Brock for Broglio
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The phrase Brock for Broglio is sometimes used in the sport of baseball to signify a trade that in hindsight, turns out to be a ridicuously lopsided transaction.
The names in the phrase refer to Lou Brock and Ernie Broglio respectively, as on June 15, 1964, the Chicago Cubs traded away Brock, who was struggling at the time and had been a disappointment to the club, for Broglio, who in turn was coming off some impressive seasons while pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The trade was actually a six-player deal: Brock, Jack Spring and Paul Toth to the Cardinals for Broglio, Bobby Shantz, and Doug Clemens.
Almost immediately the effects of the trade were felt as Brock would bat .348 for the Cardinals and lead them to winning the 1964 World Series. Broglio went only 4-7 with a 4.04 ERA for the Cubs, and turned out to be a big disappointment for the rest of his career. He was out of Major League Baseball by 1966, while Brock played successfully for the Cardinals until 1979.
This is sometimes referred to as the most lopsided trade ever in baseball.
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[edit] Other lopsided trades
In the 1988 film, Bull Durham, the character Annie justifies part of her life in her opening inner monologue with: "Bad trades are part of baseball; I mean who can forget Milt Pappas for Frank Robinson for gosh sakes."
[edit] Before 1950
After the 1900 season, the Cincinnati Reds traded Christy Mathewson to the New York Giants for 19th Century star pitcher Amos Rusie. Rusie pitched only three games in one season for the Reds. Mathewson pitched for the Giants until 1916, won 372 games, threw two no-hitters, and led the Giants to five National League pennants.
The Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees after the 1919 season. The Yankees won 7 pennants in 15 the years that Ruth played for them. In terms of talent, this "trade" netted the Red Sox nothing.
On May 6, 1930, Red Ruffing was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for Cedric Durst and $50,000.
[edit] 1951 to 1980
During a contract dispute, the St. Louis Cardinals traded future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Steve Carlton to the Philadelphia Phillies for Rick Wise before the 1972 season.
The California Angels traded infielder Jim Fregosi to the New York Mets for another future Hall-of-Fame pitcher, Nolan Ryan, that same offseason. (Coincidentally, Fregosi would manage Ryan in 1978 and 1979, Ryan's last two years as an Angel.)
Ryne Sandberg, along with Larry Bowa, were traded from the Phillies for Ivan DeJesus. Sandberg would go on to a Hall-of-Fame career with the Cubs and Bowa was an all-star.
[edit] 1981 to present
Looking for a relief pitcher to aid their playoff run, the Boston Red Sox acquired relief pitcher Larry Andersen from the Houston Astros for a prospect named Jeff Bagwell.
The Detroit Tigers trade prospect John Smoltz to the Atlanta Braves for starting pitcher Doyle Alexander. While the Tigers achieved their immediate objective with this trade (Alexander went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA for the rest of the 1987 season to help the Tigers win the American League East), Smoltz went on to become one of the game's all-time greats over the next two decades while Alexander retired just two years later.
After acquiring Bobby Abreu in the 1997 Expansion Draft from the Houston Astros, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kevin Stocker.
The Seattle Mariners sent Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Heathcliff Slocumb.
New York Mets GM Jim Duquette opted for pitching that could help the team immediately, and traded Scott Kazmir to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Victor Zambrano.
The Minnesota Twins gave David Ortiz his release following the 2002 season. He was picked up by the Boston Red Sox and has since blossomed into a major offensive power for the Red Sox. That "trade" netted the Twins nothing.
The San Francisco Giants acquired catcher A.J. Pierzynski from the Minnesota Twins for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. Pierzynski spent one season with the Giants, where his abrasive nature drew the ire of his teammates, then signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent. Nathan has become an All-Star closer, and Liriano and Bonser are talented starters for the Twins. Pierzynski went on to become a pivotal player with the White Sox' 2005 World Series championship.
