Friendly Rivals, Trading Within The Division

           Just performed a quick count (subject to audit) on Marlins trades within the division over the years and came up with 23 such deals, the latest being Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham to Washington for Emilio Bonifacio and prospects.

           Of those 22 previous deals made with division brethren, the New York Mets have been the Marlins' favorite trading partner, accounting for 10 of the transactions. Atlanta is next (five trades), followed by Philadelphia (three trades), and Montreal (three trades). Hey, that leaves one missing deal and (hint hint) team. Anyone want to take a stab on that one?

          At any rate, here's my top five list of the Marlins' most significant deals within the division:

         1) July 11, 2002 -- Marlins trade Cliff Floyd, Wilton Guerrero, Claudio Vargas and a player to be named (Don Levinski) to Montreal for Mike Mordecai and pitchers Carl Pavano, Graeme Lloyd and Justin Wayne. Significance: Pavano was a key piece of the pitching equation for the '03 champion Marlins while Mordecai made major contributions off the bench.

         2) July 21, 1997 -- Marlins trade Billy McMillon to Philadelphia for Darren Daulton. Significance: Daulton joined the club in mid-season and played a huge part in the '97 World Series run by assuming a leadership role inside the clubhouse.

         3) May 22, 1998 -- Marlins trade Mike Piazza to the Mets for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall and Geoff Goetz. Significance: This deal was Part II of a firesale trade, coming one week after the Marlins got Piazza and Todd Zeila from the Dodgers for Bobby Bonilla, Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich and the immortal Manuel Barrios. Significance: Four years later, Marlins dealt Wilson and Johnson to Colorado in the Juan Pierre trade that proved instrumental in the '03 championship run.

        4) March 26, 1997 -- Marlins trade Joe Orsulak and Dustin Hermanson to Montreal for Cliff Floyd. Significance: Floyd ranked second on the Marlins' all-time home run list (trailing only Gary Sheffield) when he was traded away in '02. He still ranks in the Marlins' top 10 all-time in games played, career batting average, homers, extra-base hits, and RBI.

       5) Nov. 20, 2006 -- Marlins trade Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick to the Mets for Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens. Significance: Mets fans were gnashing their teeth when they watched Lindstrom nail the coffin on their season in the finale and spoiled the final game played at Shea Stadium. The jury remains out on this one. But if Lindstrom develops into a dependable stopper for the Marlins, this deal might move up on the list over time.

      Honorable Mention: Nov. 24, 2005 -- Marlins trade Carlos Delgado to the Mets for Mike Jacobs, Yusmeiro Petit and Grant Psomas. Yeah, yeah. This deal had star power, with Delgado heading off to the Big Apple. But what did it really net the Marlins in the long run? Leo Nunez? Jorge Julio?....Feb. 6, 1998 -- Marlins trade Al Leiter and Ralph Milliard to the Mets for A.J. Burnett, Jesus Sanchez and two players to be named later (Cesar Crespo and Brandon Villafuerte). Again, prominent names involved in the trade. And, besides throwing that nine-walk no-hitter, Burnett does rank second on the team's all-time wins list behind Dontrelle Willis. But he wasn't really a part of the team's magical '03 run and his bad attitude got him sent home (without a spanking) a week before the end of the '05 season....Nov. 29 1994 -- Marlins trade Carl Everett to the Mets for Quilvio Veras.