1 trade every MLB team would like to have back
By Drew Koch
1 trade the Chicago White Sox want to take back: Sammy Sosa
Fans in Chicago adored Sammy Sosa. The summer of 1998 when both he and Mark McGwire (whom we’ll get to later) were chasing Roger Maris’ home run record was epic. Many folks believe it saved baseball.
But just because fans on the North Side of the Windy City have fond memories of Slammin’ Sammy, doesn’t mean those on the South Side of Chicago share the sentiments. In fact, if there’s one trade in the history of their franchise the White Sox would like to take back, it’s probably dealing Sosa to their in-town rival.
Sosa actually made his big league debut with the Texas Rangers (more on that later as well). But Sosa was dealt to the White Sox during the summer of 1989. But a lot of strikeouts and a low batting average saw the White Sox deal Sosa to the Cubbies.
The rest is history. Sosa would go on to hit 60-plus home runs in three out of four seasons from 1998-2001. Despite the fact that McGwire topped Sosa in the home run chase in 1998, Sosa won the NL MVP.
Sammy Sosa is a seven-time All-Star and won six Silver Slugger Awards, but a shroud of controversy will always hang over his head. Sosa was eligible for election into the Hall of Fame in 2013, but never received more than 17 percent of the vote due to allegations of performance-enhancing drugs.