Cardinals History: The Hall of Fame pitcher who got away

The St. Louis Cardinals were set at pitcher in the early 1970s! They had maybe the best righty-lefty combo of all time: Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton. After the 1971 season, Gibson was 35 but still highly effective. Gibson finished 5th in the Cy Young voting that season. The 26-year-old Carlton was coming off a 20-win all-star season — his 3rd ASG for the Cardinals. Why would the Cardinals ever break up such a potent 1-2 combo?

Money.

It's all about cash. Cardinals owner Gussie Busch had dealt with Carlton missing spring training in 1970 over a contract dispute, and after 1971, they were at an impasse again. Carlton was asking for a salary of $65,000 annually, while Busch offered $55,000. Worried that Carlton might hold out again, Busch made the monumental decision to tell GM Bing Devine to trade him.

Devine sought comparable value and found a match in Philadelphia. The Phillies had their own contract disputes with starting pitcher Rick Wise. His name might not be as legendary as Carlton's, but he was no slouch at the time. Wise was actually a year younger than Carlton and coming off his own All-Star season. In 1971, Wise had the lower ERA (2.88 vs. 3.56 for Carlton). At the time, it may not have seemed like such a bad trade.

"“I think we got a good pitcher and gave up a good pitcher. The only difference, to me, is that one is right-handed and one is left-handed.”"

Cardinals GM Bing Devine

Wise would prove to be a fine player for the Cardinals in 1972. He won 16 games with a 3.11 ERA. A great complement to Gibson. Of course Carlton proved to be even more effective. His 1972 season is one of the finest ever! 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA in 346 innings. He struck out 310, won the Cy Young, and had an astounding 30 complete games.

Carlton eventually won a championship in Philadelphia and is on many all-time leaderboards: 11th in wins, 9th in innings, and 4th in strikeouts. The Cardinals would go on to field some pretty mediocre teams throughout the 1970s, never winning a division title. Would their fortunes have been different with Carlton in the mix? A great what-if!