Some recent trades have baseball fans scratching their heads.
To understand why some trades seem so bad, I have to go back to baseball's past.
For a long time, baseball players were under the reserve clause. Under this clause, it was stated in the player's contract that the rights of the player were still held by the team upon the expiration of the player's contract. Players under this agreement could not enter into a contract with a different team.
It was a double-edged sword; fans liked that their favorite players were retained by their team. The fans were more or less guaranteed that their beloved stars would be with the team again and again, year after year. Players only changed teams when they were traded, released or decided to retire.
On the other hand, the players never felt like they had the right to accept more money or go to a different team of their choosing.
Some stars that come to mind who were long-tenured with their respective team are Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees, the Detroit Tigers' Ty Cobb, the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators, and the New York Giants' Christy Mathewson, among others. (I used the first Hall of Fame Class of 1936 as an example, if you noticed.)
Nolan Ryan, who is one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball, was traded from the New York Mets to the California Angels in 1971 for Jim Fregosi. Fregosi batted .232 that year. Many baseball experts consider this the worst trade in Major League Baseball history.
In 1976, the MLB and the MLB Players Association signed an agreement that allowed players with a minimum of six years of experience to become free agents.
Even though I agree with the rights of the players, I have always appreciated the baseball athletes would have successfully had long tenures with one team. A few modern players that come to mind are the Minnesota Twins' Kirby Puckett, Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Houston Astros' Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres, the Yankees' Derek Jeter, and the Baltimore Orioles' Cal Ripken, Jr.
After several years, followings began for these beloved stars and the main reason was that they stayed with one team, which allowed for the relationship between fan and player to grow.
But too often today, stars are traded from their teams or go to a different team for more money.
Giancarlo Stanton, formally of the Miami Marlins, made his debut in 2010 and played until 2017 with the Marlins. Fans cheered on Stanton for several years, and he was well liked. Last season, Stanton belted 59 home runs and was named the National League's Most Valuable Player.
If I were a Marlins fan, I would pay to go see a game and watch Stanton play. His offensive prowess, and solid defensive play, along with the fact that he has been with the team for seven years, would make me one of his fans.
But Miami traded Stanton to the Yankees, leaving many Marlins fans wondering why. In exchange, Miami got Starlin Castro, Jorge Guzman and Rafael Devers. Stanton is the bigger draw, and the Marlins should have kept him.
Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates was traded to the San Francisco Giants. McCutchen made his debut in 2009 and played with the Giants for eight years. He is a 5-time All Star, and was named National League MVP in 2013.
In the trade, the Giants aquired Kyle Crick, Bryan Reynolds, and $500,000 in international bonus slot money. But the trade is not worth it. Pittsburgh should have tried to work things out with McCutchen in order to keep that relationship with the fans.
The Pirates further made fans wonder when they traded pitcher Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros for Joe Musgrove, Michael Feliz, Colin Moran, and Jason Martin. Cole had spent five years with Pittsburgh and struck out 196 batters in 2017. He has a lifetime earned-run average of 3.50 and has won 59 games with 42 loses.
Teams should strive to keep players around who have grown up and been developed by them. Unfortunately, the nature of baseball, free agency, and trades rarely allows that luxury. It is good to be able to count on things year after year as a fan, especially a good player.
Time allows for the player-fan relationship to grow and that is a good thing for baseball. It also allows for more competitiveness between teams, which is positive for the sport.