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On this day 34 years ago: The Blue Jays trade Fred McGriff and Tony Fernández to the Padres for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar
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Photo credit: @BlueJays
Ryley Delaney
Dec 5, 2024, 18:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 5, 2024, 16:28 EST
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On this day 34 years ago, the Toronto Blue Jays made one of their biggest trades in franchise history.
The Blue Jays swung a big trade on December 5, 1990, as they traded star players Fred McGriff and Tony Fernández to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar.
The Blue Jays’ first foray into the postseason came in 1985, falling in seven games to the Kansas City Royals after winning the American League East. After three competitive seasons between 1986 and 1998, they made the postseason in 1989, where they fell in five games to the Oakland Athletics.
In 1990, they missed the postseason with an 86-76 record, finishing second in the American League East, prompting them to move future Hall of Famer McGriff, as well as Fernández. McGriff was terrific for the Blue Jays, slashing .278/.389/.530 with 125 home runs in 2,322 plate appearances with the Jays.
Fernández on the other hand, slashed .289/.338/.399 with 40 home runs in 4,321 plate appearances from 1983 until 1990. In that span, he won four Gold Gloves from 1986 until 1989, getting at least one MVP vote in all four of those seasons.
Alomar was still a young player when he arrived in Toronto, as he slashed .283/.339/.379 with 22 home runs in 1,959 plate appearances in his first three seasons with the Padres. Carter was on the back end of his career, as he turned 30 before the 1990 season started. In eight seasons before the trade, Carter slashed .262/.304/.456 with 175 home runs in 4,242 plate appearances.
It’s hard to say a team won a trade when they traded away a Hall of Famer, but that was exactly the case for the Blue Jays. The 1991 postseason saw them fall in the American League Championship series again, this time to the Minnesota Twins.
However, they finally won the ALCS in 1992 and then won the whole darn thing in 1992 by defeating the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in six games. They went back-to-back in 1993, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, with a walk-off home run from Joe Carter. What’s more is that Fernández was re-acquired before the 1993 trade deadline, winning a World Series with Toronto that year.
All four players went on to have meaningful careers, with Alomar and McGriff being in the Hall of Fame. Carter and Fernández aren’t slouches either, as both are five-time All-Stars. Fernández and Carter are both on the Level of Excellence, while Alomar was taken off the Level of Excellence due to off-field issues.
Hopefully, the Blue Jays make another franchise-shattering transaction soon.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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