Maybe you don't remember the trade between Montreal and Seattle about 18 years ago but I do. I was playing for the Reds and there was a 6-10 fellow named Randy Johnson playing for the Montreal Expos, who was a little erratic but looked like he could have a great career.
Then there was an All Star pitcher named Mark Langston playing for the Seattle Mariners. The Expos wanted to win NOW and rent Langston for the rest of the year knowing they could lose him to free agency at the end of the year. The Mariners knew they probably couldn't re-sign Langston, so they took the chance on Johnson and did the deal.
As it worked out, Langston would help the Expos to 12 wins and then go free agent at the end of the season. The Expos did not bring home a championship. Now for the Mariners, they got an amazing young pitcher that would win 137 games for their club and get them close to a championship more than a few times.
When Randy was almost a free agent, the Astros traded for Randy and he won 10 games for them, and then went free agent at the end of the year. The Astros sent Freddie Garcia and Carlos Guillen to the Mariners.
Randy would go free agent after the season was over. The Astros didn't win and Johnson went to Arizona. The D-Backs would win a World Championship with Johnson. Now what about the two guys in the Seattle deal for Johnson?
Well, the Mariners would trade Freddie Garcia to Chicago and the White Sox would win a title with Garcia pitching against the team that traded him for Randy Johnson. And what happened to Carlos Guillen, he was traded to the Tigers a few years ago and they now have the best record in baseball.
I guess you may think this is six degrees of Randy Johnson, but I just wanted to show how one player can impact so many teams at the trade deadline. Sometimes the best trade you make is not making one at all.
Great article...As a former Pepsi Jr. Mariner, I threw a fit when Langston, Johnson, and Garcia were traded. One question, I wonder what 200 career win pitcher the M's will get in return for Jeremy Reed? Don't tell me this is the end of this 18 year string!!!
Yeah, that true then again isn't Randy of the few guys that play with the Expos in the mid to late 1980's to 1990's to get a ring somewhere else? It is just sad that the Montreal Expos had so much talent but money was always an issue for them.
Dark said Expos--he couldn't have been talking about the Royals because he said the team had talent but money was an issue--the Royals are cheap, certainly, and poorly managed by businessmen who know nothing about baseball--but, unlike the Expos of the 80s and 90s, they can't sign, trade for, develop or draft any talent.
asc606, The Royals never had any talent,huh? That is a genius statement. Obviously Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye, and Tom Gordon aren't very talented. Your wrong, LIKE the Expos the Royals never kept around any of the talent they ever possessed. When a contract year approached the Royals said goodbye knowing they would never be able to outbid any ballclub for their star's services.
Sometimes you have to roll the dice to get the player that might take you to the top. The worst is when you miss the playoffs and give away a hall-of-fame player, like Randy Johnson.
Rob - Felt like passing this along: When my brother and I use to play berby when we were kids he would sometimes imitate your pitching style to intimidate me. Seemingly every time he turned into 'Dibble', he'd bean me. So I'd like to extend a big thanks for that. Cheers.
buffd- have to remember, the trade of Johnson yeilded talent that helped the M's to 116 wins. The trade of Garcia was inevitable.
Both pitchers were not resigning with the M's. Johnson had made it known he wanted out, and was literally tanking the season. Garcia was an enigma, pitching that year the same way Piniero is pitching now. Heck, Garcia's on the block again with Sox, expendable because of his inconsistency.
It looks like we gave up these guys for nominal talent, when in reality we got what we could. We essentially sold two pitchers mediocre performances over a half season for players we would not have gotten once the pitchers left in free agency at the end of the season anyways
Rob, I love your work on "Best Damn"
Nice work here, but hind-sight is 20-20. No one can truly know if Randy would have gotten his act together had he stayed with in Montreal. Maybe playing in Seattle was the reason he became "The Unit." I guess a good example of what I mean would be Rick Ankiel. Would he have have had his mental problem in a less stressful environment?
Wow ! All players played on a winning team. Now I'm from Montreal and I remember very well the trade. At the time who really knew that Randy Johnson would had over 4000'K in 2006 ? Not much. Yeah the Expos gave 3 prospects but they are sometime more suspects ! They made the good move at the time. Langston pitched very well. Lack of run support prevent him to have at least 15 wins with the Expos.
For those who said that Montreal cannot keep there players... it's true but give the NY Yankees budget, or a decent budget, to Montreal and trust me they would have keep almost all there players. This or putting an intelligent salary cap system, like the NHL or NFL, not for 1 or 2 team (NY Yankees & Red Sox) to pay the luxury tax and you would see teams keep their good players instead of trading them for a douzain of bat !!
An example... J.Wetteland got trade in 95 for Fernando Seguignol (who ???) Wetteland won the W.Series and the MVP with the Yankees !!!!
At the time the Expos farm systems was loaded with excellent players (D.Deshields, M.Grissom, L.Walker, M.Rojas, P.Perez, M.Lansing) and they made very good trades also (M.Alou, J.Wetteland, P.Martinez, D.Martinez, J.Fassero, K.Hill, B.Henry, D.Fletcher, T.Scott) to name a few... And in the mid 90's... the farm system had C.Floyd, R.White, V.Guerrero and J.Vidro... not too bad !!!
There you go guys...
:-)
Great point about The Expos and their past farm system. Always had good players, but a cheap front office. Now the same slug borrows money from MLB, buys the Marklins and is selling off his assets down there so he can move them. When is baseball going to get rid of this owner?
Don't forget the trade that helped Dibble win the world series. The cobra Dave Parker to the A's for Jose Rijo, 1990 World Series MVP against... none other than the A's
Once again nothing about how important Sean Casey trade is to the BEST team in baseball. Oh, lets talk more about what did NOT happen with Soriano. That is REALLY important. Better yet, lets see more picture of Randy johnson 20 years ago. I will be sure to read your blog agin Dibble.
How does someone "go free agent?" Is that like "going stag" to the prom (which you probably did)? Maybe you should "Go get a dictionary and take a few English classes." By the way, get over it. Bringing up something from 18 years ago isn't relevant to today, considering the drastic changes in the baseball landscape. But you wouldn't know that, because you still think you're playing and people want to hear your opinion.
Rob Dibble was named a full-time co-host of BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD in April 2005. The outspoken, all-star reliever is a perfect fit for the most irreverent sports show on television.
Dibble, who is best known as one of the Reds' hard throwing "Nasty Boys," along with Norm Charlton and Randy Myers, won a World Series with the Reds in 1990.
