The Doug DeCinces Trade

Since taking over for Hank Bauer midway through the 1968 season, Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver had won at least a hundred games in a season five times, along with three American League pennants and a World Series championship in 1970. As the Birds manager, Weaver utilized the platoon system with great success and was an early adopter of data rather than “gut feelings” in the decision-making process. Along the way, he had become famous for his on-field battles with umpires and off-field battles with pitcher Jim Palmer. Now, at age fifty-two, he was on his way out, though many thought he would be back.

“Earl has told us this is his last year,” said Baltimore general manager Hank Peters. “We respect his decision and we’re taking him at his word, but whether it will really be his last year remains to be seen. I think maybe he needs a sabbatical, not retirement. Sometimes, you need a year or two off to recharge the batteries. Earl’s too young to talk about early retirement.”

The Baltimore lineup was mostly set entering Weaver’s final season. Switch-hitting first baseman Eddie Murray was a bona-fide star and anchored the batting order. He won the Rookie of the Year in 1977 and in the following four years finished eleventh in the MVP balloting in his worst season, 1979, a year in which he hit .295 with 25 home runs and 99 RBI.

But under Weaver, the Orioles were best known for their pitching. He’d had at least one twenty-game winner in each of his twelve full seasons at the helm, highlighted by his 1971 staff, which featured four in Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, and Palmer. Weaver’s final season was no exception, as his projected rotation of Palmer, Dennis Martinez, Mike Flanagan, and Scott McGregor had a combined career record of 463-282 with four Cy Young Awards.

There was, however, one big change in the Baltimore lineup for 1982, and it was one Weaver wasn’t happy about. Doug DeCinces had the unenviable task of taking over for Brooks Robinson at third base in 1976 and had performed well in his six seasons at the hot corner. But the Orioles felt they had a better option in the form of twenty-one-year-old Cal Ripken Jr., a second-round draft pick in 1978 and the son of Baltimore third-base coach Cal Ripken Sr. The plan was for Ripken to play third base and move DeCinces to left field or trade him, but Weaver was having none of it. He wanted DeCinces at third and Ripken at short. The idea of having three infielders, (DeCinces, Ripken, and Murray) with 20+ home run power was enticing for Weaver, and he insisted that was how it was going to go in 1982. There was only one person who could overrule Weaver, and that was team owner Edward Bennett Williams. Williams was a successful attorney in Washington, DC, whose client list included Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Hoffa, and would-be assassin John Hinkley Jr. Williams purchased  controlling interest in the Orioles in August of 1979, which proved to be very bad timing. Less than two years into his tenure the Major-League Baseball Players Association went on strike and DeCinces was one of the union representatives.

“I had a good relationship with Williams,” said DeCinces. “He thought [the strike] was crazy. He didn’t agree with what management was pursuing in their effort to take away free agency and was constantly calling me for updates. He’d fly me down from New York to have dinner to bring him up to speed and then I’d end up going home in the evening and then taking a train the next morning to go back to New York.”

When the strike was settled, DeCinces said Williams stopped speaking to him. Union reps aren’t the most popular players with team owners, especially after a work-stoppage, and, not coincidentally, two of the four lead player reps, Bob Boone and Mark Belanger, found themselves in a new uniform the following year. DeCinces soon joined them when he was sent to the Angels for outfielder Dan Ford.

“When the trade finally came through, I knew [it was] because I was the head of the Players Association and Williams didn’t want me around anymore,” said DeCinces. “Of the four league guys, the only one who didn’t get traded was Steve Rogers because he was Cy Young. Three days [later] there was a conflict with Dan Ford and the Angels about their ability to trade him. Williams called me. It was the first time he’d called me since the strike. He said, ‘Doug I just want you to know there’s a lot of things going on and if this trade doesn’t work out, you’re my starting third baseman.’”

“You know, Mr. Williams, let’s stop kidding each other,” DeCinces responded. “I know for a fact why I got traded. I did nothing but speak honestly to you during the entire process. I’m here to tell you, you’d better make that trade go through because I’m never going to play for you.”

The deal was eventually consummated, and DeCinces joined Boone in California, with Ripken taking over third base duties in Baltimore. It was the end of a somewhat familial relationship between DeCinces and the Ripkens. In 1972, DeCinces was in Double-A Asheville, North Carolina, trying to reach the big leagues, and Ripken Sr. was his manager. Before a game one day, DeCinces and Cal Jr. were playing catch when shots rang out.

“There was some kid outside the stadium on a hill with a high-powered rifle,” DeCinces said. “I heard this bam on his first shot and saw the bullet sail right by me. On the second shot, I saw the grass fly up right in front of us. I grabbed Cal and we both dove right into the dugout. Cal’s dad has been my manager in the minors and my coach with the Orioles. You could say I know the family.”

“In one sense it’s kind of hard to see Doug go,” the younger Ripken said. “He was the one player above all others who paid attention to me in the minors, and I know how much he was part of Baltimore. I would rather replace someone else. On the other hand, I realized that if Doug didn’t go, I don’t play. Sometimes you’ve got to look out for yourself. I’m kind of happy because of the opportunity. I feel a lot more confident knowing it’s [third base] really kind of my position.”

You can save 25% off the cover price of Suds Series with the promo code “Suds 25” prior to publication when you order here.