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

[ecleme22]

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.

I hear you. This trade should’ve been in the first paragraph of the OP.

[OldRed]

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.

I hear you. This trade should’ve been in the first paragraph of the OP.

Agree completely. I wonder how much TLR had to do with that trade?

[Carp4Cy]

Rafael Furcal - Happy Flights!

[Carp4Cy]

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.

Another point is that all these trades were to Acquire established players. Not to send vets and acquire a lotto ticket. Those don't work out so well.

Some of these we sent an established player and got another (or multiple) established players. Other times we sent prospects and got a star veteran. But the point is we were targeting proven solutions for known needs, not just dumping payroll on expiring contracts and trying to get some random "something" back. There is no strategy to that move and it seldom really makes a difference.

[rockondlouie]

They were good, and there were the Wil Clark (2000 - .345 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs in 51 game)

As a bonus W. Clark threatened to beat the Shildt out of JD Drew if he didn't play hard every game.

[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.

Another point is that all these trades were to Acquire established players. Not to send vets and acquire a lotto ticket. Those don't work out so well.

Some of these we sent an established player and got another (or multiple) established players. Other times we sent prospects and got a star veteran. But the point is we were targeting proven solutions for known needs, not just dumping payroll on expiring contracts and trying to get some random "something" back. There is no strategy to that move and it seldom really makes a difference.

Yeah, but even most of the terrible trades were in the off-season. So there's still time to mess this up!
Here's a March 2023 article on the 15 worst trades in Cards' history (everyone knows the worst).
I forgot how bad the Reggie Smith trade was. https://redbirdrants.com/posts/15-worst ... dwbjver/16

[Carp4Cy]

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.

Another point is that all these trades were to Acquire established players. Not to send vets and acquire a lotto ticket. Those don't work out so well.

Some of these we sent an established player and got another (or multiple) established players. Other times we sent prospects and got a star veteran. But the point is we were targeting proven solutions for known needs, not just dumping payroll on expiring contracts and trying to get some random "something" back. There is no strategy to that move and it seldom really makes a difference.

Yeah, but even most of the terrible trades were in the off-season. So there's still time to mess this up!
Here's a March 2023 article on the 15 worst trades in Cards' history (everyone knows the worst).
I forgot how bad the Reggie Smith trade was. https://redbirdrants.com/posts/15-worst ... dwbjver/16

I wasn't alive to remember the 70s, but trading Carlton over $65K? We really were the Pirates or A's of that era.

[CraigPaquette]

Back in the day when it was wonderful being a Cardinals fan and you had TLR, Dunc, and Jocketty in their roles, I know of 2 very under the radar moves. The others have already been mentioned.

1. Chuck Finley
2. John Smoltz

This was during the time when Dunc and and TLR resurrected careers.
Now the franchise has become the place where you beg to be traded so another team can revitalize their career.

[russellhammond]

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

Uh...that was an offseason deal, not a deadline trade.

[Mort Gage]

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.

I hear you. This trade should’ve been in the first paragraph of the OP.

Agree completely. I wonder how much TLR had to do with that trade?

LaRussa couldn't stand Rasmus' meddling helicopter father. That trade was Mo's finest moment. He rolled the dice in Pujols' last year when they looked far out of the playoff picture but won big.

[HOUCARD]

Cedeno and Will Clark come to mind. Not sure if Larry Walker was trade deadline.

[tgharris]

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.

Another point is that all these trades were to Acquire established players. Not to send vets and acquire a lotto ticket. Those don't work out so well.

Some of these we sent an established player and got another (or multiple) established players. Other times we sent prospects and got a star veteran. But the point is we were targeting proven solutions for known needs, not just dumping payroll on expiring contracts and trying to get some random "something" back. There is no strategy to that move and it seldom really makes a difference.

Yeah, but even most of the terrible trades were in the off-season. So there's still time to mess this up!
Here's a March 2023 article on the 15 worst trades in Cards' history (everyone knows the worst).
I forgot how bad the Reggie Smith trade was. https://redbirdrants.com/posts/15-worst ... dwbjver/16

I wasn't alive to remember the 70s, but trading Carlton over $65K? We really were the Pirates or A's of that era.

I think the Carlton deal was over more like 10K.

[mlbensinger]

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

Uh...that was an offseason deal, not a deadline trade.

You're right, I misread the title. Shame on me. Was the "Uh..." necessary?

[russellhammond]

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

Uh...that was an offseason deal, not a deadline trade.

You're right, I misread the title. Shame on me. Was the "Uh..." necessary?

Yep

[Red7]

One that goes under the radar;

Cesar Cedeno 1985.


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

That was a post-deadline deal. It was one off those wink-wink waiver deals that was so common.