Rowland's Office · Jun 21, 2015
Grading the General Managers: Paul Richards (1967-’72)
Paul Richards wasn’t a very active GM, a blessing, since most of his trades were busts. One of his earlier deals, in December 1967, sent Bobby Cox to the Yanks for Bob Tillman and Dale Roberts.
A few months earlier, Richards made an inexplicable deal with the Astros, swapping SS Denis Menke and P Denny LeMaster for SS Sonny Jackson and a young first baseman, Chuck Harrison, who never played for the Braves. Jackson was a good fielder but compiled only a .606 OPS in 7 years in Atlanta; Menke was a two-time All-Star who drove in 182 runs from 1969-70. LeMaster had two above-average seasons in Houston’s rotation.