Top Ten Notable Chicago Baseball Deadline deals

With the trade deadline vast approaching and both teams in the hunt, why not look back on the last ten years and remember notable deals that occurred in July in The Windy City. Some of these deals worked out, some didn’t, but the hype around these trades has made them worthy.

10. Terry Mulholland- 1998


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He was always old, even when he was drafted. But he fit the bill when the Cubs dealt a few nobodies for the steady veteran lefty out of the pen. By no means was this a turning point for an already good team, but it didn’t hurt.

9. Roberto Alomar- 2003


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Robby may have been a little before my time, but he is my favorite second baseman of ever. Any second baseman who bats third in an Indian order that included Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Dave Justice and Sandy Alomar gets my vote. With all this said, his stint with the Sox absolutely sucked. A .253 average with 17 RBI and three homers just isn’t the same guy I remembered rounding the bases in that Blue Jays jersey in the 1993 ALCS. Good thing Royce Ring hasn’t done anything or that deal really could have hurt.

8. Carl Everett- 2003 & 2004


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He was brought in twice to try to make contenders out of the White Sox. Both times it didn’t work out too well, but a steady switch-hitting power hitter never hurts. His ’05 campaign was not great but not awful and a World Series win was a result. Everett, who was traded to the Sox less than a week before the ’03 All star game at Comiskey was cheered upon as if he had spent his entire career in the South Side.

7. Freddie Garcia- 2004


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Kenny Williams makes his first of two huge changes to the rotation in ’04, this time adding Ozzie’s bud Freddy Garcia. Many liked the deal but were skeptical because they gave away former 1st round pick Jeremy Reed and Miguel Olivo, a guy Hawk knew would someday be an all star. And Hawk is never wrong.

6. Rich Harden- 2008


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The verdict is still out on this, but it looks as though the Cubs got a steal. The question that lingers is why Billy Beane let Harden go for so little? What is Ricky O'Donnell, a Moneyball obsesser, going to do if Beane is wrong about this deal? For Cubs fans sake, I hope he is. But for us 45 Sox fans, Beane has to be too smart to be outdone.

5. Fred McGriff- 2001


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This deal had so much hype. First he was coming. Then he wasn’t. then it was on again. But good things come to those who wait, and while the Cubs had to wait a little longer than they wanted, it paid off. His ’01 was pretty solid and he hit .270 with 30 homers and 103 RBI in 2002 on the North Side. I’ll take that any day.

4. Jon Garland- 1998


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The Cubs dealt a young stud Garland in exchange for a guy supposedly better than Garland; Sox prospect Matt Karchner. I think it’s pretty clear who bettered on this trade. Garland is one of many great Cubs pitching prospects that have strived away from the Friendly Confines.

3. Nomar Garciaparra- 2004


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This was supposed to be the deal of all deals. A stud shortstop so people could forget the Jeff Blauser blunder as well as Alex Gonzalez’s under hyped error in the dreaded Game 6. Nomar was simply awesome; until he was a Cub. They gave up virtually nothing and got Murton in the process also. Take it or leave it, the red-head was arguably the fourth-best player in the deal that had 10 players included.

2. Jose Contreras- 2004


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Kenny Williams looks like a genius again as he dealt previous 21-game winner in exchange for the quasi-washed up Cuban. 2005 and ’06 brought out Contreras’ best stuff. He was absolutely dominate from the second half of ’05 and the first half of ’06 winning 17 straight decisions. While he is painful to watch at times today, this is a deal that is not talked about as much as it should be.

1. Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton- 2003


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The Cubs give away Jose Hernandez and an absolute nobody and fill two holes that gave them the necessary push to the postseason. I understand getting Kenny Lofton in the deal, but the fact that Aramis Ramirez was included is unreal. A-Ram was just about ready to bust out in Pittsburgh, and the Bucs just couldn't wait for it. The Cubs stole the wildcard and Pittsburgh’s future.