December 10, 1981, 40 years ago: The San Diego Padres trade shortstop Ozzie Smith and pitcher Steve Mura to the St. Louis Cardinals for shortstop Garry Templeton and outfielder Sixto Lezcano. Each team adds a player to be named later, and the trade is completed on February 19, 1982: The Cardinals get pitcher Al Olmsted, and the Padres get pitcher Luis DeLeón.
Olmsted had pitched 5 major league games for the Cardinals in 1980, then got traded for the Padres, but they sent him back to the Cardinals without ever having appeared in a game for the big club. He never appeared in another, for any team. DeLeón pitched decently for the Padres in 1982 and '83, but was not much of a factor on their '84 Pennant winners, and bounced around after that.
Mura had a good year for the Cardinals in 1982, helping them win the World Series, but fell victim to injury, and made just 29 big-league appearances after that. Lezcano had been a good hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers, and had a good season for the Padres in 1982, but was done 3 years later.
The keys to this trade were the 2 shortstops. After the trade, Smith won 11 Gold Gloves and made 14 All-Star Games. He was already one of the best-fielding shortstops in the game with the Padres. With the Cardinals, some people believe he became the best-fielding shortstop ever. And the Cardinals won the very next World Series, plus 2 more Pennants.
Templeton? He never won a Gold Glove, made just 1 more All-Star appearance, and did not join Smith in the Baseball Hall of Fame. What a terrible trade by the Padres.
Or... was it?
Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame the San Diego Padres for Trading Ozzie Smith for Garry Templeton
5. Ozzie and the Krocs. Ozzie had already gotten into a contract dispute with the Padres' owner, McDonald's baron Ray Kroc in the 1979-80 off-season. Ozzie mentioned on a radio station that he was getting paid so poorly that he needed an off-season job. Joan Kroc, Ray's wife (who ended up owning the team for a few years after he died), publicly offered him an off-season job: Assistant gardener on the Kroc estate.
Ozzie and his agent, Ed Gottlieb, continued to feud with the Krocs through the 1981 season. Finally, the trade was worked out. It was a "my headache for your headache" trade: Templeton had been feuding with Cardinal management as well.
4. Garry Templeton -- in St. Louis. In 1977, only 21 years old, he batted .322, and collected 200 hits, including 19 doubles, a National League-leading 18 triples and 8 home runs, plus 79 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. He made the All-Star Game.
In 1978, he led the NL in triples again, with 13, and stole 34 bases. In 1979, he batted .314, and led the NL in hits with 211, and in triples again with 19. He became the 1st switch-hitter in baseball history to collect 100 hits in a season from each side of the plate. He made a 2nd All-Star Game.
In 1980, he batted .319, and stole 31 bases. He tailed off due to an injury in 1981, dropping to .288. But, at age 25, he was still a star.
3. Ozzie Smith -- in San Diego. He couldn't freakin' hit. He debuted in the major leagues in 1978. These were his batting averages with the Padres: .258, .211, .230 and .222. These were his OPS+'s: 82, 48, 71 and 62. That .211 batting average in 1979? Among players with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title, it was dead last. Translation: Ozzie Smith was the worst hitter in the National League.
I don't care how good a fielder you are: A player hitting that poorly does not belong in the major leagues. In other words, at that point, trading Ozzie Smith for Garry Templeton was brilliant -- for the Padres.
2. Ozzie Smith -- in St. Louis. Sure, he had the backflips, and the great defensive plays. But he still couldn't hit. His OPS+'s with the Cardinals were 84, 82, 95, 101, 98, 105, 98, 97, 77, 112, 105, 89, 78, 42 and 94. His career OPS+: 87. In St. Louis: 93. 100 is average. That means he was 7 percent less productive a hitter than the average.
Point-blank: Ozzie Smith may have been the only non-pitcher on the Cardinals' 1980s Pennant winners to make the Hall of Fame, but he was never the best, or the 2nd-best, or even the 3rd-best player on his own team.
1. Garry Templeton -- in San Diego. In 1982, his 1st year there, his batting average tailed off to .247, and he never topped .282 again. But he still had 25 doubles that year, 30 in 1985, 26 in 1989 and 25 in 1990.
He didn't have an especially good season in 1984. But he was the starting shortstop on the 1st Pennant-winner in Padre history. With Smith at short instead of Templeton, maybe they don't win that Pennant, or any Pennant until 1998 -- and since the '98 Pennant saved the team from being moved, maybe, without the '84 Pennant, they get moved before '98.
VERDICT: Not Guilty.