Trading between teams is a subject we shall hear about with growing intensity over the coming weeks. This activity will come as teams realize that a) it is not going to be a good year, or b) it is going to be a good year and improving and/or fine-tuning is essential.
These thoughts were brought to mind by yesterday’s news that the Texas Rangers may be seeking to unload Ivan Rodriguez, the perennial all-star catcher; this, of course, remains to be seen.
Over the years, trading has become an art form, and tales and/or happenings run the spectrum. For example, it was none other than the Hall of Fame executive Branch Rickey who espoused the philosophy that it was better to trade a player too soon than too late.
And then there have been the silly player moves. Among these is a move made in 2000 involving the New York Mets, who recalled Bobby Jones, a right-handed pitcher from the minor leagues. To make room for him, they sent Bobby Jones, a left-handed pitcher, back to the minor leagues. How about that! Bobby Jones was replaced by Bobby Jones!
To me, this move was almost as funny as a trade made by these same Mets and the Cleveland Indians in 1962. A catcher named Harry Chiti was traded to the Mets for “a player to be named later,” not unusual in the nature of baseball trades. Ironically, “the player to be named later” was in fact Harry Chiti. After the season, Chiti was returned to the team from whence he had come. As such, he was traded for himself.
To be sure, there have been many deals that attract attention. Reflecting on the trades I recall in sixty years as a fan, one stands out among all the others. Interestingly enough, it is a trade that in fact never happened, and perhaps it is more of a “fairy tale” and never had an ounce of reality. Nevertheless, it is worth thinking about, considering the sheer star power of the two players involved.
Baseball legend has it that in 1949 very serious consideration was given by the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to an even up trade of Joe DiMaggio for Ted Williams. According to the story, it was close to a done deal, and was called off at the last minute. Why such a trade would have been made is another matter; the point is that (allegedly) it almost was.
The possibilities had such a deal been consummated are intriguing. Among them is the fact that the right-handed DiMaggio would have been swinging at Fenway Park's left field “Green Monster,” and Williams, arguably the greatest pure left-handed hitter of all time, would have been taking aim at the “short porch”in right field at Yankee Stadium. Would Ruth’s 60 home run record have fallen before Roger Maris did it in 1961?
Let us assume, then, that the deal was done and consider some other “might have beens.”
Obviously, the classic 1949 season, which went down to the last weekend, might have had a different ending since DiMaggio would not have been a Yankee and consequently could not have catapulted his former team to victory. Boston might well have won the pennant and the World Championship, and in the process ended “the curse of the Bambino” forever. This of course makes the case that as a Yankee, Williams could not have achieved what DiMaggio did. It is highly likely that Williams could have. However, the fact remains that in his first games upon returning from being injured and out of the lineup for a long time, DiMaggio (as a Yankee) produced a spectacular weekend in Boston that had a great bearing on the pennant race. Certainly, it was a performance that ranks as one of the more inspiring achievements in baseball lore.
At the beginning of the 1952 season, Ted Williams went off to the Korean War in his second tour as a Marine combat flyer, which would have left the Yankees without either star, since DiMaggio had retired after the 1951 season. Suppose that after being traded, the proud DiMaggio was annoyed with the Yankees. Could he have been prevailed upon to play for Boston in 1952? Would the Yankee championship of 1952 then have gone to Boston? After all, there may have been another good year left for DiMaggio.
Perhaps the most interesting speculation involves events that took place in 1951 involving DiMaggio and his heir apparent, Mickey Mantle. Had Joe DiMaggio been traded, there is no doubt that center field would have been played by the young star Mantle. In this scenario, Mantle would never have been in right field and DiMaggio in center that year. Thus, the injury that befell Mantle (who virtually destroyed his knee tripping on a drain in right field in the 1951 World Series) might never have happened. What prodigious records would Mantle have left had he played his career on two good legs?
While the possibilities are interesting to contemplate, we will never know, of course. Arguably, though, a DiMaggio for Williams trade may be the greatest trade NEVER made.
» Sam Person is a retired CPA and university professor of accounting who enjoys writing on a variety of subjects, including baseball history.
Also by Sam Person
» My Favorite Events at Each Position
» Some More Jewish Baseball Players
» My Brother’s Baseball Cards
» Strange Endings to Baseball Careers
» The Pitching Change
» More submissions
Copyright © 2001 by Sam Person. Posted May 18, 2001.
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