Larry over at Viva El Birdos breaks down exactly how rare a trade of a pitcher of Mark Buehrle’s caliber would be. He also compares previous midseason deals for big-name starters to see what the Cardinals or any other team might have to send over to Chicago.
Another marquee pitcher dealt midseason was Randy Johnson in 1998. While the age 34 season is rarely considered a player’s prime, the Unit didn’t really establish himself until he was 26. Anyway, that deal required a serious bounty of John Halama, Carlos Guillen, and Freddy Garcia. Halama had a few useful seasons, Garcia became Seattle’s ace, and Guillen developed into a star. Guillen didn’t break out until he joined the Tigers in ’04, however.
