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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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New York Yankees, Montreal Expos
(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /

Yankees Wanted to Get Rid of Two Disappointments

Rogers was a bad fit with the Yankees since the very first day he put on the pinstripes. He had a laid-back personality that didn’t mix well with the intensity of New York sports fans. It seemed like Rogers had lost all of the confidence on the mound that garnered him 17 wins in his final season with the Texas Rangers.

With runners-on-base, Rogers rarely trusted his pitches to get out of a tough jam. Suddenly, one base runner turned into a big scoring rally for the opposition. The Yankees’ premier free agent pitching acquisition was the weakest link of the 96 World Series championship team’s starting rotation.

Rogers’ pitching (4-4, 5.90 era) struggles continued in the 1997 season as the Yankees patience ran thin and the team’s front office banished him to the bullpen as the long man. A trade to San Diego gave him a fresh start to his career as a starting pitcher in the San Diego Padres Padres rotation.

1997 wasn’t an easy season for Duncan as well. One year earlier, he was the proclaimed team leader that led the Pinstripes to their first World Series title since 1978. Now, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner declared him a liability in the field as his fielding and hitting skills were clearly declining.

Yankees manager Joe Torre removed Duncan from the lineup as the front office began a search for a new second baseman. Duncan didn’t handle the benching too well and began trading insults with Steinbrenner in the newspapers before requesting a trade.

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