ICYMI - Elliott: Memories of McGriff, Cooperstown HOFer
Fred McGriff, during his minor-league coaching days with the Jays in 2014.
*In honour of Fred McGriff’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame today, we thought we would re-run this column about the former Blue Jays slugger that Bob Elliott wrote back in December.
December 6, 2022
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The franchise-altering move by the Blue Jays took place on Wednesday Dec. 5, 1990 at the Hyatt Rosemont O’Hare in Chicago.
That’s when the Jays sent shortstop Tony Fernandez and first baseman Fred McGriff to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Joe Carter and second baseman Robbie Alomar.
A few days later I read a note in Hall of Famer Peter Gammons’ weekly notes page in the Sunday Boston Globe. Gammons wrote about the trade and he explained how when Gillick phoned Toronto and told his wife Doris about the trade, his wife replied, “Patrick! Come home before you screw the team up completely.”
Shocked at the quote, I called Gillick and asked if what Gammons had reported was accurate?
Gillick gave the phone to Doris and I repeated the question.
“Not accurate,” Doris said. “Actually I said ‘Come home before you ‘eff’ up the team completely ...”
That night I discovered two things: A) Doris’s favorite all-time player was McGriff and B) do not doubt Peter Gammons.
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A blockbuster bigger than Blockbuster video: The McGriff-Fernandez for Alomar-Carter trade wound up being two all-stars for two all-stars (by 1992) and it is now one Hall of Famer for a Hall of Famer.
“It started out we needed a right-handed hitter and San Diego wanted a left-handed hitter,” Gillick said. The Jays could spare McGriff because they were ready to give John Olerud the job at first base.
Then, the deal expanded to the Jays asking for Alomar and San Diego wanting Fernandez. Two Padres executives excused each other, went to another room and high-fived each other. The Jays asked for a minor league player to be included, but it didn’t evolve.
“We told Joe McIlvaine (Padres GM) we’d get back to them,” Gillick said. Back in the Jays suite, Toronto vice presidents Bobby Mattick and Al Lamacchia were all for the deal. Super scout Wilbur (Moose) Johnson had targeted Alomar -- as he had been involved with the trade of future Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg.
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Then: The Dale Murray deal: Yankees GM Bill Bergesch sent OF Dave Collins, RHP Mike Morgan, minor leaguer McGriff and cash to the Jays for veteran reliever Dale Murray and minor league INF Tom Dodd on Dec. 9 1982 at the winter meetings in Hawaii.
The next day Bill Madden, of the New York Daily News, asked Gillick, “Can I talk to you about the Dale Murray trade?”
Gillick answered, “Sure, but some day we hope it will be known as the Fred McGriff deal.”
That’s the way the deal is remembered now.
Murray was 3-6 with a 4.73 ERA and one save in 62 games -- 120 innings -- for the Yankees.
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Ah, about our previous talks: The first phone call Gillick after and shaking hands with McIlvaine was to call Jim Turner.
Jim Turner?
Turner was the agent for Cincinnati Reds’ free agent Billy Doran, who the Jays had been pursuing on a parallel path.
“We told him we were going in a different direction,” Gillick said. “I didn’t tell him where.”
As it turned out Turner also represented Carter. Doran resigned with the Reds.
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Incoming: The longest home run I ever saw McGriff hit into the right field upper deck at Yankee Stadium when the ball clanked off the entrance to the second exit in June of 1987. He hit a 1-0 pitch off right-hander Rick Rhoden to score Ernie Whitt and give the Jays a 3-0 lead on the way to an 11-0 win. Dave Stieb and Mark Eichhorn combined on the three hitter.
That was during the season, yet, the farthest one I ever saw him hit was at Winter Haven during spring training. I forget the name of the Boston Red Sox pitcher and I forget the year.
I have not forgotten the ball soaring and soaring. Some coaches in the bullpen guessed it was 500-feet plus ... the ball landing among construction workers going about their business on a new subdivision.
The next trip over to Winter Haven that spring I was waiting for the team bus to arrive and was standing outside the clubhouse down the right field line. (I would beat the bus an average of once a spring). A construction worker wearing a yellow hard hat, walked over to me and asked:
“Toronto is playing right?”
“Yes sir.”
“That big left-handed hitter that nearly killed us 10 days ago, is he on the trip?”
“Not sure ... the bus is not here yet.”
“Well, I hope not. How are we supposed to get our work done?”
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The Cat in the Hat: So, what logo we be on the McGriff’s cap -- if he decides to wear one -- on his Cooperstown plague. The background on the three contenders:
Tampa Bay: Five years, 577 games, 2,399 plate appearances, 99 homers and 359 RBIs.
Blue Jays: Five years, 578 games, 2,322 plate appearances, 125 homers and 305 RBIs.
Atlanta Braves: Five years, 636 games, 2,705 plate appearances, 130 homers and 446 RBIs.
So which hat? We’re guessing Atlanta. He has worked for the Braves, he played the most games with the Braves and hit the most homers with the Braves.
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Minor alterations: One time in 1988 an astute Toronto scribe asked hitting coach Cito Gaston if McGriff had changed his stance. When Gaston said yes, the follow-up question was how many times McGriff would alter his stance each month.
“Month to month?” laughed Gaston. “Try one at-bat to the next, or one pitch to the next.”