St. Louis Cardinals: Ranking the 10 best trades in the last 20 years

1. July 31, 1997: The McGwire robbery

Cardinals Receive: Mark McGwire

Athletics Receive: Eric Ludwick, T.J. Matthews, and Blake Stein

More from Redbird Rants

• Lars Nootbaar is a prime Cardinals trade candidate
• Cardinals: Teoscar Hernandez trade sets up deal for Blue Jays catcher
• The Cardinals would make a huge mistake signing these starting pitchers
• Cardinals: Former MLB GM calls Jordan Walker a superstar for 2023
• Fans need these awesome St. Louis Cardinals bobbleheads

All biases and thoughts on steroids aside, looking at this trade from a purely baseball perspective is just insane.

Not only did the St. Louis Cardinals receive one of the greatest sluggers to ever play, but they did it for a package that had exponentially less value to it.

It’s honestly hard to talk about this trade because it was so lopsided.

McGwire’s production in most seasons eclipsed that of the three players traded for their entire careers combined.

McGwire had 583 home runs for his career. The three guys who the St. Louis Cardinals gave up for him had 510 total games played in their careers.

Nothing more needs to be said.

Next: Either/Or series: Part 2

Am I missing a trade? Do you think one of these acquisitions is over valued? Feel free to comment below with your thoughts.