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Sale blockbuster among top Meetings swaps
- Updated: December 6, 2016
There aren’t many weeks on the baseball calendar more exciting than the annual Winter Meetings.
OK, OK — the weeks with actual games can be pretty fun, too. But as far as the offseason goes, the Winter Meetings are the pinnacle.
Through the years, we’ve seen some fantastic wheeling and dealing at the Meetings, and this week’s events have been no different. Take Tuesday, when the Red Sox made a big splash, sending four top prospects to the White Sox for ace left-hander Chris Sale.
MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. ET.
Here is a look at some of the biggest trades in Winter Meetings history — a list that includes its share of Hall of Famers and Hall of Famers-to-be:
1959: Yankees acquire Roger Maris The Kansas City Athletics’ disappointing 1959 season culminated with the firing of manager Harry Craft. After being let go, Craft allegedly told Yankees skipper Casey Stengel to trade for A’s youngster Roger Maris, because he was destined for stardom.
Sure enough, at the Winter Meetings in Miami Beach, Fla., Stengel followed through, landing Maris in exchange for Don Larsen, Hank Bauer, Norm Siebern and Marv Throneberry (New York also received Joe DeMaestri and Kent Hadley). Two years later, Maris became baseball’s single-season home run king, and he helped lead the Yanks to World Series appearances in each of the next five years — including two titles.
1965: Frank Robinson goes to Baltimore Legendary baseball executive Lee MacPhail left the Baltimore Orioles after the 1965 season, but not before he set in motion a trade that would shape the course of baseball history. At the ’65 Winter Meetings, MacPhail negotiated the deal with the Reds that sent Frank Robinson to the Orioles for Jack Baldschun, Milt Pappas and Dick Simpson.
Robinson would go on to win two World Series and the 1966 American League MVP Award in Baltimore. Before completing the deal, however, MacPhail first made sure to get the approval of Harry Dalton, the incoming general manager. Fortunately for O’s fans, Dalton signed off.
1975: Bill Veeck is “Open for Business” During the 1975 Winter Meetings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., newly minted White Sox owner Veeck famously set up a table in the hotel lobby with a sign that read “Open for Business.” He would then go on to make six trades involving 22 players, including Jim Kaat (to the Phillies), Clay Carroll (to the White Sox from the Reds), Ralph Garr (to the White Sox from the Braves) and Dick Ruthven (from the Phillies to the White Sox, then from the White Sox to the Braves).
The South Siders won 75 games during the 1975 season, so Veeck’s approach made at least some sense. But the deals didn’t pay off, and the White Sox finished last in the AL West in ’76 with just 64 …
