Balabon had poor control, and Evers was injury-prone. Neither ever reached the major leagues. Balabon was 24 and Evers 26 when they threw their last pitches in "organized ball." So, whatever they were (and are) as human beings, as ballplayers, they were no great loss to the Yankees.
The key was Buhner. At the time of the trade, Jay Campbell Buhner was 23 years old, going on 24. He was a righthanded hitter, born in Louisville, Kentucky, and grew up in the Houston suburb of League City, Texas. He had a very good season at Triple-A Columbus in 1987, and had played 7 games for the Yankees late that season. Thus far in 1988, he had come to the plate 76 times for the Yankees, batting .188, hitting 3 home runs, with 13 RBIs.
I was there at the old Yankee Stadium when he hit his 2nd major league home run (I previously thought it was his 1st), a grand slam that gave the Yankees an 8-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles on June 11. From May 15 to July 6, he had been the Yankees' regular center fielder, as Claudell Washington had gone into decline.
It's important to remember that Buhner was righthanded, and that Yankee Stadium was not conducive to righthanded power hitting. It was much better for lefthanded hitters. With Don Mattingly having a bad back, and other injuries hitting the team, the Yankees needed a good lefthanded DH/pinch-hitter.
At the time of the trade, Kenneth Allen Phelps was 33 years old, going on 34. He was a lefthanded hitter, born and raised in Seattle. He debuted with the Kansas City Royals, having a 3-game "cup of coffee" in their 1980 Pennant season. He played 21 more games for them in 1981, and 10 for the Montreal Expos in 1982, before his hometown Mariners (keeping in mind that they weren't his hometown team while he was growing up, they didn't play their 1st game until he was 22) got him in 1983. By 1988, he had already had 3 seasons of at least 24 home runs, and in his last 2 seasons, he'd gotten 64 and 68 RBIs. These are decent totals.
But his highest batting average at that point was .259 in 1987. He was a one-dimensional player: He didn't really hit for singles, doubles or triples; he didn't hit to the opposite field; he wasn't much of a baserunner, being kind of a chubby guy who stole 10 bases in his entire career; and as for his fielding, well, there's a reason he was frequently a DH. (Well, 2 reasons: The Mariners had a pretty good 1st baseman in Alvin Davis.)
Phelps wouldn't do much for the A's, either, and in 1990 they traded him to the Cleveland Indians, and that was it for him in the majors. Lifetime batting average: .239. Home runs: 123 -- not exactly a big total for a guy known for his power, especially since he played with short right-field porches at the Kingdome and Yankee Stadium.
Here's what Buhner did for the Mariners: 14 seasons, 307 home runs, 4 postseason berths.
The trade loomed pretty large to Yankee fans who watched the team fall apart in 1989, after 4 years of close-but-no-cigar contention, and begin 4 years of doldrums. Buhner's bat would have been a big help, wouldn't it?
It got worse after the 1995 American League Division Series, when the Yankees lost to the Mariners, with Buhner batting .458 with a homer and 3 RBIs in those 5 games. You'll notice that the Seinfeld episode in which Frank Costanza (played by Jerry Stiller) yells about this trade to George Steinbrenner (Larry David), "The Caddy," aired on January 26, 1996, less than 3 months after that series.
How could The Boss make this moronic trade? How could the Yankees as an organization have let such a stupid thing happen? Believe it or not, it was totally justifiable at the time.
Although the Yankees stayed in the AL Eastern Division race most of the way in 1988, they had a bunch of injuries. In the June 11, 1988 game I mentioned, the only player in the lineup who could hit and was playing his preferred position was Dave Winfield. It was so bad that Billy Martin, in perhaps his last masterstroke as a manager, put Rick Rhoden, a decent-hitting pitcher, in as the DH -- ahead of catcher Joel Skinner and shortstop Rafael Santana, forced into starting by injuries to others.
So bringing in a lefty bat with power was necessary. Whereas the Yankees had Winfield, Jack Clark, Gary Ward, and even Rickey Henderson to provide power from the right side. (Yes, Henderson: Despite playing most of his career in parks not conducive to righthanded power, he hit close to 300 homers.) For the 1988 Yankees, Jay Buhner was surplus to requirements.
At the time of the trade, Phelps had already had 3 seasons of at least 24 home runs, and in his last 2 seasons he'd gotten 64 and 68 RBIs. He had a lefty swing that was tailor-made for Yankee Stadium. If he had been 22 instead of 34, and had started out in the Yankee system, and had tailed off the same way, today he'd be thought of in the same vein as his contemporaries Steve Balboni, Dan Pasqua and Kevin Maas, guys who were great prospects but flamed out quickly. But he was brought in at age 34 (for all intents and purposes), and his reputation was dragged down.
Still, the Yankees traded something they didn't seem to need for something that looked like something they did need.
Still, the Yankees traded something they didn't seem to need for something that looked like something they did need.
And, as I said, Buhner hadn't proven much. He had made a grand total of 99 plate appearances in the major leagues. His batting average as a Yankee was .199; on-base, .255; slugging, .319; OPS+, 58. For comparison's sake: Rhoden, the pitcher who was the DH in that game, then had an OPS+ of 60. In other words, in July 1988, you could be blunt and say that Jay Buhner stunk; or you could be charitable and say he wasn't ready for the major leagues.
Well, what about what he did afterward? Huh? The Yankees could have used that, couldn't they? Here's his career totals: BA, .254. OBP, .359. Slugging, .494. OPS, .852. OPS+, 124. Hits, 1,273. Doubles, 233. Triples, 19. Home runs, 310. RBIs, 965.
Decent stats, sure. The fact that his 1995, '96 and '97 HR & RBI stats were 40 & 121, 44 & 138, and 40 & 109 makes it look worse for the Yankees.
But as a wise man once said, Statistics are like bikinis: What they reveal can be great, but what they don't reveal is more important. Let's look beyond those basic stats:
His highest batting average for a single season was .272, in 1993. People who say that Phil Rizzuto doesn't belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame cite his .273 lifetime batting average. Well, Phil Rizzuto had a higher lifetime batting average than "good hitter" Jay Buhner -- and could run, and could field.
Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson are Yankee Hall-of-Famers who were criticized for striking out too much. Well, Mickey's highest single-season strikeout total was 126; Reggie's top total as a Yankee wasn't much more, 133; Buhner led the AL in strikeouts in 1996 with 159 and in '97 with 175.
And let's keep in mind: The Yankees were nowhere near contention for the next 4 seasons, 1989 through '92. And the Yankees traded for Jesse Barfield after this. Would Buhner have given the Yankees much more than Barfield at that time? Would having Buhner in those 4 seasons have helped much? I doubt it.
Yeah, but Buhner helped the Mariners reach the postseason 4 times, right? Well, look at his teammates: Ken Griffey Jr., future Hall-of-Famer; Edgar Martinez, also a HOFer; Tino Martinez, who was traded away after 1995 but consistently put up All-Star-quality numbers, including in 1995; Alex Rodriguez, you know his story; Mike Cameron, All-Star; John Olerud, wasn't a Mariner for long but played very well for them. And that's not even considering their pitching: Randy Johnson, Aaron Sele, Jamie Moyer, eventually Freddy Garcia. Buhner was never the most, or the 2nd-most, or even the 3rd-most important player on his own team.
And look at Buhner's decline:
1997 Age 33, 665 plate appearances, OPS+ of 132
1998 34, 286, 109
1999 35, 343, 105
2000 36, 430, 127
2001 37, 53 100
Wow, his appearances really dropped. And so did his production. Injuries. And he was famously bald. Steroids? As far as is publicly known, he was clean... but he does fit the profile. Remember, he didn't just go from 430 plate appearances to 53; that 2000 season was the anomaly for Buhner after 1997.
Let's be honest here: If Jay Buhner was the Yankees' right fielder from 1993 to 2001, you know the Yankee Haters would claim that his decline "proves" that he was using performance-enhancing drugs.
If Buhner had been the Yankees' right fielder from 1989 (a year in which Winfield was out the entire way with an injury) through 1992, instead of former Toronto Blue Jay slugger Jesse Barfield (who gave the Yankees 3 decent seasons, but was hurt, and really came to the team at the wrong time in its history), the Yankees wouldn't have traded Roberto Kelly to the Cincinnati Reds for O'Neill. Kelly might well have been traded for somebody -- Bernie Williams was on the way up, and became the Yankees' regular center fielder until 2006 -- but he wouldn't have been traded for O'Neill.
O'Neill became one of the cornerstones of the new Yankee dynasty, playing well and doing so consistently, playing while hurt, pushing himself to come through in big moments. No, he wasn't a Hall-of-Famer, but he was a better all-around player than Buhner: He could hit for average (batting .300 6 times), he could hit to the opposite field, he was a decent baserunner (stole double figures 5 straight seasons, including 22 at age 38 in his final season), and he was a much better-fielding right fielder than Buhner.
Nobody says Kelly for O'Neill was a bad trade -- unless, of course, they're a Cincinnati Reds fan, or a major Yankee hater. So don't think of the 1988 trade as Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps. Think of it as Jay Buhner for Paul O'Neill.
Would you make that trade? I'd make it in a New York minute.
Well, what about what he did afterward? Huh? The Yankees could have used that, couldn't they? Here's his career totals: BA, .254. OBP, .359. Slugging, .494. OPS, .852. OPS+, 124. Hits, 1,273. Doubles, 233. Triples, 19. Home runs, 310. RBIs, 965.
Decent stats, sure. The fact that his 1995, '96 and '97 HR & RBI stats were 40 & 121, 44 & 138, and 40 & 109 makes it look worse for the Yankees.
But as a wise man once said, Statistics are like bikinis: What they reveal can be great, but what they don't reveal is more important. Let's look beyond those basic stats:
His highest batting average for a single season was .272, in 1993. People who say that Phil Rizzuto doesn't belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame cite his .273 lifetime batting average. Well, Phil Rizzuto had a higher lifetime batting average than "good hitter" Jay Buhner -- and could run, and could field.
Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson are Yankee Hall-of-Famers who were criticized for striking out too much. Well, Mickey's highest single-season strikeout total was 126; Reggie's top total as a Yankee wasn't much more, 133; Buhner led the AL in strikeouts in 1996 with 159 and in '97 with 175.
And let's keep in mind: The Yankees were nowhere near contention for the next 4 seasons, 1989 through '92. And the Yankees traded for Jesse Barfield after this. Would Buhner have given the Yankees much more than Barfield at that time? Would having Buhner in those 4 seasons have helped much? I doubt it.
Yeah, but Buhner helped the Mariners reach the postseason 4 times, right? Well, look at his teammates: Ken Griffey Jr., future Hall-of-Famer; Edgar Martinez, also a HOFer; Tino Martinez, who was traded away after 1995 but consistently put up All-Star-quality numbers, including in 1995; Alex Rodriguez, you know his story; Mike Cameron, All-Star; John Olerud, wasn't a Mariner for long but played very well for them. And that's not even considering their pitching: Randy Johnson, Aaron Sele, Jamie Moyer, eventually Freddy Garcia. Buhner was never the most, or the 2nd-most, or even the 3rd-most important player on his own team.
And look at Buhner's decline:
1997 Age 33, 665 plate appearances, OPS+ of 132
1998 34, 286, 109
1999 35, 343, 105
2000 36, 430, 127
2001 37, 53 100
Wow, his appearances really dropped. And so did his production. Injuries. And he was famously bald. Steroids? As far as is publicly known, he was clean... but he does fit the profile. Remember, he didn't just go from 430 plate appearances to 53; that 2000 season was the anomaly for Buhner after 1997.
Let's be honest here: If Jay Buhner was the Yankees' right fielder from 1993 to 2001, you know the Yankee Haters would claim that his decline "proves" that he was using performance-enhancing drugs.
If Buhner had been the Yankees' right fielder from 1989 (a year in which Winfield was out the entire way with an injury) through 1992, instead of former Toronto Blue Jay slugger Jesse Barfield (who gave the Yankees 3 decent seasons, but was hurt, and really came to the team at the wrong time in its history), the Yankees wouldn't have traded Roberto Kelly to the Cincinnati Reds for O'Neill. Kelly might well have been traded for somebody -- Bernie Williams was on the way up, and became the Yankees' regular center fielder until 2006 -- but he wouldn't have been traded for O'Neill.
O'Neill became one of the cornerstones of the new Yankee dynasty, playing well and doing so consistently, playing while hurt, pushing himself to come through in big moments. No, he wasn't a Hall-of-Famer, but he was a better all-around player than Buhner: He could hit for average (batting .300 6 times), he could hit to the opposite field, he was a decent baserunner (stole double figures 5 straight seasons, including 22 at age 38 in his final season), and he was a much better-fielding right fielder than Buhner.
Nobody says Kelly for O'Neill was a bad trade -- unless, of course, they're a Cincinnati Reds fan, or a major Yankee hater. So don't think of the 1988 trade as Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps. Think of it as Jay Buhner for Paul O'Neill.
Would you make that trade? I'd make it in a New York minute.
Today, Buhner is still living in the Seattle area, living off his baseball earnings, acting as an official spokesman for a local car dealership, and indulging in his passion for fishing. Can't fault him for any of that. Phelps, who actually is from near Seattle, is living near Phoenix, broadcasting for a minor-league team.
*
July 21, 1988 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Kansas City Royals, 6-5 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. Rickey Henderson and Don Mattingly hit home runs in support of Rick Rhoden, but relivers Tim Stoddard and Cecile Guante blew it in the bottom of the 9th. George Brett had homered earlier for the Royals.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-1 at Fenway Park in Boston.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.
* The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
* The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Texas Rangers, 6-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.
* The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0 at the Astrodome on Houston. Nolan Ryan pitched a 3-hit shutout, striking out 9.
* The Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-2 at the Kingdome in Seattle.
* The New York Mets were supposed to play the Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium, but got rained out. In a doubleheader the next day, the Mets swept, 6-1 and 5-1.
* And the Baltimore Orioles, the California Angels, the Cleveland Indians, the Detroit Tigers, the Minnesota Twins and the Oakland Athletics were not scheduled to play.
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