
July 19th, 2000: Blue Jays trade Michael Young and Darwin Cubillan for Esteban Loaiza
The Toronto Blue Jays selected Michael Young in the 5th round of the 1997 MLB amateur draft, however, the perennial All-Star would never suit up for the Blue Jays at the major league level. Young would climb to Double-A in the Blue Jays organization before being traded to the lone star state.
Young along with Darwin Cubillan would be moved to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Esteban Loaiza in the summer of 2000 as the Jays were chasing an AL East title. The Jays would finish fourth in the division with a respectable 85-77 record while Young would become a household name with the Rangers.
The native of Covina, California was a seven-time All-Star while also winning a Gold Glove in 2008. Young also finished in the Top 10 of AL MVP voting on two occasions and played the game the right way throughout his career. Vernon Wells and Young also became lifelong friends after honing their craft in the Blue Jays farm system together.
Young would enjoy a 14-year MLB career hitting .300/.346/.441 with 185 home runs and totaling a 24.6 WAR in 1970 games. Loaiza would spend parts of three seasons with the Blue Jays going 25-28 with a 4.96 earned run average in 75 games. The hurler would accumulate a 3.7 WAR during his Toronto days before signing with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent.
This trade is as bad as it gets seeing Young could have solidified the Blue Jays infield for the better part of a decade. If your interested to see what Loaiza is doing in life after baseball, click HERE.
Blue Jays Expert: Clayton Richer