The Detroit Tigers were desperate for a pitcher in late 1987, so they got Doyle Alexander.
That August deal with Atlanta seemed like a steal for the Tigers, too. Alexander went 9-0 down the stretch and put Detroit into the playoffs, while the Braves just got a minor leaguer.Of course, it all started to look a lot different later. Alexander retired in 1989 and that Double-A pitcher turned out to be John Smoltz.
Like Smoltz, future MVPs Sammy Sosa and Jeff Bagwell were minor parts -- at the time -- of late trades and later became major stars. Same thing for Moises Alou, Trevor Hoffman and Jeff Kent.
The St. Louis Cardinals have seen Fernando Tatis blossom into an impact player this season -- and become the only one to hit two grand slams in the same inning. Tatis and Darren Oliver were acquired last July 31 from Texas for Todd Stottlemyre and Royce Clayton.
The Chicago White Sox still like the deal they made with San Francisco on July 31, 1997. They gave up pitchers Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin -- none of whom stayed long with the Giants -- for a package of six prospects that included shortstop Mike Caruso and pitchers Bobby Howry and Keith Foulke.
Smoltz was nowhere near the majors when the Braves got him for Alexander. And Sosa had played 25 games for Texas when the Rangers sent him, Scott Fletcher and a prospect -- Alvarez, actually -- to the Chicago White Sox on July 29, 1989, for Harold Baines and Fred Manrique.
Bagwell led the Double-A Eastern League in hitting when Boston traded him to Houston for Larry Andersen on Aug. 31, 1990. The reliever left the Red Sox as a free agent after the season while Bagwell turned into one of baseball's best hitters.
Earlier that summer, Alou was traded by Pittsburgh to Montreal in a package for pitcher Zane Smith. Alou had only one hit in the majors at the time, then went on to emerge as an All-Star.
Kent was a rookie batting .240 when Toronto traded him in a package to the Mets for David Cone on Aug. 27, 1992. Kent established himself as a major leaguer in New York and later became a power-hitting second baseman in San Francisco.
Hoffman was a rookie reliever with Florida in 1993 when he was traded to San Diego as part of a deal for Gary Sheffield. The next year, the Padres moved Hoffman into the closer role, and he started his ascent as a bullpen ace.
BEWARE THE FUTURE: The New York Mets weren't amused by this week's Turn Ahead the Clock promotion.
As part of baseball's marketing efforts, the Mets took part in a kooky plan to wear uniforms based on designs supposedly from 2021. It should be noted, too, that eight teams refused to join in -- the Yankees, Cubs, Toronto, Texas, Montreal, Houston, Cincinnati and Los Angeles.
Anyone who saw the outrageous duds the Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates wore on Tuesday should fear for the future of fashion. But the uniforms, which looked like a cross between beer-league shirts and pajamas, weren't the worst of it.
There was an alien voice announcing the lineups, calling bases "quadrants," and space-age pictures of the Mets players.
Rickey Henderson was depicted on the scoreboard as a three-eyed alien with huge pointed ears, drawing laughter from the Mets bench and even home plate umpire Angel Hernandez.
"I don't know where they came up with my picture," Henderson said. "I know my ears ain't that big."
Mets starter Orel Hershiser, who has lost a game in retro 1969 uniforms and 2021 garb, is growing tired of baseball's odd look.
"We should have had a big top," Hershiser said. "If we can't sell the product the way it is, maybe we should give it a rest."
BEHIND THE TIMES: When George Brett played there, Kansas City enjoyed its greatest success ever. The new Hall of Famer does not see such a rosy future for the Royals, however.
"It's going to be very difficult for Kansas City to be competitive again," Brett said last weekend at Cooperstown.
Brett still works for the Royals, but has dropped all efforts to be part of a group to buy the team. He said he thinks baseball's disparity between big- and small-market clubs will doom his former team.
FEELING INCOMPLETE: The Angels stopped their streak this season. So did the Brewers.
So, could this be the year the Mets complete the cycle?
The Mets went into the weekend having gone an NL-record 124 games without pitching a complete game. Al Leiter pitched the last one, beating Atlanta 2-1 last Sept. 4.
The major league record is 140 straight games, a string Anaheim ended this year. Milwaukee held the NL mark of 113, set in 1998-99.