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Archive for the ‘Executives’ Category

How Joe Medwick got traded by Cardinals to Dodgers

Posted in Executives, Games, Hitters, Opponents, Trades on June 11, 2015| 2 Comments »

(Updated July 23, 2022)

Joe Medwick was a special hitter for the Cardinals. He also was expensive and high maintenance. When his popularity waned, the Cardinals decided the value Medwick could bring them in a trade was greater than what he could produce for them in the lineup.

joe_medwick3On June 12, 1940, the Cardinals traded Medwick and pitcher Curt Davis to the Dodgers for $125,000 and four undistinguished players, or, as one writer described them, “a few ham sandwiches.”

Cardinals owner Sam Breadon and his top baseball executive, Branch Rickey, got exactly what they wanted. With attendance sagging and the Cardinals out of contention, Breadon and Rickey were seeking cash.

Rickey had a personal incentive to trade players for cash because his contract called for him to get a percentage of the sale as remuneration in addition to his salary.

As The Sporting News noted, the Cardinals traded Medwick “while he had high market value.”

Medwick, a hitter of Hall of Fame skills, had sulked about being lifted in the late innings for a defensive replacement. When he fell into a hitting funk, Cardinals fans taunted him from the Sportsman’s Park bleachers. Witnessing this, Breadon realized there wouldn’t be a public relations backlash if he traded the club’s standout hitter, and instructed Rickey to pursue a deal.

Breadon told the St. Louis Star-Times, “Medwick was through with the Cardinals. The fans had sent me that message.”

“The tide had turned,” wrote columnist Dan Daniel. “The fans would not shout against the departure of (Medwick).”

Remarkable hitter

A right-handed batter who swung at pitches outside the strike zone with savage aggressiveness, Medwick debuted with the Cardinals in September 1932 and became their starting left fielder in 1933.

Among his many remarkable hitting feats with the Cardinals, Medwick:

_ Achieved the Triple Crown in 1937, leading the National League in batting average (.374), home runs (31) and RBI (154). Medwick is the last NL player to accomplish the feat.

_ Won the NL Most Valuable Player Award in 1937. He also led the NL that season in runs (111), hits (237), doubles (56), slugging percentage (.641) and total bases (406).

_ Led the NL in hits in 1936 (223).

_ Led the NL in doubles in 1936 (64) and 1938 (47).

_ Led the NL in RBI in 1936 (138) and 1938 (122).

_ Hit .379 (11-for-29) with five RBI in the 1934 World Series vs. the Tigers.

Medwick remains the Cardinals’ all-time single-season leader in doubles (64) and RBI (154).

Interest from Dodgers

Dodgers president Larry MacPhail offered the Cardinals $200,000 for Medwick in 1939, The Sporting News reported, but the Cardinals were in contention and rejected the offer.

In 1940, the Cardinals started poorly, losing 20 of their first 32 games. On June 3, Medwick was hitting .297 _ good for most but subpar for him.

“I believe Joe is slowing up and will not be the star he was,” Breadon said to the St. Louis Star-Times. “He also proved conclusively to me he did not care to hustle for the Cards this year.”

Medwick felt disrespected by Breadon and Rickey. After his Triple Crown and MVP season in 1937, the Cardinals rewarded Medwick with a salary of $20,000 in 1938. When he followed his .374 batting average of 1937 with a .322 mark in 1938, the Cardinals cut his pay to $18,000 in 1939. After hitting .332 in 1939, Medwick demanded a $20,000 salary in 1940, but the Cardinals gave him $18,000.

“They ruined my incentive,” Medwick told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Recalling MacPhail’s interest in Medwick, Rickey contacted the Dodgers in June 1940. “Rickey telephoned and said that the Cardinals were in the mood to do some trading,” MacPhail told The Sporting News.

The ensuing conversation:

MacPhail: “Who will you trade?”

Rickey: “Anybody.”

MacPhail: “Does that go for Medwick, too?”

Rickey: “Yes.”

MacPhail took a flight to St. Louis and closed the deal.

Said MacPhail: “Frankly, the Medwick deal surprised me more than anyone else. If you’d have told me a week before that we’d come up with Medwick, I’d have said you were crazy. A month ago, I put out a feeler for him and was told there wasn’t a chance.”

Finances a factor

In exchange for Medwick and Davis (who had 22 wins for the 1939 Cardinals), the Dodgers sent the cash, plus pitchers Carl Doyle and Sam Nahem, outfielder Ernie Koy and third baseman Bert Haas. The Cardinals assigned Nahem and Haas to the minor leagues.

“St. Louis believes the passing of Medwick and the development of a better feeling on the club, minus Joe and his $18,000 salary, will lift the (Cardinals),” Daniel wrote.

Said Breadon: “The Cardinals were going no place with Medwick and Davis on the job _ and they certainly couldn’t be any worse without them.”

The reduction in salaries paired with the infusion of cash helped the Cardinals overcome a drop in attendance. After drawing 400,245 paid customers in 1939, the Cardinals had a total home attendance of 324,078 in 1940. According to columnist Dick Farrington, Breadon was facing “the specter of a financial loss on the season.”

Hit by pitch

In joining the Dodgers, Medwick was reunited with his pal, manager Leo Durocher. They had been Cardinals teammates from 1933-37, and played golf together in the off-season. Medwick called Durocher “the greatest guy in the world,” the New York Daily News reported.

A New Jersey native, Medwick said, “Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to play in Brooklyn.” Regarding hitting in Ebbets Field, Medwick told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “That right field wall is going to be duck soup for me.”

On the day of the trade, the Dodgers and Reds were tied atop the National League standings. “No ballplayer is sorry to join a first-place club,” Medwick said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

On June 18, in his sixth game for the Dodgers, Medwick faced the Cardinals at Brooklyn. In the first inning, a fastball from Bob Bowman struck Medwick behind the left ear, knocking him unconscious. As Medwick was carried on a stretcher to the clubhouse, MacPhail “stormed over to the Cardinals dugout and challenged the players, individually and collectively,” The Sporting News reported.

All of the Cardinals stood but none made a move. “Take it easy,” Cardinals outfielder Pepper Martin said to MacPhail.

Medwick was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a concussion.

Bowman said he didn’t intend to hit him. “Medwick was looking for a curveball, expecting the ball to break,” Bowman said.

According to author Robert Creamer, Dodgers coach Chuck Dressen was stealing signs and would whistle when he thought a curve was coming. Bowman said he and catcher Don Padgett decided to try to fool Medwick. When Padgett called for a curve, Dressen whistled but Bowman threw a high inside fastball. Leaning in for the curve, Medwick couldn’t get out of the way.

After the game, Bowman was being escorted from the ballpark by two detectives when MacPhail approached and “sent a wild swing at him,” according to The Sporting News.

The Cardinals visited Medwick in the hospital. Manager Billy Southworth, the only member of the contingent admitted to the room, expressed regret for the injury. Medwick absolved the Cardinals, calling the incident “just one of those things.” Boxscore

Medwick was released from the hospital on June 21. He hit .300 in 106 games for the 1940 Dodgers. In 1941, he helped them win the pennant, hitting .318 with 18 home runs and 88 RBI.

Medwick returned to the Cardinals in 1947 and finished his playing career with them in 1948. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968.

 

 

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Why Branch Rickey was unable to save Ray Blades

Posted in Executives, Managers on June 8, 2015| 2 Comments »

(Updated June 7, 2020)

Cardinals manager Ray Blades lost the confidence of his pitching staff and he lost the confidence of the team owner, so, naturally, he lost his job.

ray_bladesOn June 7, 1940, Blades was fired and replaced by Billy Southworth. Cardinals owner Sam Breadon made both decisions without consulting his top baseball executive, Branch Rickey.

Blades had been Rickey’s choice to be manager. By firing Blades and keeping Rickey out of the decision-making process, Breadon made it clear who was boss. In doing so, he damaged the relationship with Rickey. Two years later, in October 1942, Rickey resigned and became general manager and president of the Dodgers.

Star pupil

The connection between Rickey and Blades took root in 1920 when Rickey, the Cardinals’ manager, discovered the outfielder at a tryout camp. Rickey said Blades “ran like a deer,” according to Rickey’s biographer, Murray Polner.

Blades made his big-league debut in 1922, played 10 seasons with the Cardinals and hit .301 with a .395 on-base percentage. Rickey managed him from 1922-25.

After Rickey moved into the front office, he continued to mentor Blades, grooming him for leadership roles. Blades was a Cardinals player-coach from 1930-32 before becoming a manager in the farm system Rickey built.

Blades managed the Cardinals’ Columbus (Ohio) club from 1933-35 and their Rochester affiliate from 1936-38.

Manager moves

During the 1938 season, Rickey clashed with Cardinals manager Frankie Frisch, who was a favorite of Breadon. The Cubs were wooing Rickey for their front office and Rickey used their interest as leverage.

Faced with the prospect of losing Rickey to the Cubs, Breadon reluctantly allowed him to fire Frisch in September 1938. Rickey selected Blades to replace Frisch.

Blades led the 1939 Cardinals to a 92-61 record and second-place finish. His pitching staff had the fewest complete games (45) in the major leagues. Most starting pitchers wanted and expected to pitch complete games, but Blades had a different approach, believing a team should utilize whichever pitcher could be most effective.

Because of the Cardinals’ good record in 1939, Blades’ steady use of relievers was tolerated. When the Cardinals started poorly in 1940, Blades’ handling of the pitching staff became an issue.

Trouble in St. Louis

The 1940 Cardinals lost six of their first eight games and 16 of their first 24. Their slugger, Joe Medwick, was miffed at Blades, pouted and went into a slump.

Published reports indicated Blades would be fired. Breadon issued a denial, telling The Sporting News, “I’m not thinking of any change now. Sure, we’re disappointed, but the failure of the Cardinals cannot be blamed on the manager.”

On June 4, 1940, the Cardinals played their first home night game, but what was supposed to be a celebratory occasion turned into an embarrassment. The Dodgers scored five runs in the first inning and fans booed and threw bottles onto the field. The Dodgers won, 10-1, and Breadon decided a change was necessary.

“After our miserable showing in the night game against the Dodgers, I thought over the entire matter and then decided on Southworth for my man,” Breadon recalled to the St. Louis Star-Times. “I don’t think we’re as bad as our standing shows.”

The plot thickens

On June 5, 1940, Breadon contacted Oliver French, president of the Rochester farm team, and arranged to meet in New York City. The Rochester club was playing a series in Newark, N.J. French called his manager, Southworth, and asked him to come to the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan. When Southworth arrived, Breadon was there, according to Southworth biographer John C. Skipper.

Breadon informed Southworth he would replace Blades.

“I acted solely on my own in this case,” Breadon told the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.

With the Cardinals’ record at 14-24, Breadon announced the firing of Blades and hiring of Southworth on June 7, 1940, at St. Louis. The Sporting News described the moves as “impulsive.”

“Branch Rickey was not even informed by Breadon on either of these moves … While Breadon was away doing his plotting, Rickey was telling sports writers that no change was contemplated,” The Sporting News reported.

“Rickey had been holding out for more time on Blades.”

Breadon said firing Blades was necessary because “the team was in a rut,” adding, “I like Ray and I’m sorry it had to happen. It hurt me a whole lot to do it … I have no criticism to make on his strategical moves.”

The Sporting News, however, reported “the entire (pitching) staff was demoralized” by Blades’ handling of the starters.

Asked for his reaction to the firing, Blades told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Naturally, it was a bitter disappointment for me, but there is no bitterness in my heart toward the Cardinals. They have been very kind to me. I realize there was nothing else Mr. Breadon could do. We were getting worse every day. Perhaps a change will help to snap the club back into a winning streak.”

Southworth was coming back for a second stint as Cardinals manager. The first time, Breadon hired him to manage the Cardinals in 1929, but replaced him in July when the defending National League champions were falling out of contention at 43-45.

Better prepared for the opportunity in 1940, Southworth’s success eventually led to his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Southworth led the Cardinals to two World Series championships (1942 and 1944) and three consecutive National League pennants (1942-44) before resigning after the 1945 season.

Blades became a coach with the 1942 Reds. After Rickey joined the Dodgers, he hired Blades, who managed the Dodgers’ St. Paul affiliate from 1944-46. Blades was a Dodgers coach in 1947 and 1948.

In 1951, Blades returned to St. Louis as a coach on the staff of Cardinals manager Marty Marion. Blades also was a Cubs coach from 1953-56.

Previously: How Mike Gonzalez became first Cuban manager in majors

 

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The story of why Cardinals fired manager Eddie Stanky

Posted in Executives, Managers on May 25, 2015| 2 Comments »

(Updated June 4, 2020)

An unhappy fan base and an unreliable pitching staff combined to create an unhealthy situation for Eddie Stanky and the 1955 Cardinals.

eddie_stanky2Unable to overcome those obstacles, Stanky was fired in his fourth season as Cardinals manager on May 28, 1955.

The Cardinals replaced Stanky with Harry Walker, who was managing their farm club at Rochester. Walker was more popular than Stanky but no better able to win with such poor pitching.

From foe to friend

A three-time all-star, Stanky was the second baseman on National League pennant winners with the 1947 Dodgers, 1948 Braves and 1951 Giants. His aggressive play earned him the reputation as a pest and led to him being a frequent target of boos when he played the Cardinals at St. Louis.

When Stanky played for the Dodgers, manager Leo Durocher told New York Sun columnist Frank Graham, “He’ll knock you down to make a play if he has to. That’s the kind of guy I want on my ball club. Look at him. He can’t run, he can’t hit, he can’t throw, he can’t do nothing, but what a ballplayer. I wouldn’t give him for any second baseman in the league.”

Imagine the surprise of Cardinals fans when on Dec. 11, 1951, St. Louis acquired Stanky from the Giants for pitcher Max Lanier and outfielder Chuck Diering. The surprise turned to rancor when Stanky was named player-manager, replacing Marty Marion, who was fired by team owner Fred Saigh. Marion, the popular former shortstop, guided the 1951 Cardinals to an 81-73 record and third-place finish in his lone season as manager.

Good start

In his first St. Louis season, Stanky, 36, led the 1952 Cardinals to an 88-66 record and third place in the NL. The Sporting News named him manager of the year.

In 1953, Saigh sold the Cardinals to Gussie Busch. Stanky, in his last season as a player, managed the 1953 Cardinals to another third-place finish at 83-71.

Stanky’s career took a downturn in 1954. The low point occurred when he used stalling tactics in an attempt to avoid a loss. Umpires forfeited the game to the Phillies and, in a stunning rebuke of Stanky, Cardinals fans cheered the decision. Stanky was suspended. Humbled, he apologized for his actions. With a staff ERA of 4.50, the 1954 Cardinals finished sixth at 72-82.

Heightened expectations

Heading to spring training in 1955, expectations soared because young standouts such as Ken Boyer, Wally Moon and Bill Virdon joined a lineup with Stan Musial and Red Schoendienst.

Bill Walsingham, a club vice president, told The Sporting News the 1955 Cardinals “will run faster and throw better than players on the Cardinals champions of 1942.”

Stanky heightened the hope, telling the St. Louis Post-Dispatch his everyday lineup “is the best _ the fastest and finest-fielding _ I’ve had. And, unless the kids fail to hit at all, it’s of championship caliber.”

The pitching, though, hadn’t improved.

On May 22, 1955, in the first game of a doubleheader at Cincinnati, the Reds rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth and won, 4-3. Stanky stormed into the clubhouse and smacked at jars of mustard and mayonnaise on a food table, sending glass and goo flying.

Displaying a hand dripping with blood and condiments, Stanky said, “No, it’s not true I was trying to cut my throat.”

Time for a change

Four days later, on May 26, Cardinals general manager Dick Meyer met with Walker in Rochester and told him he would replace Stanky. Meyer instructed Walker to be in St. Louis on May 28 and to keep the news a secret.

Stunned, Walker said to Meyer, “Is this a joke?”

Replied Meyer: “We have been considering the change for some time.”

Walker, 38, played for Cardinals World Series championship clubs in 1942 and 1946. He managed Cardinals farm clubs at Columbus (1951) and Rochester (1952-55).

His brother, Dixie Walker, was a coach on Stanky’s Cardinals staff.

At 8:15 on the morning of May 28, Stanky got a call from Meyer, who informed the manager he was fired. Meyer asked Stanky to attend a 2 p.m. press conference at Busch’s estate at Grant’s Farm and Stanky agreed.

Flanked by Stanky and Walker, Busch said the change had been contemplated for three weeks. The Cardinals’ record was 17-19.

The Sporting News reported “Stanky’s unpopularity had reached a point regarded as alarming to an organization concerned with the goodwill of consumers as well as customers.”

Said Stanky: “Nothing in baseball shocks me any more and there’s no such word as malice in my vocabulary.”

Dixie Walker was named Rochester manager, replacing his brother.

Different styles

Among reactions to the dismissal of Stanky:

_ The Sporting News: “The move perhaps was inevitable because of the disappointing start of the young, highly regarded team and the mounting fan clamor for a change.”

_ J. Roy Stockton, Post-Dispatch: “Eddie showed major-league courage and acumen in the rebuilding of the Redbirds. All the club needs now to make a serious bid for the pennant is good pitching.”

_ Lloyd Larson, Milwaukee Sentinel: “Eddie Stanky undoubtedly knows baseball … So where did he fall down? The answer, I believe, rests in his handling of people _ the key to successful management in many fields.”

New boss, same results

After the press conference announcing his promotion, Walker made his Cardinals managerial debut against the Reds at St. Louis. Jackie Collum, a former Cardinal, spoiled the festivities, pitching a four-hitter in a 5-1 Reds triumph.

The 1955 Cardinals were 51-67 under Walker and finished seventh at 68-86 overall. The staff ERA of 4.56 was the worst in the NL.

After the season, the Cardinals replaced Walker with Fred Hutchinson, former Tigers manager. Walker went back to managing in the Cardinals’ farm system. He would return to the big leagues as manager of the Pirates (1965-67) and Astros (1968-72).

Stanky managed the Giants’ farm club at Minneapolis in 1956. After serving as an Indians coach in 1957 and 1958, Stanky rejoined the Cardinals as player development director and special assistant to general manager Bing Devine. Stanky departed the Cardinals after Devine was fired by Busch in August 1964.

 

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Why Cardinals traded pitching ace Mort Cooper

Posted in Executives, Pitchers, Trades on May 22, 2015| 2 Comments »

(Updated May 23, 2020)

Convinced he had the leverage to demand a more lucrative contract, Cardinals ace Mort Cooper played hardball with Sam Breadon. The club owner responded by trading Cooper rather than negotiating with him.

mort_cooper4“In reckoning on his ability to outmaneuver Sam Breadon, Cooper encountered an old master who is familiar with a wide variety of curves,” The Sporting News reported.

On May 23, 1945, the Cardinals traded Cooper, 32, to the Braves for pitcher Red Barrett, 30, and $60,000. Three months later, Cooper had elbow surgery. Barrett earned 21 wins for the 1945 Cardinals.

Show me the money

Cooper was a key reason the Cardinals won three National League pennants and two World Series championships from 1942-44. He was named winner of the NL Most Valuable Player Award in 1942 when he was 22-7 with a 1.78 ERA. He followed that with a 21-8 record and 2.30 ERA in 1943 and a 22-7 record and 2.46 ERA in 1944.

Before the 1945 season, Cooper signed a one-year contract for $12,000. That amount, Breadon told Cooper, was the club ceiling on salaries. In spring training, Cooper learned the Cardinals made an exception for Marty Marion and signed the shortstop for $13,000.

Breadon offered to increase Cooper’s 1945 salary by $1,500, giving him a total of $13,500, but Cooper demanded $15,000, according to the St. Louis daily newspapers. Breadon refused. In protest, Cooper and his brother, catcher Walker Cooper, left the Cardinals’ spring training camp at Cairo, Ill., and threatened to boycott the club’s opening series against the Cubs.

The Cooper brothers eventually gave in and were with the club on Opening Day at Chicago. Soon after, Walker Cooper was inducted into the Navy. Mort Cooper made his first appearance of the season on April 22, pitching in relief against the Reds at St. Louis.

Cooper still was miffed about his contract and he didn’t show when the Cardinals left St. Louis by train for a series at Cincinnati. Instead, he arrived in Cincinnati the next day with his lawyer, Lee Havener, and demanded a salary increase.

Cooper started on April 29 against the Reds and earned the win. He also won his next start, versus the Cubs, on May 6 and got a no-decision in his third start on May 13 against the Giants.

With a 2-0 record and 1.52 ERA, Cooper appeared headed toward another big season. Because of injuries and commitments to military service, the Cardinals had little pitching depth. Sensing he had the upper hand, Cooper decided the time was right to force the issue of a new contract.

Jumping ship

In mid-May, while the Cardinals were in Boston, Cooper called traveling secretary Leo Ward about 3 a.m. at the team hotel and informed him he was leaving without permission and returning to St. Louis. Manager Billy Southworth suspended the pitcher indefinitely and fined him $500.

In St. Louis, Cooper and Havener asked Breadon to discuss a new contract. A meeting was scheduled for May 23 in Breadon’s office.

Secretly, Breadon began talking with clubs to gauge interest in Cooper. The Giants offered cash but no players. The Cubs and Phillies offered a combination of players and cash. The Braves offered the most cash, plus Barrett.

Cooper and Havener arrived at Breadon’s office, expecting to renegotiate a contract. Southworth was there with Breadon. After exchanging pleasantries, Breadon delivered his surprise, informing Cooper he was traded to the Braves.

“You could have floored Cooper and Havener with a feather,” the St. Louis Star-Times reported.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cooper “was shocked and crestfallen.”

“This is all a big surprise to me,” Cooper said to the Star-Times.

Deal of the year

“In disposing of Cooper, Breadon took the best course, since there was little chance of an amicable agreement,” The Sporting News opined.

Post-Dispatch columnist John Wray suggested “pitchers like Cooper today are rarer than banana trees in Iceland,” but added, “a disgruntled, malingering Cooper, forced to labor in a vineyard he hated, might have hurt the morale of the other players and done even greater damage.”

United Press called the transaction “the most important baseball deal of 1945” because the departure of a perennial 20-game winner gave hope to NL teams that the three-time defending champion Cardinals could be dethroned.

Cooper “almost overnight transformed (the Braves) into a pennant contender,” wrote The Sporting News.

Braves right fielder Tommy Holmes told the Boston Globe, “Brother, he’s got everything and he knows how to use it. I’m glad to have him on my side.”

Braves general manager John Quinn deemed Cooper “the best pitcher in the league.” The Braves reworked his contract and gave Cooper $15,000 for 1945.

Singing slinger

Barrett nearly was overlooked in most reviews of the trade. He was 2-3 with a 4.74 ERA for the 1945 Braves.

Informed of the trade by Braves manager Bob Coleman, Barrett said, “I didn’t give them a chance to change their minds. I was packed and ready to leave for St. Louis two minutes later. I’d have been ready sooner but I had difficulty in getting my suitcase closed.”

Breadon told the Post-Dispatch, “Barrett is not a star, but he’s an earnest, conscientious pitcher who will strive always for the best interests of his club.”

Barrett was almost as well-known as a singer as he was a pitcher. He sang a role in the opera “Narcissus” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He toured with bands during the off-season. “There is scarcely a big jazz band in the country that I haven’t sung with,” Barrett said. “Sammy Kaye. Tommy Dorsey. Skinny Ennis and the rest of them.”

No one expected Barrett would be the equal of Cooper. His career record in seven seasons with the Reds and Braves was 16-37.

Inserted into the rotation, Barrett produced a 21-9 record and 2.74 ERA for the 1945 Cardinals. Cooper was 7-4 with a 3.35 ERA for the 1945 Braves.

Final years

The 1945 Cardinals finished in second place at 95-59, three games behind the Cubs. The Braves finished sixth in the eight-team league at 67-85, 30 games behind Chicago.

With Breadon’s approval, Southworth left the Cardinals after the 1945 season and accepted an offer to manage the Braves. His replacement, Eddie Dyer, preferred using Barrett in relief and giving him spot starts. Barrett was 3-2 for the 1946 Cardinals. After the season, he was sent back to the Braves and pitched three more years for them.

Under Southworth, Cooper was 13-11 with a 3.12 ERA for the 1946 Braves. It was his last hurrah. In 1947, Cooper was a combined 3-10 with a 5.40 ERA for the Braves and Giants.

Previously: How Mort Cooper pitched 2 straight one-hitters for Cardinals

 

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The story of how the Cardinals acquired Lee Smith

Posted in Executives, Hitters, Pitchers, Trades on April 27, 2015| 2 Comments »

(Updated Nov. 1, 2025)

Unwilling to bend on principle, Cardinals general manager Dal Maxvill reluctantly traded a slugger he wanted to keep. In a stroke of good fortune, he got in exchange a closer who would rank among the franchise’s all-time best.

On May 4, 1990, the Cardinals acquired Lee Smith from the Red Sox for outfielder Tom Brunansky.

lee_smith3It was one of Maxvill’s best trades during his tenure (1985-94) as Cardinals general manager. On Dec. 9, 2018, Smith was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The deal came about after Brunansky demanded a no-trade clause in exchange for waiving free agency and staying with St. Louis. “I haven’t been looking to trade him,” Maxvill told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We wanted to keep Brunansky.”

Seeking security

The Cardinals had acquired Brunansky from the Twins for second baseman Tommy Herr on April 22, 1988, six months after Minnesota had prevailed in a seven-game World Series with St. Louis.

Early in the 1990 season, the Cardinals approached Brunansky about a three-year contract. Eligible to become a free agent after the 1990 season, Brunansky wanted a no-trade provision in any new contract. “We don’t have those in St. Louis,” Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog said.

Brunansky explained “my wife and I wanted to settle down and buy a house here,” but couldn’t commit to that without the no-trade clause, the Post-Dispatch reported. “For me to stay here, I would need some kind of security,” Brunansky said. “I wasn’t going to sign here for three years, buy a house and everything and keep hearing trade rumors … It was a big issue for me and, of course, it was a big issue for the ballclub.”

Motivated to act

The Red Sox were eager to deal because they needed a right fielder to replace Dwight Evans, who was restricted to designated hitter duties because of back problems. The Cardinals needed an established closer to replace Todd Worrell, who was recuperating from elbow surgery.

Herzog said to the Post-Dispatch, “We felt if we waited any longer, (Smith) wouldn’t be there.”

Smith became available when the Red Sox signed another closer, Jeff Reardon.

The Cardinals also had talked with the White Sox about closer Bobby Thigpen, according to the Post-Dispatch. The Red Sox, though, were motivated to act.

“They called us. It’s as simple as that,” Red Sox manager Joe Morgan said to the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram and Gazette. “Nobody would give us the kind of pitcher we wanted, so we went with the right-handed power.”

According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox turned down a two-for-one swap with the Braves involving pitcher Tommy Greene and third baseman Jim Presley for Smith. “We offered them a heck of a deal.” Braves general manager Bobby Cox said to The Sporting News.

Reunited with Roarke

Brunansky hit 43 home runs in three years with the Cardinals, but only 11 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. “He’ll hit homers in Fenway (Park),” said Red Sox catcher Tony Pena, a former Cardinal.

Smith posted a 2-1 record with four saves, a 1.88 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 14.1 innings for the 1990 Red Sox. In joining the Cardinals, he was reunited with coach Mike Roarke, who had been his coach as a rookie with the 1980 Cubs.

Smith welcomed the chance to be the Cardinals’ closer. With Reardon the primary closer in Boston, Smith said he “sort of felt like the odd man out” there.

“I’m going to get an opportunity to pitch in the situation that I’m used to,” Smith said to Boston reporters. “I’m really pleased.”

Smith earned his first save for the Cardinals on May 11, 1990, pitching a flawless ninth inning in relief of Bryn Smith in St. Louis’ 5-2 victory over the Braves. Boxscore Smith posted 27 saves and a 2.10 ERA for the 1990 Cardinals.

Brunansky played four years with the Red Sox and hit 56 home runs.

Smith played four years with the Cardinals and earned 160 saves. Only Jason Isringhausen (217) has more saves as a Cardinal.

Smith was the first Cardinal to record 40 saves in consecutive seasons. He twice had back-to-back 40-save seasons: 1991-1992 and 1992-1993. He had 47 saves in 1991, 43 in 1992 and 43 again in 1993.

In 1993, less than two hours before the Sept. 1 trade deadline, the Cardinals dealt Smith to the Yankees for pitcher Rich Batchelor, clearing the way to test Mike Perez as the closer the rest of the season. The trade “took me off the hook” from having to inform Smith he was being removed from the closer role, said Joe Torre, who’d replaced Herzog as Cardinals manager.

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Why the Cardinals considered relocating to Detroit

Posted in Executives on March 19, 2015| 3 Comments »

Five months after the 1934 Cardinals won the World Series title in seven games against the Tigers, owner Sam Breadon expressed a desire to move the franchise from St. Louis to Detroit.

sam_breadon3Disheartened by attendance figures for a franchise that won five National League pennants and three World Series championships from 1926-34, Breadon was willing to relocate the Cardinals after a bid to sell them collapsed.

The Cardinals’ regular-season home attendance in 1926, when they won the pennant and World Series title for the first time, was 681,575. It increased to 778,147 in 1928, when they again won the pennant.

After the Great Depression began soon after the stock market crash of October 1929, Cardinals attendance spiraled, even though the team was successful.

For sale

The Cardinals, who shared Sportsman’s Park with the American League Browns, drew 519,647 during the regular season in 1930, when they won their third pennant. Their attendance was 623,960 in 1931, when they won the pennant and World Series title.

After regular-season attendance totals of 290,370 in 1932 and 268,404 in 1933, the Cardinals drew 334,863 in 1934, when the colorful Gashouse Gang team of Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick, Pepper Martin and Frankie Frisch won the pennant and World Series crown.

Fearing for the long-term financial prospects and figuring the value of his World Series championship club was at a premium, Breadon instructed general manager Branch Rickey to negotiate a sale with Lew Wentz, an Oklahoma oil baron who offered to buy the Cardinals.

Wentz, though, withdrew because of the asking price. Breadon wanted $1.1 million, according to the Murray Polner book “Branch Rickey: A Biography.”

With no prospects of a sale, Breadon explored relocation as an option.

Motor City madness

On March 28, 1935, during spring training in Bradenton, Fla., Breadon told reporters he would move the Cardinals to Detroit if Tigers owner Frank Navin approved.

The 1934 Tigers had a regular-season attendance of 919,161 _ nearly three times the Cardinals’ total _ and Breadon saw the job-generating Motor City as a town better suited than St. Louis to support two major-league franchises.

Sid Keener, sports editor of the St. Louis Star-Times, reported, “Breadon intimated that he would make overtures to the two major leagues during the coming season to rearrange the current setups of the National and American leagues. He said he believed baseball would profit by changing St. Louis to a one-club major league city, leaving the Browns as the sole representative in the Missouri city and by moving his own National League franchise to Detroit.”

Said Breadon to Keener: “We can put this over if Frank Navin … will take a sensible view of conditions. I can swing the deal from the National League angle. By that, I mean I have received the consent of the National League club owners to transfer the Cardinals to Detroit. However, we must convince Mr. Navin that it would be a good thing for everyone concerned in baseball before we can put it over.”

Profit over loyalty

According to the Associated Press, Breadon said, “Detroit has enough high-salaried fans to attend ballgames every day and it would help the Tigers. Think of the profit of a spring series alone.”

The Sporting News, the St. Louis-based weekly, quoted Breadon as saying, “I think Detroit would be an ideal spot for the Cardinals and I would go there in a minute if Navin opened the way to come in. But I doubt that he would want us.”

On March 29, 1935, the day after his stunning remarks, Breadon backpedaled. When asked by the Associated Press whether there was an immediate plan for a move, Breadon replied, “Not at all.”

In its April 4, 1935, edition, The Sporting News claimed Breadon “was merely doing a little off-the-record wishing” when he expressed interest in relocating the Cardinals to Detroit. Navin had no interest in sharing his market with the Cardinals, The Sporting News reported.

Still, the magazine left open the possibility of a Cardinals move.

“The meager draw (in 1934) caused Breadon to do a lot of thinking and the club would have shown a loss on the year’s operations had not the team smashed its way into the World Series,” The Sporting News opined. “While Detroit is out of the question as a stamping ground for the Redbirds, there are other possible future landing places for the Cardinals … The time may not be far distant when the Redbirds will be flying away to some other community.”

The Cardinals’ regular-season attendance improved to 517,805 in 1935, when the team finished in second place, but from 1935 through 1945, the Cardinals never drew more than 642,496 for a regular season.

In 1946, the first regular season after World War II, the Cardinals totaled an attendance of more than a million for the first time.

 

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