There’s an interesting piece on MLBtraderumors.com right now about how Sam Fuld has stepped in nicely since Manny’s sudden retirement in Tampa, and it references how the Phils tried to replace Schmidt when he suddenly retired in 1989:
The stakes were very different back in 1989, when an aging Mike Schmidt unexpectedly retired on May 28th with a season line of .203/.297/.372. Hopes had been high for Schmidt to regain his Hall of Fame form after a down 1988, but 172 plate appearances in, Schmidt acknowledged that he simply wasn’t the same player anymore.
With internal options Chris James and Randy Ready stretched as everyday third basemen, the Phillies made a deal three weeks later, trading Steve Bedrosian and Rick Parker to the Giants for Charlie Hayes, Terry Mulholland and Dennis Cook. Hayes provided an OPS+ of 93 as the regular third baseman, around where Schmidt was when he called it quits.
The move helped Philadelphia eventually win the National League in 1993, along with a second deal that day with the Mets to bring Lenny Dykstra into the fold. At the time, however, it was the Charlie Hayes trade, and Hayes left the Philadelphia fans disappointed, both because Schmidt was impossible to replace, and because the Phillies finished 67-95.
Not only was Schmidt impossible to replace, but Hayes was simply not very good while in Philly. In his two full seasons with the team (’90 and ’91), he had 110 RBIs total. Compare that with Schmidt, who had 110 or more RBIs in a single season 4 times, and between 100-110 another 3 times. Hayes would come into his own two years later as a member of the expansion Colorado Rockies. Perhaps the best indication of what a launching pad Coors Field was, Hayes hit 25 HRs (17 at home) and 98 RBIs (66 at home).
I’m not sure how the move helped the team win in 1993. Hayes and Cook were no longer on the team, and Mulholland was a good but not spectacular pitcher (though Philliesnation has him ranked as the 55th best Phillie of all time.). The Dykstra deal helped them win in ’93 obviously, but I don’t see how “the Charlie Hayes trade” really made much of an impact. In fact, Steve Bedrosian, who the Phils traded away, helped the Giants make the playoffs in 1989, the Twins make the World Series in 1991, and the Braves win the NL West in 1993. Charlie Hayes would return to the team in ’95, and actually put up much better numbers the 2nd time around (.276, 11 HRs, 85 RBIs). His son Tyree is now a pitcher in the Reds organization.
