The 1990’s were a pretty amazing time to be a baseball general manager.
There were also four brand new expansion teams that decade.
Finally, the trades had massive impact.
Here are what I consider the most important MLB trades of the 1990’s:
10.
I left off some big trades: Jeff Kent to the Giants and Roger Clemens to the Yankees.
Those are two guys that have Hall of Fame resumes.
I am sure many reading this might disagree but I see the Cone deal as more important.
Cone was a Yankee during the entire four title run.
I think that really matters.
That trade didn’t have the same impact.
Cone’s story was so amazing coming back from an aneurysm in his arm and throwing a perfect game.
This was the trade that put the Yankees over the top.
The Expos were never going to be able to afford Pedro but we’ll talk about that trade later.
Imagine if the Dodgers had just kept Pedro?
It almost happened too.
Jody Reed was the Dodgers second basemen and was a free agent heading into that off-season.
Reed had an insane contract request asking for a three year deal at big money for the time.
The Dodgers were so furious, they traded for DeShields.
Let’s say Reed isn’t greedy and the Dodgers keep Pedro.
Even without Pedro, they still went to the playoffs in 1995 and 1996.
Maybe the Dodgers never trade Mike Piazza?
The Dodgers history was forever altered because Jody Reed wanted too much money.
That deal had the bigger names but the impact was pretty limited.
I’d have Piazza higher if the Mets had won a World Series while he was in Queens.
This is just a really stacked group.
It’s the most important trades.
Paul O’Neill was the heart of the best of the best team of the decade.
He was also really fucking good.
He won a batting title and went to four All-Star Games with the Yankees.
you might make a really good case that the Yankees dynasty ended when he retired.
It’s hard to believe but Yankee fans were pissed when this deal was made.
Roberto Kelly was considered to be the next great Yankee.
He was only 27 years old and made his first All-Star game the season before he was dealt.
I don’t have the Sammy Sosa trade to the Cubs on here at all.
Maybe I should have both ranked higher?
Maybe I shouldn’t even have either on the list?
Neither even went to a World Series with the clubs they were traded too.
I just can’t completely ignore the home run chase of 1998.
It’s not the just the fact these guys cheated but the direct result of the steroids here.
Sammy Sosa was a decent but not great player before steroids.
McGwire was an aging power hitter who couldn’t hit for contact and whose body was falling apart.
They had just signed Greg Maddux but hadn’t been the dominant team everyone expected.
In 1995, he helped the Braves win the World Series.
This is one of the most instantly successful mid-season trades in baseball history.
Sheffield wound up helping the Marlins win the 1997 World Series.
The Padres wound up with the second greatest player in franchise history.
Looking back, I’m not sure which team “won” this trade.
You could make a case that this should be number one on this list.
Bagwell and Craig Biggio are the people you think of first when you think of the Astros.
The one pennant they did win while he was there, Bagwell was already past his prime.
This was before Manny Ramirez signed with Boston.
It was before Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon and Derek Lowe became really good.
The 1997 Red Sox had a losing record and trading for Pedro changed…everything.
The Red Sox did only win one World Series with Pedro but his impact is even felt today.
Before Pedro, the Red Sox were known as losers.
Teams that could always get close but always fail in the end.
With Pedro, he felt like the embodiment of hope.
He was better than great in 1999 and 2000.
It was the baseball equivalent of man walking on the moon.
People could explain all day what you were watching but it was still hard to believe.
He was that good.
For the decade before this, Toronto was a very good team that could never get over the hump.
They had to make a major move.
It’s pretty ballsy.
McGriff had led the league in home runs already.
Fernandez was a four time Gold Glover.
Gillick’s confidence was rewarded.
Alomar became the key figure on a Blue Jays team that won the World Series in 1992 and 1993.
Alomar is the only player in Cooperstown with a Blue Jays logo on his cap.
He was only there five seasons but was the best player on a repeat World Champion.
As for Joe Carter?
