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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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The Doctor Will See You

The deal was close to completion as both sides agreed on the players. All that waited was the physicals for Greg Vaughn and Rogers. Vaughn traveled to New York to be examined by Yankees team physician Dr. Stuart Hershon. It didn’t go well as he failed the exam. Hershon ruled Vaughn had a torn right rotator cuff. It was an area of concern as Vaughn had four operations on his right shoulder in the past.

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Immediately, Steinbrenner voided the deal as “the Yankees weren’t taking on a wounded soldier for $12 million.” Looking to salvage the trade, then Padres president Larry Lucchino offered to send Vaughn to an independent doctor for a second opinion. The Yankees declined his offer. In a last-ditch attempt, Lucchino even tried to substitute Henderson in the deal, but the Greg Vaughn-to-the-Yankees trade was officially dead.

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1998, A Reclamation Season For Vaughn and Padres

Hindsight is 20/20 as the 1998 campaign is the highlight of Greg Vaughn’s two-and-half years in San Diego. He hit .272 with 50 HRs, 119 RBIs, and scored 112 runs. Vaughn was an offensive machine as he finished fourth in the league MVP race. And the season concluded with a World Series appearance against those Damn Yankees.

Don’t let anyone tell you they were confident that Vaughn would have such a comeback season. The Padres left him unprotected in the 1997 Expansion Draft with no takers in sight. The turnaround began in spring training as Vaughn sought out Tony Gwynn for advice at the plate. His new personal hitting coach told him to cut down his swing and stop trying to pull every pitch to left field.

Combined this new approach at the plate with an opportunity to play every day in left field, the afterthought became a legitimate star. Suddenly, Vaughn’s at-bats were must-see TV. The Padres went from cellar-dwellers to NL champs. It ended all too soon as Vaughn was traded to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the start of spring training for the 1999 season. His departure represented the final move of the Padres dismantling their championship roster.

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On behalf of all Padres fans, I want to thank Greg Vaughn’s right rotator cuff for raising medical red flags all across the board. His time in San Diego was short but very memorable.

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