Can anyone guess the best trade deadline deals the Cards have done?

[ClassicO]

First, there are very few.

Second, they were long ago.

I may have missed some, but I was looking for ones that had us acquire a longer-term quality player, not a rental.

I found 5 in the past 60 years, yet there's a misconception that these trades fall off trees.

1. Lou Brock (1964): Brock for Broglio will live in infamy.
2. Joaquin Andujar (1981): acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for Tony Scott in a 1981 trade deadline deal.
3. Mark McGwire (1997): acquired at the July trade deadline for prospects Eric Ludwick, T.J. Mathews, and Blake Stein.
4. Scott Rolen (2002) - acquired from the Phillies for Placido Polanco, Bud Smith, Mike Timlin
5. Matt Holliday (2009): acquired from the Athletics in July 2009 for Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen, and Shane Peterson.

[jbrach]

will clark

[Futuregm2]

Kelly/Craig for Lackey turned out well.

Lankford for Woody Williams

Those weren’t really long term players persay though.

[rockondlouie]

First, there are very few.

Second, they were long ago.

I may have missed some, but I was looking for ones that had us acquire a longer-term quality player, not a rental.

I found 5 in the past 60 years, yet there's a misconception that these trades fall off trees.

1. Lou Brock (1964): Brock for Broglio will live in infamy.
2. Joaquin Andujar (1981): acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for Tony Scott in a 1981 trade deadline deal.
3. Mark McGwire (1997): acquired at the July trade deadline for prospects Eric Ludwick, T.J. Mathews, and Blake Stein.
4. Scott Rolen (2002) - acquired from the Phillies for Placido Polanco, Bud Smith, Mike Timlin
5. Matt Holliday (2009): acquired from the Athletics in July 2009 for Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen, and Shane Peterson.

Brock for Broglio may be the biggest heist in MLB history!

I can name the worst:

K. Hernandez for N. Allen & Ri. Ownbey

(Yea I know, cocaine Keith but c'mon he's the G.O.A.T. defensively at 1st base, a helluva hitter and it never affected his play on the field....I think)

[RunSup]

Kelly/Craig for Lackey turned out well.

Lankford for Woody Williams

Those weren’t really long term players persay though.

Lackey was key to the 100 win team in 2015

2021:
John Lester for Lane Thomas
JA Happ for Gant and Sisk
17 game winning streak. 90 wins and into the playoffs

2022:
Montgomery for Bader
Quintana and Stratton for Oviedo and Nuñez
93 wins and into the playoffs

Then in 2023:
Montgomery and Stratton to the Rangers for Roby, Saggese, and King.
2 out of 3 with the big club. If Roby comes back from TJ surgery and contributes in 2027, that will play.

[ClassicO]

Kelly/Craig for Lackey turned out well.

Lankford for Woody Williams

Those weren’t really long term players persay though.

Lackey was key to the 100 win team in 2015

2021:
John Lester for Lane Thomas
JA Happ for Gant and Sisk
17 game winning streak. 90 wins and into the playoffs

2022:
Montgomery for Bader
Quintana and Stratton for Oviedo and Nuñez
93 wins and into the playoffs

Then in 2023:
Montgomery and Stratton to the Rangers for Roby, Saggese, and King.
2 out of 3 with the big club. If Roby comes back from TJ surgery and contributes in 2027, that will play.

They were good, and there were the Wil Clark (2000 - .345 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs in 51 games) and Ceasar Cedeno deals (1985 - hit .434 with six home runs in 28 games in a rare late-August trade).

I was looking for a longer term, but this is fun.

PS - I'm not sold yet on the Montgomery trade as none of the players have done well in the big leagues (how John King has hung on is beyond me).

[45s]

Z

[HorseTrader]

Larry Walker. Was Brock really a trade DEADLINE deal, that trade was mid June.

[butsir01]

Larry Walker. Was Brock really a trade DEADLINE deal, that trade was mid June.

Years ago, June 15 was the trade deadline.

[FrankTheTank]

4. Scott Rolen (2002) - acquired from the Phillies for Placido Polanco, Bud Smith, Mike Timlin

That was such a great trade. Bud Smith threw a no-hitter, but other than that didn't have much of a career. Timlin, not much. Polanco was a good role player/bench guy. I went to a game in Philly 2-3 weeks after that trade was made, and their fans were not happy. Rolen is one of my favorite Cardinals ever to watch play. 110% always.

5. Matt Holliday (2009): acquired from the Athletics in July 2009 for Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen, and Shane Peterson.

What a trade! Brett Wallace was a first round pick, and I remember people were not happy he was included in the deal, but there were also people that hated that pick. Lifetime MLB - .238/40 homers/138 RBI's. He is now the hitting coach at Cal. Holliday was another all-time favorite Cardinal of mine.

3. Mark McGwire (1997): acquired at the July trade deadline for prospects Eric Ludwick, T.J. Mathews, and Blake Stein.

I worked at the hotel where he lived for about a year and a half after the trade. Those were good times, except the team was not very good. Without him, there would have been very little reason to watch the Cardinals during that time. He put nationwide exposure on the Cardinals as we all know.

[OldRed]

One that goes under the radar;

Cesar Cedeno 1985.


https://www.baseball-reference.com/play ... ce01.shtml

[HorseTrader]

Larry Walker. Was Brock really a trade DEADLINE deal, that trade was mid June.

Years ago, June 15 was the trade deadline.

Thanks I couldn't remember. I remember the Brock trade, best trade in Cardinal history.

[butsir01]

Larry Walker. Was Brock really a trade DEADLINE deal, that trade was mid June.

Years ago, June 15 was the trade deadline.

Thanks I couldn't remember. I remember the Brock trade, best trade in Cardinal history.

I was 15 at the time. Neighborhood gang took the Redbird Express from Northland and saw him play. He had a fly ball go off of his chest in left and was forced at second when Herrnstein, playing first, ran all of the way over to third and dropped an infield fly. It did get better from there, though the fans loved Broglio and were all over Lou.

[mlbensinger]

Acquiring Ozzie Smith for Gary Templeton. Other players on both sides but those were the key pieces.

[ecleme22]

Kelly/Craig for Lackey turned out well.

Lankford for Woody Williams

Those weren’t really long term players persay though.

Lackey was key to the 100 win team in 2015

2021:
John Lester for Lane Thomas
JA Happ for Gant and Sisk
17 game winning streak. 90 wins and into the playoffs

2022:
Montgomery for Bader
Quintana and Stratton for Oviedo and Nuñez
93 wins and into the playoffs

Then in 2023:
Montgomery and Stratton to the Rangers for Roby, Saggese, and King.
2 out of 3 with the big club. If Roby comes back from TJ surgery and contributes in 2027, that will play.

Let’s not gloss over Woody Williams and his contribution to the 105 win season

[TXCardsFanX]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the Rasmus trade in 2011 that directly won the Cardinals the WS.

2011
Cards get: Edwin Jackson, Octavio Dotel, Corey Patterson, and Marc Rzepczynski
Cards give: Colby Rasmus, Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters

Edwin Jackson goes 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA for STL, but struggles down the stretch and in the postseason. Rzepcynski pitches in 28 games down the stretch and doesn't allow a run in the postseason. DOTEL is the prize and absolutely dominates after the trade. Notably, he was the Ryan Braun trump card, striking him out every time he faced him to help win the final 3 games of the NLCS. He would K him in 3 or 4 pitches, including with 2 on in game 5. I remember Braun flipping his bat in frustration as he couldn't even see the pitches coming. Braun won the MVP that year, hit 0.405 in the postseason, but was absolutely baffled by Dotel (his whole career). Dotel was the Braun kyptonite. Dotel also carries a 0.68 WHIP that postseason. That trade won the Cards the WS trophy.
Corey Patterson barely played and sucked.

Rasmus never pans out in Toronto and gets traded to Houston. Miller retires after 2011, Tallet records 1 out for Toronto (gives up 2 runs for a 54 ERA), Walters gets traded to Minnesota and never has an ERA under 5.69.

THAT was a WS winning trade. Best trade you could ask for.