In 2019 things changed dramatically for a hitter that many would regard as FCM's best. While current talent evaluators place James Aitkenhead at the top of that list now, it wasn't long ago that Lars Anderson's name struck fear in the hearts of pitchers across the league. His success is sometimes forgotten now and much of that is to blame on this trade. In effect, this move isolated the best hitter for the better part of a decade to a pitcher's ballpark on a cruddy team. This deal makes the list in honor of the true greatness Anderson was to the league and how dramatically it changed the perception of his success being isolated from postseason success.
In June of 2019 Detroit was at a crossroads. They had finished first in the AL Central the year before and made the playoffs, but their ability to compete with the best was apparent to then-GM Stang. The Los Angeles Dodgers, on the other hand, were coming off a miserable 2018 season but saw themselves making a push in the NL West. What they felt like they needed to put them over-the-top was a 31 year old slugger - the best hitter in the league at the time - Lars Anderson.
Lars had already been a 5 time all-star and a 4 time MVP with Detroit. While never the greatest player with a glove, he was undeniably amazing at the plate. In order to acquire him, the Dodgers parted with 8 players: Holger Hussinger SP, Lyle Donovan 1B, Will White SP, Jaun Zoragaza SS, Norm Williams C, Lorenzo Cain OF 80, Dee Gordon SS 82, Rich Thompson RP.
So let's look first at how the Dodgers performed after this deal. They were able to make the playoffs in 2019 and won the NL West by 15 games. They did not advance over the Houston Astros in the first round, however. Again in 2021 they made the playoffs with 84 wins but were knocked out in the first round by the Chicago Cubs. Much of Lars' success is wiped from the Mogul record, but we know he appeared in 3 more all-star games and won an MVP in Los Angeles. In his career he scored 1200 runs, hit 412 home runs, drove in 1347 RBI, walked 1153 times compared to 1728 strikeouts, and had a .989 OPS - all numbers which compare favorably with James Aitkenhead. Had he spend the later half of his career in a hitters park as opposed to a pitchers park, who knows what kind of legend he could have produced.
The deal wasn't a dramatic game changer for the Dodgers despite acquiring a sure-fire HoF slugger, but it was a dramatic game changer for the Tigers. Though not for the reasons the Tigers assumed. First, a look at the prospects they acquired. Holger Hussinger was the sixth overall player selected in 2019 and showed tremendous promise at the time. He is currently in the league in his fifth season with a career that has so far not lived up to that promise. His real impact we will discuss in a bit. Will White is a mediocre pitcher still playing for the New York Yankees, he never made it to Detroit, but again his real impact will be discussed in a bit. Lorenzo Cain, Dee Gordon, Norm Williams, and Rich Thompson were all filler who had varying degrees of success at the major league level, but none of them being much more than salary dumps or roleplayers in their career. Lyle Donavan never amounted to anything and, according to mogul, basically never existed.
One could argue that for such an elite hitter, Detroit really ended up with next to nothing. But here is where the deal gets interesting. It made this list not only because of the greatness of Lars Anderson, but for how Detroit turned two of these players into their eventual rise to one of the top teams in FCM. Just a year after this deal, as Will White sat at 67/92 with a ton of promise - Detroit flipped him as the centerpiece for stud starter Eduardo Martinez of the Tampa Bay Rays. Eduardo is still pitching in the league and actually signed a 7 year deal with the Tigers in 2020 that he is still pitching under! Eduardo was never an elite arm for the Detroit Tigers but as part of their quick rebuilding effort he was a key stud in their rotation that helped lead Detroit to two ALCS appearances. Additionally, Hussinger was later moved to Milwaukee in a deal for 1B Jerry Gagnon and 2B Nino Perez. In 2021 and 2022 these two players again helped form the bedrock for a growing Detroit franchise that later went on to acquire Brian Colley and Boris Turner to try and push for a world championship.
It's rare to see a deal swing an FCM great for a rather middling group of talent, but still have it significantly change the landscape of two divisions.
Next Up....Number 19. Hint: Eastern Rivals pull off a blockbuster to finish off the most star-studded rotation in FCM history.
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