Hard as it is to believe, there were times when the Pittsburgh Pirates made shrewd trades to improve their fortunes. While current Pirates general manager Ben Cherington continues to approach offseason moves with the urgency of a man trying to escape from the arms of Sydney Sweeney, we present this subjective, unscientific, yet meticulously researched look at the top five trades in Pirates history. Here they are, in descending order, just like David Letterman used to do it.<\/p>\n
May 17, 1956: Pirates trade Bobby Del Greco<\/a> and Dick Littlefield<\/a> to St. Louis Cardinals for Bill Virdon<\/a>. <\/strong>The left-handed-batting center fielder Virdon was the National League Rookie of the Year with the Cardinals in 1955 when he hit .281\/.322\/.433, 17 HR, and 68 RBI. However, he got off to a slow start the next year, hitting just .211\/.269\/.324 at the time of the trade. Del Greco, a native of Pittsburgh\u2019s Hill District, hit .217\/.301\/.279 in 1952, his only previous season in the majors. He was off to a slow start in 1956 as well. But he hit two home runs on May 13 in cavernous Forbes Field against the Philadelphia Phillies with Cardinals GM Frank Lane in attendance. According to legend, although that performance raised Del Greco\u2019s average to a paltry .176, it convinced Lane he had to have the seldom-used Italian center fielder.<\/p>\n Hence the genesis of one of the most important trades in Pirates lore. The hasty deal also netted Lane the 30-year-old journeyman left-handed pitcher Littlefield. St. Louis fans hated the trade. They weren\u2019t wrong.<\/p>\n Pirates manager Bobby Bragan<\/a> coveted a speedy, left-handed hitting outfielder, and Virdon was all that. Virdon was the Pirates leadoff hitter and center fielder through 1965, hitting .266\/.316\/.375 in a Pittsburgh uniform, including three at-bats when he was reactivated<\/a> briefly in 1968. He was a strong defensive outfielder, responsible for 51 Fielding Runs Above Average (FRAA) and 100 assists for his career. Virdon won a Gold Glove Award in 1962, but it was 1961 when he led the NL in \u201crange factor,\u201d according to stats guru Bill James.<\/p>\n Nicknamed \u201cthe Quail,\u201d Virdon was a key part of the 1960 World Series champion Pirates. By that time, Del Greco was no longer a Cardinal, and Littlefield was out of baseball. Virdon hit .264\/.326\/.406 in the regular season and saved Game 4 by robbing the New York Yankees\u2019 Bob Cerv<\/a> of a sure two-run double. No less an authority on outfield play than Roberto Clemente<\/a> once told The Sporting News<\/em> that Virdon was \u201cunderrated.\u201d \u201cHe\u2019s kept our pitchers in the majors with his glove and hitting,\u201d said the great Clemente.<\/p>\n June 28, 1979: Pirates trade Fred Breining<\/a>, Al Holland<\/a>, and Ed Whitson<\/a> to San Francisco Giants for Bill Madlock<\/a>, Lenny Randle<\/a>, and Dave Roberts<\/a>. <\/strong>The Pirates finished second to the Phillies in the NL East Division each year from 1976-78. On June 27, 1979, they were 36-32, a game ahead of the Phillies. Unfortunately, the Pirates were still in second place, tied with the Chicago Cubs and looking up at the Montreal Expos. They were one right-handed bat short of a division, and ultimately a World Series, title.<\/p>\n That problem was solved when GM Hardy Peterson<\/a> traded for Madlock. The headline in the June 29, 1979 edition of The Pittsburgh Press<\/em> asked, \u201cHow Did Peterson Swindle the Giants?\u201d Indeed, \u201cswindle\u201d was the right word. Madlock was already a two-time batting champion at age 28. But he was causing problems in San Francisco and practically forced the trade. Roberts gave the Bucs a second left-handed reliever they sorely needed. Randle, who died recently<\/a>, was quickly sold off to the Yankees.<\/p>\n After the deal, the Pirates went 62-32 and won the World Series<\/a>. Hitting sixth in the order, where he had RBI opportunities while setting the table for the bottom of the order with his speed, Madlock hit .328\/.390\/.469, 7 HR, and 44 RBI while stealing 21 bases for the 1979 Pirates. He also hit .375 (9-for-24) in the Series.<\/p>\n\u201cHe\u2019s Kept Our Pitchers in the Majors\u201d<\/h4>\n
4. \u201cMad Dog\u201d Saves the Season<\/h3>\n
Missing Pieces<\/h4>\n