Well, for our number one deal we turn to the team with the most World Titles in the league. Since the dawn of FCM the Houston Astros have been one of the best teams in the league. They started, however, with a total rebuild of the franchise. What they recognize was a weak farm that needed total rebuilding and they set out on that task right from the start. In the first year of trading Houston added:
Zack Cozart, Yonder Alonso, Derek Norris, Kris Medlen, Jeremy Jeffress, Zack Braddock, Ryan Westmoreland, and many others. But no deal was bigger for Houston than the deal that moved Roy Oswalt.
Roy was in the twilight of his career but was an ace by many accounts. The LA Dodgers saw themselves as legit contenders approaching the trade deadline and felt that Oswalt could help put them over the top. Lead by Kershaw, CJ Wilson, Matt Kemp, and Andre Eithier - they had reason to believe they could win it all in 2010. The piece they targeted to help was Oswalt, the price proved to be enormous.
The Dodgers got their man in Oswalt, but to get him they shipped Josh Lindbolm and Andrew Lambo to Houston. FCM veterans should recognize these names. Lambo was a future MVP who went on to hit 205 homeruns, drive in 766 runs, and OPS .884. He helped turn the tide in Houston almost immediately. Lindbolm....well....what need be said? Three time champion, 2 time Cy Young winner, 7 time all star, 246 game winner, career 3.06 ERA with 2,8885 Ks vs. just 740 walks. Perhaps most impressive of all, in homer happy Houston, only 168 homeruns in nearly 3000 innings.
The Dodgers exited quickly from the playoffs in 2010 and Oswalt's career wrapped up almost as quickly. The short-term impact of the deal was minimal but the price LA paid was enormous. They stayed competitive for several seasons despite losing these two enormously successful prospects. Had they not made the all-in splash (that was completely ineffective) who knows how things would have been different. Perhaps Houston would've struggled to reach the pinnacle of the league and instead the Dodgers would be the team of dominance in FCM.
But instead, Houston got their guys. A future MVP, a starter that is arguably one of the top 5 in the history of the league, and all for a guy who's career was just months from being over. After a third place finish in 2011 the Astros vaulted to a World Series win, the first of several more to come in the league's history. They have since gone on to make the playoffs 14 times in the history of the league. This deal was the foundation for that success and hence why it's number one here. This deal reshaped the league from the get-go, setting in motion the beginning of a dynasty that is still going. Of course a dynasty of this length has many deals that contribute to it, but it's hard not to see this as the cornerstone.
It reshaped the league and is still having a ripple effect. In year one this deal impacted the league like no other and deserves it's place here.
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