Reliving Bad Trades

The Orioles traded their superstar shortstop, Miguel Tejada to the Astros. That sound you hear is me slapping my Dorito-stained hands together in maniacal glee. It’s not that I hate Miguel Tejada for being an overpaid, whiny, no-defense-playing, choke-in-the-clutch drain on my favorite team. I’m sure he’s nice to kittens and gives money to charity and all that. And it’s hard not to be whiny discontent on a team as lousy as the O’s. But let’s just say that it’s rarely a good sign when the star player gets traded and the fanbase’s general reaction is “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.”

And the Astros gave up a lot. It makes me want to hug a Houstonian, so be on guard in school today. Luke Scott is already the O’s third best position player (which says more about the crappiness of the O’s). Troy Patton is rated as the Astros top prospect and Mike Costanzo is their top position prospect (which says more about the crappiness of the Astros’ farm system). AND the O’s got two other pitchers who might one day mop up the next 30-3 Orioles loss. This is the best trade the Orioles have made in two decades (which says everything about the crappiness of the O’s front office).

The O’s have been gunshy ever since executing one of the worst trades in the history of organized sports. In 1991, the Orioles traded for a power-hitting first baseman from the Astros, Glenn Davis. Davis spent the next three years alternating between being hurt and sucking so badly that I wished he was hurt. He managed to hit 24 home runs… in three years. And all it cost the Orioles was Steve Finley, Pete Harnisch, and Curt Schilling.

Harnisch was probably the worst player the O’s gave up and he made the All-Star team in 1991. He would pitch until 2001 as a league average starter. Steve Finley would make two All-Star teams, win five Gold Gloves, and generally be a really good player until he retired this year. Curt Schilling is a borderline Hall of Famer for his ability to pitch and self-promote. So, the O’s traded a useful league average pitcher, a really good centerfielder, and a truly great pitcher for 24 home runs over three seasons. This was the kind of bad trade which ruins a franchise… oh, wait. It did.

What goes around comes around. You’re welcome, Houston fans. Enjoy Tejada’s decline.