Palmeiro was Cubs' biggest mistake

Ask a Chicago Cubs fan what the worst trade in franchise history was, and they will tell you the same thing -- Brock for Broglio.\nWhen the Cubs traded outfielder Lou Brock with pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth to the Cardinals for pitchers Bobby Shantz and Ernie Broglio and outfielder Doug Clemens on June 15, 1964, it was generally assumed to be the worst trade in Cubs history, if not the worst in baseball history. \nBroglio was the key acquisition for the Cubs; Brock was the reason the Cardinals made the deal. Bothered by arm problems, Broglio won just seven games the rest of his career. A six-time All-Star, Brock finished his career with 3,023 hits and eight National League stolen base titles. Most importantly, the Cardinals won two World Series in Brock's first four years in St. Louis. The Cubs, well, you know, they're the Cubs.\nWhen Rafael Palmeiro clubbed his 500th home run Sunday at the Ballpark at Arlington, Texas, it put further into cement what we already knew. Brock for Broglio is now No. 2 on the list. The Palmeiro trade was the worst.\nThe 1988 Cubs had six All-Stars but still finished 77-85, only good enough for fourth place in the National League East. They needed a top-notch reliever to replace the ineffective Rich "Goose" Gossage. Palmeiro hit .307 in 1988, second in the National League. However, he hit only eight home runs, and Jim Frey, Cubs general manager, decided to trade Palmeiro to Texas as part of a nine-player deal for reliever Mitch Williams. (At least it is assumed that Palmeiro was traded for not hitting enough home runs. Rumors abounded for years that the Cubs traded Palmeiro because famed broadcaster Harry Caray could not pronounce Palmeiro's name, but I don't buy it, because if the Cubs traded a player every time Harry couldn't pronounce the guy's name, the team wouldn't have had enough players to field a squad.)\nFrey had no idea what he was doing. If he did, he would have realized that Williams' poor pitching mechanics would have prevented him from having a long career. He would fall off the mound to the point where he would almost lose his balance. Williams lasted just two years with the Cubs, and his career all but ended after giving up Joe Carter's World Series-losing home run with the Phillies in 1993.\nMeanwhile, Palmeiro goes on strong. He has hit at least 38 home runs every year since 1995 and has gone over 40 four times. \nThose who would argue that Palmeiro doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame are dead wrong. A player who hits 500 home runs might not deserve to make the Hall of Fame someday -- everybody who has hit 500 either is in the Hall of Fame, still active or preparing for induction, like Eddie Murray -- but Palmeiro isn't that guy. He is also a three-time Golden Glove winner and four-time All-Star. He is the active leader in doubles and has more hits than any major league player since 1990. He clearly is not a one-dimensional player.\nHe also is a much better player than Lou Brock. While maintaining an identical .293 batting average to Brock's, he has more power and has drawn many more walks. Brock's only advantage is speed. \nDid I mention the Cubs also gave away pitcher Jamie Moyer in the same deal, now pitching as well as ever at 40 with the Mariners? And that Cubs fans have been complaining about lacking a top-notch left-handed starting pitcher for most of the 15 years since the trade?\nWilliams lasted only two years with the Cubs, his fine 1989 countered by an awful 1990 when he went 1-8 with only 16 saves. The other guys the Cubs got in the deal were Paul Kilgus, Steve Wilson and Curtis Wilkerson, all of whom saw their big league careers end 10 years ago.\nMany argue the trade was worth it because the Cubs won the National League East in 1989, and Williams' terrific bullpen work had a lot to do with it. Sorry, but it doesn't. Sammy Sosa always needed some help in the power department, and the Cubs frankly wasted most of the best years of Sammy's career because they didn't put enough good players around him. Mark Grace, the player the Cubs chose to keep to play first base, never had that kind of power and never pushed the Cubs to the glory that Palmeiro could have brought them. Palmeiro was a serious and sometimes grim competitor, and Grace was the ultimate lovable Cubbie.\nThey traded the wrong guy. And the Cubs remain the Cubs.