Unable to supplant either Lou Brock, Bake McBride or Reggie Smith as an outfield starter, Jose Cruz left the Cardinals in 1974 and fulfilled his potential with the Astros.
Though he had been a sensation in the minor leagues and in the Puerto Rican winter league, Cruz, a left-handed batter and right fielder, struggled with the Cardinals after debuting with them in 1970. His stock dropped so low that the Cardinals didn’t even get a player in return for him.
Instant upgrade
On Oct. 24, 1974, the Cardinals sent Cruz, 27, to the Astros in a cash transaction for $25,000.
A grateful Preston Gomez, the Astros’ manager, told The Sporting News, “This boy Cruz is better than anybody we had on the ballclub last year. He can hit with power, has better than average speed and he has a good arm.”
(Gomez had his eye on Cruz for several years. In 1971, as manager of the Padres, Gomez told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he was impressed by Cruz and teammate Luis Melendez. “I like Cruz the best of the lot,” Gomez said of the Cardinals outfield prospects in April 1971. “But Melendez is quite a ballplayer, too … I’d take either him or Cruz right now. I wish we had something to offer the Cardinals.”)
Cruz spent 13 seasons with the Astros, batting .292 with 1,937 hits in 1,870 games. He twice was named a National League all-star (1980 and 1985), won two Silver Sluggers awards (1983-84), led the league in hits (with 189 in 1983) and helped the Astros to the first three postseason appearances in franchise history.
Struggles in St. Louis
Though impressed by his range and arm, the Cardinals had found Cruz to be an undisciplined hitter, who regularly swung at bad pitches.
Cruz made 89 outfield starts for the 1972 Cardinals and batted .235. In 1973, he made 110 outfield starts for St. Louis and hit .227.
By 1974, Cruz was relegated primarily to being a pinch-hitter and late-inning defensive replacement. He made 25 outfield starts for the 1974 Cardinals and batted .261. He hit .217 as a pinch-hitter that season.
Forgotten man
“The Redbirds had been losing patience with Cruz, who seemed to be leaving too many hits in the winter leagues, which he burned up,” The Sporting News reported.
With Jerry Mumphrey, Jim Dwyer and Larry Herndon also vying for outfield playing time, the Cardinals deemed Cruz expendable. The Sporting News described Cruz as “a forgotten man” most of the 1974 season.
In five seasons with the Cardinals, Cruz batted .247 with 298 hits in 445 games, 26 home runs and 128 RBI.
With Bob Watson moving from the outfield to first base, Cruz was handed the Astros’ starting right field job in 1975. Gomez was fired that season _ he became a Cardinals coach for manager Red Schoendienst in 1976 _ but Cruz remained a starting outfielder for Houston every season through 1987.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals ended up with a void in right field. Reggie Smith was traded to the Dodgers in 1976. The Cardinals tried Hector Cruz, Jose’s brother, as the right fielder in 1977 and Jerry Morales in 1978. It wasn’t until 1979, when George Hendrick took over, that the position stabilized.
Previously: Ron Plaza was mentor to Steve Carlton, Jose Cruz
RetroSimba 
There was some underhandedness going on here. There was talk that Cruz was sent to the Astros as final payment for pitcher Claude Osteen, whom the Astros had traded to the Cardinals late in the season in time for the post-season rush. Osteen had been a fine pitcher for the Dodgers, but was over the hill when the Cardinals got him. He didn’t even make the team the next spring.
Thank you for your comment. I did some digging after reading your remarks and here is what I found: On Aug. 15, 1974, the Astros traded pitcher Claude Osteen to the Cardinals for minor-league pitcher Ron Selak and a player to be named. Selak was a “prized young pitcher,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. On Oct. 14, 1974, the Cardinals completed the deal, sending minor-league pitcher Dan Larson to the Astros as the player to be named. Larson was the Cardinals’ No. 1 draft pick in 1972. On Oct. 20, 1974, the Post-Dispatch reported Selak suffered a back injury after the Astros acquired him and had to be carried off the field. “We offered to take him back and give Houston another player in his place,” said Cardinals general manager Bing Devine, “but Houston was convinced the condition was not chronic and decided to keep him.” Four days after that, on Oct. 24, 1974, the Cardinals sold the contract of Jose Cruz to the Astros. Was Cruz part of the Osteen trade? Officially, no. Is it possible he was sent by the Cardinals as compensation to the Astros for the injured Selak? Possibly, yes.
A good number of Houston sports publications consider the Jose Cruz trade the second best trade in franchise history. Second, only to the Jeff Bagwell deal.
Wow! That puts into perspective the one-sidedness of the deal.