Trade Deadline Review: 1988

This is the seventh in a series of posts taking a look at the trade deadline action in each season during the CFCL’s first 29 years. Specifically, for each season we’ll look at each team’s trading turnover in the 3-4 weeks before the trading deadline. Individual deals will continue to be listed (though not analyzed) in the “This Week in CFCL History” posts.

Previous posts in this series:

1984-1987
1998-1999
2000
2001
2002
2006

Jumping back to the early days, here’s the deadline action from 1988.

1988
Trade Deadline: July 14 (Thursday of All Star Break), trading allowed between contiguous teams until August 31
Number of Teams / Number of Trades: 5 teams, 4 trades
Number of Players Changing Hands: 24 players
Busiest Teams: David’s Copperfields (3 trades)
Contenders: Dem Rebels, Bald Eagles, David’s Copperfields
Rebuilders: McGuire’s Picks, Aces To Win

In 1987 the Official Rotisserie League Constitution had instituted a new wrinkle in the rules - dual trade deadlines. The first came midway through the season, specifically the Thursday of the All-Star Break. In general, trading was not allowed after that date. Exceptions were made, however, for contiguous teams … those teams that were next to each other in the most recently publish standings report.

Not much usually happened after that first trade deadline, as teams that were adjacent in the standings were generally afraid of helping each other out. The exception is where teams were contiguous place-wise but separated by a large number of points.

In 1998, there was only one contiguous trade … a 7-player deal on August 30 between the 2nd place Copperfields (68 points) and Dem Rebels (tied with the Picks for 3rd place with 62 points).

The following breakdown looks at teams that were active in the trading market in July and August 1988.

ACES TO WIN

Acquired	Traded	Results
Lenny Dykstra Mitch Webster Tracy Jones	Jim Lindeman Albert Hall Rafael Palmiero	The Aces with a half-hearted rebuilding attempt in which they pick up two players on long term contracts in Webster and Jones.  The only thing this trio contributed in 1989 was SB, as they stole 47 combined.   They did it for other teams, though, as the Aces withdrew from the league after the 1988 season.

McGUIRE’S PICKS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Juan Samuel Mike Scioscia Kevin Gross	Hubie Brooks Lance Parrish Roger McDowell	This was a cost-cutting move for the Picks as they looked toward 1989.  Parris (.20) and McDowell (.30) were both too expensive to keep, while Scioscia (.03) and Gross (.01) were much more economical.    Samuel was playing out the final year of his contract, and was included in the deal just to balance out the expiring contract of Brooks.   The 3-cent Scioscia provided a decent return in 1989, with 10 HR and 44 RBI, with Gross contributed 11 Wins, though with a high ERA (4.38).

DEM REBELS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Roger McDowell Shawn Hillegas Brad Brink Eric Davis Lance Parrish Keith Moreland	David Martinez Mike Schmidt Jody Davis Jim Deshaies Jeff Pico Danny Cox Dave Dravecky	Early July found the Rebels in third place, but in a close race with the Copperfields and Eagles – with only 6 points separating the three teams.   They traded for some pitching help in McDowell and Hillegas in mid-July.   McDowell saved 6 games for them the rest of the way, with a 3.20 ERA.  Hillegas had one good start and four disasters for them (5.91 ERA) before he was lost in a deal to the American League.   By the time the end of August rolled around, the Rebels had fallen off the pace a tad, and were tied with the Picks for 3rd place, so they completed a deal with the 2nd place Copperfields for the offense they needed to solidify their hold on 3rd.   Over the final month, Davis drove in 18 runs and stole 4 bases, but Parrish and Moreland combined for a .200 BA, 4 HR and 15 RBI.   Still, the Rebels were able to hold onto sole possession of 3rd place as the Picks fell off the pace to finish a distant 4th.   Side note:  The Rebels deadline dealings in 1988 included both of the 2013 Cubs Color Analysts – Keith Moreland and Jim Deshaies.

BALD EAGLES

Acquired	Traded	Results
Jim Lindeman Albert Hall Rafael Palmiero	Lenny Dykstra Mitch Webster Tracy Jones	The Eagles entered July in 2nd place, just a point and a half behind the 1st place Copperfields, so this would seem to be an odd trio of players to pick up.   A closer look reveals their ultimate intent, though.  Lindeman and Hall were both injured at the time the Eagles acquired them.  They-reserved Lindeman so they could activate Tim Raines without having to waive Raines’ replacement, Otis Nixon.  They reserved Hall to claim Jeff Hamilton on waivers.   Nixon was well worth keeping – despite a low batting average, he stole 28 bases after the deal that allowed the Eagles to keep him, helping the Eagles to set a new single season record for Stolen Bases – a record that still stands a quarter of a century later.   Hamilton wasn’t quite as productive, hitting just 3 HR with 13 RBI.   Palmiero was the big acquisition for the Eagles, though.  In his first full season, he was blossoming as a star, and hit .301 with 24 RBI after the deal.  He would have been a keeper for the Eagles had he not been dealt to the AL during the off-season.   How did things pan out for the Eagles in 1988?  The offense they acquired wasn’t quite enough.  They ended up losing a point in RBI to the Rebels between the time of the trade and the end of the season, and a single point proved to be the amount they trailed the Copperfields by at the end of the season.

DAVID’S COPPERFIELDS

Acquired	Traded	Results
David Martinez Hubie Brooks Mike Schmidt Jody Davis <Lance Parrish> <Roger McDowell> Jim Deshaies Jeff Pico Danny Cox Dave Dravecky	Eric Davis Juan Samuel Mike Scioscia Lance Parrish Kevin Gross Roger McDowell Shawn Hillegas Brad Brink Keith Moreland	The Copperfields entered July holding a tenuous lead over the Bald Eagles.  They made a deal early in the month to acquire Brooks, Parrish, and McDowell from the Picks.   Brooks had a solid second half for the Coppers, hitting .293 with 11 HR and 40 RBI.   Parrish and McDowell weren’t long for the team, as they were dealt two weeks later to Dem Rebels in a deal that brought Jim Deshaies in return, who went on to win 5 games with a 3.14 ERA for the Copperfields.   At the end of August, the Copperfields took advantage of the rule allowing teams to make late-season trades with teams they were adjacent to in the standings, and acquired Dave Martinez, Jody Davis, and Mike Schmidt from the Rebels.   Martinez hit .304 with 8 SB over the last month, but Davis hit only .200.  Schmidt was injured, but the Copperfields used his roster spot to call up Matt Williams who was a non-factor.   Despite the lack of a major impact from that final deal, the rest of the Copperfields rallied to edge out the Eagles by a single point for the 1988 Championship.

1988 Standings at Trade Deadline and End of Season (click to embiggen)