On Feb. 9, 1988, the Cardinals acquired a starter to complete what they hoped would be the premier pitching staff in the National League.
The Cardinals got pitcher Jose DeLeon from the White Sox for pitcher Ricky Horton, outfielder Lance Johnson and $100,000. DeLeon, 27, was thought to be on the verge of transforming from underachiever to big winner. He long had been coveted by Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog.
With a starting rotation of DeLeon, John Tudor, Joe Magrane, Danny Cox and Greg Mathews, plus a bullpen of Todd Worrell, Ken Dayley, Bob Forsch, Scott Terry and Steve Peters, Herzog told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch “this has got a chance to be the best pitching staff I’ve ever had … Every day we go out there, we’ve got a chance to win.”
According to columnist Peter Pascarelli in The Sporting News, “Their pitching is now as deep as that of any club in the National League East.”
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it didn’t turn out that way.
Cox (elbow) and Mathews (shoulder) had injuries and each was limited to 13 starts in 1988. Magrane spent two months on the disabled list that year because of a torn muscle in his right side. Tudor was dealt to the Dodgers in August 1988. National League champions the year before, the Cardinals finished 76-86 in 1988.
DeLeon had two good seasons for the Cardinals, then faded, losing more than twice as many as he won over his next three seasons with St. Louis.
When the trade was made, Herzog told Hummel that DeLeon is a “very good gamble for us. He gives us a right-handed pitcher who can scare some people.”
“With our ballpark, our defense and his maturity … if he’s ever going to blossom into an outstanding big-league pitcher, it should be now,” Herzog said.
Cardinals general manager Dal Maxvill said DeLeon is “a fine, young pitcher who … should be a starter for several years. There are not many pitchers out there who can throw 90 mph consistently.”
Maxvill and White Sox general manager Larry Himes had discussed a deal during the baseball winter meetings in December 1987. Himes wanted Horton, Johnson and catcher Tom Pagnozzi for DeLeon. “I didn’t want to make the deal with Pagnozzi in it,” Maxvill told Hummel.
When the White Sox settled instead for cash, the trade was made.
Johnson hit .333 with 42 stolen bases for Class AAA Louisville team in 1987, but the Cardinals already had a stellar center fielder, Willie McGee. If the Cardinals hadn’t signed free-agent first baseman Bob Horner to replace the departed Jack Clark, Johnson would have played center field for the 1988 Cardinals, with McGee moving to right field and Jim Lindeman shifting from right to first base, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Hummel wrote that Johnson didn’t fit as a backup outfielder because St. Louis already had Curt Ford and John Morris, both left-handed batters like Johnson.
Horton had been a versatile and effective starter and reliever for St. Louis. Herzog told Hummel, “I’m really sorry to trade Horton because Rick’s been a very good pitcher for us any way we used him.”
Said Horton (now a Cardinals broadcaster): “It would be a lot easier staying in St. Louis. I make my home here and I will continue to do so … but it might be the best thing for me to go to Chicago. The White Sox obviously are interested in my services and I feel I can do a job for them. Any time somebody wants you, it’s a positive thing.
“I have no bitterness toward the Cardinals … I hope Jose DeLeon wins 20 games for them and they go back to the World Series.”
Most observers thought the Cardinals made a good trade.
Columnist Moss Klein of The Sporting News: “DeLeon, loaded with ability, could become a consistent winner for the Cardinals if he improves his control.”
Pascarelli: “Jose DeLeon gives the Cardinals another starter capable of pitching 200 innings … It was a solid move by St. Louis.”
“All the people in the Cardinals organization have liked DeLeon for a number of years now,” Herzog said. “I know they think he’s got potential. I think he might be ready to come into his own.”
Said DeLeon to Hummel: “I’ve grown up as a man and everything is coming my way now.”
DeLeon was 13-10 for the 1988 Cardinals. His 208 strikeouts that season ranked third among National League pitchers.
In 1989, DeLeon had his best season with St. Louis. He was 16-12. He led the National League in strikeouts (201) and was second in games started (36) and third in innings pitched (244.7).
DeLeon was 29-22 in his first two seasons with the Cardinals; 14-35 in his last three years with them. He was 7-19 in 1990 (leading the league in losses), 5-9 in 1991 and 2-7 in 1992. The Cardinals released him Aug. 31, 1992, and he signed with the Phillies about a week later.
In five years with the Cardinals, DeLeon was 43-57 with a 3.59 ERA. He yielded just 778 hits in 917.2 innings, but wasn’t able to win consistently enough.
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