Today in White Sox History: December 12
One of the busiest trading days in South Side annals ends as a sum negative
1975
In an effort to start improving a desultory offense, White Sox GM Roland Hemond and new owner Bill Veeck acquired former NL batting champ Ralph “Road Runner” Garr and infielder Larvell Blanks from Atlanta for pitchers Dan Osborn and Dick Ruthven plus outfielder Ken Henderson.
Garr had severe limitations in the field, but he did become the catalyst for the South Side Hit Men in 1977 with his speed and ability to hit to all fields. That year, he hit .300 with 10 home runs, 54 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. As an encore, he hit .300 in 1978 as well, and would end his near four-year run on the South Side with a .291 average but just 2.7 WAR.
Garr trivia: He was acquired by the White Sox on his 30th birthday.
More Garr trivia: Despite his well-known “Road Runner” moniker, which made Garr’s the first licensed nickname in any sport, the White Sox chose to rebrand Garr as the “Main Man” on the Comiskey Park scoreboard.
The trade, as is often the case in one-for-multiples swaps, was a bad one for the White Sox: Garr generated just 2.7 WAR over three-plus years on the South Side. On the flip side Henderson was a -0.1 WAR player in his sole year for Atlanta (1976), Osborn and never pitched for the Braves ... but Ruthven was outstanding. Despite leading the NL with 17 losses in 1976, the righthander had a 4.5 WAR season and contributed 8.6 during his full, two-plus years, in Atlanta.
So, that blockbuster came earlier in the day. In the final 75 minutes of the Winter Meetings, with owner Bill Veeck and GM Roland Hemond literally sitting at a folding table in the hotel lobby with a sign stating “open for business,” Chicago made three more quick moves:
- Blanks was flipped mere minutes after acquisition from Atlanta, sent to Cleveland for infielder Jack Brohamer. This was an even trade, with Blanks putting up 3.5 WAR over three seasons for Cleveland and Brohamer generating 3.2 WAR for Chicago over two.
- The Cardinals traded Buddy Bradford back to the White Sox along with pitcher Greg Terlecky, with Chicago sending infielder Lee Richard to St. Louis. With Bradford playing his last season as a 0.8 WAR role player and Richard having another bad season, this trade netted 1.4 WAR for the White Sox.
- Finally, Cincinnati swapped reliever Clay Carroll to the White Sox for pitcher Rich Hinton and minor league catcher Jeff Sovern. Carroll was outstanding in a short stint with the White Sox, earning 2.2 WAR out of the bullpen before breaking his hand on July 4 and missing the rest of the season. With Hinton struggling to a -0.7 WAR in just 12 games for the Reds, this was a net 2.9 WAR trade for the White Sox. (Incidentally, this deal became even sweet when Carroll was flipped after the 1976 season for Lerrin LaGrow, who would end up having one of the greatest relief efforts in White Sox history in 1977.)
So, all in all on one of the busiest days (or hours) in White Sox history, the White Sox logged a net -1.7 WAR loss over all four trades. Not coincidentally, the White Sox would lose 97 games and finish in last place in the AL West.
1980
Sometimes the smaller moves are what turn out to be important: White Sox GM Roland Hemond traded pitcher Richard “Tex” Wortham to the Expos for switch-hitting second baseman Tony Bernazard.
Bernazard would be part of the “New Deal” Sox in 1981 and would eventually be traded for another productive second baseman (Julio “Juice” Cruz) in June 1983. Manager Tony La Russa called Bernazard — who put up a remarkable 7.7 WAR over just 302 games on the South Side — the heart of the club during the second sacker’s time in Chicago.
1985
Ken Harrelson is (incorrectly) regarded as a horrible general manager, but don’t ask the Yankees. One of Hawk’s several terrific deals with New York during his short tenure came when he sent southpaw starter Britt Burns and minor-leaguers Glenn Braxton and Mike Soper east for starting pitcher Joe Cowley and catcher Ron Hassey.
Cowley had a solid 1986 (1.7 WAR) that included one of the weirdest no-hitters in White Sox history, while Hassey was dealt back to the Yankees two months later and then acquired again by the White Sox in-season in two other superb swaps — all in the course of eight months.
Burns never pitched again in the major leagues, his career over at age 26 due to an arthritic hip.
1990
In an effort to add a veteran arm to a young staff, provide an innings-eater to sop up frames, or simply just to carry on a South Side knuckleballer tradition that dates back to Eddie Cicotte, the inventor of the pitch, the White Sox inked Charlie Hough to round out the rotation. Hough would provide a mediocre WAR (2.1) but league-average performance (99 ERA+) in 1990-91.
Hough trivia: The righty spent every season of the 1970s on the Dodgers, and every season of the 1980s with Texas.