It is Brad Fullmer\u2019s 51st birthday.<\/p>\n
Also, 23 years ago (2002), the Blue Jays traded Brad Fullmer to the Angels for Brian Cooper.<\/p>\n
So it is a shared birthday\/today in Jays\u2019 history post.<\/p>\n
About the trade:<\/p>\n
Cooper was an RHP. He was 27 at the time. He pitched for the Angels for portions of three seasons, making 21 starts and 6 relief appearances. He reached 5-10 with a 5.33 ERA in 128 innings, 57 walks, and 58 strikeouts.<\/p>\n
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Fullmer was also 27 at the time of the trade.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t one of J.P. Ricciardi\u2019s better trades. Fullmer was always thought of as a disappointment. Maybe because, as an LHB, he didn\u2019t hit lefties at all. Maybe because Brad really couldn\u2019t play defense. But I wonder why J.P. gave him away so cheaply (perhaps he was tired of paying for cleaning chewing tobacco out of the Skydome\u2019s turf?). Cooper wasn\u2019t much of a pitcher, nor was Brad a great prospect, but Ricciardi must have seen something in Cooper that the rest of us missed. I can\u2019t imagine what he thought he saw. Cooper had as many walks as strikeouts when we traded for him.<\/p>\n
The Expos picked Brad in the 2nd round of the 1993 draft. He played two-plus seasons with the Expos and had been a disappointment. He wasn\u2019t very good with the glove at first base, and his bat didn\u2019t show quite as well as the Expos hoped. Nevertheless, he hit .276\/.326\/.459 with 25 home runs in 259 games with Montreal.<\/p>\n
In March 2000, Fullmer was part of a three-team trade between the Expos, Rangers, and Blue Jays. The Rangers sent Lee Stevens to the Expos, the Jays sent David Segui to the Rangers, and the Expos sent Fullmer to the Jays.<\/p>\n
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Stevens did a good job for the Expos, hitting .243\/.334\/.450 with 57 home runs in 3 seasons. Segui hit .336\/.391\/.519 in 93 games, and the Expos traded him to Cleveland for Ricky Ledee. Segui was always good at getting on base, but didn\u2019t have the power you\u2019d like to have from a first baseman.<\/p>\n
Fullmer DHed for the Jays for two seasons, hitting .284\/.333\/.499 with 50 home runs and 187 RBI in 279 games. He had an excellent season in 2000, hitting 32 home runs and driving in 104 runs. If the Jays had a better team, we\u2019d consider Fullmer one of the better DHs in team history.<\/p>\n
The trade with the Angels didn\u2019t go well for the Jays.<\/p>\n