The Trades that Made the Cards
Or was it vice versa?
The baseball trade deadline has gotten kind of wonky in the last few years, meaning that neither July 31 nor August 31 mean what they used to.
No, this year, THE trade deadline was on August 2, earlier this week.
A strange as that timeline may feel to those of us who’ve been around for awhile, at least it gives us a reason to break out some old cardboard.
Here are some cards that would have never existed — at least not in the form we know them — without some noteworthy deadline(ish) deals of the past.
1983 Fleer Joel Youngblood (#641)
On August 4, 1982, Joel Youngblood played for the Mets against the Cubs in Wrigley field, a day game.
During the game, though, he was pulled and told that he’d been traded to the Expos, who were in Philadelphia that night.
Youngblood said his goodbyes, boarded a plane, and made it to Veterans Stadium in time to pick up a pinch-hitting appearance for the ‘Spos.
Fleer used the occasion to wheel out a one-player, two panel Super Star Special the next year.
1984 Topps Traded Rick Sutcliffe (#115T)
In June of 1984, the Cubs were battling the Mets for first place in the old National League East. They knew they’d need a boost to distance themselves from Darryl Strawberry, Darryl Strawberry, and the rest.
On June 13, the Cubbies traded Joe Carter (and others) to the Indians for Rick Sutcliffe (and others).
From that point to the end of the season, the Red Baron went 16-1 to cop the N.L. Cy Young Award and help the Cubs to a division title.
His 1984 Topps Traded card wasn’t quite as popular as Gooden’s, but it’s still a classic all these years later.
1985 Topps Pete Rose (#600)
The 1984 Reds were pretty bad, but they had some hope in the form of a starting-to-resurge Dave Parker and young hitters like Eric Davis and Nick Esasky.
Then, in August, Cincy traded Tom Lawless to the Expos for … Pete Rose.
Charlie Hustle was coming back to the Riverfront as player-manager, to chase Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record AND lead the Reds out of the abyss.
Rose got a full complement of new Reds cards the next year, and his base Topps card became an instant hit.
1987 Woolworth Dave Henderson (#22)
On August 17, 1986, the Mariners sent Dave Henderson to the Red Sox as part of a six-player deal aimed, partially, at giving the Sox some reinforcement power for the stretch run.
Hendu wasn’t much of a revelation as Boston finished off their run to the division title, hitting .196 with a single homer and three RBI in 36 appearances. He did start 32 games in centerfield, though.
And, once October rolled around, Henderson’s bat sprang to life. Every time you thought Boston was dead, Hendu delivered a bomb.
Topps used some real estate in its 1987 Woolworth set to commemorate those heroics. It may not be a beloved set, but this card brings the memories of a long-ago electric fall flooding back.
1988 Score Rookie and Traded Jay Buhner (#95T)
On July 21, 1988, the Yankees traded young Jay Buhner to the Mariners in exchange for Ken Phelps.
The deal didn’t yield any bling for the Yanks, but it did get the M’s a key part of the team who would surround Ken Griffey, Jr., in the next decade and eventually help keep them in Seattle.
Score got the jump on the rest of the market by issuing a Buhner-Mariners card in their first Rookie & Traded set that fall.
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So, what cards bring back memories of big cards for YOU?
I’d love to hear your picks.
Until next time, enjoy the early days of the stretch run, and may all your traded cards be airbrush free.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam
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