MLB: Five Most Lopsided Trade Deadline Deals Since 2000
By Jason Evans
July 27, 2002: Cleveland Indians trade Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew to Montreal for Lee Stevens, Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips
In 2002, the Montreal Expos were the surprise of baseball. They were in contention with Braves thanks to Jose Vidro and Vladimir Guerrerro. They had Javier Vasquez and Tomo Ohka in the rotation, but they thought if they could get an ace, that that could be the final piece in putting them over the top and into the playoffs.
The Expos were owned by MLB at the time so it was a bit of a tricky situation, but Omar Minaya got the go ahead to get Bartolo Colon from the Indians.
Colon did his part, going 10-4 in 16 starts, however the Expos couldn’t get over the hump and get to the postseason. Colon would then be dealt the White Sox before the 2003 season.
This trade set up the Indians for the future. Although they dealt Phillips, Lee and Sizemore would be a part of Indians team that would reach the ALCS in 2007. Sizemore during his prime would be an MVP candidate until injuries would curtail his career. Lee, on the other hand, would be a part of some other deadline deals.
Next: Lee x 2