Posted on 03/18/2019 7:40:45 AM PDT by Rummyfan
The deal that brought Orlando Cepeda from San Francisco to St. Louis in 1966 was probably the second most consequential baseball trade of the 1960s, behind only the one that brought the late Frank Robinson to Baltimore. The Cardinals won the World Series in 1967 and Cepeda was NL MVP. In 1968, St. Louis repeated as NL champs.
But on March 17, 1969, St. Louis dealt Cepeda to the Atlanta Braves for Joe Torre.
The trade caught the baseball world by surprise. In the days leading up March 17, there was no mention in the St. Louis Post Dispatch of the possibility of this deal or, indeed, of the Cardinals trading Cepeda.
Torre had been on the trading block for a while. The three-time all star (at this point in his career) had fallen completely out of favor with Paul Richards, general manager of the Braves. Torre had experienced a down year in 1968 (even after taking into account baseball’s depressed offensive stats that season). Richards reportedly wanted to cut his salary by the maximum amount allowable. Torre refused to report to spring training. The two were fighting it out in the press.
Torre was the Braves player representative, and a very active one. This might well have been a major point against him as far as Richards was concerned.
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I remember Torre with the Mets as a player and manager during the mid/late 70s. Those were dark days.
The Mets made one trip to The Series in the 70s... 1972?
I believe that was 1973. Joe Torre with the Mets hit into four double plays in one game. That’s not easy to do.
LOL! A dubious accomplishment.
Chicago Cubs traded Lou Brock to St. Louis for pitcher Ernie Broglio in 1964...
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That was in 1973 when the team went 82-79 somehow winning the NL East.
Not sure how that doesn’t rank as number one for the 60s.
The Lou Brock deal was right up there, too.
And don't get Yankee fans started. While they may not have been as consequential as any of those three, the Yankees made a lot of "name" deals in the 1960s and most of them were bad ones.
I remember Joe when he broke in as a chubby catcher. Before that, he was a terror of the Parade Grounds in Brooklyn. But I digress...
Torre played for eh Braves, Cardinals, and Mets. Before George Steinbrenner picked him up, he had manged the Mets, Cardinals, and Braves. The same three teams, in reverse order.
He was the only person to be in uniform on the winning side in the first and last games at Fulton County Stadium.
He’s also one of four people to have managed the Yankees and the Mets. Can you name the other three? (To are pretty easy. One is a bit more obscure.)
My grandfather, as my dad has handed down the story, was once staring at Torre in the in deck circle from his seats which were right down near the field.....talking about 1st or 2nd row between dugout and home plate.
Torre notices tramps staring at him and ask “what are you looking at” (or similar)
Gramps, caught in a moment of thought, replies “you are one ugly son if a bitch.”
There were a couple of throw-ins in that deal. It occurred on June 15, 1964, then the trade deadline. The Cubs traded Lou Brock, Jack Spring and Paul Toth to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens and Bobby Shantz.
And then beating a 100-win Reds team in the NLCS.
Remember the Harrelson-Rose dustup?
Probably not. Lou Brock for Ernie Borgilo overshadowed it.
The Braves GM didn't like Joe Torre because he seemed afraid of the pitches. He called him Chicken Catcher Torre behind his back.
The Cardinals, OTOH, had a very capable catcher in Tim McCarver and turned Torre into a dandy first baseman with occasional back-up catching duties.
Probably not. Lou Brock for Ernie Borgilo overshadowed it.
The Braves GM didn't like Joe Torre because he seemed afraid of the pitches. He called him Chicken Catcher Torre behind his back.
The Cardinals, OTOH, had a very capable catcher in Tim McCarver and turned Torre into a dandy first baseman with occasional back-up catching duties.
Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel and Dallas Green.
Lol...that sounds like a story Joe Torre might tell as well.
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