This Date In Transactions History

On this date in 1977, the the Athletics traded Mike Torrez to the Yankees for Dock Ellis, Larry Murray, and Marty Perez.  If you don't remember Ellis' stint with the A's, you're probably not alone.  The enigmatic right-hander wound up spending just two months in Oakland.

Nearly seven years after throwing his storied no-hitter, Ellis was the centerpiece of the three-player package headed cross-country.  The 32-year-old hurler wasn't able to find his groove with the Athletics, however, posting a 9.69 ERA in seven starts totalling 26 innings.  The A's, figuring that Ellis had jumped the shark, promptly sold him to the Rangers.

Ellis, however, got back on track in Texas in a big way.  In 22 starts and one relief appearance, Ellis turned in a 2.90 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.  The right-hander stayed on with the Rangers until the summer of 1979, when he was dealt to the Mets.  Ellis brought everything full circle later in the year when his contract was purchased by Pittsburgh, allowing him to retire as a Pirate.

Meanwhile, Torrez became part of Yankees lore despite only spending the 1977 season in pinstripes.  The right-hander earned two complete-game victories in the club's six-game World Series over the Dodgers and even caught the final out to seal the deal.  Torrez went on to pitch for another five seasons and change, four of which were spent with the rival Red Sox.

There are a number of reasons why a club might trade a former All-Star.  Most of the time, it has more to do with production than a player's literary work.

On this date in 1984, the Yankees completed their trade of third baseman Graig Nettles to the Padres when they chose minor leaguer Darin Cloninger as the player to be named later to go with left-hander Dennis Rasmussen.  Reportedly, George Steinbrenner secured a sneak preview of Nettles' book, "Balls", which was highly critical of the Yankees owner.  While Steinbrenner was happy to jettison the third baseman across the country, Nettles was also quite satisfied with the deal.  The veteran pushed for a trade to the Padres in the past but had his request denied.

While Nettles' book was largely responsible for the timing of the trade, the deal also made sense from a baseball standpoint.  The 39-year-old signed a two-year, $1.8MM deal in '83 but was already being moved into a timeshare at his position.  The Yankees traded for the Indians' Toby Harrah and shifted Roy Smalley from shortstop back to third base, moves that Nettles admitted made him uneasy.

Even at his advanced age, Nettles had plenty of quality baseball left.  The veteran hit .228/.329/.413 in his first year in San Diego and earned his sixth career All-Star selection in 1985.  Nettles would wrap up things up with the Montreal Expos in 1988 after 22 major league seasons.  The San Diego native hit .248/.329/.421 with 390 homers over his career.

Like the rest of you, I resent leap years. An extra day of winter, an extra day of waiting for Opening Day, an extra day before I can start wearing my "It's March!" shirts without getting strange looks… the whole idea is infuriating.

That must be why, when it comes to baseball transactions on this day, the results are so unimpressive. Sure, many of the marquee free agents have signed by this point in the offseason, but that alone cannot explain the black hole February 29 has been for adding useful talent.

Just within the past few years, teams have added valuable players like Pedro Feliciano and Chan Ho Park on February 28 and Bruce Chen and Chad Durbin on March 1. By contrast, consider: just two players signed on Leap Day since 1980 have provided positive value to their new teams that season.

Infielder Ramon Martinez signed with the Dodgers on February 29, 2008, but he didn't get into a single game before Los Angeles released him in July. He ultimately played a few games with the Mets, but the only addition last Leap Day did not prove fruitful for his team.

No one at all signed on February 29, 2004. Can you blame them?

Back on February 29, 2000, San Diego signed the left-handed reliever Alberto Castillo. Just a month later, the Padres released him. Castillo didn't reach the Major Leagues until 2008.

But back in 1996, Don Slaught broke the mold of failure, as he broke so many molds as a player. Sold by the Angels to the Reds, Slaught didn't let the curse of 29 stop him, posting a .313/.355/.428 line and catching 71 games, first for the Angels, then for the White Sox.

However, it was Alan Mills who truly holds the record for most productive player acquired on February 29, a record that stands alongside accomplishments like Cy Young's 511 wins Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, and Matt Franco's single-season record for pinch-hit walks. The New York Yankees sent Mills to Baltimore for pitchers Francisco de la Rosa and Mark Carper.

What did Mills do in Baltimore? He pitched so well, you'd swear he was acquired on February 28. A 10-4 record, 2.61 ERA and a pair of saves in a swingman role makes Alan Mills the king of the February 29s.

Interestingly, Mills tried to recreate this magic by signing with Tampa Bay in February 2004- a leap year. But he did so on the 16th and, unsurprisingly, failed to make the club.

Sadly, recent reports indicate that Ivan Rodriguez will not become the latest high-profile member of this exclusive club. But pay close attention to today's MLBTR stories. Like Haley's Comet, you'll be seeing something that doesn't happen very often in our lifetimes, and works out even less of the time.