine came to the Mets thanks to an overreaction from Cardinals' owner Gussie Busch. With the 1964 Cardinals trailing the Phillies by 6.5 games in August 1964, Busch cleaned house. By the time the Cardinals rallied to win the National League pennant, then beat the Yankees in the 1964 World Series, Devine had been scooped up by the Mets.

Devine is responsible for putting most of the 1969 Mets together, from drafting Ken Boswell, Gary Gentry and Nolan Ryan, to trading for Jerry Grote and bidding for Tom Seaver's services. Devine went home to St. Louis before the 1968 season, but his work led to the only other championship in Mets history.

3. Johnny Murphy

Murphy was integral in shaping the team's player development system from the very beginning of the New York Mets, as one of original GM George Weiss' hires. He also finished what Devine started in 1968-69, trading for manager Gil Hodges, World Series MVP Donn Clendennon, and center fielder Tommie Agee. Only his premature death in January 1970 kept him from ranking even higher on this list.

4. Joe McIlvaine

This may seem high for a GM who didn't preside over a single playoff appearance, but consider that McIlvane took over the Mets following a 59-103 season. By his final season, 1997, the Mets checked in at 88-74. He traded Alan Zinter for Rico Brogna. He drafted A.J. Burnett in the eighth round of the 1995 draft. He signed a minor league free agent named Rick Reed, who promptly became a frontline starter. And he acquired John Olerud for Robert Person.

Only the trade of Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino for Carlos Baerga and Alvaro Espinoza stands out as a significant error. A large portion of the teams that made the playoffs in 1999 and 2000 should be credited to McIlvane, not Steve Phillips.

5. Omar Minaya

The recently-departed Minaya earns the nod over Phillips, based mostly on the amount of major league talent he leaves behind. Sandy Alderson inherits mid-career David Wright, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, along with young players like Ike Davis, Jon Niese and Mike Pelfrey. Even Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay offer opporttunities for significant bounceback 2011 seasons.

Still, Minaya must take the blame for failing to properly leverage that talent in 2007 or 2008. Nor did he build an organization to overcome injuries suffered in 2009, and to a lesser extent, 2010. The modest return he received on star players led to his demise.

6. Steve Phillips

Phillips has undeniable strengths and weaknesses in his record. He traded for Mike Piazza, but he dealt Carl Everett for John Hudek. He signed Robin Ventura, but he traded for Mo Vaughn. He acquired Mike Hampton, but he traded Jason Bay for Steve Reed. So clearly, there's fuel for either side of the debate.

The Mets reached the NLCS in 1999 and the World Series in 2000 under his watch, and some of those who follow him on the list lack the positives on his resume, so here he is. But considering he took over an 88-74 team, and left the Mets at 66-95 in 2003, he cannot be ranked higher.

7. George Weiss

This feels too low. Weiss, the mastermind behind the great Yankee teams of the 1940s and 1950s, ran the Mets from 1962-1966. Under his watch, a significant number of the 1969 Mets came to the organization. Weiss also mentored Johnny Murphy, who ranks above him.

Ultimately, Weiss doesn't get credit for his Yankee work in these rankings. And on the field, the Mets lost 100 games four times, climbing all the way up to 66-95 in his final season.

8. Al Harazin

Poor Al. He followed the legendary Cashen, taking over a team that had seen better days. He spent plenty of money trying to avoid a downward cycle, and thanks to Bob Klapisch's book, will be known forever as the GM of "The Worst Team Money Could Buy". The shame of it is, few of his moves look genuinely awful in a vacuum.

He signed Bobby Bonilla, who gave the Mets four seasons of terrific offense, including two All Star appearances. He signed Eddie Murray to a two-year deal, and Murray produced well in both seasons. He traded Gregg Jefferies, Kevin McReynolds and Keith Miller for Bret Saberhagen and Bill Pecota. Saberhagen struggled with injuries as a Met, but also finished third in the 1994 Cy Young voting and pitched to a virtually identical ERA+ as he did in Kansas City.

But the 1992 Mets finished 72-90, the 1993 Mets 59-103. And his drafts were pretty uninspired – the three best players he drafted were Preston Wilson, Vance Wilson and Benny Agbayani. So let's not exaggerate – Harazin put together some poor teams.

9. Jim Duquette

The problem Duquette has isn't a laundry list of failures. But in his short tenure running the Mets, he has a few howlers, and very little to brag about on his record.

The three-year, $20.1MM contract to Kazuo Matsui – and the resulting shift of Jose Reyes to second base for the 2004 season – is one that Mets fans won't ever forget. The same goes for the trade of Scott Kazmir to Tampa Bay for Victor Zambrano. That Kazmir, after four strong seasons, including two All-Star appearances, has cratered due to injury isn't the point. His production represented far more than the Mets received from Zambrano, who hit the disabled list three starts into his Met career, and never performed well. That kind of return for a top prospect like Kazmir is simply unacceptable.

And the three major leaguers from his 2004 draft, one in which the Mets had high picks in each round: Philip Humber, Nick Evans and Mike Carp.

10. Bob Scheffing

Scheffing and his successor, seen below, presided over the Mets from 1970-1979. Scheffing held the job through 1974; McDonald took them the rest of the way to bottom. Who gets the edge here? Scheffing, narrowly.

That is not to say he didn't make a strong bid for that bottom spot. His drafts were generally busts, with the notable exceptions of Craig Swan and Lee Mazzilli. He traded a 24-year-old Nolan Ryan and three other players for Jim Fregosi, coming off of a season when Fregosi hit .233 and battled injuries. In his first season with the Mets, Fregosi hit .232 and battled injuries.

What went right? The team won a NL pennant in 1973, but did so with an 82-79 regular-season record. That's enough to give Scheffing the edge over McDonald.

11. Joe McDonald

McDonald took over a team that had won two NL pennants in the previous five seasons, and turned it into a team that lost 96 games or more in each season from 1977-1979. His best draft picks were Jody Davis, Mike Scott and Wally Backman, with only Backman enjoying success as a Met. He traded an in-prime Rusty Staub for a washed-up Mickey Lolich. And worst of all, he traded The Franchise, Tom Seaver, receiving very little in return: Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, Dan Norman and Pat Zachry.

By the time Cashen replaced McDonald (precipitated by a change in ownership), the cupboard was bare. How much of that was McDonald's fault is difficult to say – Seaver, for instance, got traded after warring with the team over his salary. But McDonald certainly didn't do more with less.

Put another way: if Alderson's tenure turns out like McDonald's, it'll probably precipitate another sale of the team.

Jack Of All Trades: Nelson Cruz

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To many casual baseball fans, Nelson Cruz still isn't a household name. Never mind that he hit 33 home runs last year and posted a ridiculous .318/.374/.576 line this season- respect has been hard to come by for the 30-year-old Cruz.

This is nothing new, incidentally. Cruz has been traded three times in his career, an astonishing total for a player with a good reputation and off-the-charts power. What's more interesting still is how little he's commanded in return. Let's relive the uneven goodness, shall we?

Cruz originally signed with the New York Mets as a free agent in 1998 out of the Dominican Republic. After three years in the Dominican Summer League, the Mets traded Cruz on August 30, 2000 to the Oakland Athletics for infielder Jorge Velandia. The Mets desperately needed another backup infielder who could handle shortstop, and Velandia was certainly a desperation move- he hit a cool .000 in both his 2000 and 2001 trials with the Mets, before rallying to .190 in his third and final stint with New York in 2003.

It took Cruz even longer to find his hitting stroke. He finally turned his power tool into a skill in 2003, popping 20 home runs for Single-A Kane County, but hit just .238. Finally, in 2004, his line improved dramatically; he hit a combined .326/.390/.562 at Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A. That convinced the Milwaukee Brewers to deal their starting second baseman, Keith Ginter, to Oakland on December 16, 2004 for Cruz and pitcher Justin Lehr.

Once again, however, the booty for Cruz turned out to be unimpressive. Ginter had hit .262/.333/.479 in 2004 for Milwaukee, but slumped to .161/.234/.263 in 2005 for Oakland. He never played in the major leagues again.

Cruz, meanwhile, kept on hitting, but in the minor leagues – Milwaukee gave him just seven plate appearances during two seasons in the organization. (For reference, Brady Clark received 1,093 plate appearances during those same seasons.)

Finally, Milwaukee traded Cruz to the Texas Rangers, but the Rangers were actually after Carlos Lee, who also came to Arlington in the July 28, 2006 deal. The Brewers received Francisco Cordero, Kevin Mench, Laynce Nix and minor leaguer Julian Cordero.

Of all the players dealt for Cruz, Francisco Cordero actually produced for his new team, with 60 saves and a 11.6 K/9 ratio over his season-and-a-half in Milwaukee. Mench never hit in Milwaukee the way he had in Texas, Nix disappointed as well, and Julian Cordero never climbed above Single-A.

Lee hit .322/.369/.525 in his half-season with Texas before signing an immense contract with Houston that still has two years and $37MM left on it.

Cruz struggled mightily to get his major league OPS over .700 in 2006-2007, but he absolutely murdered the ball at Triple-A. Finally, in 2008, Cruz hit .330/.421/.609 in a big-league trial, and was in the major leagues to stay. From 2008-2010, Cruz has hit .292/.360/.555 in 1,093 plate appearances- the same exact number Brady Clark received from Milwaukee while Cruz languished in the minors.

Rest assured, the next time Nelson Cruz is traded, the package coming back will be significant.

Jack Of All Trades: Bobby Bonds

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One of my favorite parts of Ken Burns' The Tenth Inning was the reminder of just how talented Bobby Bonds was. The 461 stolen bases and 332 home runs are really only part of the story. Bonds was also a three-time Gold Glove winner who posted a career OPS+ of 129; his era and ballparks depressed his raw hitting stats significantly.

But Bonds' abrasive personality and personal problems led to six trades in five years. Despite this propensity for getting dealt, Bonds brought back interesting talent in return each of the six times. Let's take a closer look at just who won each of these trades.

The San Francisco Giants signed Bonds as an amateur free agent in 1964, one year before the institution of the amateur draft. He quickly climbed the organizational ladder, and in 349 plate appearances as a rookie in 1968, hit .254/.336/.407. Not impressive, right? Wrong. This was 1968; those totals meant Bonds posed an OPS+ of 122. He wouldn't drop below an OPS+ of 116 until 1980.

But despite seven seasons, 186 home runs, and an OPS+ of 131 over those seven years, the Giants decided to trade Bonds following his age-28 season. The New York Yankees acquired him on October 22, 1974 in a challenge trade for Bobby Murcer. It is hard to determine who won this trade. Bonds certainly outperformed Murcer on the field in 1975, with an OPS+ edge of 151 to 127, and a home run edge of 32 to 11. But Bonds spent just the year in New York, while Murcer played two with the Giants.

By December 11, 1975, the Yankees were ready to unload Bonds, so they sent him to the California Angels for Ed Figueroa and Mickey Rivers. This time, the return for Bonds was even greater than from the first trade. Bonds played in just 99 games in 1976, then rallied for 37 home runs in a dominant 1977. But the Yankees got terrific work out of Figueroa and Rivers, with the former providing 749 innings of 115 ERA+ pitching in 1976-1978 alone, and Rivers posting a solid 110 OPS+ in three-plus years in pinstripes.

Again, from numbers alone, it is startling that Bonds was on the move again following the 1977 season. But the Angels shipped him on December 5, 1977, along with Thad Bosley and Richard Dotson, to the Chicago White Sox for Brian Downing, Dave Frost and Chris Knapp. Though few would have predicted it, Bonds was an afterthought in this trade in retrospect. He lasted just a few months with his new team, with Dotson providing 1,603 innings at 103 ERA+ over the next decade and Bosley setttling in for a long career as a reserve outfielder. As for the return, both Frost and Knapp provided one strong season as a starting pitcher. Meanwhile, Downing became a dominant catcher/outfielder, posting a 126 OPS+ over the next 13 seasons for California.

Bonds, as previously stated, wore out his welcome with the White Sox by mid-May. One would think he'd be dealt for pennies on the dollar, but the May 16, 1978 trade with the Texas Rangers netted Chicago Rusty Torres and Claudell Washington. Torres was a valuable reserve outfielder, while Washington, just 23, had another dozen years at 108 OPS+ ahead of him. Bonds had started slowly in Chicago, but his .265/.356/.497 mark in Texas made for a solid 138 OPS+ in 1978.

Despite his big season, Bonds wasn't in Texas for long. You guessed it, he was promptly traded on October 3, 1978, along with starting pitcher Len Barker, for Cleveland's Larvell Blanks and Jim Kern. Cleveland got pretty decent return on this deal, with Bonds providing his final Bonds-like season at age-33: .275/.367/.463 in that cavernous Municipal Stadium, good for an OPS+ of 122. Barker  also pitched reasonably well, giving Cleveland 932.1 innings of 95 ERA+ pitching over five seasons. (He then netted them Brett Butler and Brook Jacoby in a deal with Atlanta). Blanks performed as usual, a middling middle infielder, and Kern had one of the great one-year wonder seasons in 1979: 13 wins, 29 saves and a 1.57 ERA.

Perhaps stung by precious Jim Kern memories, the Indians decided to trade Bobby Bonds as well, sending him to St. Louis on December 7, 1979 for John Denny and Jerry Mumphrey. By now, the magic around Bonds-based trades had worn off. Bonds was terrible in St. Louis, hitting .203/.305/.316. Denny won an ERA title in 1976 for the Cardinals, and the Cy Young Award in 1983 for the Phillies, but he posted three decidedly mediocre seasons for Cleveland in between. And Mumphrey never even played for the Indians (the Padres acquired him two months later).

There's almost a visceral sadness in reading the career numbers and journey of Bobby Bonds. Clearly one of the best players not in the Hall of Fame, it is easy to imagine a happier Bonds easily reaching that honor. Saddest of all, he's doomed to be largely forgotten by history as well, overshadowed by his son.

Jack Of All Trades: Jose Guillen

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Jose Guillen's career has been one of many teams, many moods, and many different levels of play. As a result, Guillen holds this rare double: four teams have released him, while four other teams have traded for him. Fascinatingly, the return on a Jose Guillen trade has usually been far better than you'd think.

With Guillen's Giants headed to the playoffs, now seems like a perfect time to bask in the memories of Jose Guillen, and all the Topps Series Two baseball cards his career has created.

Like most players who succeed elsewhere, Jose Guillen began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, signing as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic back in 1992. The Pirates allowed Guillen to jump directly from A-ball to the majors, then seemed surprised when his performance failed to live up to their expectations. Finally, on July 23, 1999, the Pirates sent the 23-year-old Guillen and Jeff Sparks to Tampa Bay for catchers Humberto Cota and Joe Oliver.

The trade wasn't as one-sided as it should have been to punish Pittsburgh for trading a talented young outfielder for Joe Oliver and a younger version of Joe Oliver. Guillen never figured it out in Tampa Bay, hitting .255/.317/.394 over three seasons and earning his first release following the 2001 season.

His releases by Arizona, Colorado, and even Cincinnati quickly followed. But the Reds brought him back in 2003, and the hitter who'd posted a career line of .260/.305/.398 through age 26 had a mostrous age-27 season: .311/.359/.569. He also got traded in the process, amazingly enough, going to Oakland on July 30, 2003 for Jeff Bruksch, Aaron Harang and Joe Valentine.

Cincinnati won that deal, and won it big. Guillen hit just .265/.311/.459 for Oakland over the remainder of the 2003 season. Meanwhile, Harang posted full seasons as a starter with ERA+ marks of 112, 124 and 124 from 2005-2007, along with some success (and some injuries) in a tenure that has lasted to the present day.

The Athletics didn't even bring Guillen back in 2004, letting him sign with the division-rival Angels instead. Guillen's age-28 season was strong for Los Angeles of Anaheim: a .294/.352/.497 batting line.  However, a late September outburst was the last straw for the Halos, who felt they were better off without him for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.  Guillen was dealt to the Washington Nationals on November 19, 2004, with the Angels receiving Maicer Izturis and Juan Rivera in return.

Again, the team dealing Guillen did not regret doing so. Izturis has been a valuable utility infielder for the Angels, and Juan Rivera is a .277/.325/.462 hitter with the Angels over six seasons. Both contributed significantly to four postseason runs.

 As for Guillen, he had one good season in Washington, one horrific one, then signed with Seattle for the 2007 season. With a good year for the Mariners, he earned a three-year, $36MM contract from the Kansas City Royals. Guillen proved instrumental in taking Kansas City from a 69-93 record in 2007 to a 75-87 record in 2008. I guess that was the plan.

Guillen then slumped badly through an injury-ravaged 2009, and while he recovered to post a decent-enough .255/.314/.429 in 106 games with the Royals in 2010, it was still a surprise when the Giants traded cash and a player to be named later for Guillen. But San Francisco needed offense, and Guillen does, at times, provide it.

Guillen's .279/.331/.393 line for the Giants down the stretch actually wasn't a disappointment by comparison. The primary right fielder for San Francisco this year, Nate Schierholtz, hit .246/.315/.371. Still, if you are betting in a futures market, grab whoever turns out to be the player to be named later. There's something almost mystical about getting traded for Jose Guillen.

Remembering The 1983 Trade Deadline

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Ah, the sweet summer of 1983. Sally Ride became the first woman in space. Vanessa Williams was named Miss America. And a little something called the Nintendo Entertainment System went on sale in Japan.

Meanwhile, our national pastime saw the gears turn as spring turned into summer, then fall (as is the custom). A number of fascinating trades dotted the baseball landscape, and in some cases, helped turn pennant races.

The first major deal did not, however. On June 15, the Cardinals traded Keith Hernandez to the Mets for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey. The trade is, in many ways, the original sin of overpaying for a closer. Allen had been solid in relief for the Mets, with Ownbey a live arm, but neither one provided much value. Allen posted an ERA well over 4.00 in the remainder of his career, while Ownbey pitched in parts of two seasons with St. Louis.

And Hernandez? After the trade he won six Gold Gloves, a World Series, hit .297/.387/.429 as a Met, and kissed Elaine Benes (no relation to Andy or Alan). In other words: trading two middling arms for the 29-year-old star first baseman? Always a good move. Neither team figured in the postseason races, however.

Though the Astros fell six games short in the NL West, one of my favorite deals came from Houston on August 10: a swap of offensively-challenged speedster Omar Moreno to the Yankees for Jerry Mumphrey, who did everything Moreno did, except much better.

At the time of the deal, both were struggling. Moreno was hitting .242, Mumphrey .262. But batting averages are where the similarities ended between the two players. Moreno had no power, hardly ever walked, and had a career OPS+ of 79 to show for it. Mumphrey had some power and plate discipline, and his career OPS+ of 108 reflected that as well.

But after the trade, while Moreno continued as the player he was, Mumphrey had two months of Ty Cobb-style production, hitting .336/.425/.455 for the Astros. What can I say? I like seeing teams rewarded for making smart moves.

On August 19, two pitchers who went on to become teammates for the elite Oakland teams of the late 80s were traded for each other without the Athletics involved. The Dodgers dealt Dave Stewart, Ricky Wright and $200K to the Rangers for Rick Honeycutt.

If you are my age (30), you think of Honeycutt as a reliever, but he had quite a bit of success as a starter. His 2.42 ERA led the American League in 1983 (though he switched leagues, only his AL starts counted toward the AL ERA title), and his 2.84 ERA ranked sixth in the National League in 1984.

Stewart, meanwhile, appeared to be making the leap to elite pitcher in 1983. He pitched to a 2.96 ERA with the Dodgers before the trade, and a 2.14 ERA with the Rangers after the trade. Entering his age-27 season in 1984, the future seemed bright. But a 4.73 ERA in 1984, followed by 5.46 ERA in 1985 led the Rangers to trade Stewart for Rich Surhoff (of the B.J. Surhoff Surhoffs) and the Phillies to then release him. Needless to say, that turned out to be a mistake when Oakland picked him up in May 1986.

Honeycutt's path to Oakland was more direct- the Dodgers traded him to Oakland in August 1987 for Tim Belcher.

But we digress- back to 1983! On August 29, the Atlanta Braves dramatically overpaid for strikeout pitcher Len Barker. He'd led the American League in strikeouts in 1980 and 1981, but by 1983 the 27-year-old Barker's ERA was rising while his strikeout rate was dropping- a bad time to deal for a pitcher. But Atlanta, chasing the Dodgers, gave up Brett Butler, Brook Jacoby, Rick Behenna and $150K to get Barker.

While Barker pitched reasonably well – a 3.82 ERA in six starts for the Braves – Butler went on to record another 2,137 hits after leaving the Braves, with an OPS+ of 113. Jacoby's success was not as long-lasting, but he had his moments, many of them occurring in 1987 during his .300/.387/.541 campaign. Amazingly, during that season, Jacoby had 32 home runs, but just 69 RBI to show for it, thanks to a .221/.362/.295 line with runners in scoring position.

And yet? It was still too much to give up for Barker, who by 1987, was in his final season.

Jack Of All Trades: Mike Lowell

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Normally, JOAT likes to look at players who were dealt three or more times. But Mike Lowell, in honor of his participation in two blockbuster trades, rumors for the better part of a year, and impending retirement, gets the wanderer treatment today.

The New York Yankees drafted Lowell in the 20th round of the 1995 draft, and he quickly climbed the prospect lists, crushing a combined 56 home runs in 1997-1998. But with Scott Brosius manning third base, the Yankees viewed Lowell as surplus and dealt him to Florida on February 1, 1999 for three pitching prospects: Todd Noel, Mark Johnson and Ed Yarnall.

The deal turned out to be a massive win for the Marlins. The three pitching prospects amounted to very little. Brosius, meanwhile, posted a 121 OPS+ in 1998 and managed a combined mark of 86 in 1999-2001 before retiring.

Lowell beat cancer in the spring of 1999 and came back to post an OPS+ of 90 that season before achieving stardom in 2000. From 2000-2004, his age 26-30 seasons, Lowell had an OPS+ of 117 with tremendous defense at third base. In 2003, Lowell had an OPS+ of 128 for the World Series-winning Marlins, hitting 32 home runs and finishing 11th in MVP voting.

But in 2005, Lowell, now 31, appeared to lose his ability to hit. His season line of .236/.298/.360 was good for an OPS+ of just 77, though he did win a Gold Glove. Eager to shed his salary, the Marlins worked out a deal with the Red Sox. On November 24, 2005, Florida traded Lowell, Josh Beckett and Guillermo Mota to the Boston Red Sox for Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia, Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez.

Once again, the team that acquired Lowell turned out to be a big winner, though this trade wasn't one-sided. Florida, after all, received a no-hitter from Anibal Sanchez, and Ramirez has blossomed into one of the game's best shortstops.

Beckett, the centerpiece of the deal, performed as expected, but Lowell's resurgence surprised the baseball world. His 2006-2009 in Boston included three seasons of above-average offense and strong, though regressing defense. His 2007, naturally, stands out from the pack.

That year, Lowell's OPS+ was 124. His age-33 season included 120 RBI, a fifth-place showing the the regular-season MVP voting, and a World Series MVP trophy. And Fitzgerald said there are no second acts in the American League. (That may be a paraphrase.)

Lowell gradually broke down, however, with his troublesome hip merely one of many injuries. This past winter, the Red Sox made a deal to send him to Texas for catching prospect Max Ramirez, because Theo Epstein loves grabbing decent prospects when their value is artificially low. The deal was called off, however, when Lowell needed surgery on his right thumb.

Barring a late comeback by Boston, Lowell's career will end when the regular season does. With nine seasons of 103 OPS+ or better, a strong glove for most of his career, and the postseason heroics, it is hard to believe that two teams sold low on Lowell. Stranger still, perhaps, is that Lowell played for three organizations – the Red Sox, the Marlins, and the Yankees – and made postseason appearances with everyone but New York.

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