Tomase: Familiar face tops list of 10 greatest players to be named later
We won't know the results of the Andrew Benintendi trade until the Red Sox receive the players to be named later, three in total. You might scoff at their potential value, but history tells us the PTBNLs that start as afterthoughts can grow to be centerpieces with the benefit of hindsight.While it's too soon to say whom the Red Sox will receive from the Royals and Mets, now is a perfect time to reflect on the best players to be named ever.There's a strong Red Sox flavor to the list, and while there technically aren't any Hall of Famers among these 10, that should change next winter when a certain gap-toothed slugger with an affinity for walkoff homers debuts on the ballot.
Trade: A true throw-in to a seven-player trade in 2000 that sent slugger Richie Sexson to the Brewers and brought pitchers Jason Bere, Bob Wickman, and Steve Woodard to the Indians.
Upshot: Don't bother searching for Scutaro's name in old prospect handbooks, because he had already spent six nondescript seasons in the Cleveland system before heading to Milwaukee. He'd be waived a couple of times before landing in Oakland in 2004. Over a 13-year career that included a two-year stint in Boston, Scutaro made an All-Star team and not only won a World Series with the Giants in 2012, but he was named NLCS MVP after hitting .500 in a seven-game win over the Cardinals.
Trade: The Cardinals sent Crisp to the Indians in 2002 to complete a trade for left-hander Chuck Finley.
Upshot: Crisp had exhibited game-breaking speed but little power in the minors. He eventually emerged as a more rounded big leaguer, combining excellent defense in center with over 300 lifetime steals and a high of 22 home runs in 2013. Crisp never made an All-Star team during his 15-year career, but he did win a World Series with the 2007 Red Sox before being made expendable by the emergence of young star Jacoby Ellsbury. The 39-year-old Finley ended up pitching well in his only season with the Cardinals, going 7-4 with a 3.80 ERA and helping them reach the NLCS before retiring.
Trade: It's rare that a veteran is a PTBNL, but after seven years in Oakland, Brosius went to the Yankees for left-hander Kenny Rogers after the 1997 season.
Upshot: After a pedestrian career as a jack-of-all-trades with the A's, Brosius contributed to three straight World Series titles in New York. His best season came in 1998, when he hit .300 with a career-high 98 RBIs to earn his only All-Star berth before being named World Series MVP that fall. He won a Gold Glove in 1999 and ended up hitting .391 with three homers and 10 RBIs in New York's three World Series victories.
Trade: Too complicated to spell out in its entirety. He went from the Padres to the Nationals in 2015 as part of an 11-player trade with the Rays that sent outfielder Wil Myers to the Padres and outfielder Steven Souza to Tampa.
Upshot: Myers was considered the star of the trade, but Turner has proven to be the best player in the deal. The athletic shortstop finished second to Corey Seager of the Dodgers in the 2016 Rookie of the Year race before leading the National League in games (162), plate appearances (740) and steals (43) in 2018. He helped the Nationals win it all in 2019 before hitting .335 and finishing seventh in the NL MVP voting last year.
Trade: Completed 1996 trade with Pirates for left-hander Denny Neagle, who joined Braves.
Upshot: It turns out not much has changed in the last 25 years, because the Braves were blessed with an abundance of young pitching then, too, which made Schmidt expendable. The Braves felt they needed Neagle to try to defend their World Series title, and though they'd fail, a year later Neagle would go 20-5. Schmidt's Pirates career wasn't much to speak of (44-47, 4.39), but he blossomed into a three-time All-Star and Cy Young candidate with the Giants, winning an ERA title in 2003.
Trade: Orosco hadn't pitched above Rookie ball when the Twins sent him to the Mets in 1979 for former All-Star left-hander Jerry Koosman.
Upshot: Orosco is a good example of how a seemingly unheralded prospect can make an impact. While Koosman won 20 games for the 1979 Twins, Orosco debuted with the Mets after just 16 appearances at Triple-A Tidewater. He'd bounce around for the next two years before sticking for good as a reliever in 1982 and ultimately spending 24 years in the big leagues. He made a record 1,252 appearances and recorded the final out of the 1986 World Series vs. the Red Sox before finishing his career where it started in 2003 with the Twins.
Trade: Final piece in 2008 blockbuster CC Sabathia trade from Indians to Brewers.
Upshot: The centerpiece of this deal was supposed to be first baseman Matt LaPorta, a consensus top-30 prospect. But the real prize ended up being the throw-in. Brantley is a four-time All-Star who finished third in the 2014 MVP voting and is still going strong after signing a two-year extension with the Astros. It's hard to say the Brewers have any regrets, considering that Sabathia went 11-2 and led the NL in shutouts. (He also led the AL in shutouts that year, making him the only player to pull that double in the same season).
Trade: Shipped to Expos from Pirates in 1990 to complete three-player trade for left-hander Zane Smith.
Upshot: Smith was nails for the Pirates over 10 starts, going 6-2 with a 1.30 ERA to help Pittsburgh win the NL East before losing to the Reds in the NLCS. The Expos, meanwhile, didn't even really see Alou until 1992, thanks to shoulder surgery that cost him the entire 1991 season. Alou finished second in the 1992 Rookie of the Year race and was an All-Star two years later. He ended up making six All-Star teams and winning a World Series with the 1997 Marlins before retiring in 2008.
Trade: Completed a 1910 deal from A's to Indians for outfielder Bris Lord.
Upshot: Bris Lord! Is that a baseball player or a turnip farmer? He was actually a half decent outfielder, but Jackson wasted no time showing the A's how ill-advised it was to trade him. He hit .387 in 20 games to close the 1910 season and then exploded in 1911 at age 23, hitting .408 with 41 steals. The Black Sox scandal would come nearly a decade later, ending Jackson's career as a .356 hitter.
Trade: Sent from Mariners to Twins to complete 1996 deal for third baseman Dave Hollins.
Upshot: The Mariners had little reason to regret the trade after Hollins hit .351 down the stretch, but the real losers were the Twins, because they didn't know what they had. They released Ortiz in 2002 and the rest is history: over 500 career homers, three World Series titles, and one bleeping city that will always remember him as the man who did as much as anyone to end 86 years of misery.
