Today in 1990, the Toronto Blue Jays made a legendarily massive trade that would drastically alter the course of their franchise trajectory for the remainder of the decade. On December 5th, 1990, the Blue Jays sent first baseman Fred McGriff and shortstop Tony Fernández to the San Diego Padres in exchange for second baseman Roberto Alomar and outfielder Joe Carter.
While this writer wasn’t alive at the time of the trade, the influence it brought can still be felt everytime someone mentions the year 1993. With that in mind, it is perhaps better to look at each one of the four pieces individually in order to truly understand the scope of the trade:
McGriff – A Dependable Force
Fred McGriff, 26 at the time of the trade, was an extremely effective first baseman for the Jays from 1987 until 1990.