“It feels good to get it out of the way, but I’m not in the game to set records,” Smith said. “I want to pitch in the World Series, and I’d be happy with 20 saves if it helped us get there.”[1]

Acquired three years earlier in a trade with the Red Sox, Smith rapidly piled up saves while wearing the birds on the bat. Though Smith no longer had the same zip on his fastball that he had early in his career, his slider and forkball kept hitters off balance.

After arriving in St. Louis in May 1990, he saved 27 games the remainder of the year, posting three wins and a 2.10 ERA in 53 games.

The following two years, he enjoyed arguably the two greatest seasons in his Hall of Fame career, leading the National League with a career-high 47 saves in 1991. With a 2.34 ERA, Smith placed second to Atlanta’s Tom Glavine in the Cy Young Award voting. In the MVP vote (won by former Cardinal Terry Pendleton), he placed eighth, three spots ahead of Glavine.

In 1992, Smith again led the league in saves, this time posting 43 along with a 3.12 ERA. He placed fourth in the Cy Young voting and earned his second consecutive all-star appearance.

Smith credited Cardinals manager Joe Torre for his success in St. Louis.

“I really owe a lot to Joe,” he said. “I only have to pitch an inning at a time here, and that’s been the key. I often worked two innings at a time with the Cubs and Red Sox, and that took a lot out of me. I still have confidence that I can get hitters out with my fastball, but I’m not that much into the macho thing that I have to blow guys away. I’m more of a pitcher than I was in Chicago.”[2]

Smith entered the 1993 season with 355 career saves, two behind Cincinnati’s Jeff Reardon. The 37-year-old Reardon, whose acquisition by the Red Sox in 1990 suddenly made Smith expendable in Boston, had made two scoreless appearances for the Reds that season but had yet to earn his first save.

Smith, who had suffered a blown save against Reardon’s Reds just three days earlier, wasn’t about to let his next opportunity pass him by.

The Cardinals opened the game by building a 5-0 lead against Dodgers starter Kevin Gross. With two outs in the first, Mark Whiten and Tom Pagnozzi each hit RBI singles and Bernard Gilkey drove in a pair of runs with a single to right field. An inning later, Gregg Jefferies added an RBI single to right.

The Dodgers, however, took the lead by scoring seven unanswered runs, including five off of Cardinals starter Rheal Cormier. Tim Wallach hit a two-run double and Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, Brett Butler, and Eric Davis each added RBI singles as the Dodgers chipped away at the St. Louis lead to take a 7-5 lead heading into the seventh inning.

In the top of the seventh, Zeile singled and Gilkey drew a walk before pinch-hitter Gerald Perry proved to be better late than never – literally. Perry had thought that the game, the Dodgers’ home opener, was a night game. He was enjoying room service and a TV movie when Cardinals equipment manager Buddy Bates called to ask where he was. Perry made it to the stadium about 45 minutes before the game.[3]

Facing Dodgers reliever Pedro Martinez, however, he was right on time. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, the left-handed-swinging Perry pulled the ball just inside the right-field foul pole for a three-run home run that gave the Cardinals an 8-7 lead.

“I told the guys that when you show up late and you get a chance to play, you’d better do something,” Perry said. “I was very embarrassed walking in here. I’ve never looked at guys real great when they came into the clubhouse late.”[4]

Darryl Strawberry nearly robbed Perry of the home run, but a fan with a glove made the catch instead. An inning later, the fan was escorted away by stadium personnel.[5]

“I would have had it,” Strawberry said. “I had it all the way. He just took it away.”[6]

In the top of the ninth, Pagnozzi added a solo home run to right field off Ricky Trlicek to give Smith a 9-7 lead to hold. Despite the two-run advantage, the final three outs weren’t uneventful. After Smith retired Jody Reed to lead off the inning, Davis reached on Zeile’s second error of the day at third base.

Smith got Darryl Strawberry to fly out to left field for the second out, but Karros drew a walk and both runners advanced on stolen bases. With the tying run in scoring position, Wallach flied out to shallow right field, ending the game and placing Smith atop the career saves leaderboard.

“Three hundred and 58 saves,” Pagnozzi marveled. “I don’t think I have 358 hits.”[7]

The save also gave Smith 300 career saves in the National League, tying the record set by former Cardinals closer Bruce Sutter.

“He may have been lost in the shuffle over the years,” Cardinals manager Joe Torre said, noting that other closers such as Sutter, Dennis Eckersley, and Reardon had attracted national attention while Smith simply piled up saves. “Really, nobody paid attention to Big Lee. They wrote him off a long time ago. Last year, people got on him because he lost a couple of saves early, but he never made an excuse. This year, he’s thrown the ball better than he has the last two years.”[8]

Smith earned the save in each of his next seven appearances, placing him ahead of Reardon for good. He ranked among the National League leaders with 43 saves when the Cardinals traded him to the Yankees for Rich Batchelor on August 31.

Smith signed a free-agent deal with the Orioles that offseason. In his lone season in Baltimore, he led baseball in saves and placed fifth in the Cy Young voting.

After pitching for the Angels, Reds, and Expos over the final three years of his career, Smith retired with 478 saves, a record that was not broken until Trevor Hoffman passed him in 2006. Smith was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Enjoy this post? Get Cardinals history delivered straight to your inbox!

[1] Ross Newhan, “With Help From Dodgers, Smith Is Baseball’s Save Leader,” Los Angeles Times, April 14, 1993.

[2] Ross Newhan, “With Help From Dodgers, Smith Is Baseball’s Save Leader,” Los Angeles Times, April 14, 1993.

[3] Rick Hummel, “After Perry HR, Cards Save It For Lee Smith,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 14, 1993.

[4] Rick Hummel, “After Perry HR, Cards Save It For Lee Smith,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 14, 1993.

[5] Rick Hummel, “After Perry HR, Cards Save It For Lee Smith,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 14, 1993.

[6] Rick Hummel, “After Perry HR, Cards Save It For Lee Smith,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 14, 1993.

[7] Rick Hummel, “L. Smith Survives Shaky 9^th,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 14, 1993.

[8] Rick Hummel, “L. Smith Survives Shaky 9^th,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 14, 1993.

The post Lee Smith becomes baseball’s career saves leader: April 13, 1993 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

As a result, the Cardinals and Indians came together on a trade that was spurred by tragedy. On March 22, 1993, Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews were killed and Bob Ojeda was seriously injured in a boating accident in Clermont, Florida. Suddenly thin of pitching, the Indians agreed on March 31 to trade Whiten to St. Louis for 24-year-old right-handed pitcher Mark Clark and 21-year-old minor-league infielder Juan Andujar.

“If not for the events of last week, we wouldn’t have made the trade,” Indians general manager John Hart said. “We didn’t want to trade one of our outfielders, but we’re so thin that if we get a hangnail, we’re in trouble.”[1]

The 26-year-old Whiten was coming off a season in which he hit .254 with nine homers, 43 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases for the Indians. A switch hitter, he hit .244 with six homers in 381 left-handed at-bats and .283 with three homers in 127 at-bats hitting right-handed.

“I think he has a little more power for the left side and is probably a better contact hitter from the right side,” Torre said. “I do know he’s an outstanding defensive player. That’s important. This club has to win with defense.”[2]

The Indians, however, were looking for greater run production from the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Whiten. In 1992, he was just 4-for-45 with two outs and runners in scoring position – an .089 mark that was the worst in the American League. For his career, he was 10-for-98 (.102).

“He’s blessed with more ability and has more physical tools than a lot of guys, but he didn’t play as a youngster and he hasn’t developed his offensive skills,” Hart said. “I don’t want to say he’s not coachable, but he wasn’t able to take the coaching and translate it into a game. He was receptive to change, but he was not able to translate it into a game.

“Would we like to be more patient with Mark? Of course, but we didn’t have that luxury. We also didn’t see any progress in him offensively.”[3]

Whiten grew up primarily playing football and didn’t join his baseball team at Pensacola (Fla.) High School until his senior season. Despite his inexperience, he was gifted enough to earn a scholarship to nearby Pensacola Junior College.

“I didn’t care about playing baseball; I was just interested in the scholarship strictly because of the school,” Whiten said.[4]

Whiten played well enough with Pensacola Junior College that the Blue Jays drafted him in the fifth round in 1986. In the minors, he was more of a base-stealing threat than a power hitter, swiping 49 bases with Myrtle Beach in the Sally League in 1987. In 569 minor-league games, he stole 119 bases.

The Blue Jays called him up for 33 games in 1990. He hit .273 with two homers, seven RBIs, and two stolen bases in 88 at-bats. In 1991, he appeared in 46 games, batting .222 with two homers and 19 RBIs before he was dealt to Cleveland as part of a package that sent Tom Candiotti and Turner Ward to Toronto.

Whiten got 281 plate appearances with the Indians in 1991, batting .256 with seven homers and 26 RBIs.

“I’m still learning,” Whiten said. “I haven’t played that much baseball. It takes time. Hopefully, that potential will come out in St. Louis.”[5]

Where Whiten was living up to his potential was right field. In 1992, he tied for second among American League outfielders with 14 assists.[6]

“You’re talking about a guy who is still young and has a lot of raw ability,” Torre said. “He hasn’t played a lot of baseball. He’s still learning. You take a chance on a guy like that. He’s been traded two times now. Sometimes that has a way of shaking you up and bringing something out in you.”[7]

Whiten was indeed shaken up by the trade.

“It was a shock for me,” he said. “You get to know the guys, and you’ve played with them for a while. It’s tough to go somewhere else, but in a way, I knew something was going to happen. I just started to get the feeling that something was not right. I don’t know how to explain it, but you know how you just get a bad feeling about something.”[8]

Whiten’s instincts were accurate. Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal wrote of Whiten’s tenure in Cleveland: “For a player with the ultimate in athletic gifts, Whiten did not come close to measuring up to his potential, especially in the area of run production. Moreover, late in the season, he showed little interest in playing and loafed after balls in the outfield. Consequently, he came to spring training as one of three candidates to start in right field, even though he was the incumbent.”[9]

Said Hart, “Whiten still has a chance to be a big-time player, but he wasn’t making the progress we wanted him to make.”[10]

When Whiten arrived at Cardinals camp, Torre spoke to him and, drawing upon his own experience as a player (he was traded to the Cardinals in 1969 and to the Mets in 1974), told the media that Whiten just needed to adapt to the shock of being traded.[11]

“I don’t know anything about the organization,” Whiten said. “I know a lot of the guys have told me it’s a good place to play and that Joe is going to be straight up with you. I like that; anyone would like to play for someone like that.”[12]

Bernard Gilkey, who knew Whiten from his days in the minor leagues, was confident that Whiten would enjoy St. Louis.

“He’s going to like it here,” Gilkey said. “How can you not? If you like baseball, you’re going to like St. Louis. There’s no better place to play.”[13]

Initially, it looked as though Whiten’s arrival might move Gilkey to the bench in 1993, with Brian Jordan moving from right field to left. Ultimately, however, it was Gilkey who took the bulk of the playing time in left field, batting .305 with 16 homers, 70 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases in 137 games. Jordan appeared in 67 games and made the most of his opportunities, batting .309 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs.

“The trade definitely improves our bench, no matter who is starting,” Torre said at the time of the deal. “That’s an ingredient we felt we had to have.”[14]

In Cleveland, the Indians saw potential in Clark, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound right-hander. A former ninth-round Cardinals draft pick in 1988 out of Lincoln Land Community College, Clark made his major-league debut in 1991. The following season, he went 4-4 with a 2.80 ERA at Triple-A Louisville before he was called up to the majors. In 20 starts for the 1992 Cardinals, Clark went 3-10 with a 4.45 ERA.

“Mark is not a polished pitcher, but he throws strikes,” said Hart, who said that Clark would take Ojeda’s place in the starting rotation. “He’s a developing guy with good stuff, and he’s very durable. … We canvassed all the clubs, and Clark was at the top of our list of pitchers we could acquire.”[15]

Technically, that was true, though the Indians approached the Astros about trading Whiten for Darryl Kile or Jeff Juden. The Astros, however, weren’t interested.[16]

“There was a gaping hole in our pitching,” Hart said. “You could drive a semi-truck through it. So it was important to acquire a young guy who could grow into giving us 200 innings a year.”[17]

Andujar, 21, joined the Cardinals organization as a 17-year-old and was coming off his first season in High-A St. Petersburg, where he hit .270 with 14 stolen bases in 391 plate appearances. He played 12 games in Double-A in 1994 but never advanced further.

Clark pitched three seasons in Cleveland. In 1993, he made three starts before being moved to the bullpen. In June, he returned to the rotation, where he finished the season with a 7-5 record and 4.28 ERA.

He enjoyed his best season with the Indians in 1994, going 11-3 with a 3.82 ERA. After going 9-7 with a 5.27 ERA in 1995, Clark was traded to the Mets for Reid Cornelius and Ryan Thompson.

Clark pitched in 10 major league seasons before retiring in 2000, posting a 74-71 career record with the Cardinals, Indians, Mets, Cubs, and Rangers.

In St. Louis, Whiten tapped into the potential that intrigued both the Indians and Cardinals. On September 7, 1993, he made history with a four-homer, 12-RBI performance in the second game of a doubleheader against the Reds. By the time the game was over, even Cincinnati fans were cheering for Whiten, roaring in approval when he gave a curtain call from the visiting dugout.

Whiten finished the season with 25 homers and 99 RBIs. In 1994, a pulled rib cage limited him to 92 games in which he hit .293 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs. Ahead of the 1995 season, the Cardinals traded him and Rheal Cormier to the Red Sox for third baseman Scott Cooper and relief pitcher Cory Bailey.

Whiten went on to play for the Phillies, Braves, Mariners, and Yankees before returning to the Indians. He never matched the success of his 1993 season, coming the closest in 1996, when he hit 22 homers and drove in 71 runs for the Phillies, Braves, and Mariners. That season marked the only year after he left St. Louis in which he reached triple digits in games played.

Whiten retired with a career .259 batting average, 105 home runs, and 423 RBIs over 11 major-league seasons.

Support STLRedbirds.com! Purchase a copy of The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals, available now on Amazon!

[1] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Get Whiten From Cleveland,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 1, 1993.

[2] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Get Whiten From Cleveland,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 1, 1993.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Indians Impatient To See Whiten’s Offense Improve,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1993.

[4] Dan O’Neill, “Whiten Could Be A Diamond, But He’s Still In The Rough,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1993.

[5] Dan O’Neill, “Whiten Could Be A Diamond, But He’s Still In The Rough,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1993.

[6] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Get Whiten From Cleveland,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 1, 1993.

[7] Dan O’Neill, “Whiten Could Be A Diamond, But He’s Still In The Rough,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1993.

[8] Dan O’Neill, “Whiten Could Be A Diamond, But He’s Still In The Rough,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1993.

[9] Sheldon Ocker, “Pitching needs compel Indians to cut from ‘core,’” Akron Beacon Journal, April 1, 1993.

[10] Sheldon Ocker, “Pitching needs compel Indians to cut from ‘core,’” Akron Beacon Journal, April 1, 1993.

[11] Dan O’Neill, “Whiten Could Be A Diamond, But He’s Still In The Rough,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1993.

[12] Dan O’Neill, “Whiten Could Be A Diamond, But He’s Still In The Rough,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1993.

[13] Dan O’Neill, “Whiten Could Be A Diamond, But He’s Still In The Rough,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1993.

[14] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Get Whiten From Cleveland,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 1, 1993.

[15] Sheldon Ocker, “Pitching needs compel Indians to cut from ‘core,’” Akron Beacon Journal, April 1, 1993.

[16] Sheldon Ocker, “Pitching needs compel Indians to cut from ‘core,’” Akron Beacon Journal, April 1, 1993.

[17] Sheldon Ocker, “Indians Notebook,” Akron Beacon Journal, April 2, 1993.

The post Mark Whiten traded to the Cardinals: March 31, 1993 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The trade centered on the highly athletic 27-year-old Jose and Jefferies, the two-time Baseball America minor league player of the year and former first-round draft pick.

“We like the versatility of this guy,” Maxvill said of Jefferies. “We feel he’s a more consistent and more disciplined hitter. He’s a fine hitter, and we think he’ll be a fine run producer. We think he can win a batting championship.”[1]

Trade talks began at the winter meetings in Louisville when the Royals asked about Jose’s availability to fill their need for a right fielder. The Cardinals asked about getting Jefferies in return, but the Royals were concerned about their infield depth if they lost Jefferies and moved utilityman Keith Miller to third base.

The trade finally gained traction when the Cardinals agreed to include Wilson, who hit .311 while appearing at second base, third base, and right field in 1992. In exchange, the Royals added Gerald, a 21-year-old who had spent the past two seasons in Class A.[2]

Jose and Jefferies each recently avoided arbitration. Jose had signed a one-year contract for $1.525 million,[3] while Jefferies had signed for $2.65 million.[4]

“It wasn’t settled on the courthouse steps, it was actually in the courtroom with the judge sitting there,” said Jefferies’ agent, Seth Levinson.[5]

Jefferies’ career had begun with the Mets, who made him their first-round pick in 1985 (20^th overall). He quickly established himself as one of the top prospects in baseball. After winning minor league player of the year honors in 1986 and 1987, Jefferies got his first extended look as a major leaguer as a 21-year-old in 1989, batting .258 with 12 homers, 56 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases.

In five seasons with the Mets, however, Jefferies never lived up to the high expectations established in his days as a prospect. As St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz described it, the Mets’ clubhouse atmosphere and the New York media proved to be a poor combination for the young hitter:

I was at Shea Stadium on a Friday afternoon in 1991 when Jefferies snapped before a Cardinals-Mets game. He was struggling at the plate and playing soccer at second base. The fans were booing him. Jealous teammates considered Jefferies a pampered pet of management and agitated him through the tabloids. That morning, an unnerved Jefferies had faxed an open letter to WFAN, New York’s sports station, to urge the fans to ignore the media and support him. A feeding frenzy ensued. At least 20 reporters interrogated the poor soul for 30 hostile minutes. It was awful. The next day, the New York Daily News ran a cartoon in the sports section. It depicted Jefferies – big head dressed in a baby’s bonnet – screaming “WAAAAH” as manager Bud Harrelson tried to burp him. Who can play baseball in such conditions?[6]

In December 1991, the Mets mercifully traded Jefferies and Kevin McReynolds to the Royals for Bret Saberhagen and Bill Pecota.

“In New York, I pretty much had to get traded,” Jefferies said. “I realized it was a no-win situation.”[7]

In his lone season in Kansas City, Jefferies started slow before recovering to finish the season with a .285 batting average, 10 homers, and 75 RBIs. In 604 at-bats, he struck out just 29 times.

“I enjoyed playing with Gregg,” Royals first baseman George Brett said. “You hear all the stories in New York about how hard he was to get along with, but he was a great guy over here.”[8]

Where Jefferies had fallen short was in the field. With the Royals, his 26 errors at third base led the American League.[9] The year before, with the Mets, he committed 17 errors – 11 in 51 games at third base and six in 77 games at second base. The Cardinals hoped the shift to first base might limit his defensive shortcomings.

“I played it, so I know it’s possible,” said Cardinals manager Torre, who played 903 games at catcher, 787 games at first base, and 515 games at third base during his career. “I’m more worried about throws in the dirt than anything going over his head. Ozzie (Smith) is not going to throw it over anybody’s head, and when (third baseman Todd) Zeile threw it over somebody’s head, it didn’t matter if we had Wilt Chamberlain over there.”[10]

If Jefferies couldn’t stick at first base, Torre said the team’s next option would be to look at him in the outfield, where he could possibly take the right field position vacated by Jose. With Jefferies at first base, Brian Jordan, Ozzie Canseco, and Rod Brewer were expected to compete for playing time in right field.

“A lot depends on Jordan, Canseco, and Brewer,” Torre said. “Can (Jefferies) play first? You’re asking me a question I can’t answer. We won’t know until we get there. Everybody is concerned about his height. He’s 5-10, but Steve Garvey was only 5-10.”[11]

Jefferies’ defense could only be helped by his recent weight loss. The Kansas City Star reported that he had trimmed down from 196 to 185 pounds thanks to an offseason diet.

“I was a blimp,” he admitted. “It was so easy to stop at Taco Bell after the game.”[12]

In Jose, the Cardinals gave up a highly regarded right fielder who had ranked fourth in the National League with 11 assists the previous season.[13] Acquired in the trade that sent Willie McGee to the Athletics, Jose earned an all-star nod in his first full season in St. Louis, batting .305/.360/.438 with eight homers, 77 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases.

“Jose is a great athlete,” said Royals newcomer David Cone, who had pitched against Jose in the National League. “Physically, he can do it all. He has power, he can run, and hits for average because of his speed. He’s gotten better every year. He was probably the toughest hitter in their lineup for me.”[14]

In 1992, Jose batted .295/.347/.432 with 14 homers, 75 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases. However, Torre and the Cardinals were looking to get more contact from Jose, who struck out 100 times in 509 at-bats. After batting .343 with runners in scoring position in 1991, Jose’s average dropped to just .261 with runners in scoring position in 1992, and he drove in just 13 of 35 base runners from third base with fewer than two outs.[15]

“That killed us more than anything last year,” Torre said. “Swinging and missing, getting in the runs that they gave us.”[16]

In assessing the trade, Miklasz wrote, “We’ve probably seen Jose’s peak performance. He turns 28 in May. He has erratic work habits and power numbers that don’t quite match his muscular frame. Jose should be more of a force, and manager Joe Torre found it difficult to get through to him. The Cardinals never knew which Jose would show up: (A) an aggressive, mentally locked-in Jose; (B) a loafing Jose; (C) a surly, unapproachable Jose.”[17]

“He will be a good player if you surround him with a lot of good players,” Torre said. “He could do a hell of a job. But I really covet (Jefferies). I liked him when he was with the Mets, but then he got caught in that whole New York thing, which will drive you nuts anyway.”[18]

The Royals planned to insert Jose into their lineup as the team’s cleanup hitter behind Brett.[19]

“We just felt it completed the puzzle we had,” Royals general manager Herk Robinson said.[20]

Dick Kaegel with the Kansas City Star wrote that the move not only filled the Royals’ need for a right fielder, but also created a vacancy for Miller, who hit .284 the previous year off the bench.

“Jose and Jefferies are switch hitters who might provide similar production,” Kaegel wrote, “but from the Royals’ standpoint, Jose played a position they needed to fill, and they had a guy who could replace Jefferies. The Royals felt Miller, who hit just one point less than Jefferies, was their best batter in the leadoff slot. But, as Robinson noted, “We had a leadoff hitter out of the lineup.” The deal puts him back in it.[21]

Unfortunately for the Royals, 1992 proved to be Miller’s best season. Given the opportunity for a starting role in 1993, he hit just .167 in 108 at-bats. In June, the Royals signed Gary Gaetti and installed him at third base.

Jose hit .253/.303/.349 with six homers, 43 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases in 1993. He improved on those numbers in 1994, batting .303/.362/.475 with 11 homers and 55 RBIs despite appearing in just 99 games. However, he appeared in just nine games before the Royal released him in 1995.

Jose’s playing career took him from the minors to both the Mexican and Korean baseball leagues before he reappeared for short stints with both the Yankees and Diamondbacks.

Wilson played one season for the Royals, batting .265 in 49 at-bats.

Jefferies was an all-star in both his seasons with the Cardinals. In 1993, he .342/.408/.485 with 16 homers, 83 RBIs, and 46 stolen bases. The following year, he hit .325/.391/.489 with 12 homers, 55 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases.

After turning down a four-year, $20 million offer from the Cardinals because it did not include a no-trade clause, Jefferies signed an otherwise identical contract with the Phillies.[22]

The Phillies traded Jefferies to the Angels in August 1998, and he played the final two seasons of his major league career with the Tigers. In 1,465 major league games, Jefferies finished his career with a .289 batting average, 126 homers, and 663 RBIs.

Gerald, the other player the Cardinals received in the trade, played one season for the Cardinals’ High-A affiliate in St. Petersburg. He never reached higher than Double-A before bouncing around independent baseball for more than 10 years. He retired at age 34 in 2005.

Enjoy this post? Then you’ll love The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals, available now on Amazon!

[1] Rick Hummel, “‘First Is Fine,’ Jefferies Says,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 13, 1993.

[2] Rick Hummel, “‘First Is Fine,’ Jefferies Says,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 13, 1993.

[3] Dick Kaegel, “Royals work on trade,” Kansas City Star, February 12, 1993.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Cards Near Deal For Jefferies,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 12, 1993.

[5] Dick Kaegel, “Jefferies accepts last-second deal,” Kansas City Star, February 11, 1993.

[6] Bernie Miklasz, “Will Jefferies Find An Identity With Cardinals?” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 14, 1993.

[7] Rick Hummel, “‘First Is Fine,’ Jefferies Says,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 13, 1993.

[8] Dick Kaegel, “Slugger carrying minuses,” Kansas City Star, February 14, 1993.

[9] Rick Hummel, “Cards Near Deal For Jefferies,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 12, 1993.

[10] Rick Hummel, “Lankford Thinks $650,000 Pact Would Be ‘Reasonable’ For Him,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 22, 1993.

[11] Rick Hummel, “‘First Is Fine,’ Jefferies Says,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 13, 1993.

[12] Dick Kaegel, “Slugger carrying minuses,” Kansas City Star, February 14, 1993.

[13] Dick Kaegel, “Royals work on trade,” Kansas City Star, February 12, 1993.

[14] Dick Kaegel, “Slugger carrying minuses,” Kansas City Star, February 14, 1993.

[15] Rick Hummel, “Cards Near Deal For Jefferies,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 12, 1993.

[16] Rick Hummel, “‘First Is Fine,’ Jefferies Says,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 13, 1993.

[17] Bernie Miklasz, “Will Jefferies Find An Identity With Cardinals?” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 14, 1993.

[18] Rick Hummel, “‘First Is Fine,’ Jefferies Says,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 13, 1993.

[19] Dick Kaegel, “Royals acquire Jose from Cards,” Kansas City Star, February 13, 1993.

[20] Dick Kaegel, “Royals acquire Jose from Cards,” Kansas City Star, February 13, 1993.

[21] Dick Kaegel, “Royals acquire Jose from Cards,” Kansas City Star, February 13, 1993.

[22] Dan O’Neill, “Refusal To Give Up No-Trade Clause Dooms Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 15, 1994.

The post How Gregg Jefferies was traded to St. Louis for Felix Jose first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.