A Look Back at the Four-Way Deal Among the Braves, Mets, Pirates and Rangers in 1977

If you ask most fans to name a four-team deal, the one that jumps to mind is the 2004 deal among the Red Sox, Twins, Cubs and Expos that sent Nomar Garciparra out of Boston and brought Orlando Cabrera, Doug Mientkiewicz and a World Series title to the Red Sox.

But the one that jumps to my mind is the one that occurred at the Winter Meetings in Hawaii in December of 1977, the Braves, Mets, Pirates and Rangers completed an 11-player swap that caught just about everyone off guard.

According to Randy Galloway of The Sporting News, the blockbuster deal occurred thanks to a chance meeting between Mets manager Joe Torre and Rangers owner Brad Corbett. Torre asked Corbett if he had any interest in first baseman John Milner. Corbett said he did, but they could not agree on a fair price. The Rangers owner invited Torre to bring the rest of the Mets' brass in on the discussion.

While the Mets and Rangers were meeting, Ted Turner of the Braves walked by and got in on the talks. Finally, the Pirates joined in the discussions. Galloway reported that negotiations took eight hours to complete the trade. Here's how it broke down for each of the clubs:

Atlanta Braves
Traded: Willie Montanez

Received: Adrian Devine, Tommy Boggs and Eddie Miller

Expectations: Salary dump. Montanez made a whopping $350,000 dollars. The Braves also sold Andy Messersmith to the Yankees during the '77 Winter Meetings.

Production: Boggs went 12-9 in 1980 but it was the only season in his nine-year career that he finished with a winning record. Devine, who was a second-round pick of the Braves prior to being shipped to the Rangers following the 1976 season for Jeff Burroughs, had a nice year for Texas in 1977 but was mediocre in two seasons with Atlanta. Ironically, he was traded back to the Rangers following the 1979 season in the trade that netted the Braves Doyle Alexander. Miller was a speedster who never hit in the majors.

Net Result: Positive. The Braves lost 101 games with Montanez in 1977 so getting rid of his salary, however puny it looks in hindsight, was a good idea. That it set in motion the ingredients to acquire John Smoltz (Alexander) made it all the better.