OAKLAND -- Already equipped with Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, the A's sought a left-handed complement to their right-handed power duo in the offseason of 1987, reaching for a trade with the Reds that would net them Dave Parker.
On Dec. 8, 1987, in the backdrop of the annual Winter Meetings, A's general manager Sandy Alderson swung a deal for Parker, exchanging pitchers Jose Rijo and Tim Birtsas -- two players included in the package that Oakland received from the Yankees for Rickey Henderson in '84.
The left-handed-hitting Parker was inserted into a lineup between McGwire and Canseco, providing the type of veteran leadership that was invaluable to the A's consecutive World Series appearances in 1988 and '89.