10 Of The Greatest MLB Trade Deadline Rentals All-Time

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and several big names are on the move. That includes a number of players who will be free agents in three months, but who their new teams hope can propel them to a World Series. In this piece, we’re counting down 10 of the top MLB trade deadline rentals of all time.

The premise of an MLB trade deadline “rental” is simple: You make a move for 2-3 months of a player before they hit free agency in hopes that they can lead you to World Series glory.

Often, those types of moves don’t work out. But the ones that do go down in history. In this piece, we’re counting down 10 of the best MLB trade deadline rental moves of all time.

10) Ricky Henderson Joins The Oakland Athletics in 1989

Technically, our first entry on the list isn’t even a trade deadline acquisition.

Rickey Henderson made his triumphant return to the Oakland Athletics, the organization with which he made himself a star to begin with, on June 21 of 1989.

But it’s Rickey Henderson, and he went on to post 5.1 WAR in just 85 regular-season games in Oakland. Henderson posted a 148 OPS+ with 52 stolen bases.

Oh, and then all he did was help the A’s to a World Series sweep over the neighboring San Francisco Giants.

Henderson re-signed with Oakland in free agency and won his first and only MVP award the following season.

9) Mark McGwire Heads To The St. Louis Cardinals in 1997

Had the St. Louis Cardinals not been so awful down the stretch, finishing 73-89 and nowhere near the playoffs, this deal would be higher.

Mark McGwire joined the Cardinals in the final year of his contract with the Oakland Athletics and proceeded to his 24 home runs down the stretch, finishing the season with a career-high 58.

It wasn’t enough to save St. Louis’ season, but he re-signed with the team and hit a then-record 70 home runs one year later, reigniting the game of baseball in the process.

8) Matt Holliday Follows In Mark McGwire's Footsteps In 2009

One year after finishing second in NL MVP voting, Matt Holliday was traded from the Colorado Rockies to the Oakland A’s.

But Holliday struggled in Oakland when the Athletics realized that they, like Colorado, couldn’t sign him to an extension, they quickly found him a new home.

Holliday, like McGwire, headed to St. Louis and and slashed .353/.419/.604 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs in 63 games. Unlikely with McGwire, the Cards rolled to an NL Central crown before losing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

Holliday then got back on course, following McGwire’s footsteps again and re-signing in St. Louis.

7) JD Martinez Goes Off For The Arizona Diamondbacks In 2017

The Detroit Tigers were an absolutely dumpster fire in 2017, so they did what bad teams do: sell.

JD Martinez was coming off three straight seasons with an OPS+ of 139 or better and was headed for free agency. Instead, they shipped him to Arizona, where he slashed .302/.366/.741 with 29 home runs and 65 RBIs in just 62 games.

Martinez led the Diamondbacks to the postseason and the NLDS after winning the Wild Card game over the Rockies. But they were swept by LA in the divisional round and Martinez bolted for Boston in free agency.

6) The Toronto Blue Jays Land David Price In 2015

You’ve now entered the “superstar pitchers who lit up in the regular season” portion of this show.

Toronto made a blockbuster move to acquire David Price from the Detroit Tigers. At the time, the Blue Jays sat six games behind the Yankees in the AL East and outside the Wild Card spot.

Price then went 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts as Toronto cruised to an AL East crown.

Unfortunately, a rough showing from Price in the ALCS against the Royals sank an otherwise incredible run.

 

5) Max Scherzer Joins An Already Loaded 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers Team

As if the reigning World Series champs needed any more help, they made a huge move to acquire superstar Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals at the 2021 trade deadline.

Turner came with a year of extra control. But Scherzer was a rental, and what a rental at that. In 11 regular season starts, Scherzer went 7-0 with 1.98 ERA.

However, the Dodgers still couldn’t run down the Giants for the NL West crown. Scherzer lost his first playoff start against San Francisco in the NLDS, but looked dominant in the process. He then picked up the save in the clinching Game 5.

The NLCS against the Braves was a different story. He left after five innings of Game 2 and picked up a no-decision before missing Game 6 with a dead arm. Atlanta won that game and the series, and Scherzer left for the Mets in free agency.

4) Mark Teixeira Lights It Up For The Angels In 2008

The Atlanta Braves gave up a haul to acquire Texeira at the 2007 deadline from Texas, only to turn around and send him the Angels one year later.

In 54 games with LA, the man they call “Big Tex” slahed .358/.449/.632 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs while playing elite defense at first base.

Teixeira helped lead the Angels to a 100-win season and AL West crown before they fell to the Boston Red Sox in the NLDS.

3) Randy Johnson Absolutely Shoves For The 1998 Arizona Diamondbacks

Fun fact: The author of this piece is huge Philadelphia Phillies fan. But the Phillies were a disaster in the late 90s, so Randy Johnson was my favorite player growing up.

While most remember Johnson for dominant stints in Seattle and Arizona, The Big Unit took a detour through Houston in 1998 when he was traded at the deadline following a contentious first half with the Mariners.

However, in 11 starts with the Astros, Johnson went 10-1 with an incredible 1.28 ERA.

Shockingly, Houston lost both his starts in the NLDS against the Padres and Johnson walked in free agency to the Diamondbacks, with whom he’d win the 2001 World Series.

2) Los Angeles Becomes Mannywood In 2008 When The Dodgers Land Manny Ramirez

There is and only ever will be one Manny Ramirez, and that includes the good and the bad. After an incredible stint in Boston, Ramirez’s act grew thin, and the Red Sox traded him to Los Angeles at the deadline in 2008.

Ramirez was better than even the most optimistic Dodgers fan could have hoped. In 53 games, he slashed a jaw-dropping .396/.489/.743 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs.

LA went from three games out of the NL West lead to winning it by two. Hen then hit .520 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in eight playoff games. But the Philadelphia Phillies put an end to their run in the NLCS.

Ramirez re-signed in Los Angeles, but tested positive for PEDs in 2009 and got dealt to the White Sox one year later.

1) CC Sabathia Makes Himself A Milwaukee Brewers Legend In 2008

Entering the 2008 season, CC Sabathia had just won the American League Cy Young. But Cleveland struggled in the first half and doubts emerged whether they could re-sign him.

So Sabathia went to Milwaukee at the deadline in a blockbuster deal.

All he did from there was post an 11-2 record with a 1.65 ERA, seven complete games, and three shutouts. He made each of his final three starts on three days rest, winning the final two, including a 122-pitch complete game to beat the Cubs 3-1 and lock up the lone Wild Card spot in the NL after the Mets lost.

That win sent the Milwaukee Brewers to the playoffs for the first time in 26 years.

Unfortunately for Milwaukee, things came unraveled when Sabathia allowed five earned runs in just 3.2 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Philly went on to win the series, 3-1, and eventually the World Series, while Sabathia left for the New York Yankees in free agency.

In a bit of irony, Sabathia then helped lead the Yankees to victory over the Phillies in the 2009 World Series, cementing his Hall of Fame legacy.