The Major League Baseball trade deadline is a couple of weeks away and every O’s fan is wondering what moves, if any, the Orioles will make. Every trade that is made is scrutinized by every fan as they try to assess if their team “won” or “lost” in the trade. It often can take years after the trade was made to determine which team got the better of the deal and some deals end up totally one-sided and remembered for years.
Ask any Orioles fan what was the worst trade in franchise history and you will get the same answer from everyone you ask: “The Glenn Davis trade.” No matter how old you are or how long you have followed the Orioles, you undoubtedly have heard about the “worst trade in Orioles history.” In that deal the Orioles dealt Curt Schilling, Pete Harnisch and Steve Finley to the Houston Astros for slugger Glenn Davis. At the time, the trade looked like a win for the Orioles as they got the power hitting first baseman they needed, however a jaw injury to Davis and a borderline Hall of Fame career by Schilling made the Orioles the losers of the trade.
Part of the reason the trade has been viewed so negatively was because of the success of not only Schilling and Finley, but also the success of the teams they played on throughout their careers. From the time the trade was made to last year, the Orioles failed to make a World Series and were one of the worst franchises in baseball since 1997. In 2012 the Orioles had their first winning season since 1997 and shocked everyone by making the playoffs. This year they picked up right where they left off and also will have three starters in next week’s All-Star game. Last season made a lot of Orioles fans forget about the past and the endless cycle of bad managers, heralded prospects falling short and bad trades. Adam Jones and Chris Davis were the catalysts of the offense last year and both are having tremendous first halves this year, while Chris Tillman and his 10-3 record lead the pitching staff. Jones, Tillman and Davis all have something in common – they all were acquired in trades by Andy MacPhail.
Glenn Davis was acquired by the Orioles in 1991 and, 22 years later, his name still gets brought up by someone in baseball on a daily basis. However, what people should be talking about is how this franchise has turned the corner and how it was a couple of lopsided trades that led to that.
In 2008 the Orioles traded the “ace” of their pitching staff and single season franchise strikeout leader, Erik Bedard, to the Mariners for four players, most notably center field prospect Adam Jones and pitching prospect Chris Tillman. Since that trade, Bedard has amassed a 26-35 record and has pitched for the Red Sox, Pirates and currently the Astros. Adam Jones, on the other hand, just made his third All-Star game, hit a career high in home runs last year, won a Gold Glove and signed and 6-year extension that will keep in center field for the Baltimore Orioles for a long time. Jones is on the cusp of superstardom while Bedard continues to pitch sub-par on one of the worst franchises in baseball.
While Jones and Bedard were the key pieces in the trade, the Orioles also acquired Chris Tillman, who could have 11 wins at the All-Star break and seems to finally have reached the level of success all expected him to. I am sure every day since 2008 Seattle sports fans bring up the names Erik Bedard and Adam Jones and look back on what now looks like a very one-sided trade and one that could be even more lopsided years down the road once Jones’ career is finished.
Chris Davis has 34 home runs this season, is on pace to shatter the Orioles single season home run and RBI records, and was the leading vote getter for the All Star game. The person he was traded for, Koji Uehara, just lost in the final fan voting to make the All-Star game. In 2011 the Orioles acquired Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter from the Rangers for Koji Uehara. It is now less than two years later and Uehara is no longer in Texas, Davis is a front runner for MVP, and Tommy Hunter is one of the best set-up guys in baseball.
While Texas made the World Series in 2011 and currently are 14 games over .500, the deal they made for Uehara is still is one I am sure they regret. It was after all Chris Davis and his Baltimore Orioles that knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs last year and it is Chris Davis, not Mitch Moreland, who will be starting at first base in the All-Star game. At 27 years old, Chris Davis is in the prime of his career and, if the Orioles can sign him to a long term deal, he will be one of the center pieces of what should be one of the most successful teams in baseball for years.
We have all seen “top 10” lists for everything and certainly there are several lists out there of the worst trades in sports. Near the top of every one of those lists is the Glenn Davis trade. For years, I hated even saying that name or mentioning that trade, but now I can say I am over it. I know it was not his fault since he was not the one who made the trade and I am sure he intentionally didn’t get hurt. So, let me be the first to say, Glenn Davis, I “forgive” you.
We now have Chris Davis at first, we now have Adam Jones in center field and more importantly we have one of the best teams in baseball. The Baltimore Orioles are relevant again and the success they had in 2012 looks like it could continue beyond this year.
So while the world watches Adam Jones and Chris Davis in the All Star game next week, ask yourself, where are Erik Bedard and Koji Uehara currently? Then realize what fans in Seattle and Texas are feeling. They probably felt the same way I did every time I watched Curt Schilling, Steve Finley and Pete Harnisch have success in a uniform that was not the Orioles.
It feels good to be on the “winning” end of a trade and the Orioles certainly were the winners in both the Adam Jones and Chris Davis trades.
Currently, and certainly years down the road, the Orioles will once again be in the top 10 list for “worst trades in sports.” However it won’t be for the Glenn Davis trade, but for the Adam Jones trade and they will be the ones mentioned as the franchise that got the better end of the deal.
Thank you Seattle for Adam Jones and Chris Tillman and thank you Texas for Chris Davis and, most of all, thank you Andy MacPhail for making two of the most lopsided trades in Orioles history.
Follow Marco on twitter @mromanell and Southbmore.com @southbmore1
