Trades are best judged years down the road, right? Looking at a trade at the time it is made, however, allows the fans to see if their view of present value of the players involved appears equal.
Today we are going to look at the long-term outcome of 10 trades the Indians/Guardians made that, eventually, favored Cleveland. I'll also go back deep into my memory banks (or get someone's opinion off the internet) of what the thoughts about the trade were at the time the trade was made.
To start out, let's define 'great' as one that changes the trajectory of the franchise. With that in mind, here is my list:
1. Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew for Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens
If there is a more positive trade in Cleveland baseball history than this one I would like someone to show it to me. If we hadn't given away Brandon Phillips (see upcoming post on the worst trades in Cleveland history) this steal would have been even more of a steal. This trade is the absolute definition of one that changed our franchise's trajectory. You just don't pump this much talent into an organization without it having a dramatic effect. This one did and, to me, ranks as the best in franchise hsotyr
2. Mike Clevinger and Greg Allen for Joey Cantillo, Gabriel Arias, Own Miller, Josh Naylor, Austin Hedges and Cal Quantrill
Maybe the second greatest trade in Indians/Guardians history, depending on how Cantillo and Arias pan out. I know that trade is saying a lot but when you look at what happened to Clevinger after this trade you may get where I am coming from. When you consider the contributions so far from the guys we received this is a good trade for Cleveland as Quantrill replaced Clevinger making the rest of the return gravy. While Hedges and Miller were not great they were OK. Arguably we don't finish where we did last year without Naylor. Plus, as I said, Arias and Cantillo who remain among the Guardians' top prospects and who will, hopefully, contribute to the run to the playoffs this year. If Cantillo turns out like Hentges or is a left-handed Quantrill and Arias is a Gimenez clone, this clearly becomes a franchise-changing trade.
3. Corey Kluber for Jake Westbrook
This was a headscratcher at the time. Not that Westbrook was great but Kluber just looked to have Civale-upside. I just didn't see the attraction. However, in terms of franchise trajectory-changing, few trades have had as much impact as this trade, even some that brought back more star players.
4. Joe Carter for Sandy Alomar Jr., Carlos Baerga and Chris James
Not in the caliber of 1. and 2. simply because of Baerga's early career flameout. I mean, we were talking about Baerga, early in his career, doing things that only Rogers Hornsby had ever done. But while I love this trade because it brought us two star players in exchange for one, it wasn't as franchise-changing as the ones above.
5. Sad Same Jones, Fred Thomas and cash for Tris Speaker
This is an old one but falls into the cateogry of altering the franchise's trajectory. The Indians were a perennial loser before Speaker arrived but, sparked by his arrival the Indians became a winning team and Speaker became one of the best Cleveland players ever.
6. Eddie Taubensee and Willie Blair for Kenny Lofton
Again, in the vein of franchise-altering, this trade put a cherry on the top of the lineup (no pun intended) that drove the Indians to AL dominance in the late 90s. He was beyond the prototypical leadoff hitter and centerfielder, showing some power and a lot of speed with good, although not great, defense. He was the gasoline that made the engine go, the straw that stirred the drink or any other phrase you want to conjure up. The price, Taubensee and Blair, looked small at the time and, with time, became even smaller.
7. Felix Fermin and Reggie Jefferson for Omar Vizquel
I was living in St. Louis at the time and I could see the resemblance to the flair and fielding prowess Vizquel had when compared to Ozzie Smith. He was a defensive upgrade over Fermin although a questinoable offensive upgrade. But was Vizquel and his Gold Glove defense worth Fermin AND Jefferson? All you had to do was see him play a few times to know the answer was 'yes'. This one looked like a win at the time but as Vizquel became a more proficient hitter and a great fit in the Indians' lineup and clubhouse, it became a steal.
8. Joe Haynes, Ed Llieman and Eddie Robinson for Mickey Vernon and Early Wynn
Again, the key is franchise-trajectory altering. It was supposed to be a REAL steal but Micky Vernon did not provide the production the Indians wanted. Wynn, who was a big part of the trade but NOT the centerpiece, turned out to be a huge part of the Indians' team, leading to his HOF induction.
9. Bris Lord for Shoeless Joe Jackson
Jackson was a minor league player when this trade was made, Jackson was still in the minors and Lord was a decent hitter for Cleveland. He came up at the end of the season for Cleveland. Jackson hit .375 in 6 years with Cleveland and would be in the HOF except for the Black Sox scandal.
10. Shin Soo Choo for Trevor Bauer, Bryan Shaw Matt Albers and Drew Stubbs
People will disput this but it was a great trade. Choo was a really good hitting OFer and an all-star caliber player, but Bauer was an ace-caliber pitcher who would end up pitching well and winning the 2020 Cy Young award. He had his quirks and his off-field issues are going to tarnish his reputation for the rest of his life and any big league career he might have left, straight up for Choo it was a steal for the Indians. Throw in reliable Bryan Shaw who was a mainstay in the Cleveland bullpens of the 2010s and this was a franchise-altering trade. As with Brandon Phillips, we will see Trevor Bauer again in the worst Cleveland trades.
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