New York Yankees: The Best Trade Deadline Deals in Bronx Bombers’ History
July 24, 2012 · Steven Goldstein · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is roaring closer, and it seems the AL East-leading New York Yankees already have a head start on things.
On Monday, the Yanks brought in veteran outfielder Ichiro Suzuki from Seattle, flipping a pair of pitching prospects in exchange for the 10-time All-Star. A career .322 hitter, Ichiro’s acquisition could go down as one of the best deadline deals in franchise history.
Let’s rehash some of the Bombers’ best midseason maneuvers as July 31 approaches.
Ryne Duren (P, 1957)
Back when baseball’s trade deadline stood on June 15, the Yanks and the Kansas City Athletics made a deal involving fireballer Ryne Duren. Duren came to the Bronx in exchange for dwindling talents Woodie Held, Billy Martin and Bob Martyn.
Duren wound up notching two All-Star appearances as a Yankee, and in 1958, he lead all of baseball with 20 retroactive saves. The following year, he compiled an astounding 1.88 ERA.
New York did lose righty Ralph Terry in the exchange, but Duren’s impact would be far more noticeable, culminating in a World Series ring in ’58.
Ron Davis (P, 1978)
Davis came to the Big Apple in exchange for pitcher Ken Holtzman, who retired after two poor seasons in Chicago.
On the other hand, Davis (the father of current Met Ike Davis) made 40-plus appearances and posted a sub-3.00 ERA in his three full seasons as a Yankee.
David Cone (P, 1995)
As the ’95 Yankees geared up for a playoff push, they made a play at Toronto righty David Cone. The deal was finalized on July 28, just three days before the league-imposed deadline, sending Marty Janzen, Jason Jarvis and Mike Gordon to the Jays.
The trade proved to be an instant success, as Cone finished out the year at 9-2 with a 3.82 ERA.
Now the franchise’s all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings, Cone tossed baseball’s 16th perfect game in 1999 while donning pinstripes. He also propelled his Yanks to four World Series championships.
Gordon and Jarvis, meanwhile, both failed to see a single inning of pro ball, while Janzen lasted just 27 games in the bigs.
Cecil Fielder (1B/DH, 1996)
Fielder’s tepid regular season production is excused by his phenomenal 1996 postseason. Acquired from Detroit on July 31, Fielder rounded out ’96 with a .260 mark and 13 homers.
Come October, however, he mashed a .364 average in a Divisional Series against Texas, cranked two home runs in a Championship Series against Baltimore and hit .391 to topple the Braves in the World Series.
Fielder would end up out of pinstripes by ’98, but he remains to be one of the team’s better summer acquisitions of the past two decades.
The Tigers received outfielder Ruben Sierra, a four-time All-Star at the time of the trade. Sierra hit just .225 with one home run in Detroit, and was bounced around five different MLB teams in five subsequent seasons.
Bobby Abreu (OF, 2006)
The Yankees lurched for Abreu in the summer of 2006 after losing outfielder Gary Sheffield to injury. A slew of prospects were sent over to Philly in exchange for the touted slugger and pitcher Corey Lidle.
As often the case in baseball, the prospects didn’t do much at the pro level, while Abreu enjoyed a torrid second-half of the season, gashing a .330 average to go along with 42 RBI. He cranked out consecutive “20-20” seasons in 2007 and 2008 as well.
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