When the 1990 season ended, Willie McGee was the National League batting champion for the second time in his career – never mind that he had spent the past month as a member of the American League’s Oakland Athletics.
On August 29, 1990, the St. Louis Cardinals traded the former National League MVP and four-time all-star to the A’s for rookie outfielder Felix Jose and two prospects: third baseman Stan Royer and pitcher Daryl Green.
“I’m kind of speechless right now,” McGee told KMOX. “A lot of different things are going through my head. The good times and the bad times … It’s a beautiful nine years of my life. It had to happen sooner or later. I don’t think I was in a situation where I was going to be back next year.”[1]
Though McGee remained a beloved figure in St. Louis, the emergence of rookie center fielder Ray Lankford and the need to remake the roster after a disappointing season led the club to trade McGee, who was reportedly seeking a three-year, $9 million contract.[2]
McGee had been a key figure in the Cardinals’ success throughout the 1980s, beginning in 1982, when McGee finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting and helped the Cardinals win the World Series with a two-homer performance in Game 3.
After earning an all-star appearance and a Gold Glove Award in 1983, McGee enjoyed the best season of his career in 1985, winning the first batting title of his career with a .353 average. He also led the league with 216 hits and 18 triples, finishing the year with 10 homers and 82 RBIs on his way to the National League MVP. McGee also was recognized with Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards that season.
After McGee drove in a career-high 105 runs in 1987, helping the Cardinals win their third pennant in six years, St. Louis signed him to a three-year deal covering 1988, 1989, and 1990. After batting .292 with 41 stolen bases in the first year of the contract, McGee struggled through a difficult 1989 campaign. Rib, wrist, and hamstring injuries limited him to just 58 games, and he finished the year with a .236 batting average.
Entering the final year of his contract, McGee reported to spring training and proclaimed himself healthy for the first time in a year.
“I’m back to being the old Willie McGee,” he said. “I feel like I can run all day.”[3]
While McGee got off to a hot start, however, his teammates struggled and the Cardinals never got on track. In June, Whitey Herzog resigned and general manager Dal Maxvill saw that his club needed a refresh.
“I’m gone. I’m out of here,” McGee said on August 1. “They’ve already told me that, basically. That’s the way I feel. I have no other feelings inside. If I was (coming back), I would be signed by now. I’m not. So I’m gone.”[4]
After the trade was completed, Maxvill didn’t debate McGee’s assertion. “I wish he would have done what he’s doing now for all three years of his contract,” Maxvill said.[5]
The Cardinals’ plans drew into greater focus on August 21, when they called up Lankford and inserted him into the starting lineup at center field. To make room for the team’s top prospect, McGee was moved to right field.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Dan O’Neill described the scene: “(Lankford) will start in center field. He stands at his locker, beaming with excitement, bursting with nervous energy. Directly across the room is a stark contrast. A veteran sits alone at his locker, head hanging. After nine years as the Cardinals’ center fielder, McGee will be in right field.”[6]
As Lankford inherited the Cardinals’ center field job, the American League West-leading Athletics found themselves in need of a center fielder when Dave Henderson suffered a knee injury that required surgery. A’s general manager Sandy Alderson and Maxvill spoke for several days before finalizing the deal.
“With the injury to Henderson, we really looked at the short-term rather than the long-term potential for us,” Alderson said. “When Dave Henderson went down, we didn’t respond well on the field and we didn’t respond well psychologically. It really hurt our guys. Dave Henderson is a very popular, warmly regarded player. It came on top of a lot of earlier injuries. This wasn’t a matter of gearing up for two or three weeks. This was different. This was a guy who might be out the rest of the year. … One other fact was that we were looking for lefthanded balance and decided we couldn’t wait any longer.”[7]
Maxvill said that on the day they finalized the deal, he and Alderson exchanged at least 10 phone calls between 6 and 10 p.m.
“They weren’t really anxious to give us Jose,” he explained.[8]
McGee learned of the deal late that night, after a 9-1 win over the Reds. Due to bad weather, the Cardinals’ team plane was delayed and they remained in the clubhouse more than three hours. After learning of the deal from Maxvill, Cardinals manager Joe Torre called McGee away from his teammates. In a tunnel at Riverfront Stadium, Torre told McGee that he had been traded.[9]
“He was a little stunned when we told him,” Torre said. “He was saying, ‘Oh God,’ then he would say, ‘This is a break.’ He was bouncing back and forth.”[10]
McGee then joined his now-former teammates on the team flight back to St. Louis.
“He had to spend two more hours in last place last night on the airplane,” Cardinals pitcher John Tudor joked.[11]
After the flight, McGee sat in the airport with Ozzie Smith, Vince Coleman, and Terry Pendleton until 6:30 a.m.[12]
“To be honest, I’m real sad to see him go, but I’m happy he’s there, with all he’s had to put up with,” Pendleton said. “Willie’s a winner, not that we all aren’t, but I didn’t like to see them shifting him around to right field.”[13]
“Willie’s a winner and I’m glad he’s going to a winner,” Tudor said. “As long as he doesn’t put too much pressure on himself and does what he’s capable of doing, everything will work out all right. Everybody here will say they’re sorry to see him go, but those are selfish reasons – because he’s a great guy and a hell of a ballplayer. I’m going to miss him in the outfield chasing those balls down.”[14]
Fellow pitcher Danny Cox shared Tudor’s sentiment. “All those people who called KMOX wanting to run Willie out of town will say, ‘Damn, we didn’t mean it,’” Cox said.[15]
With a .335 batting average across 542 plate appearances, McGee was leaving the National League in contention for the batting title, trailing only Philadelphia’s Lenny Dykstra. To be eligible, he needed 502 plate appearances.
“I play to make a living, I play to win, and I play to be the best I can be,” McGee said. “Above all, I try to be the best person I can be. I had nothing to prove to anybody. I worked as hard as I could this winter. I gave myself every opportunity to succeed. If I didn’t succeed this time, I knew it wasn’t going to be because I didn’t work.”[16]
The trade to Oakland was a homecoming for McGee, who had grown up there and just built a home in Hercules, California, less than a half-hour drive from Oakland Coliseum.
“Hopefully I’ll get into the swing of things,” he said. “It might make me a better player. I’m happy because I’m going home. It really couldn’t be a better situation.”[17]
McGee was going from a last-place team to an American League powerhouse. Earlier that day, the A’s had traded for Harold Baines from the Rangers. With McGee and Baines, the A’s could include eight former all-stars in the lineup, which already included Mark McGwire, Willie Randolph, Carney Lansford, Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, and Terry Steinbach.
“It’s like Nixon and Watergate,” one American League official said. “You didn’t need the burglary. You’re going to win anyway.”[18]
“We finally rectified the imbalance in our offense,” Alderson said. “We feel we can better approach the last 30 games. What these two moves show is that we’re dedicated and focused on 1990. Our aim is to win the American League West.”[19]
“You want no regrets,” A’s manager Tony La Russa said. “Personnel-wise, now we have no regrets. The worst thing I can imagine is spending this winter thinking that if we had made a deal or two deals, we would have won it. You play five months to get into this position. If you see a way to get better in the end, you take it.”[20]
In their bid for the American League West crown, the Athletics sent the Cardinals some intriguing talent. Jose, a rookie outfielder, was batting .264 with eight homers, 39 RBIs, and eight stolen bases in 341 at-bats for the A’s.
“(He is) a big, muscular, powerful switch-hitter,” Alderson said. “Outstanding arm. Excellent speed. And he has power really from both sides.”[21]
However, the 25-year-old Jose remained a raw talent. “At this point, he’s not a fully developed, experienced player you could put in center field on a daily basis,” Alderson said.[22]
“I think it’s a good thing for me in the future,” Jose said of the trade. “It was going to be real tough for me to play here next year. I’m going to be a little sorry because I’ve been here for a long time. After a few days it will go away.”[23]
Royer, a third baseman, was the A’s first-round draft choice in 1988. According to Baseball America, he was the club’s top power-hitting prospect,[24] and with Pendleton in the final year of his contract, Royer represented a potential solution.
“I saw him hit two balls out of sight in Knoxville,” one Toronto scout said. “He’s got great power.”[25]
Maxvill said that Green, a right-handed pitcher who was a first-round draft pick by the Angels in 1986, reminded him of Ken Hill when the Cardinals acquired him from the Tigers.
“Throws hard, good arm, but doesn’t know where it’s going,” Maxvill said.[26]
Ultimately, the consensus seemed to be that the Cardinals had done well in acquiring three young players for one month of McGee.
“With everything that was written in the paper that (McGee) was going to walk, we made out very well,” Torre said.[27]
“The departure of Willie McGee was inevitable,” O’Neill wrote. “Emotional attachment might tell you otherwise, but Wednesday’s late-night deal that sent McGee to Oakland was good for the Cardinals and good for McGee.[28]
Miklasz agreed, writing, “Lankford is the future. He may struggle this season, and probably the next. But that’s part of the growing process. The Cardinals need to turn Lankford loose, let him flail away at big-league pitching. Sure, the Cardinals could probably use McGee for another year. But McGee isn’t going to sign a one-year deal. And Lankford can’t be held back. Stunting his progress at this stage is counterproductive.”[29]
McGee appeared in 29 regular-season games for the Athletics, batting .274 with 15 RBIs and three stolen bases. At season’s end, McGee’s .335 National League batting average made him the first player in MLB history to win the NL batting crown while finishing the season in the American League. When reporters entered the clubhouse in Oakland after the A’s regular-season finale, they found that McGee had already left.
“I forgot to congratulate him,” La Russa said. “I’m sure he’s proud of it.”[30]
The A’s won the American League West and swept the Red Sox in the ALCS before they, in turn, were swept by the Reds in the World Series. McGee went just 2-for-9 in the ALCS and 2-for-10 in the World Series.
That offseason, McGee signed a four-year, $13 million contract with the Giants to replace Brett Butler as the team’s center fielder. Over those four years, McGee hit .301 with 14 homers, 148 RBIs, and 43 stolen bases. In the final year of that contract, he was limited to just 45 games by a torn Achilles tendon. Even when he returned with the Red Sox in 1995, he was limited to a reserve role and played just 67 games.
That, however, set the stage for McGee to return to St. Louis as a valuable fourth outfielder. McGee spent the final five seasons of his career with St. Louis, retiring after the 1999 season. In total, McGee played 1,661 of his 2,201 career games with the Cardinals, including 13 of his 18 big-league seasons.
Jose hit .305 with eight homers, 77 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in 1991, earning an all-star nod. In 1992, he hit .295 with 14 homers, 75 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases. Ahead of the 1993 season, the Cardinals traded him and Craig Wilson to the Royals for Ed Gerald and Gregg Jefferies.
Royer spent four seasons with the Cardinals, never exceeding more than 39 games in a season. In 1994, the Red Sox selected him off waivers.
At age 23, Green pitched one season in the Cardinals’ High-A affiliate in St. Petersburg, going 5-10 with a 4.63 ERA. It marked the final season of his pro career.
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[1] Dave Newhouse, “Baines, McGee join A’s,” Oakland Tribune, August 30, 1990.
[2] Rick Hummel, “Cards Trade McGee To Oakland A’s,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1990.
[3] Jeff Gordon, “In Good And Bad Times, McGee Always Persistent,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[4] Rick Hummel, “McGee’s Future: ‘I’m Out Of Here,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 2, 1990.
[5] Jeff Gordon, “In Good And Bad Times, McGee Always Persistent,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[6] Dan O’Neill, “Trade Was OK For Both Willie And Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[7] Rick Hummel, “Jose Gets Good Rating On Power, Arm, Speed,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[8] Rick Hummel, “Jose Gets Good Rating On Power, Arm, Speed,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[9] Rick Hummel, “McGee Has Mixed Feelings,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[10] Rick Hummel, “McGee Has Mixed Feelings,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[11] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals Happy For McGee,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[12] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals Happy For McGee,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[13] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals Happy For McGee,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[14] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals Happy For McGee,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[15] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals Happy For McGee,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[16] Rick Hummel, “McGee Has Mixed Feelings,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[17] Rick Hummel, “McGee Has Mixed Feelings,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[18] Kit Stier, “A’s defend expensive ‘insurance,’” Oakland Tribune, August 31, 1990.
[19] Dave Newhouse, “Baines, McGee join A’s,” Oakland Tribune, August 30, 1990.
[20] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals Happy For McGee,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[21] Rick Hummel, “Jose Gets Good Rating On Power, Arm, Speed,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[22] Rick Hummel, “Jose Gets Good Rating On Power, Arm, Speed,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[23] Kit Stier, “A’s defend expensive ‘insurance,’” Oakland Tribune, August 31, 1990.
[24] Dan O’Neill, “Trade Was OK For Both Willie And Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[25] Rick Hummel, “Jose Gets Good Rating On Power, Arm, Speed,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[26] Rick Hummel, “Jose Gets Good Rating On Power, Arm, Speed,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[27] Rick Hummel, “Jose Gets Good Rating On Power, Arm, Speed,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[28] Dan O’Neill, “Trade Was OK For Both Willie And Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 1990.
[29] Bernie Miklasz, “For Long Haul: Sign Coleman, Forget McGee,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 22, 1990.
[30] Associated Press, “McGee, Brett Win Titles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 4, 1990.