Today we go all the way back to 2011 - for many GMs a time before they were even aware of the existence of FCM. Our deal today helped crown the second ever world champion in FCM and began a legacy for one of FCM's most decorated pitchers.
In 2011 the Milwaukee Brewers were one of the best in FCM. With Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Matt Gamel leading the offense the Brewers were the 4th highest scoring team in FCM. They had a rare blend of speed, power, and a deep lineup. The pitching staff was no slouch either lead by rookie Cy Young winner RJ Seidel and Yovanni Gallardo. The move that put this team over the top was a young pitcher named Julio Teheran who pushed them on to an 11-3 postseason record and Milwaukee's first (and only) FCM championship.
In order to make this deal happen, the Brewers needed the right trade partner. The Atlanta Braves would go on to win the 2011 NL East Title, but they felt that their prize prospect Teheran was better used as trade bait for a bat. The player they targeted was a young outfielder with a high ceiling named Kentrail Davis. Davis was blocked in Milwaukee by Braun, McCutchen, and Lorenzo Cain so he became the perfect match for Atlanta to target. In addition to Teheran the Braves gave up a young reliever named Zeke Spruill.
Before we get to the contributions of Spruill and Teheran, let's look at Kentrail Davis. Davis played 9 seasons in the league - 5 with Atlanta, 1 with Tampa, and the last 3 with St. Louis. Davis had 123 career homeruns, 566 RBI, and a respectable .805 OPS. When Davis was able to stay on the field he was a solid, to even very good, outfielder. Where Davis made the most impact in Atlanta was when new GM Rocky took over and moved him to Tampa. In the deal, Davis went along with Brian Matusz for Larry Salm, Ric Venet, Manuel Maytorena, Nick Cheek, and David Townsend. This deal had it's own controversy as then GM Rocky had to defend the deal as getting good value. At the time Salm and Venet were looked at as good prospects and were considered by the GM to be future building blocks for the team. As it turns out - they were complete busts. Davis not only was unable to help the team succeed, even in leaving he brought disappointment to the Braves.
That disappointment pales in comparison to what his first trade partner went on to do. Julio Teheran is a 6 time all-star, 4 time world champion, and has made 27 career postseason starts. Julio, upon joining the Brewers, went 8-2 with a 2.80 ERA and was 1-0 with two quality starts in the 2011 postseason. By joining Seidel and Gallardo, he gave the Brewers a three-man punch that no one in FCM could match at the time. Teheran went on to pitch five more full seasons with Milwaukee going 72-47 with an ERA high of 3.33.
In 2017, with Milwaukee floundering to find it's past success, Teheran was put on the block. The Rays came calling and dealt 2B Peter Rawlins, SS Reagan Hawkins, and OF Alex Searle. Rawlins flamed out, but Hakwins and Searle have both gone on to have very solid FCM careers. Teheran moved on to Chicago a year later in a lopsided deal with Marcus Avellar for Kelvim De la Cruz. Teheran won his second World Series in Chicago before being released as a free agent and signing with Houston. Once there he won two more rings to cement his place in FCM immortality. Julio's 222 wins are one of the best totals for a player whose career was strictly in FCM.
The Brewers also added a future all-star reliever in Spruill in this deal but his impact was more as a roleplayer. The true talent here was Teheran - his acquisition was clearly the move that put the Brewers over the top. It cemented the idea in FCM of making that splash move at the deadline to go all-in. The price for Milwaukee wasn't high and it was able to add a legend to an already powerful ballclub. Without a doubt the drunken Sconies landed themselves a World Series with this move. Which no doubt caused a drunken celebration in the streets of Milwaukee like none seen before.
Next Up - We enter the Top 5. FCM's 5th Most Impactful Trade: "Celebrating FCM's Greatest Hitter"
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