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San Diego Padres: How a Voided Greg Vaughn Trade to Yanks Impacted ’98 Season

By Thomas Conroy

Ken Caminiti (R) of the San Diego Padres is congratulated after his two-run home run in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves in game five of the National League Championship Series 12 October at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA. The Padres lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES (Photo by JEFF HAYNES / AFP) (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
Ken Caminiti (R) of the San Diego Padres is congratulated after his two-run home run in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves in game five of the National League Championship Series 12 October at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA. The Padres lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES (Photo by JEFF HAYNES / AFP) (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Greg Vaughn of the San Diego Padres (Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport)
Greg Vaughn of the San Diego Padres (Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport) /

In 1997, the San Diego Padres were set to trade Greg Vaughn to the New York Yankees, but the deal was voided and the impact was felt in the 1998 season.

The pandemic crisis has brought time to reminisce about the absence of professional sports in our lives. Yes, it’s been fun to re-watch key games of the San Diego Padres 1998 National League championship run. For Padres fans, it was one of the great seasons in franchise history, but it falls under the “what-if” category if the trade of Greg Vaughn to the New York Yankees goes through during the 1997 season.

The Padres had a deal in place to trade Vaughn to the Yankees for infielder Mariano Duncan and starting pitcher Kenny Rogers during the Fourth-of-July weekend in 1997. All three players wanted out of their current situation due to a lack of playing time.

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The frustration level in the stands at Qualcomm Stadium was at an all-time high as the fans expressed their displeasure over Vaughn’s lack of production. He batted .213 with 28 HRs and 78 RBIs since being acquired at the 1996 trade deadline from Milwaukee Brewers. Vaughn was brought in to be the stick from the right-hand side of the plate that balanced the lineup out. However, since day one in San Diego, his role was never truly defined by team management.

Padres Looking to End a Failed Experiment

From the San Diego Padres perspective, the proposed trade would have ended their unsuccessful left-field platoon between Rickey Henderson and Greg Vaughn.

First, both players batted from the right side of the plate, so it wasn’t a true platoon situation. Plus, Henderson was a key component to the Padres offense from the leadoff position in the batting order. If he was hot at the plate, then Vaughn sat on the bench. No questions asked. Suddenly, the Padres big deadline acquisition became baseball’s most expensive pinch-hitter.

The move to the Bronx gave Vaughn a chance to become an everyday player once again. The Yankees were going to pencil him into the left-field position with an occasional day as the team’s designated hitter. The trade gave Vaughn an opportunity to re-gain confidence with his ability by playing in familiar surroundings (American League) once again.

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