1 trade every MLB team would like to have back
By Drew Koch
1 trade the Philadelphia Phillies want to take back: Ryne Sandberg
While his time as a manager in Philadelphia lasted only 278 games, Ryne Sandberg’s time as a Phillies player was even shorter. The Phillies gave Sandberg just 13 games and six at-bats during the 1981 season before deciding to pull the plug. That’s a move they’d desperately like to undo.
Sandberg was slated to play shortstop in Philadelphia in order to succeed the aging Larry Bowa. Philadelphia traded both Sandberg and Bowa to the Chicago Cubs prior to the 1982 season in order to land Ivan DeJesus. Chicago was the third of seven franchises DeJesus would play for.
Sandberg, on the other hand, became a staple in the Cubs clubhouse. The second baseman finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting during his first year in the Windy City and won a Gold Glove in 1983.
That award in 1983 was the first of nine Gold Gloves that the slick-fielding Sandberg would add to his trophy case. Sandberg also won the NL MVP in 1984 while leading the league in runs scored and triples.
Ryne Sandberg would go to 10 All-Star Games, take home seven Silver Slugger Awards and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 — his third time on the ballot. Yes, that’s certainly a trade the Philadelphia Phillies want back.